starting to wake up â began to groan.
âWe donât have much time!â Felix called.
âI know!â Jasper hissed. âBut itâs like we have every key except the right one!â It was impossible to see in the dark. Jasper tried not to think about how dark it was, or how cold.
Craigâs moans seemed to be getting louder.
â Psst!â A voice whispered over Jasperâs shoulder.
âWhat?â Jasper snapped â now really wasnât the time for the kid to distract him.
Suddenly, a deep, low, growl broke through the night. Jasperâs stomach clenched. He turned around slowly. The spaniel was snapping and growling at Bertie.
Jasper couldnât believe how frightening a small cocker spaniel could be. He looked up, wondering why Saffy or Felix hadnât pounced on the dog â and froze.
Felix and Saffy wouldnât be helping out any time soon. They had both been turned to stone.
Jasper stared at the statues of his friends. Saffyâs face had an expression of complete surprise, and Felix was frozen as he reached anxiously into his pocket, probably for his asthma puffer.
It doesnât make sense, thought Jasper. How did the Bogglemorph â
The dog growled again, and suddenly, he realised what had happened.
âThat golden cocker spaniel is the Bogglemorph,â Jasper whispered to Bertie. âGolden, blond, same thing. We should have known â who ever heard of a cocker spaniel as a guard dog?â
Jasper wondered how much longer it would take for the prefects to arrive and help catch the monster. And then he remembered the prefects couldnât see monsters. They were too old and, according to Mac, too stupid.
Jasper dropped the keys into the snow, and reached slowly into the front pocket of his hoodie. The spaniel continued to growl, but didnât come any closer. Jasper felt his hand clench around the whipped cream.
âHere pup, pup, pup,â he cooed. The dog growled even more loudly. âOr should I say, Bogglemorph?â
Jasper charged forward, spraying the dog with mountains of white, fluffy cream as it barked furiously and snapped at his heels.
Jasper stopped and stared at the dog. The dog stared at him. Jasper wondered how long it would take for the monster to turn into an elephant-nosed slug-sheep. The dog licked a paw. It didnât look too impressed. He turned to Bertie. âWhy isnât it working?â he whispered.
Bertie shrugged.
The dog looked at Jasper and whimpered.
âFREEZE!â a booming voice called from the dark. âYOU ARE SURROUNDED!â
Jasper peered into the night. He could just make out three figures in camouflage suits. The prefects turned on their torches and shone them directly into Jasperâs eyes. One of the torches flashed to the whimpering cream puff at Jasperâs feet.
âWhat did you maggots do to Sparky?â a prefect growled.
Jasper shook his head. None of this was making sense. He didnât think the prefects could see monsters. And how long would the whipped cream take to transform the dog into its natural state?
Think! Jasper told himself. If he didnât work this out soon, Felix and Saffy would be joining the other statues up at the mansion. Not to mention the punishment he knew the prefects would dish out. Especially Craig, who was now sitting up in the snow looking dazed.
Then Jasper realised. What had the Craig said when he first caught them? What do you three think you are doing? But there hadnât been three of them â there had been four ...
Suddenly things began to make sense. The dog wasnât the monster. It was Bertie!
The prefects can count , thought Jasper. It was Bertie â with his big mop of curly blond hair.
Jasper turned, but Bertie had vanished.
âWhere did he go? Bertie Warf! The Bogglemorph!â Jasper yelled frantically. If he got away ... Jasper looked fearfully at the statues of his
âWe donât have much time!â Felix called.
âI know!â Jasper hissed. âBut itâs like we have every key except the right one!â It was impossible to see in the dark. Jasper tried not to think about how dark it was, or how cold.
Craigâs moans seemed to be getting louder.
â Psst!â A voice whispered over Jasperâs shoulder.
âWhat?â Jasper snapped â now really wasnât the time for the kid to distract him.
Suddenly, a deep, low, growl broke through the night. Jasperâs stomach clenched. He turned around slowly. The spaniel was snapping and growling at Bertie.
Jasper couldnât believe how frightening a small cocker spaniel could be. He looked up, wondering why Saffy or Felix hadnât pounced on the dog â and froze.
Felix and Saffy wouldnât be helping out any time soon. They had both been turned to stone.
Jasper stared at the statues of his friends. Saffyâs face had an expression of complete surprise, and Felix was frozen as he reached anxiously into his pocket, probably for his asthma puffer.
It doesnât make sense, thought Jasper. How did the Bogglemorph â
The dog growled again, and suddenly, he realised what had happened.
âThat golden cocker spaniel is the Bogglemorph,â Jasper whispered to Bertie. âGolden, blond, same thing. We should have known â who ever heard of a cocker spaniel as a guard dog?â
Jasper wondered how much longer it would take for the prefects to arrive and help catch the monster. And then he remembered the prefects couldnât see monsters. They were too old and, according to Mac, too stupid.
Jasper dropped the keys into the snow, and reached slowly into the front pocket of his hoodie. The spaniel continued to growl, but didnât come any closer. Jasper felt his hand clench around the whipped cream.
âHere pup, pup, pup,â he cooed. The dog growled even more loudly. âOr should I say, Bogglemorph?â
Jasper charged forward, spraying the dog with mountains of white, fluffy cream as it barked furiously and snapped at his heels.
Jasper stopped and stared at the dog. The dog stared at him. Jasper wondered how long it would take for the monster to turn into an elephant-nosed slug-sheep. The dog licked a paw. It didnât look too impressed. He turned to Bertie. âWhy isnât it working?â he whispered.
Bertie shrugged.
The dog looked at Jasper and whimpered.
âFREEZE!â a booming voice called from the dark. âYOU ARE SURROUNDED!â
Jasper peered into the night. He could just make out three figures in camouflage suits. The prefects turned on their torches and shone them directly into Jasperâs eyes. One of the torches flashed to the whimpering cream puff at Jasperâs feet.
âWhat did you maggots do to Sparky?â a prefect growled.
Jasper shook his head. None of this was making sense. He didnât think the prefects could see monsters. And how long would the whipped cream take to transform the dog into its natural state?
Think! Jasper told himself. If he didnât work this out soon, Felix and Saffy would be joining the other statues up at the mansion. Not to mention the punishment he knew the prefects would dish out. Especially Craig, who was now sitting up in the snow looking dazed.
Then Jasper realised. What had the Craig said when he first caught them? What do you three think you are doing? But there hadnât been three of them â there had been four ...
Suddenly things began to make sense. The dog wasnât the monster. It was Bertie!
The prefects can count , thought Jasper. It was Bertie â with his big mop of curly blond hair.
Jasper turned, but Bertie had vanished.
âWhere did he go? Bertie Warf! The Bogglemorph!â Jasper yelled frantically. If he got away ... Jasper looked fearfully at the statues of his
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