workers.
‘What is this?!’ Mrs Trifle gasped. ‘My goodness! It’s a party — for me!’
‘Surprise! Surprise!’ Melanie yelled and everyone cheered and clapped.
‘Melanie!’ Mrs Trifle said, wagging her finger. ‘You’re a naughty girl. You tricked us. But what a lovely surprise.’
The three girls were still holding the plates they’d been about to throw. Cindy stepped forward and very politely said, ‘Anyone care for a sandwich?’
‘Or a sausage?’ Lindy said sweetly.
‘Or a biscuit?’ Mindy said even more sweetly.
‘Oh,
yes,’
Mrs Trifle said, taking some food from Cindy’s plate. ‘Thank you very much.’
‘And thanks for looking after things while we were out,’ Dr Trifle said.
‘You’re very welcome, Uncle,’ Cindy said, turning to her sisters. ‘What do we say, girls?’
The girls put a finger to the chins and chanted, ‘We’re neat. We’re sweet. And we’re as cute as cute can be,’ before bursting into giggles.
‘Oh that’s so cute!’ said Mrs Trifle.
‘Pardon me while I vomit,’ Selby thought.
‘And look at that beautiful cake,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘Hmmm, there’s only one thing wrong.’
‘Wrong?’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Someone’s left one of the Ns out of the word
anniversary!
Willy and Billy looked around at Selby.
‘Hey,’ Selby thought, and he gave the slightest of slight shrugs. ‘Nobody’s perfect. Not even me.’
Paw note: If you want to see how horrible Willy and Billy have been to me, read the story ‘Animal Angels’ in the book
Selby Scrambled
.
S
Selby’s Shadow
‘I’ve come up with something to make people invisible,’ Dr Trifle said.
‘Invisible?’ thought Selby, just waking up from his nap.
‘Invisible?’ Mrs Trifle asked. ‘Who would want to be invisible?’
‘Lots of people. Soldiers, for example. That way, the enemy couldn’t see them.’
‘But they already have that camel clothing thingy to make them invisible.’
‘I think you mean
camouflage
clothing.’
‘Yes, those shirts and pants with the blotches all over them.’
‘There’s a problem with them,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘They don’t get rid of the shadows. Which is how enemy aircraft find soldiers. They use cameras and computers to look for shadows. If they see a shadow where a shadow shouldn’t be then they know there’s a soldier there. But I think I know how to make the shadows disappear.’
‘Speaking of shadows,’ Mrs Trifle said, ‘that reminds me of Mr Sombra.’
‘Who’s Mr Sombra?’
‘He’s a puppeteer. He wants to do his Magic Shadow Show at the school. I’m having a look at it first to see if it’s good enough.’
‘What sort of a shadow show is it?’ Dr Trifle asked.
‘He makes shadows with his hands. He’s supposed to be very good at it. We’ll see because here he comes now,’ Mrs Trifle said, glancing out the window.
Selby jumped to his feet as an old van screeched to a stop outside the house. Out hopped a strange little man carrying a big suitcase.
‘Hello, Mrs Mayor and Mrs Mayor’s Husband,’ he said, bowing deeply as he came through the door. ‘I am Mr Sombra. I am so happy to present Mr Sombra’s Magic Shadow Show. Oh, look at the pretty dog,’ he added, bowing to Selby too.
‘I wish he’d said handsome,’ Selby thought, ‘but pretty will do.’
‘A moment, please, Mrs Mayor and Mrs Mayor’s Husband and Mrs Mayor’s Doggy. I get myself ready very soon now.’
Selby and the Trifles watched as Mr Sombra set up a white screen with a spotlight behind it.
‘Now you watch Magic Shadow Show,’ he said, ducking behind the screen. ‘This story called
Mooka-Mooka, Very Smart Bird and Big Bad Monster.
‘
Suddenly the shadow of a bird with a long beak appeared on the screen. The bird was sitting on a branch. Mr Sombra made chirping and tweeting sounds.
‘This guy’s good,’ Selby thought. ‘It looks and sounds just like a real bird.’
The bird’s wings started flapping
‘What is this?!’ Mrs Trifle gasped. ‘My goodness! It’s a party — for me!’
‘Surprise! Surprise!’ Melanie yelled and everyone cheered and clapped.
‘Melanie!’ Mrs Trifle said, wagging her finger. ‘You’re a naughty girl. You tricked us. But what a lovely surprise.’
The three girls were still holding the plates they’d been about to throw. Cindy stepped forward and very politely said, ‘Anyone care for a sandwich?’
‘Or a sausage?’ Lindy said sweetly.
‘Or a biscuit?’ Mindy said even more sweetly.
‘Oh,
yes,’
Mrs Trifle said, taking some food from Cindy’s plate. ‘Thank you very much.’
‘And thanks for looking after things while we were out,’ Dr Trifle said.
‘You’re very welcome, Uncle,’ Cindy said, turning to her sisters. ‘What do we say, girls?’
The girls put a finger to the chins and chanted, ‘We’re neat. We’re sweet. And we’re as cute as cute can be,’ before bursting into giggles.
‘Oh that’s so cute!’ said Mrs Trifle.
‘Pardon me while I vomit,’ Selby thought.
‘And look at that beautiful cake,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘Hmmm, there’s only one thing wrong.’
‘Wrong?’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Someone’s left one of the Ns out of the word
anniversary!
Willy and Billy looked around at Selby.
‘Hey,’ Selby thought, and he gave the slightest of slight shrugs. ‘Nobody’s perfect. Not even me.’
Paw note: If you want to see how horrible Willy and Billy have been to me, read the story ‘Animal Angels’ in the book
Selby Scrambled
.
S
Selby’s Shadow
‘I’ve come up with something to make people invisible,’ Dr Trifle said.
‘Invisible?’ thought Selby, just waking up from his nap.
‘Invisible?’ Mrs Trifle asked. ‘Who would want to be invisible?’
‘Lots of people. Soldiers, for example. That way, the enemy couldn’t see them.’
‘But they already have that camel clothing thingy to make them invisible.’
‘I think you mean
camouflage
clothing.’
‘Yes, those shirts and pants with the blotches all over them.’
‘There’s a problem with them,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘They don’t get rid of the shadows. Which is how enemy aircraft find soldiers. They use cameras and computers to look for shadows. If they see a shadow where a shadow shouldn’t be then they know there’s a soldier there. But I think I know how to make the shadows disappear.’
‘Speaking of shadows,’ Mrs Trifle said, ‘that reminds me of Mr Sombra.’
‘Who’s Mr Sombra?’
‘He’s a puppeteer. He wants to do his Magic Shadow Show at the school. I’m having a look at it first to see if it’s good enough.’
‘What sort of a shadow show is it?’ Dr Trifle asked.
‘He makes shadows with his hands. He’s supposed to be very good at it. We’ll see because here he comes now,’ Mrs Trifle said, glancing out the window.
Selby jumped to his feet as an old van screeched to a stop outside the house. Out hopped a strange little man carrying a big suitcase.
‘Hello, Mrs Mayor and Mrs Mayor’s Husband,’ he said, bowing deeply as he came through the door. ‘I am Mr Sombra. I am so happy to present Mr Sombra’s Magic Shadow Show. Oh, look at the pretty dog,’ he added, bowing to Selby too.
‘I wish he’d said handsome,’ Selby thought, ‘but pretty will do.’
‘A moment, please, Mrs Mayor and Mrs Mayor’s Husband and Mrs Mayor’s Doggy. I get myself ready very soon now.’
Selby and the Trifles watched as Mr Sombra set up a white screen with a spotlight behind it.
‘Now you watch Magic Shadow Show,’ he said, ducking behind the screen. ‘This story called
Mooka-Mooka, Very Smart Bird and Big Bad Monster.
‘
Suddenly the shadow of a bird with a long beak appeared on the screen. The bird was sitting on a branch. Mr Sombra made chirping and tweeting sounds.
‘This guy’s good,’ Selby thought. ‘It looks and sounds just like a real bird.’
The bird’s wings started flapping
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