Read Online Selby Shattered by Duncan Ball - Free Book Online Page A

and soon it was flying through the air.
    ‘Long ago’
Mr Sombra said, ‘
there was very smart bird named Mooka-Mooka. He is flying flying flying. He look down on little town of … Bogusville
.’
    ‘Oh, that’s nice,’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘The kids will love that.’
    ‘
But Mooka-Mooka see all the animals in Bogusville is very sad
,’ Mr Sombra said. ‘
The rabbits is sad …
’
    A shadow of a rabbit appeared in the middle of the screen. It hopped and hopped, getting bigger and bigger till it filled the screen.
    ‘ The kangaroos is sad …‘
    The rabbit disappeared and two kangaroos hopped towards each other from either side of the screen.
    ‘This guy is brilliant!’ Selby thought. ‘One hand for each kangaroo — and they look so real!’
    The kangaroos hugged each other and Mr Sombra made sobbing sounds.
    Mrs Trifle giggled.
    ‘No laughing, please!’ Mr Sombra said sharply. ‘This not funny! Very sad.’
    ‘I’m terribly sorry,’ Mrs Trifle said.
    ‘
The cows is sad. And the horses is sad. Even the cheeps is sad’
    Selby watched in amazement as the cows turned into horses and then sheep.
    ‘And the pipples is sad too
,’ Mr Sombra said.
    The sheep turned into people.
    ‘
The pipples is sad because they is scared of … the monster
! The monster is eating up all the animals. First he eat the bunny rabbits …’
    ‘That’s horrible!’ Mrs Trifle said.
    ‘You wait,’ Mr Sombra said. ‘It get more horrible now.
Then the monster eat one cow. Then he eat kangaroo. Then more kangaroo. Then he eat all the cheeps. ‘
    One by one, the shadow monster ate the animals, burping after each one.
    ‘Sheesh!’ thought Selby. ‘This story is giving me the creeps.’
    ‘
He is very hungry monster. End of story,
’ Mr Sombra said. ‘You like?’
    ‘I’m not sure,’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘Don’t the people kill the monster in the end?’
    ‘Oh, I forget,’ Mr Sombra said.
‘Then monster eat the lady and he eat the man too. He eat all thepipples up and eat up Mooka-Mooka very smart bird. Munch munch munch. Very nice.’
    ‘Goodness me!’ Mrs Trifle exclaimed. ‘Shouldn’t there be a happy ending?’
    ‘Happy endings is always boring,’ Mr Sombra said. ‘My show different.’
    ‘Do you have any other stories you could tell?’ Mrs Trifle asked.
    ‘Okay, I have story called
Nice Boy and Terrible Little Girl.
In the end, she chop his head off. Ha ha! Very funny one. And I have
Old Lady Who Work Very Hard Then Die.
A train run over her. I do very good train.
Choo choo choo choo. Woo Woo!’
    ‘Mr Sombra,’ Mrs Trifle said, ‘your shadows are very good but I really don’t think your show is right for the children of Bogusville.’
    ‘Is stupid!’ Mr Sombra said, packing up his things. ‘I don’t like happy story. I don’t like this Bogusville!’
    ‘I’m terribly sorry,’ Mrs Trifle said.
    ‘I curse this town!’ Mr Sombra said, tripping over Selby as he headed for the door. ‘Out of my way, stupid dog! I put a curse on you, too!’
    And, within a minute, Mr Sombra’s van had sped off down the street.
    ‘That man is not a happy man,’ Dr Trifle said.
    ‘I’m glad I saw the show first,’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘I think those stories would really have upset the kids.’
    ‘You know, I don’t think Bogusville has ever had a curse put on it before,’ Dr Trifle said.
    ‘No, I don’t think it has,’ Mrs Trifle agreed. ‘Do you think curses work?’
    ‘Of course not,’ Dr Trifle said.
    ‘I hope you’re right,’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘Poor old Selby. He’s got a curse on him now, as well.’
    ‘Curse schmurse,’ Selby thought. ‘I don’t believe in curses. I laugh at curses. Ha ha ha! That Mr Sombra doesn’t worry me a bit.’
    That night, Selby had a nightmare about Mr Sombra.
    ‘No! Don’t put a curse on me, please!’ he screamed in his dream. ‘I’ll do anything you say!’
    After a terrible night’s sleep, he woke up to see the Trifles staring down at him.
    ‘Do you