up like the other paperboys. I was also determined to show everyone I was telling the truth about the pirate. The question was,
how
?
Chapter Three
The idea came to me as I was getting dressed the following morning.
âItâs simple,â I said. âWhy didnât I think of it before?â
I would take my mobile phone and photograph Captain Cross-eyed when I handed over his paper. Then Iâd have a picture to prove my story was true.
The only problem was Iâd then have to take my phone to school, and Miss Dodds had banned them. One morning, everyone in the class had played the âpsychoâ ring tone when sheâd arrived. BIG MISTAKE. Still, if my phone was switched off, sheâd never know, would she?
I grabbed a quick bowl of cereal, dodging the bits of soggy crusts Ellie threw at me. Then I set off for Mr Mainiâs.
He was busy in the back of the shop when I arrived and gave me a wave as I collected my papers. âPerhaps youâll see dinosaurs in Weir Street today, Jonny Smith,â he laughed.
I felt for my phone and switched it on. Just wait, Mr Maini, youâll see, I thought.
But he didnât, and neither did I.
When I arrived at number 13, I was all ready to take the photo, but there was no sign of Captain Cross-eyed. Or his parrot. Or his cat.
I knocked at the door.
Nothing.
I knocked at the door again.
Still nothing. I even sneaked round to the back garden.
No one. Unless you counted the gardengnome fishing beside the wheelie bin.
Disappointed, I left the paper under a large stone and went on my way. So much for my big idea. But I wasnât late for school, so Miss Dodds wasnât able to give me a telling off ⦠till my phone rang.
âThereâs an ice-cream van in the playground!â cried Peter Ho.
Everyone rushed to the window to look. Everyone except me. I knew my ring tone when I heard it. I gasped and quickly switched off my phone.
But I was too late. Miss Dodds had spotted me. âSit down, everyone,â she ordered. âJonny Smith, bring that phone over here. You know I do not allow them in the classroom. I hope thereâs a good reason why you have it with you.â
I could hardly tell her I was hoping to photograph the pirate she didnât believe Iâd seen yesterday, could I?
So I didnât.
âNo good reason,â I said instead.
âVery well. The phone will stay in my desk for the rest of the week, and you will spend your break doing an extra maths exercise.â
That meant no football practice
again
. The other boys in the team glared at me.
âSorry,â I mouthed. I sighed. Iâd be lucky to play in the final at this rate.
Sara and Surinder looked at me sympathetically, and at break, they stayed behind to help me with the maths.
âWhy did you bring your phone in?â asked Sara. âYou know how crazy Miss Dodds went about the âpsychoâ thing.â
âI wanted to get a photo of the pirate in Weird Street,â I muttered.
âYouâre not
still
on about that, are you?â said Surinder. âPirates live in books, or in films, not in a street near you, Jonny.â
âThis one does,â I insisted. âHe lives in Weird Street and Iâll prove it. Just you wait and see.â
I thought about the problem all day. I even thought about it during football practice after school. Which was a mistake.
âSmith! Keep your eye on the ball,â yelled Mr McGregor, our coach. âYouâre playing like a big tumshie.â
Tumshie is the Scottish word for turnip, so clearly Mr McGregor wasnât very pleased with me. But it was worse than that.
âWhatâs up with you, laddie?â he asked after the game. âHave you forgotten what your feet are for?â
âNo,â I muttered. âJust got something on my mind.â
âWell, get it off your mind or youâre off the team. O.K.?â
Very much
not
O.K. I
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