Читать книгу The Taylor TurboChaser - David Baddiel - Страница 14

“Come on …” hissed Amy.

“Nearly done!” It was Rahul’s voice, calling from inside his workshop. By “workshop”, what I mean is his dad’s garage, which was at the back of their warehouse. Which they also lived above.

From behind the door came the sound of banging and hammering and scraping. From Amy’s point of view, more banging and hammering and scraping – she had been outside for nearly an hour.

“Can’t I just come in?”

“No!”

“I won’t look.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Hello, Amy!” said Rahul’s dad, Sanjay, coming out of the warehouse, a clipboard in hand. “What’s happening?”

“I’m making something, Dad!” shouted Rahul.

“Oh good,” said Sanjay. “Rahul is a very good inventor, you know, Amy.”

“Yes, I know,” said Amy.

“One day he’s going to invent something incredible. And it’s going to make us very rich. I’m one hundred per cent convinced of it.”

“Oh! You’ve gone up a per cent.”

“I have?”

“Yes. You normally say ninety-nine per cent.”

“Ha! You see, my confidence has gone up! What are you working on, Rahul? Is it the Learning-Toast XF514 …?”

“Is that like the Toast-Butterer 678X …?” said Amy.

“No!” shouted Rahul. “It’s a piece of toast that you get from the Toast-Butterer, already well buttered. Then you place it on the book or whatever it is you want to learn from. Then when all the words have soaked into the toast … you eat it!”

“What?”

“Yes! And then you learn the words!”

“Brilliant. Quite brilliant!” said Sanjay.

“Right …” said Amy.

“And anyway, I’m not working on it.”

“The Robotic Returning-Cup Z45?” said his dad. “I love that one.”

“Let me guess, Rahul,” said Amy. “A cup that flies back to the sink after you’ve finished your drink? So your mum doesn’t have to pick up lots of cups from your room?”

“Yes! Well, it doesn’t fly back, it walks back.”

“Walks …?”

“It’s got little legs that come out automatically when your cup’s empty. Well, it will, when I’ve finished it. But no, Dad!” he said, raising his voice again. “I’m not working on that either!”

“Oh. What are you working on?” said Sanjay. “Something better than all those?”

“Better than ALL my other inventions …”

And with that, Rahul pressed the button to open the garage door.

With a metallic groan, it began to rise.