Читать книгу The Midnight Gang - David Walliams, Quentin Blake, David Walliams - Страница 18

Tom couldn’t prise his foot out of the bedpan. The boy wanted to shout out in frustration, but knew this would only make matters worse. The last thing he wanted to do was wake up Matron, who was still snoring away in her office. The boy looked over to Sally’s bed in the far corner of the ward. She was lying in bed, a glint of light from Big Ben just catching the top of her bald head. Tom didn’t want to wake her up either.

At least the bedpan wasn’t full, he thought.

As quickly and quietly as he could, Tom reached down and prised his foot from the bedpan. Then he tiptoed out of the children’s ward. To his annoyance, his bare feet made squelching noises on the shiny floor.

SQUELCH

SQUELCH

SQUELCH

SQUELCH

As his fingers touched the heavy swing doors at the entrance to the ward, he was seconds from freedom. Just then a voice made Tom jump out of his skin.

“So, new boy, where are you going?”

The boy turned round. It was Sally.

“Nowhere,” he lied.

“You can’t be going nowhere; you must be going somewhere.”

“Please just go back to sleep,” pleaded Tom. “You will wake up Matron.”

“Oh no, they do this every night. That nasty woman won’t wake up for hours.”

“I really think you should get some rest.”

“Boring!”

“It’s not boring,” replied Tom. “Now come on, go back to sleep.”

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“I mean ‘no’. Come on, Tom, take me with you,” said Sally.

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“I mean ‘no’.”

“Why?” protested the girl.

The reason Tom didn’t think Sally should come was that she looked weak. He was worried that she would slow him down. But he didn’t want to say that. That would hurt her feelings. So he said something else instead.

“Look, Sally, I am just going to catch up with the others and tell them they need to come straight back to bed.”

“Liar.”

“No I’m not!” he said with a little too much gusto, which made him seem like he was lying.

“You are lying. Liar, liar, pants on fire!”

Tom shook his head a little too vigorously.

“I know you must think I’m not going to keep up with you or something,” said Sally.

“No!”

“Yes. Come on! Admit it! I’m not stupid!”

No, thought Tom, this girl is smart. Super smart. There weren’t any girls in Tom’s boarding school so he had hardly met any. Tom hadn’t thought that girls could be smart. The boy immediately had a feeling that this girl could beat him at everything. Tom didn’t like that feeling.

“No, it’s not that, honest,” lied the boy. Then as he stood there looking at her his curiosity got the better of him. “Sally, can I ask you something?”

“You can ask.”

“Why have you got no hair?”

“I decided to shave it all off so I could look exactly like a boiled egg,” replied Sally, as quick as a flash.

Tom chuckled. Whatever the girl might have lost, it wasn’t her sense of humour.

“Is it because of your illness?”

“Yes and no.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s actually the treatment that did this.”

“The treatment?!” Tom couldn’t believe it. If the treatment did this, then what did the illness do? “But you are going to get better, though?”

The girl shrugged. “I don’t know.” Then she quickly changed the subject. “Do you think you will ever recover from a cricket ball hitting you on the head?!”

Tom chuckled. “I hope not. If I do, then I have to go back to school.”

“I wish I could go back to school.”

“What?” The boy had never heard another child say such a thing.

“I have been in this place for months now. I miss my school. Even the horrible teachers.”

Even though Tom had only just met Sally, it was as if he was talking to an old friend. Then the boy realised he had to leave right now if he was to have a chance of catching up with the others. “I have to go.”

“And you definitely aren’t going to take me?”

Tom looked at Sally. She looked too unwell to get out of bed, let alone go on some crazy adventure. Tom felt guilty to be leaving her behind, but he felt he had no choice.

“Maybe next time,” lied the boy.

Sally smiled. “Look, Tom, I understand. The others have never invited me. You go. But I want you to promise me something.”

“What?” he asked.

“I want you to tell me all about the night’s adventure when you get back.”

“I will,” he said.

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Tom looked Sally right in the eyes as he said it. He really didn’t want to let his new friend down.

Then the boy pushed open the heavy swing doors. Light spilled in from the corridor. Just before he disappeared from sight Sally said, “I hope it’s an awfully big adventure.”

He smiled at the girl before he pushed the doors open and was swallowed up by the light.