Читать книгу A Super Weird! Mystery: Danger at Donut Diner - Jim Smith - Страница 6

The Pebble family car drove up to its new house. Not that a car can have a house exactly, but you know what I mean.

Melvin jumped out and stretched his legs. The thunderstorm had finished and he could just about see the moon hanging in the sky, like a gigantic chopped-in-half donut.

‘Feels great to stretch your legs, doesn’t it?’ grinned Norman Pebble, bending over to touch his smelly feet, and his bum peeped out of its trousers.

‘Not really,’ said Melvin, as his mum staggered up to the house carrying a giant cardboard box. Clinking around inside was her collection of empty jam jars.

‘You can never have too many jam jars,’ smiled Deirdre. Not that anyone had mentioned them or anything. She just liked talking about her jam jars.

Norman looked at his wife. ‘You do realise jam jars are supposed to have something inside them, don’t you, Deirdre?’ he said.

‘It’s tragic really,’ said Melvin, watching his mum. He walked round to the boot of the car and heaved out a box himself.

This one had written on the side.

The flaps were half-open and the tops of a million little toy packets fluttered in the breeze.

‘SHHH!’ shushed a noise from behind him and Melvin twizzled round.

In front of him sat a fat little bush. Its leaves were rattling like it was shaking with fear. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Melvin giggled, nervously.

‘What’s wrong, little fella?’ he asked the bush, sort of as a joke. ‘You scared of the storm?’

‘Please be quiet!’ said the bush, and Melvin stumbled backwards.

‘Th-that bush!’ he stuttered. ‘It’s alive!’

All of a sudden a girl’s head poked out, about the same age as Melvin’s.

It’s got a head as well!’ screamed Melvin.

‘SHUSH!’ shushed the girl. ‘Would you keep it down? I’m waiting for my new next-door neighbours to arrive.’

Melvin breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Oh,’ he smiled. ‘I think that might be . . .’

whispered the girl. ‘I’ve been hiding in this bush all blooming weekend and the last thing I need is you lot scaring them away.’

Deirdre plonked her jam jars down by the front door and walked over to the girl. ‘We’re the Pebbles!’ she smiled.

The girl went silent for a millisecond, then clicked her fingers.

‘Hey, you’re my new next-door neighbours!’ she grinned. ‘My name’s Rhubarb Plonsky. Very nice to meet you!’