Saturday, September 19, 2009

chapter one page 4

We don’t know. We call him Hector. U’cle W’Eric found him. In the new tunnel. He’s a bix-box. He has all sort of ‘witches, and lights and ‘sings. Pendleberry was very eager to explain, so he got some of his letters and speech muddled up.

I know said Pendle, you could come down and see Alex.

But I’m too big, Alex retorted. He was going to add that he didn’t want to anyway and that it was nearly time to go back down the Dyke to the Hotel as his Mum and Dad would be wondering where he was.

But Pendle was saying to Eric

And Uncle Eric, when I pressed two buttons on him, shift and break, Hector showed on his face a mini-man running up and down ladders. W’really funny. You should see, Pendleberry.

Funny, thought Alex, sounds a bit like the Chuckie Egg game on my Acorn. All of a sudden he very very much wanted to go down the Wygnet tunnel. 

But he was too big.

Pendleberry had got up and being a rather mischievous little Wygnet and full of fun was jigging up and down, her ribbons flying out like streamers.
I’m dancing’ she said and did a little pirouette. I wonder if I can go on tiptoe like they do on the box. She couldn’t, as her feet were too big and clumsy. Instead, as she tried to, one of her antennae flew over and touched Alex’s arm. He felt a slight twinge of pain and then, slowly, he felt something odd happening to his body. 

His feet, legs, hands and arms seemed to be shrinking. 

Oh! Aah! was all he could find to say. Oh! Aah! The three Wygnets looked around. Uncle Eric knew immediately what had happened.

Oh Pendleberry, he said shaking his head. You really are not old enough to have a puff-ball. Look what it has done!

It’s your magic-wand antennae Pendleberry. You should be more careful. Pendle was scornful. He looked proudly down at his antennae, which were all neatly curled into his puff-ball. As they all spoke Alex was becoming smaller and smaller.

Oh! Aah! Stop this immediately. His voice was getting higher and higher and higher and was quite squeaky.

Mini-mini-man, Pendleberry began to chant. Mini-mini-man. She didn’t seem to realise what was going to happen to Alex if he became any smaller.

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