Freaks Out! (12 page)

She would, of course. She wouldn't be Skye if she wasn't always lecturing us and telling us off. But that was all right. She was our friend, and you
have to accept your friends the way they are.

 

I could hardly wait to get home that afternoon and tell Mum. Not about the Ouija board, of course, but about Skye. I knew she'd be pleased.

“Mum,” I said, bursting through the kitchen door, “Skye found her p—”

I stopped. There on the kitchen table was my Ouija board.

“Ah, you're back,” said Mum. “I've been waiting for you to arrive. What, pray, is this?”

How had she found it? What had she been doing in my wardrobe?

“It's – um – ah – a sort of game,” I said. “A sort of… asking questions sort of thing. It's not the same as a seance! I was just trying to h—”

“I meant,” said Mum, “what is
this
? E.J. TOOLS LTD?”

I swallowed.

“It's your dad's box! The one he was looking for.”

Wild thoughts whizzed at supersonic speed
round my head. It wasn't Dad's box, it was a totally different box! It was a box I'd found on the pavement, I'd brought home from school, it had already been cut up, someone else must have done it, it wasn't me, it wasn't—

“Well?” said Mum.

“I can explain!” I said.

“I think you'd better,” said Mum. “Your dad's in the other room. I suggest you go and throw yourself on his mercy.”

Dad was lying back on the sofa, watching television. He looked tired. He'd been getting up really early just lately, like four o'clock in the morning. I wished I had something nice to tell him instead of having to make a horrible confession.

“Um… Dad,” I said.

“Mm?”

I took a deep breath.

“I'm-very-sorry-to-have-to-announce-that-itwas-me-that-cut-up-your-box.” The words came gabbling out. I knew it wasn't any use waiting for
another miracle. There are times when you just have to be brave and go for it.

“I didn't mean to cut it up! I didn't know you wanted it. I wouldn't have done it if I'd known you wanted it! I thought it was just an empty box. I mean, it was an empty box! I didn't know your drill had come in it. I just wanted something to make a Ouija board, which is not the same thing as a seance, I wouldn't have held another seance cos Mum told me not to, and I promised I wouldn't, but she didn't say anything about Ouija boards! It was for Skye, cos of her gran dying and Skye not being able to find her silver pencil, and she was so unhappy! I just wanted to help her, and I did help her, cos you'll never guess what… she's found the pencil and it's all because of me! And cos of your box, which I'm very very sorry about, but—”

“Fifty lashes,” said Dad, “and no pocket money for the next six months.”

I stared.

“Oh, go away, go away!” Dad waved a hand. “I've
solved the problem. Just don't destroy any more boxes without asking me.”

Phew! I turned and fled, crashing into Angel, busy eavesdropping at the door.

“So it was you,” she hissed. “I might have known it!”

I shoved past her. “You'd better watch it,” I said. “I have psychic powers!” I rushed back to the kitchen exultantly. “Mum, I—”

“Did you tell him?”

“Yes, and Mum—”

“Did you apologise?”

“Yes! Mum, listen… Skye found her pencil!
I
found her pencil. It was in her gran's room all the time, and it was all thanks to me!” I grabbed Rags by his front paws and we danced together round the kitchen. “I found the pencil, I found the pencil!”

I guess it must have been Rags' tail that swept the milk off the table. Accidents happen! Mum didn't have to get all tetchy about it.

“Frankie Foster,” she said, “you just clean that up!
I'm not getting down there with my back. And make sure you don't leave the floor like a skating rink this time. It's thanks to you I have a bad back in the first place!”

I couldn't help reflecting that if Mum had gone to the gym when the opportunity was there, she wouldn't still have a bad back. That is what gyms are for, to sort out these things. I did tell her! If only people would just
listen
to me occasionally. But they never do. They are too busy blaming me for everything.

“And
please,
” said Mum, “
don't
splosh water about like that! Use some kitchen roll.”

There she went again. Poor Mum! She gets so worked up.

“See, look, now I'm using kitchen roll,” I said. “All nice and dry!”

“Thank you,” said Mum, cracking eggs into a bowl. “I appreciate that.”

I suppose, really, it is quite easy to make her happy. I'd made Skye happy, too! And Dad had
solved his problems, and Jem had accepted that she didn't have any psychic powers, which I'd known all along she hadn't, and next week was half term, so yay! I squished the kitchen roll into a ball and tossed it to Rags, who skidded across the floor and—

Oops!

Mum stood, gazing in silent wonderment at the spreading puddle of egg.

“Do you know what?” she said. “I'm going to go and sit down.”

“That's right,” I said. “You take it easy. No problem! I'll sort things out.”

But I didn't have to. Rags was already seeing to it.

“Look at that,” I said. “He's cleaned it all up for you!”

And guess what?

The floor was bone dry.

Coming Soon!