The Wolf Cupboard (2 page)

“Oh no!” thought Leon.

He'd promised to look after Danny. But what would Mum say if he took Danny home crying and scared and saying he was never,
ever
going to school again?

“Mum will kill me!” thought Leon.

She was on early shifts at work. So Leon would have to walk Danny to school tomorrow.

“What if he won't go?” thought Leon. “What if I have to drag him crying and screaming down the High Street?”

Things were looking really bad.

“I'll just have to show Danny that this wolf cupboard is a load of rubbish!” thought Leon.

He grabbed Danny's hand. “Come on,” he said. “Show me where this wolf cupboard is.”

“No!” yelled Danny. “I'm not going near it!”

“Calm down,” said Leon. “We won't go anywhere near it. I want you to show it to me. Just
show
me. All right?”

Leon dragged Danny back into school.

It was ages since Leon had been in the infant school. It felt really strange. The chairs and tables seemed tiny.

Danny pointed a shaking finger. “There it is!”

Leon said, “What, that little cupboard?”

He almost laughed again. But he stopped himself because Danny looked so scared.

“That cupboard must look really huge to a four-year-old,” Leon thought.

Leon went up to the cupboard.

“Don't open it!” yelled Danny. “Don't open it! Please!”

Leon wanted to open the cupboard to show Danny there was nothing to be scared of. But the cupboard was locked shut.

“See?” said Danny. “That's so the wolf can't get out!”

“But there
isn't
any wolf!” said Leon.

“Yes, there is!” shouted Danny. “Me and this big boy, we saw my teacher going up to the cupboard with a big stick. And the big boy said she was going to check on the wolf and if she didn't bash it with the stick, it would eat her too!”

Leon gave a big sigh. “Did you see the teacher open the cupboard? Did you see her bash the wolf?”

“I saw her open the cupboard,” said Danny. “But then I ran away in case the wolf jumped out and gobbled me up. And I hid behind the bin.”

Leon gave an even bigger sigh. It was going to be hard work, making Danny see that this wolf didn't exist.

On the way home, Danny wouldn't shut up about the wolf.

“It's a big, grey wolf,” said Danny. “With great big sharp teeth. Like the wolf that ate Little Red Riding Hood's grandma.”

“Did the big kid tell you that rubbish?” asked Leon.

“No, I thought of that all by myself,” said Danny.

As they walked past the library, Leon suddenly remembered, “I have to take Mum's book back.”

He got the book out of his backpack. He was just handing it in at the counter when he heard Danny yell, “This is what that wolf is like!”

“Oh no!” thought Leon.

Danny had found a book about wolves. He was looking at a photo of a huge, grey wolf. It was like the big, bad wolf from fairy tales. Its fierce, yellow eyes stared right at you out of the page.

It had sharp fangs. They looked strong enough to crunch your bones. They were dripping blood.

“Look at his teeth!” yelled Danny. “He's just eaten a bad boy!”

“No he hasn't!” said Leon. “And anyway, if he only eats bad boys, why can't you just be good?”

“Because I can't be good all the time!” Danny shouted back. “I'm bound to get put in that wolf cupboard. So I'm not going to school. Not ever again.”

Leon almost said a bad word. But then he saw the librarian staring at him. So he said it inside his head.

“Are all little brothers such a pain in the neck?” he thought.

Leon grabbed the book. “This is a stupid book!” he said. He slammed it shut and was about to shove it back on the shelf when he saw the cover.

The book was called
All About Wolves
. There was a lot of stuff written on the front. But some words seemed to leap out at Leon.

“How To Avoid a Wolf Attack,” they said.

And suddenly Leon had a brilliant plan. It was so brilliant he was proud of himself.

He had given up trying to tell Danny the wolf didn't exist. But he could use this book to show him that he didn't have to be scared of it.

“And then everything will be all right again,” thought Leon. “And Mum won't kill me when I get home!”

Leon told Danny, “I'm going to borrow this book right now!”

“But you said it was a stupid book,” said Danny.

“I've changed my mind,” said Leon. “This is a great book. This book will save my life!”