The Clumsies Make a Mess of the Zoo

скачать книгу бесплатно


‘Yes, in water,’ muttered Howard, as he took his jacket off and hung it over the back of the chair.

‘There,’ he said. ‘Happy now?’

‘I’m not sure,’ said Purvis. He studied the jacket, worriedly.

‘Do you think it’ll be enough?’

‘We could plump it out a bit,’ suggested Mickey Thompson.

‘How do you mean?’ asked Purvis.

‘Stuff something into it, and sit it on the chair,’ said Mickey Thompson.

‘Then it would look like an actual Howard.’

‘No it would not,’ said Howard, crossly.

‘We’d need some trousers,’ said Purvis, looking at Howard’s trousers, speculatively.

‘If you think I’m going to the

with no trousers on you’ve got another think coming,’ said Howard.

‘You’re probably right,’ said Purvis. ‘And even if we made it look really good, what if someone spoke to it? When it didn’t speak back it would arouse suspicion.’

‘How about some crisps?’ suggested Mickey Thompson.

‘You’ve had enough crisps for one morning,’ said Howard.

‘No, I mean open a bag and put it on the desk,’ said Mickey Thompson. ‘You wouldn’t have left the building in the middle of eating a bag of crisps.’

‘Good point,’ said Purvis. So they opened a bag of crisps and positioned them carefully on Howard’s desk.

Then they opened a packet of biscuits, and a carton of juice, and a packet of mints, and another bag of crisps, and positioned those too.

‘That’s enough now,’ said Howard.

‘It’s a pity there’s no cake,’ said Mickey Thompson, through a mouthful of biscuit.

‘Come along, come along,’ said Howard, ‘and let’s attempt to leave the building as quickly, and as quietly, and as inconspicuously as we can, can we?’

‘OK,’ said the mice.

‘OK,’ said Howard.

‘Let’s go,’ said the mice.

‘Let’s go,’ said Howard, and they all rushed out of the room and down the corridor to the lift as quickly and quietly and inconspicuously as they could.

‘PING,’

went

the

lift

doors,

opening, and they all rushed in.

‘We’re going to the

announced Mickey Thompson, to the lift.

‘Shush,’ hissed Howard.

‘Very nice too,’ said the lift, as it

whooshed

them

downwards.

‘That’s a funny-shaped bundle he’s got there.’

‘Er, mmm,’ said Purvis, nervously.

‘What’s it saying?’ said Howard. ‘It’s saying something, isn’t it?’

‘No. Nothing,’ said Purvis, and Ortrud trumpeted.

‘Ooh, it’s the little elephant!’ said the lift. ‘I wondered what it was. What’s he got her all wrapped up for? She isn’t ill, is she?’

‘No,’ said Purvis.

‘Yes,’ said Mickey Thompson.

‘Which?’ said the lift.

‘Neither,’ said Purvis.

‘Both,’ said Mickey Thompson.

‘PING,’

went

the

lift

landing with a b

p. The doors flew open and they all rushed out.

‘Wait!’ called the lift.

‘I’LL EXPLAIN LATER,’ shouted Purvis, as they ran across the foyer.