Hour of the Doomed Dog Read Free Page A

lick her ice cream.”
    Joe glanced down at Frankie. The undead dog’s mouth was watering and a little pool of green zombie drool was collecting on the floor.
    Joe shuddered. He definitely didn’t want to share his sundae with Frankie!
    The dog began to moan pitifully.
    The waitress appeared with their sundaes. Joe gulped when he saw the size of them – his banana split was as big as a beach ball!
    Frankie headbutted Joe’s ankles. “Where’s mine?”
    Joe ignored Frankie and began tucking in. But with every spoonful, Frankie’s moans became louder and louder…
    “What’s the matter, Joe?” Damian was waggling his spoon at him. “Is the ice cream too much for you?”
    Frankie began to howl, and then he grabbed the edge of the plastic tablecloth with his teeth and tugged!
    Joe looked in horror as his banana split splattered across the floor.

CHAPTER FIVE
    “You should have seen it.” Damian grinned. “There was ice cream everywhere. Everyone was staring!”
    Joe scowled across at his cousin. They were back in the hotel now, sitting in the lounge bar with Mum and Auntie Kate. Uncle Len and Dad had gone off to play snooker. Sarah and Scarlet were sitting a few tables away with the bride-to-be, Megan, and some of her friends. Frankie was in the lobby, keeping watch. Joe was glad. He still wasn’t speaking to the crazy dog after the ice-cream incident!
    “Don’t worry about your sundae,” said Auntie Kate. “You should have seen the pickle Damian got into on holiday last year…”
    The smile suddenly vanished from Damian’s face.
    “He knocked a whole plate of spaghetti on to his lap!” beamed Auntie Kate.
    “No, I didn’t!” snapped Damian.
    “He was so embarrassed,” giggled Auntie Kate. “Especially as there was a group of teenagers at the next table,” she went on. “They thought it was hilarious!”
    “No, they didn’t!”
    “He ruined his favourite jeans, too,” added Auntie Kate.
    Damian glared at his mum.
    “Oh, look!” Mum exclaimed. “There’s Great-aunt Marion and Great-uncle Bob!” She waved to an old couple who’d appeared in the lounge.
    “Helen! Kate!” The old lady swept over, gathering Joe’s mum and her sister up in a hugehug. Then she turned to the boys. “And this can’t be Joe and Toby? And Damian, too! Goodness, how you’ve all grown! What handsome boys!” Joe grimaced as she hugged him. Great-aunt Marion smelled of stinky perfume and she left a big lipstick kiss on his cheek!
    Over the next few hours the lounge gradually filled up with relatives and family friends arriving for the wedding the next day. Joe lost count of the number of people who hugged and kissed him and told him how big he was.
    It was nearly nine o’clock when Mum came over to where Joe and Toby were playing Top Trumps with Great-uncle Bob. “I hadn’t realized it was so late,” Mum said. “It’s time for bed.”

    “I’m not tired!” wailed Toby.
    “I never go to bed at the same time as Toby!” added Joe.
    Damian looked up from his games console and smirked. No one was sending
him
to bed!
    “Can’t I stay up a bit longer?” pleaded Joe.
    “It’s just for tonight, Joe. I need you to keep an eye on Toby for me.”
    “But, Mum!”
    “How about a game of crazy golf in the morning?” said Dad, trying to cheer Joe up. “Mrs Stanway was telling me there’s a course near the beach.”
    “Great idea!” boomed Uncle Len. “Count me and Damian in.”
    “Good plan,” said Mum. “It’ll give me a chance to get on with the girls’ hair!”
    Joe’s mum was a hairdresser and Megan had asked her to help out with the bridesmaids’ hairstyles for the wedding.
    “I bet you a pound I win the crazy golf!”Joe whispered to Damian.
    Damian’s eyes glittered. “You’re on!”
    As Joe followed his mum and Toby out of the lounge into the hall, Frankie appeared. He was wagging his tail innocently, as though the ice-cream drama had never happened.
    As Joe and Frankie walked through