Pencil of Doom! Read Free Page A

Clive

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    Frame 1: Fred and Clive flying in a plane.
    Frame 2: Smoke coming out of the back of the plane.
    Frame 3: Fred and Clive jumping out of the plane.
    Frame 4: Fred and Clive trying to open their parachutes.
    Frame 5: Fred and Clive panicking as their parachutes fail to open.
    Frame 6: Fred hitting the ground.
    Frame 7: Clive landing on top of Fred.
    Frame 8: The plane crashing on top of Fred and Clive.

9
An apology and a threat

    â€˜It’s incredible, Jack!’ I said. ‘It’s the best drawing you’ve ever done!’ I wasn’t just saying it to be nice, either. I meant it. It was really good. Something about the detail made the pictures look almost real.
    â€˜Thanks,’ said Jack. ‘But I can’t take all the credit. This pencil is great!’
    â€˜That’s a cool cartoon, Jack,’ said Gretel, who, along with Jenny and Newton, had come up behind us. ‘Serves them both right! And Jack?’
    â€˜Yes?’
    â€˜I’m sorry for teasing you at lunch.’
    â€˜Are you really sorry or are you just scared that Jack will draw a cartoon of you?’ I said.
    â€˜Both!’ said Gretel, laughing.
    â€˜It’s
really
good, Jack,’ said Jenny, ‘but I can’t help feeling a little bit sorry for Fred and Clive.’
    â€˜You feel sorry for them?’ said Jack. ‘How aboutfeeling sorry for me? I’m the one who got punched in the arm—twice!’
    â€˜I know,’ said Jenny, ‘but all the same . . .’ She pointed at the final frame of the cartoon. ‘. . . that must hurt!’
    â€˜So did getting punched in the arm!’ said Jack.
    â€˜What’s wrong, Newton?’ asked Gretel.
    We looked at Newton. His face was white.
    He was trying to talk, but no words were coming out.
    â€˜Is it the cartoon?’ Jenny asked gently. ‘Are you scared of Jack’s cartoon?’
    Newton shook his head. ‘What if . . .’ he said, taking a deep breath, ‘what if Fred and Clive see it?’
    â€˜That won’t happen,’ said Jack.
    â€˜Won’t it?’
    We turned around.
    Clive was standing right behind Jack. He was shaking his head. ‘My brother’s definitely not going to like this,’ he said. ‘He’s not going to like this at all!’
    â€˜He doesn’t have to know,’ said Jack.
    â€˜Oh yes he does,’ said Clive, turning and heading off down the corridor. ‘As soon as possible!’
    â€˜You know what your problem is, Clive?’ Jack shouted after him. ‘You need to get a life!’
    Clive turned back and smiled. ‘I’ve got one,’ hesaid. ‘It’s you who’s going to need a life when Fred finds out about this!’
    Jack gulped. He looked even more frightened than Newton, and that’s not easy to do.
    Suddenly, ‘Flying with Clive and Fred’ didn’t seem quite as funny as it had a few minutes earlier. And it was about to get even unfunnier. In fact, none of us had any idea just
how
unfunny things were about to get.

10
Bad news

    The next morning Mr Brainfright called the class to order.
    â€˜I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news,’ he said.
    â€˜Oh no,’ said Gretel. ‘You’re not leaving, are you?’
    â€˜No, nothing like that,’ Mr Brainfright assured her.
    â€˜The school holidays have been cancelled?’ I suggested.
    â€˜No,’ said Mr Brainfright. ‘Not quite
that
bad.’
    â€˜The school holidays have been extended?’ Fiona gasped.
    â€˜What would be bad about that?’ asked Mr Brainfright.
    â€˜I
love
school!’ said Fiona. ‘There’s so much to learn and so little time. The more school the better, as far as I’m concerned.’
    â€˜Ah, yes,’ said Mr Brainfright, ‘I couldn’t agreemore. But that’s not the bad news. The bad news is that Clive and his brother Fred