Pencil of Doom! Read Free Page B

are in hospital. They are both in a very serious condition and may not return to school for quite some time . . .’
    â€˜What happened?’ said Jenny, looking worried.
    â€˜Well,’ said Mr Brainfright, ‘apparently they were on their garage roof trying to launch a model aeroplane. Fred fell off the roof and then Clive did too . . . and landed right on top of Fred! And then, to add insult to injury, their plane rolled off the roof and crashed on top of Clive.’
    As he was telling us this, some kids started giggling.
    â€˜Come now, children,’ said Mr Brainfright, ‘it’s not funny . . . not funny at all!’
    He was right. It wasn’t funny.
    Newton, Gretel, Jenny, Jack and I stared at each other in open-mouthed astonishment. It was just like Jack’s cartoon! Well, give or take a few small details—but the result was the same.
    I looked out the window and noticed a cloud pass in front of the sun. A sudden wind blew autumn leaves off the tree in a wild flurry.
    I opened my pencil case and looked at the pencil.
    The skull winked at me.

11
Nice things

    We went straight from morning roll call to the art room.
    Mrs Rainbow, the art teacher, gave us all a big smile as we came in. Mrs Rainbow loved art and encouraged us to explore and express ourselves in whatever way we felt like. The only way she didn’t like us expressing ourselves was in the form of clay fights, paint fights or running with scissors. Apart from that, it was pretty much anything goes.
    Jenny, Gretel, Newton, Jack and I sat at the collage table in the back of the room but we weren’t doing any collage. All we could think about was what had happened to Fred and Clive.
    â€˜It’s just like your cartoon, Jack!’ said Jenny.
    â€˜No, it’s not,’ Jack replied. ‘It’s nothing like it! In my cartoon they were flying in an aeroplane and then had engine trouble and had to bail out and their parachutes failed to open!’
    â€˜And then?’ said Jenny.
    Jack made a face. ‘Hmmm . . . let me see,’ he said. ‘Well, I think Fred hit the ground and then Clive fell on top of him and the aeroplane crashed on top of them both . . .’
    â€˜Notice any similarities?’ Jenny asked.
    â€˜None at all,’ said Jack, stubborn as always. ‘Well . . . maybe a couple. What are you trying to say? That my cartoon
caused
their accident?’
    â€˜Way to go, Jack!’ said Gretel. ‘They sure had it coming!’
    â€˜It’s not funny,’ said Jenny.
    â€˜I didn’t say it
was
funny,’ said Jack. ‘But it’s not my fault! It’s never happened before with any of my cartoons. It’s just a coincidence!’
    â€˜No,’ I said, ‘it’s too close for coincidence. It’s the pencil. There’s something weird, something dangerous about that pencil!’
    â€˜Don’t be stupid, Henry,’ said Jack. ‘It’s a really, really good pencil.’
    â€˜Not true!’ I said. ‘Remember how it made Mr Brainfright fall out the window and almost choke to death?’
    â€˜That wasn’t the pencil’s fault!’ said Jack, shaking his head. ‘It’s not the first time Mr Brainfright’s fallen out the window. He fell out twice in one day once. Remember? Or are you conveniently forgetting that fact?’
    â€˜No,’ I said. ‘But you’re conveniently forgetting the fact that what you drew about Fred and Clive came true!’
    â€˜But why would it?’ said Jack. ‘Do you think the pencil is cursed? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?’
    â€˜I don’t know,’ I said. ‘Maybe.’
    â€˜That’s ridiculous,’ said Jack.
    â€˜Maybe,’ I said. ‘But maybe not . . . I once read a story about a writer who had this typewriter and whatever stories he