Selby Scrambled Read Free

eat, and a little bird with a broken beak clinging to a cliff in China.
    ‘That was soooooo sad when they had to put that poor little birdie down,’ Selby thought as he blinked back a tear, ‘but they’d tried everything to fix him up and nothing worked. Anyway, Iloved it when the vets operated on the kitty’s crook neck so that she could sleep again. But that dog with
Gutsitis Scrambulitis
— now that was amazing!’
    The dog had been born with a very rare condition. His insides were all in the wrong places. At first the vets didn’t know what was the matter. The main thing was that he’d lost his appetite. Then they noticed that his stomach was sore. After that he threw up, his tongue became dry, and his back legs shook. The vets worked out the problem and operated just in the nick of time.
    ‘Those guys are so clever!’ Selby thought. ‘But what a gory operation. They cut his whole belly open from top to bottom and then shifted everything back to where it was supposed to be. If I’d have watched it properly I wouldn’t have been able to eat for a week. But speaking of eating …’
    Selby trotted into the kitchen and looked in his bowl.
    ‘Dry-Mouth Dog Biscuits,’ he thought. ‘When are the Trifles going to realise that I hate them? Hey, hang on, it was Mrs Trifle’s birthdayyesterday. Dr Trifle got takeaway food from The Spicy Onion Restaurant. I’ll bet there are some leftovers.’
    Selby gobbled six peanut prawns, three big spoonfuls of potato salad and a huge slice of meat. After that he ate all the bits of mango in the fruit salad and he was just starting into a huge slice of chocolate birthday cake when Aunt Jetty’s dreadful sons Willy and Billy burst through the door.
    ‘Hey, Unkie!’ Willy screeched. ‘Look at the dog! He’s in the fridge! See?’
    Selby crammed the cake into his mouth and shut the fridge door just as Dr Trifle came into the kitchen.
    ‘I’m sorry, what did you say?’ he asked.
    ‘That poopy doggy was in the fridge!’ Billy yelled.
    ‘In the fridge?’ Dr Trifle said, as he put the big jar of Snap-Bond Ultra Glue he’d just bought on the kitchen bench. ‘Don’t be silly, boys. Selby is a dog. He doesn’t get into fridges. He wouldn’t even fit.’
    ‘No no no, Unkie!’ Willy cried. ‘He opened the door!’
    ‘Are you telling a fib again, Willy?’ Dr Trifle asked.
    ‘No, no, and he can talk and everything! Cross my heart!
    ‘Boys, listen to me. I’ve got important work to do in my workroom. You watch TV or something. Mrs Trifle will be here soon,’ Dr Trifle said, heading off down the hallway. ‘And don’t you dare be mean to Selby, do you hear?’
    ‘Yes, Unkie,’ the boys said. ‘Hey, Billy,’ Willy said. ‘Remember that TV show? Remember about cutting up that stupid
    doggy?’
    ‘Yeah. That was so good,’ Billy said. ‘Hey, listen, Billy.’
    Willy whispered in his brother’s ear. ‘If Willy is thinking what I think he’s thinking then I’m going to bite him into next week,’ Selby said to himself. ‘I’m getting out of here!’
    ‘Unkie!’ Willy called. ‘Selby’s sick!’
    ‘No, I’m not. What’s he on about?’ Selby thought.
    Dr Trifle opened the door to his workroom.
    ‘What do you mean?’ he asked.
    ‘He didn’t eat nothing,’ Willy said.
    ‘Yeah, his doggy bowl is full,’ Billy said.
    ‘Hmmm, that is strange,’ Dr Trifle said, having a closer look. ‘We filled it up this morning but he hasn’t eaten anything.’
    ‘And I couldn’t eat another thing after all that birthday cake,’ Selby thought.
    ‘He was chucking,’ Billy said.
    ‘I
what?
What’s this kid on about?’ Selby thought.
    ‘What do you mean, chucking?’ Dr Trifle asked.
    ‘Frowing up like this,’ Billy said, pretending to throw up. ‘Nuffing came out but.’
    Dr Trifle bent down and touched Selby’s head.
    ‘He seems okay to me,’ Dr Trifle said. ‘Now I’ve really got to get some work done, kids. Please don’t disturb