Dominik Mikulaschek (born in Linz in 1983) writes children's books that you start reading "just one chapter" of – and suddenly it's late. He loves puzzles that can actually be solved, rules that can be politely ignored (if necessary) and stories in which friendship is stronger than any clipboard. His adventures are exciting, but never too scary: they're about discovery, about sticking together – and about that tingly feeling when you realise: something's not right here... and we're the first to notice.
Dominik Mikulaschek
Five friends, four pranks, one headmaster
Children's novel for ages 8 and up | Chaos with heart
tredition GmbH
© 2026 Dominik Mikulaschek
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tredition GmbH, Heinz–Beusen–Stieg 5, 22926 Ahrensburg, Germany
This work, including all parts thereof, is protected by copyright. The author is responsible for the content. Any use without his consent is prohibited. Publication and distribution are carried out on behalf of the author, who can be contacted at: Dominik Mikulaschek, Holzwurmweg 5, 4040 Linz, Austria.
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Chapter 1 – The plan for a mini prank
As always, Monday at Regelberg Primary School smelled of freshly mopped linoleum, old gym mats and Dr Schreck-Schraube's strong perfume. Milo Mertens leaned against the notice board, directly beneath a brand-new sign: "Giggling only with prior permission – processing time: four working days". A giggle scanner above the main entrance slowly swivelled from left to right. Its red eye searched for suspiciously upturned corners of the mouth or unauthorised laugh lines. "That thing looks particularly hungry today," Milo whispered to his friends. Turbo Tan rubbed his hands together as if he had just eaten a packet of fizzy powder for breakfast. "Guys, I can feel it in my toes – today is the day for something big," he hissed. Turbo was a human idea machine that never stopped, which regularly drove the Office for Peace and Regulation (ARR) to the brink of madness. Fina Fuchs adjusted her glasses so straight that they could probably have served as a precision ruler for the Ministry of Culture. "Something big leads to big penalty protocols, Turbo," she replied dryly. "A prank is a pattern, and right now the pattern at school is total boredom." Luki, the quiet genius of the group, nodded once, briefly and very decisively. He was the type who was so quiet in class that even the flies on the wall fell asleep, but he knew the school's official rules better than the headmaster. Luki loved rules – especially the ones that were so complicated that they could be used wonderfully against the teachers. Mona, the creative mind with the ever-present pencil behind her ear, was drawing in her sketchbook. She was sketching the headmaster sinking into a sea of paper clips. "We don't need a big bang, we need a mini prank with heart," she murmured without looking up. Milo looked at his four friends – the five friends who had sworn to save the playground from total petrification. Since this morning, a new rumour had been circulating at school about PROJECT PRANK FEAR. It was said that Inspector Order wanted to turn the school into a fortress of seriousness. "We have to make a statement," Milo said quietly as the giggle scanner glided dangerously close over his head. "But it has to be harmless. A mini prank that doesn't annoy anyone, but makes everyone smile." Turbo jumped up and down on the spot, causing the decibel meter on the wall to immediately jump to yellow. "Was it me? Maybe. No. Yes? I've got an idea!" Turbo shouted, waving his arms. "We'll fill the headmaster's office with balloons! Thousands! Billions!" Fina shook her head as if Turbo had just suggested abolishing gravity. "Too much material, too much noise, too much evidence," she analysed expertly. "A good prank needs elegance. And a code." Luki took a small, crumpled booklet out of his pocket, which he had labelled "Rules for Breaking the Rules." "Paragraph one: No one gets hurt," whispered Luki, as if he were reading a state secret. Mona held up her sketch: she had drawn a lonely trainer wearing a little hat. "How about something... fashionable?" she suggested. The group retreated to the corner under the big staircase, where the caretaker, Kratz, was sweeping the floor. Kratz paused, leaned on his broom and looked at the five friends with tired eyes. "I hear pranks on the floor, children," he grumbled so quietly that no microphone could pick him up. "The rhythm of the school is ruined today anyway," Kratz added, pushing a lonely dust flake from left to right. Milo knew that the caretaker saw more than all the surveillance cameras put together. Kratz was not a traitor, he was an observer of playground culture. "We need a plan for a mini prank," Milo repeated, looking around the group. "Something small that Inspector Order can't immediately label as sabotage." Fina nodded and pulled a purple pen out of her bag to complete the prank code. "If it's too perfect, it's not from Turbo – we have to remember that," she reminded the group. Turbo nodded proudly, as if disorder were an Olympic discipline. Milo felt the tingling in his fingers that always came when an idea took shape. Above them, the loudspeaker crackled and Inspector Order's tinny voice boomed through the corridor. "Attention, attention! Due to PROJECT PRANK FEAR, the following applies with immediate effect: Prank alert level red!" "Any form of unannounced cheerfulness will be considered a violation of the house rules." Milo saw Mona quickly draw a small speech bubble over the inspector's portrait in her book: "I eat paragraphs for breakfast." Luki adjusted his position so as not to get caught in the field of view of a new camera. "The inspector is escalating the situation," Luki noted, adjusting his scarf. "That just makes our plan even more important," said Milo, leaning forward so they formed a circle. "Listen, here's the plan: we're going to do the 'wandering pencil'." The others listened intently as Milo whispered the details of the harmless prank. The idea was to secretly attach tiny, colourful paper hats to all the pencils in the staff room. Harmless, funny and totally cartoonish – just as the code dictated. "No sticky residue, no damage to property, just pure confusion," Fina summarised. "I've got paper in all the colours of the rainbow!" whispered Mona enthusiastically. Turbo was fidgeting so much again that his giggle scanner alarm started vibrating in his trouser pocket. "I'm the distraction officer!" he offered. Milo nodded, but his gaze wandered to the end of the corridor, where Inspector Order was stapling a new list to the wall. The inspector looked as if he hadn't smiled since 1984. Next to him stood the headmaster, nervously fiddling with his tie and trying to look important. "We have to be careful," Milo warned, placing his hand in the middle of the circle. "We're just going to play this one little prank to show that we're still here." The friends placed their hands on his, a silent promise against boredom. Fina looked Milo firmly in the eyes. "A prank is a pattern, Milo. We have to make sure our pattern stays clean." Milo knew what she meant: once they started , all eyes would be on them. At that moment, the giggle scanner above them emitted a shrill beep. A first-grader had just tripped over his own shoelaces and laughed briefly. Immediately, a sign on the wall lit up: "Suspicious fun detected – please refrain from showing your teeth!" The little boy was startled and covered his mouth as the scanner fixed him like prey. Milo felt a rage in his stomach that was as warm as a fresh hot water bottle. "Red alert prank or not," he muttered grimly. "Let's get started," Milo decided and gave the signal to leave. But as the group spread out, Luki noticed something strange at the end of the corridor. Where no one should have been, a shadow moved at the door to the director's office. It wasn't the caretaker or the inspector. It was a sound Milo had never heard before – a soft, mechanical clacking. "Guys, did you see that?" Milo asked, but Turbo was already distracting the scanner with a bag of crisps. Fina paused and narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't fit the rhythm," she said, just like Kratz always said. Something wasn't right here, and it wasn't part of their plan. The mini prank had only just been decided, but the air at Regelberg School suddenly felt thicker. Milo reached for his backpack and sensed that this was going to be more than just a harmless Monday. The first step had been taken, but the shadow in the hallway was already waiting. "We'll meet at the big break to hand out the materials," Milo gave the final instruction. Mona winked at him and disappeared in the direction of the art room. Luki glided silently like a ghost through the crowd of serious-looking students. Milo looked back once more at the giggle scanner, which was now calmly rotating its red eye again. He didn't know that their mini prank would soon be the smallest problem in the entire school. Because someone else had already made their own plans for today. Outside the window, thunder rumbled softly, as if the weather wanted to emphasise the prank alert level red . Milo swallowed hard and made his way to class. The plan was set, but the sabotage had already begun without them knowing.
Chapter 2 – Turbo brings (too many) ideas
