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- Herausgeber: Little Tiger Press
- Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
- Serie: Undead Pets
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012
Joe is just an ordinary boy until he makes a wish on a spooky Egyptian amulet... Now he's the Protector of UNDEAD PETS... and there's a ravenous rodent on the rampage! Dumpling the hamster got sucked up a vacuum cleaner. Can Joe help him sort out his unfinished business, so he can finally bite the dust?
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Seitenzahl: 58
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Copyright
Chapter One
Joe spotted the battered old jeep as soon as he turned into his street that Saturday afternoon. Splattered with mud, its paint was peeling, its number plate was hanging off, and its roof rack groaned with trunks and boxes. Joe grinned; it could only belong to one person – Uncle Charlie! A wave of excitement swept over him and he ran the rest of the way home.
“Joe? Is that you?” Mum called, as he slammed the front door. “We’ve got a visitor.”
Joe raced into the living room, not bothering to take off his trainers, which were still muddy from playing football in the park. And there was Uncle Charlie, lounging on the sofa sipping a cup of extra-strong black coffee.
“Joe!” he beamed. “How are you, m’boy?” He stood up and gave Joe a bear hug. “You’ve grown! You’re nearly as tall as me!”
That wasn’t strictly true – Uncle Charlie still towered over Joe. As always, his great-uncle was wearing an old khaki safari suit and had his grey hair slicked back, and even though he was pretty ancient (if you counted wrinkles the same way as tree rings, he’d be about the same age as a great oak!) his eyes sparkled with energy.
“Uncle Charlie’s just back from Egypt,” said Mum. “Look what he brought me!” She held up a beautifully carved wooden camel.
“Cool,” said Joe.
Joe thought his Uncle Charlie was amazing. He was an archaeologist, and spent most of his time abroad, digging up old relics. Usually they wouldn’t hear anything from Uncle Charlie for months, then suddenly he’d turn up on their doorstep with tales of lost cities and secret temples and treasure…
“So, what was Egypt like?” asked Joe.
“Hot! Very hot! And fascinating, too!” Uncle Charlie replied. “We found a lost pyramid buried underground. Imagine that, Joe – a three-thousand-year-old tomb containing lavishly decorated sarcophagi, golden statues, a chariot as big as a bus…”
“Mummies?”
Uncle Charlie grinned. “Of course!”
“Wow!” Joe loved hearing about Uncle Charlie’s adventures. He was already drifting off into a daydream about the secret pyramid and the treasures hidden within, when Uncle Charlie nudged him playfully, bringing him back to the real world with a bump.
“Now, I want to hear all about you, Joe. What’s been happening? Have you got that dog yet?”
Joe’s mum grimaced. “Don’t mention the D-word. That’s all I hear from morning to night!”
“Every lad should have a dog.” Uncle Charlie winked at Joe.
“Exactly!” said Joe. “That’s what I keep saying!”
Mum frowned. “But I only have to hear the word ‘pet’ and I start sneezing!” As if to prove the point, she wrinkled her nose, blinked twice, then gave a loud ACHOOO!
Joe scuffed the carpet. It didn’t matter how desperate he was for a dog, with mum’s allergies he had no chance.
“Cheer up, Joe!” said Uncle Charlie. “Go and look in my bag. I’ve got something for you.”
Joe brightened. Uncle Charlie always brought back the most amazing gifts. Once he’d given Joe a tiger’s tooth that he’d had to dig out of his own thigh. Then there was the super-spooky glass eye that had belonged to a long-dead pirate – it sat on top of Joe’s chest of drawers, eyeballing anyone who dared enter his room.
“Look for the old cigar box – it’s in there.”
Joe rummaged around inside Uncle Charlie’s battered old leather satchel and found a few notebooks, a pair of socks and quite a lot of sand… Then he spotted the cigar box. He flipped open the lid and peered inside.
“Wow, it’s, er … great,” said Joe. He lifted a shiny black stone out of the cigar box and peered at it closely. It was roughly cut in the shape of an animal.
“What is it?”
“It’s an amulet, Joe. A real amulet! Ancient Egyptians used to carry them for good luck.”
Joe held the amulet. It fitted snugly in the palm of his hand, and it felt warm and heavy. He stroked it with his thumb. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He especially liked the shape. “Does it have a dog’s head?” he asked.
Mum rolled her eyes and laughed.
Uncle Charlie smiled. “Not a dog – a jackal! It represents Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead.”
“Cool!” breathed Joe. He couldn’t wait to show it to his best mate Matt.
Just then Mum peered out of the living room window. “Aha! Looks like the rest of the clan are back from the shops. I’ll stick the kettle on again.”
As she bustled off with the coffee cups, Uncle Charlie leaned closer. “That amulet has been around a long time, Joe,” he said quietly, “and it’s very special. It’ll grant you a wish.”
A wish? Joe looked up in disbelief. He could spot a leg-pull a mile off!
“It’s true. Trust me. But only one, so be careful what you wish for, because it will come true.”
At that moment the living-room door was flung open and Joe’s brother and sister thundered into the room.
“Uncle Charlie!” cried Toby. “Have you brought me a dinosaur bone?”
Uncle Charlie laughed. “Not this time, Toby. But when I find one, you’ll be the first to hear about it.”
Joe slipped the amulet into his pocket. There was no way he was going to ask Uncle Charlie any more about it with Toby and Sarah around.
Hours later, after a noisy dinner and some amazing stories about the pyramid, Uncle Charlie announced it was time he was going.
“Where are you off to this time?” Joe asked, though he knew his great-uncle wouldn’t say – he never did.
“That would be telling!” Uncle Charlie said, with a wink. “But I’m sure I’ll have some new stories for next time I see you…”
He hugged them all goodbye, picked up his satchel and stepped out into the inky night. Joe followed him to the front gate.
Uncle Charlie took a deep breath. “Smell that air, Joe. There’s magic and mischief about. I can feel it.”
Joe grinned. “Uncle Charlie – aren’t you going to tell me more about the amulet?”
Uncle Charlie stepped closer and whispered to Joe. “Just remember what I said – be careful what you wish for!” Then with one last wink, he climbed into the jeep.
The family waited on the doorstep for a few moments, waving as the jeep thundered off down the street, then went inside.
“Right!” said Mum. “Time for bed, everyone. You’ve already stayed up late because of Uncle Charlie’s visit.”
Joe went upstairs, feeling glum. Now Uncle Charlie had gone everything would just go back to normal. If only I had a dog, he thought, collapsing on his bed. Then home wouldn’t feel so dull after Uncle Charlie’s visits.
