www.hodderchildrens.co.uk
Copyright © 1996 Paul van Loon
Illustrations copyright © 1996 Hugo van Look
English language translation © 2010 David Colmer
First published in the Netherlands under the title Silvertand
by Uitgeverij Leopold in 1996
First published in Great Britain in 2010 by Hodder Children’s Books
Published by arrangement with Rights People, London
This ebook edition published in 2011
The right of Paul van Loon and Hugo van Look to be identified as the Author and Illustrator of the Work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
The publishers are grateful for the support of the Foundation for the Production and Translation of Dutch Literature.
All rights reserved. Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form, or by any means with prior permission in writing from the publishers or in the case of reprographic production in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency and may not be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
A Catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 4449 0 503 8
Typeset in Weiss by Avon DataSet Ltd,
Bidford on Avon, Warwickshire
Hodder Children’s Books
a division of Hachette Children’s Books
338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
An Hachette UK Company
www.hachette.co.uk
1
The Stranger
‘Wrow! I never thought I’d ever be this happy. The first time I turned into a werewolf I was scared to death.’ Alfie looked up at the stars. He had climbed on to the garden shed with Tim and now they were lying on their stomachs on the roof. It was almost November and leaves were drifting down into the garden.
From up on the roof they could see over the hedge and into the street that ran along the side of the house. Now and then people walked by without realizing that they were being spied on by a boy and a small white wolf wearing glasses.
‘Look!’ Tim whispered. ‘That woman with the feather hat. She’s just like Mrs Chalker. Do you remember her?’
‘I sure do,’ Alfie chuckled. ‘I’m glad that nasty old bag is still locked up in the Reception Centre for Unusual People and Animals.’
Alfie gave a deep sigh and a quiet rumbling rose up in his hairy white throat. He looked up at the moon, which was almost full.
‘Wrow, I live with a great family. You’re almost a brother to me. Your mother is really sweet and your father is completely bonkers and sweet too. They know what I am and they don’t care. This is the best family in the whole world.’
Tim smiled and scratched Alfie on the head. ‘We think you’re great too. You know that.’
Most of the time Alfie was an ordinary boy like Tim, but three times a month he was different, like now. That was when Alfie changed into a werewolf, a white werewolf with glasses. It happened at full moon, the night before full moon and the night after full moon. It was a big secret, of course, and almost no one knew about it.
‘Hey, check him out!’ Tim exclaimed.
Walking down the other side of the street was a big man dressed in a hat, boots and a long coat. He was smoking a cigar and trailing a wisp of grey smoke. He stopped for a moment at each house, looked at it briefly, then walked on.
‘Strange guy,’ Alfie said. ‘He’s looking for something.’
Tim nodded. ‘Big and scary. Maybe he’s a spy? Or someone from the mafia? What do you think, pardner?’
‘Hit man,’ said Alfie. ‘Definitely. A cold-blooded killer. I wonder which one of our neighbours he’s going to murder. Maybe the guy next door.’
The man strode on with big steps. Suddenly he crossed the road, coming closer and closer.
‘Oops, he’s walking this way,’ Tim whispered.
Tim and Alfie lay perfectly still on the roof of the shed. The man stopped at the gate to their back garden. Smoke curled up out of his mouth like a long skinny ghost. The man peered round the garden inquisitively.
‘Why doesn’t he keep walking?’ Alfie whispered. ‘What’s he looking in here for?’
Tim shrugged. ‘Don’t ask me.’
Alfie stuck his nose in the air and sniffed. ‘That guy doesn’t feel right to me. He smells funny.’
Suddenly the man turned his head towards the shed. Tim and Alfie flattened themselves against the roof. For a second there was a glint in his mouth. He threw the cigar on the ground, crushed it under his heel, then turned and disappeared in the shadows of the trees along the street.
‘Who on earth was that?’ Alfie asked.
Tim peered at the shadows. The man was nowhere to be seen.
‘Just some stranger, I guess. He was probably lost.’
Alfie stretched his legs and wagged his tail.
‘I have to go for a bit of a run.’
Tim nodded. ‘Don’t devour any chickens, Alfie. And make sure no one sees you! There are some funny people out and about, like that stranger.’
‘Wrow, I can outrun any of them. And I bet we’ll never see that guy again anyway.’
2
Uncle Seb
The doorbell rang early the next morning. It was Saturday and Tim and Alfie were still asleep.
Tim’s father answered the door in bare feet. He was wearing his pyjamas – pink with yellow elephants – and still had curlers in his bright-blue hair. He’d dyed it the night before. He’d varnished his fingernails and toenails blue too. To go with his hair. Tim’s father liked being different.
Still sleepy-eyed, he glanced through the frosted glass in the front door and saw a shadow on the other side. ‘I don’t know anyone that big,’ he said, then opened the door.
It was a tall dark-eyed man with a long face. He was wearing a hat and a long coat and smoking a cigar. ‘Good morning, I’m Uncle Seb. I’ve come for Alfie.’ He blew a cloud of smoke into the hall.
Dad started coughing. ‘Ugh-ugh! What do you mean, you’ve come for Alfie?’
The man smiled, with two dazzling front teeth glinting in the light. They were made of silver.
‘I mean just what I said. From now on, I’m looking after Alfie. The judge has appointed me his guardian. I’m taking him with me.’
3
A Horrible Letter
Suddenly wide awake, Tim’s father stared at the tall man. ‘I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. No, I mean, I’m not sorry at all. Alfie belongs here with us. We love him and we’re keeping him.’
The man shrugged. ‘Unfortunately for you, I have a court order right here. You’re not his real family. I am.’ He showed Dad a letter saying that Alfie had to go live with Uncle Seb.
‘Who is it, William?’ Tim’s mother called from the living room.
Dad kept his eyes on the visitor. ‘Someone called Uncle Seb. He’s come for Alfie.’
‘What!’ Mum ran out into the hall. Like Dad, she was still in her pyjamas. Like Dad, she started to protest. ‘That can’t be true. It mustn’t be. And what about school?’
‘No problem. I’ll take care of everything,’ Uncle Seb said, blowing another cloud of cigar smoke into the hall.
‘But … can’t we do it tomorrow?’ Mum asked. ‘Or the day after tomorrow, or next year? Or when he’s eighteen?
’
Uncle Seb shook his head. ‘No. Now!’
Tim came downstairs. He had heard everything. ‘Alfie has to stay with us,’ he shouted angrily and started to cry.
Then Alfie appeared on the stairs. He stood still for a moment, then sniffed. That’s strange, he thought. That’s the same smell as last night, that same funny smell!
‘Listen, Alfie,’ Tim’s father said. ‘There’s something I have to tell you …’
Alfie turned pale when he heard the news. The lenses of his glasses misted over. ‘I want to stay with Tim,’ he stammered, but it didn’t help.
‘The judge has made his decision,’ said Uncle Seb. ‘From today, Alfie has to live with me.’
Tim’s father read the letter at least ten times, but each time it said exactly the same thing and each time the official stamp from the court was just as impressive.
Everyone was sad. Everyone was miserable. Everyone was angry. But none of that was any help at all.
With a gloomy face, Alfie packed his suitcase in his bedroom. Tim helped.
‘Did you recognize him, Alfie?’
Alfie took his glasses off for a moment to wipe his face with a hankie. Then he cleaned his glasses and put them back on. ‘Who?’
‘Uncle Seb,’ Tim said. ‘It’s the man we saw last night.’
‘I know. I smelt it coming down the stairs, that same funny smell.’
‘What can we do?’ asked Tim.
Alfie sniffed loudly. ‘I’ll make sure he can’t wait to get rid of me. I’ll make a racket and get into trouble. I’ll make a mess of his house. I’ll pee on his pot plants. I’ll poo in his slippers. I bet you I’ll be back home in two days!’
Alfie laid a photo of Tim and his parents in the suitcase. Tim handed him a pair of jeans.
‘You have to be careful, Alfie. It’s full moon tonight.’ He tossed Alfie a jumper. ‘That means you’re going to turn into a werewolf again, just like last night. And again tomorrow. Uncle Seb mustn’t find out.’
Alfie nodded. ‘I’ll be careful.’
‘Alfie, what’s keeping you?’ Uncle Seb called. ‘We have to go. I’ve got a busy day ahead.’
Tim pressed a raggedy bear into Alfie’s hands. ‘Here, take my teddy. To remind you of me.’
Alfie’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I won’t need reminding, I’ll think about you the whole time! All of you! And I’ll be back before you know it. You’ll see.’
‘And don’t devour any chickens, Alfie.’
Alfie nodded. ‘I promise!’
He looked around, wiped his nose and trudged downstairs with his case in one hand and Tim’s bear under his arm.
Uncle Seb was still standing at the front door. Mum and Dad were in the living room comforting each other.
‘Give me the suitcase,’ said Uncle Seb. ‘My car is a couple of streets away.’
‘I don’t want to go,’ Alfie said quietly. ‘Can’t I just stay here?’
Uncle Seb screwed up one eye. His other eye bulged menacingly. He bent down to whisper in Alfie’s ear. ‘Listen, kid, don’t make things difficult. The court has appointed me your guardian. If I have to, I’ll call the police. Then your little buddy and his parents will be in trouble. Big trouble. Thanks to you, they might even end up in jail. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?’
4
Gone
Alfie looked at the man in horror. Tim and his parents in jail?
Uncle Seb smiled and Alfie took a quick step back. He couldn’t bear that smile. Now Uncle Seb winked, as if he hadn’t just said something horrible and nasty.
Tim came downstairs. ‘Is something wrong, Alfie?’
Uncle Seb gave a warning glare and Alfie shook his head. ‘No, um … no. I’d better go now, I think.’
‘That’s very sensible of you,’ said Uncle Seb.
Mum and Dad came out of the living room looking totally distraught.
‘Bye, son. Give us a ring when you get there, OK?’ said Mum. ‘And have you got a warm coat with you?’ She swallowed and looked away.
‘I’ve written down Uncle Seb’s address,’ Dad said. ‘123 Donkey Street. We’ll come and visit soon.’ He pulled a hankie as big as a tea towel out of his pocket and honked into it.
‘That’s enough of that,’ Uncle Seb said. ‘We’re going.’ He picked up Alfie’s suitcase and walked to the front door. ‘It’s better if you folks just stay here. That will be easier for everyone.’
Alfie quickly said his goodbyes. ‘Bye, Tim. You’re my best friend ever.’ Then he ran off down the street after Uncle Seb before everyone could burst into tears again. I’ll be back tomorrow or the day after anyway, he thought. I’ll make sure of that. ‘I’ll call soon,’ he shouted.
Tim, Mum and Dad stared at the closed door.
‘Why on earth didn’t we walk him to the car?’ asked Dad.
Mum blew her nose in Dad’s hankie. ‘We should actually be glad for Alfie. Now he’ll live with his real family. That’s good, isn’t it?’
‘It’s not good at all!’ Tim shouted. ‘That Uncle Seb can go and get lost for all I care.’ His forehead puckered up with angry wrinkles. Then suddenly Tim looked happy. ‘Now I get it! It’s a dream. I must be asleep. That weird Uncle Seb doesn’t even exist. If I pinch myself, I’ll wake up and Alfie will be back.’ He pinched his arm as hard as he could.
‘Ow!’ he screamed as a big red mark appeared on his arm.
It wasn’t a dream. The whole house stank of Uncle Seb’s cigar and Alfie was gone.
5
The Cage
Uncle Seb hurried down the street as if he couldn’t wait to get away. Autumn leaves swirled around his feet. Alfie had to run to keep up.
Uncle Seb looked back over his shoulder. ‘Come on, son, stop dawdling.’
‘I’m doing my best.’ Alfie hugged Tim’s bear tight. ‘Is the car very far away?’
Uncle Seb glanced back again, his dark eyes gleaming. ‘We’re almost there.’
They went around the corner and Uncle Seb pointed at a jeep.
‘That’s it.’
‘Why is it all the way out here?’ asked Alfie. ‘Why didn’t you just park in front of the house? Then Tim and Mum and Dad could have waved goodbye.’
‘This was more convenient,’ said Uncle Seb.
They had almost reached the Jeep, which had a trailer with a strange cage on it hooked up to the back.
Uncle Seb pulled a bunch of keys out of his coat pocket, opened the door and threw Alfie’s suitcase into the car. ‘There.’ Then he walked round to the cage. ‘Look at this beautiful cage. It’s got a door that slides up and locks with a padlock, see?’
Alfie nodded.
‘Watch this,’ said Uncle Seb, sticking a key into the padlock.
‘What’s the cage for?’ Alfie thought it was a bit weird. ‘Do you drive animals around sometimes? Do you work for the animal shelter or something?’
Uncle Seb slid the gate up, then turned. He grinned, showing two shining front teeth. ‘This cage is for you!’
Uncle Seb grabbed Alfie, lifted him up and threw him into the cage. Clang! He’d locked it. Then he threw a big dark sheet over the top, blocking out the light.
Alfie heard a car door slam. The Jeep started up with a growl and the cage jolted into motion, knocking Alfie over. His head banged against the iron bars and everything went black.
6
Waiting
‘Why hasn’t Alfie called yet?’ asked Tim. ‘He’s been gone for hours.’
He paced to and fro in front of the window, looking out into the street. He’d been doing it all day. Dad was sitting at the table. He had a map of the town spread out in front of him.
‘Give Alfie a bit of time, Tim. He has to get used to his new house. He doesn’t know where the telephone is or anything. And he has to unpack all his stuff …’
Dad bent over the map. He put on his reading glasses and ran his finger down the list of streets. ‘Where is Donkey Street anyway? I’ve never e
ven heard of it.’
For the third time that day, Mum sprayed an entire can of pine-scented air freshener in the living room. The smell of Uncle Seb’s cigar was very stubborn. She sighed deeply.
‘I just hope Alfie has enough warm clothes with him. And what’s going to happen tonight, when he turns into a wolf? We’re used to it, but what will that Uncle Seb of his think?’
Tim stopped striding back and forth and lay down on the sofa. ‘I wish he’d ring.’
Dad put on another pair of reading glasses. ‘Strange,’ he mumbled. ‘Even with two pairs of reading glasses I can’t find Donkey Street on this map.’ He slid the map to one side. ‘It must be somewhere in that new development.’
The doorbell rang and Mum, Dad and Tim all looked at each other, thinking and hoping the same thing.
Tim leapt up off the sofa, raced to the front door and tore it open. The person standing there had a hat, a long coat and a walking stick.
‘Hello, Tim,’ said a growling voice. ‘I get the feeling something very bad has happened!’
7
All Alone
Alfie opened his eyes cautiously and rubbed his forehead. The bump on it throbbed painfully.
How did I get this bump? thought Alfie. And what time is it anyway? I wonder if Tim’s up yet? I’d better go and wake him up.
He felt for the light switch, but couldn’t find it. It was still pitch dark.
The next moment the floor he was lying on moved. Then Alfie remembered where he was: in a cage. Uncle Seb had locked him in and then covered the cage with a sheet. That was why it was so dark and that was why Alfie couldn’t see where they were going.
Alfie the Werewolf 3: Silvertooth Page 1