I KNEW something bad was going to happen as SOON as we arrived at the hospital.
And I knew it because my mum says that bad things always happen in THREES. And TWO bad things had already happened that day because Jodi made us all do EXTREME DANCING (which is when you dance as FAST as you can for as LONG as you can) and Maisie had got dizzy and fallen and broken her LEG. And then when we were in Jodi’s mum’s car following the ambulance to the hospital, I reached into my bag to get my TWIX because I was STARVING after all the dancing but it was GONE. And that’s when I remembered that I’d already eaten it on my way to school.
So anyway, when we got to the hospital, I got a WEIRD FEELING. And it was because of the CREEPY STATUE in the entrance. And the WEIRD SHAPE of Maisie’s LEG under the blanket. And the STRANGE BOY with the FEATHER in his hat.
But it was when we found out about the CURSE that we KNEW.
Maisie and her LEG were in
When we arrived at the hospital Jodi’s mum parked the car and Zach yelled, “There’s the ambulance. Look!” So I looked and that’s when I saw the ambulance doors BURST open and Jodi came rushing out, pulling Maisie’s stretcher behind her.
Jodi had REFUSED to come with us in the car to the hospital because she said she needed to stay with Maisie. And the paramedics had let her because Jodi told them she was Maisie’s GUARDIAN because Maisie’s mum wasn’t there yet and that Maisie NEEDED HER and also that she would CHAIN herself to Maisie’s stretcher IF NEED BE.
So me and Zach and Jodi’s mum RAN after Maisie’s stretcher into the
bit of the hospital and up to the reception desk.
And before the paramedics could even say ONE WORD Jodi shouted,
And as SOON as Jodi said that, Maisie SCREAMED at the top of her LUNGS and everyone in the waiting room GASPED and the receptionist covered her ears with her hands because Maisie’s scream is MEGA LOUD.
That’s when one of the doctors came running over to see what was wrong. But then all of a sudden Maisie stopped screaming MID-SCREAM and closed her eyes and went COMPLETELY STILL.
So that’s when I explained that Maisie had FAINTED from SHOCK because of what Jodi had just said and that it happened all the time. And that she’d wake up in a minute and need a Ribena and probably a Twix too, and that I had some Ribena but that I didn’t have a Twix. And then I explained about the TWIX THING and bad things happening in THREES.
But the doctor just stood there with a PANICKED look on his face and I started to worry because he didn’t look that much older than my cousin Toby and he’s still at secondary school. But then I noticed that he was wearing a hoody and carrying a bunch of grapes and that he was a visitor. And that he’d probably just come running over because of the noise Maisie was making.
Then Jodi started shouting for a STETHOSCOPE so she could check Maisie’s
And a nurse appeared and said that she was going to take Maisie behind a little curtain to do an EXAMINATION and that we should all wait in the WAITING AREA, especially Jodi. And then she gave Jodi a bit of a LOOK so we went.
So me and Jodi and Zach sat down on the seats nearest to the little curtain and Jodi’s mum said she was nipping outside to phone Maisie’s mum again and that we should STAY EXACTLY WHERE WE WERE. But as soon as she left, Zach got up and said that he was going to find a vending machine so he could get a Twix and Jodi said, “How can you think of your STOMACH at a time like this, Zach?!”
And Zach said that he WASN’T thinking of his stomach and that he was thinking of MAISIE’S stomach, actually. And Jodi said, “Oh. Sorry.”
And then she started crying and I got a SHOCK because Jodi NEVER cries. Not even the time she got her fingers jammed in the assembly-hall doors and they went PURPLE.
Then she said that it was ALL HER FAULT and that it should be HER LEG in hospital and that she was NEVER GOING TO DANCE AGAIN.
And it sort of WAS Jodi’s fault because the dancing had been her idea (and even when we’d said we didn’t want to do it she’d still made us because she said she’d already moved the furniture and made a PLAYLIST).
But I didn’t say any of that because Jodi was obviously feeling
So I just patted her back a bit. And so did Zach.
And I said, “It’s not your fault. Maisie’s going to be OK. Don’t worry.”
But to be honest, I just said that to make Jodi feel better. Because I didn’t know if Maisie WAS going to be OK. Because I had seen the WEIRD SHAPE of Maisie’s LEG under the blanket and it didn’t look normal at ALL. And that’s when Jodi’s mum came back in and said, “What happened? Where’s Maisie?”
And we all spun round and saw that the little curtain was OPEN and that Maisie and her leg were GONE.
Once Jodi stopped screaming, the nurse explained to us that Maisie had been taken for an X-RAY on her leg and that she was perfectly SAFE and that she definitely hadn’t been KIDNAPPED and that Jodi shouldn’t have screamed that.
Then she asked Jodi’s mum to fill out some forms and said that Maisie would be taken to
after her X-RAY. And that’s when I heard Zach do a GULP and I knew that it was because Maisie is TERRIFIED of the number 13.
Like the time we went to the cinema for my birthday and Maisie wouldn’t sit in her seat because it was NUMBER 13. We all tried to switch seats with her but she wouldn’t let us because she said the seat was not just UNLUCKY but probably DEADLY so she just had to sit on my knee the whole time because there weren’t any more seats next to each other.
So anyway, we all rushed along the hospital corridor to get to
And we went up loads of stairs and along another corridor and then up MORE stairs and that’s when we realised that we were LOST.
Zach said that we should just keep going the way that HE was suggesting because his mum used to WORK there but Jodi’s mum said she thought we should get in the lift so we did.
But then we had to come out again because no one knew what level
was on so we didn’t know which button to press. So that’s when Jodi’s mum said that she was going back down to the reception to ask for directions and told us to wait where we were until she got back and then she disappeared down the stairs.
That’s when Zach said that the only reason he’d got LOST was because the hospital was HUNDREDS of years old and had TWISTY BITS and SECRET DOORS and CONFUSING BITS and also that they must have MOVED
from where it used to be.
I just nodded and didn’t say anything because I was exhausted from all the stairs and I was just about to sit down on the floor when Jodi said, “SHHHH!”
And then her eyes went wide and she put one finger over her lips to show us we weren’t allowed to talk and her other hand in the air to show us that this was SERIOUS.
And that’s when I GASPED because I could hear it TOO. It was Maisie screaming somewhere in the distance.
And that’s when Jodi yelled, “THIS WAY! FOLLOW ME!”
So we did.
Maisie’s screams got louder and louder as we ran along the corridor so we knew that we were DEFINITELY going in the right direction.
And when we got to the end of the corridor there was a huge door that said
That’s when Jodi said, “Here we go!”
And I knew that she’d said it because we had
what to expect when we saw Maisie because she was screaming REALLY LOUDLY.
Jodi took a deep breath and pushed the door with two hands.
But it wouldn’t open.
Then Zach said, “There’s a buzzer.” And he pressed it.
But the buzzer didn’t buzz. It made a weird CRACKLING sound instead, like its batteries were one hundred years old or something.
So Jodi tried to push the door op
en again but it still wouldn’t budge.
Then, all of a sudden, a really far-away-sounding voice said, “Can I help you?”
And I jumped because I wasn’t expecting it and also because the voice sounded a bit CREEPY.
I looked at Zach and Zach looked at me because even though Jodi looks the oldest out of all of us she is actually the youngest and I was pretty sure the doctors and nurses weren’t going to believe that she was Maisie’s mum.
But there obviously wasn’t a hidden camera in the buzzer because all of a sudden there was a loud CLUNKING SOUND and the crackling voice said, “Come in.”
So Jodi pushed the door again and it opened and as SOON as we stepped inside the ward I saw a creepy display on the wall about BANDAGES and I gasped!
And Zach asked me if I was OK so I just pointed to the display and he nodded because he obviously thought it was creepy too.
Then all of a sudden Jodi grabbed my hand and said, “She’s stopped.”
And I stopped looking at the display and that’s when I realised that I couldn’t hear screaming any more. So we ran over to where there were two rows of beds and looked around but we couldn’t see Maisie in any of them. So we ran over to the next bay of beds. But we couldn’t find her anywhere!
Then suddenly a voice said, “Are you looking for the Screaming Girl?”
And we turned and saw a boy sitting up in one of the beds and he was wearing a hat with a feather in it.
So I said yes because he was obviously talking about Maisie.
And the boy said, “She’s over there next to the window. The nurses had to pull the curtain all the way round her bed to stop her from screaming.”
So we all rushed up and Jodi was just about to pull back the curtain when I grabbed her arm to stop her because I was worried that she would give Maisie a fright.
Then I whispered, “Maisie? It’s us. Can we come in?”
But there was no reply.
And then a voice said, “I think she’s sleeping.”
And I JUMPED because I had no idea the boy from the bed had followed us up to the curtain and was standing right behind us.
So Jodi pulled back the curtain really slowly and that’s when we all
because Maisie was lying in bed wearing headphones and an eye mask and her leg was being held up in the air by a rope thing and she had a
That’s when a nurse appeared and asked us who we were and where Maisie’s mum was.
So I looked at Jodi and Jodi did her most PROFESSIONAL FACE and stood up straight and said, “I am Maisie’s LEGAL GUARDIAN.”
The nurse looked a bit confused because Jodi obviously wasn’t old enough to be someone’s GUARDIAN so that’s when I explained that we were with Jodi’s mum and that she’d be here in a minute.
The nurse gave us a bit of a LOOK and then eventually nodded and told us to take a seat.
Then as she was leaving, she suddenly stopped and turned back to face us and PLEASE don’t said, “But whatever you do, wake her up.”
And I noticed that the nurse’s eyes went a bit WIDE as she said it and that she looked a bit scared and I knew that it was probably because she didn’t want Maisie to wake up and start screaming the hospital down again.
So we all sat down quietly around Maisie’s bed and Jodi closed the curtain again to give us PRIVACY.
I really wanted to hold Maisie’s little hand like I’d seen people do on TV when someone is in hospital but I didn’t want her to wake up and get a fright.
That’s when Jodi said, “I can’t believe this is happening. This is SERIOUS. I just want to get her home and look after her ASAP.”
Then Jodi said that as soon as Maisie was allowed to go home, she was going to ask her mum if she could go and live at Maisie’s house for a while so she could look after her and do things like help her get out of bed in the morning and read all her favourite books to her and help her cut the right legs off all her trousers so they’d fit.
And that’s when we heard a voice say, “Can I come in?” And I looked up and saw that the boy was back and that he was peeking around the curtain.
I looked at Jodi and she looked at me and I knew that we were both thinking the same thing and that the thing was that this boy was a bit strange because he kept sort of creeping up on us and also because of the hat.
So we said that it was OK for him to come in and he came in and stood next to Maisie’s cast and STARED at it and that’s when I saw that he was wearing school trousers under his hospital gown and massive slippers that looked like dogs’ heads.
I wasn’t sure how old he was but he looked a bit like he’d be in the year below us if he was at our school.
The boy pointed to Maisie’s cast and said, “That’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a LOT.”
Then the boy put his hands on his hips and did a long sigh and said, “Do you mind if I sit down?”
So I jumped up and gave him my chair because I was worried that he needed to sit down because he wasn’t feeling well.
The boy sat down and leaned back in the chair and put his hands behind his head and said, “So. The name’s Seb. You won’t find anyone that’s been here as long as I have. So if you have any questions about anything just ask me, OK? I know everything there is to know about this place.”
That’s when Jodi got a bit of a weird look on her face and I could just TELL that she didn’t trust Seb (because it takes Jodi AGES to trust people because she is a very SUSPICIOUS person).
And then she said, “Thanks. But we can just ask one of the nurses if we need to know something.”
And that’s when Seb did a bit of a laugh and shook his head at Jodi.
And then he leaned forward and said, “You’re better to ask ME, OK? I know things the nurses DON’T.
And then he leaned back again and crossed his legs and did a bit of a SMIRK.
So Jodi crossed her arms and said, “Like what?”
And that’s when Seb said, “Oh, I don’t think you’re ready to hear it yet. I’m not sure you could handle it.
And I could TELL that Jodi was getting MEGA ANNOYED but that she wasn’t saying anything like she usually would if someone else was irritating her (like annoying Gary Petrie from our school). And I knew that the reason she wasn’t saying anything was because she was worried Seb might be SERIOUSLY UNWELL.
So that’s when I said, “Seb. We can handle it. TRUST ME.”
Because Seb obviously had
about all the stuff that we’d had to deal with at our school like
So that’s when Seb leaned forward and said, “OK. Well … I overheard what you said about Maisie’s leg being serious and you’re RIGHT. It IS serious.”
And then he said, “Wait right there,” and he stood up and peeked round the curtain and said, “Just checking.”
I had no idea what Seb was checking FOR but I was starting to get a bit freaked out because he obviously knew something about the hospital that we DIDN’T and I was getting the feeling that it DEFINITELY was going to be a BAD THING.
Then Seb sat back down and put both hands on his knees and said, “Well. I guess I should probably tell you all about
At first I thought the screaming was coming from Maisie until I noticed that she was still lying quietly with her eye mask on.
Zach jumped up and pulled back the curtain and that’s when we saw Maisie’s mum standing at the nurses’ station with Jodi’s mum and she looked WILD.
One of the nurses was trying to calm her down but it obviously wasn’t working because Maisie’s mum was still screaming and everyone was staring at her.
Zach rushed over and grabbed Maisie’s mum’s arm and pointed at us and that’s when Maisie’s mum saw me and Jodi and started rushing towards us.
I looked at Jodi and before I could even say a word Jodi grabbed the curtain and pulled it so it draped over Maisie’s massive cast.
Maisie’s mum ran over to Maisie and grabbed her head and started kissing her all over her face and say
ing,
That’s when Maisie took her eye mask off and gave her mum a big hug, and while they were doing that, I helped Jodi tuck the curtain in a bit better around Maisie’s leg so Maisie’s mum couldn’t see the cast.
But then the kissing stopped and Maisie’s mum turned and saw the weird LEG CURTAIN THING that we’d made and before we could say a word she pulled the curtain off and saw Maisie’s giant leg and fainted on the spot.
As soon as the doctors and nurses had taken Maisie’s mum away on the stretcher we all sat on Maisie’s bed and held her hand and asked her how she was feeling.
That’s when Maisie said that she was OK and that it didn’t hurt as much any more and that she wanted us to sign her cast.
I couldn’t BELIEVE how brave Maisie was being because I thought she was going to
when she woke up and saw her MASSIVE LEG hanging in the air, but she didn’t.
That’s when Jodi gave me a bit of a WORRIED LOOK and then she looked at Maisie and said, “Maisie. You don’t understand what’s happened.”
And Maisie said that she did understand what had happened and that what had happened was that Jodi had made her do dancing and that she’d fallen and broken her leg because of it and now she was in hospital.
And that’s when Jodi’s face went a bit red and she stopped saying stuff about Maisie not knowing what was going on because she obviously did.
The Broken Leg of Doom Page 1