Straight back to the farm, he thought. I hope they haven’t noticed I’m missing. He dropped forward and ran to the farm on all fours. Once he got there he hid behind a tree. There were no lights on in the dormitories, he could see that much. Everyone had probably gone to bed by now. But the light was still on in one room. That was where Mr French and Miss James were, of course. Alfie crept over to that one room and pressed himself up against the wall under the window ledge. The window was slightly open and the teachers’ voices drifted out.
‘Another glass of wine, Roger?’ Miss James said. ‘It’ll put a smile on your face.’
‘No, thank you, Miss James. I’ll just go and check on the boys. Make sure they’re all asleep. Then I’m going to bed too. I’m exhausted.’
‘Call me Jenny. Can’t we relax a little without the children?’
Alfie almost burst out laughing and covered his mouth with his paw. Miss James wouldn’t take no for an answer.
‘Miss James, we’re here to look after the children. I hope you understand that.’
A chair slid back loudly.
‘I’ll go and check on the girls in a minute,’ Miss James said. ‘First I’ll grab a breath of fresh air. I just love the smell of the forest.’
Oops, she’s coming outside. What now? thought Alfie. How can I get inside without her seeing me?
Suddenly the window slid up further. Miss James stuck her head out. She looked from left to right and took a deep breath. Alfie didn’t dare move.
16
Rose
Making as little noise as possible, Alfie looked up. Miss James’s nose was sticking out over the window ledge. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. Alfie could see the hairs in her nostrils. He watched the way her nose moved when she sucked in the air.
‘Lovely,’ she said. ‘Nice and healthy forest air.’
Miss James’s hands appeared over the edge of the window ledge as she bent out even more. If she looked down now she would see him, get the fright of her life and start screaming. And then everyone would come out to have a look. And then … Alfie couldn’t think any further than that. His heart was in his mouth.
‘What a lovely night, Roger. Don’t you think it’s terribly romantic with the full moon shining in?’
‘If you ask me, you’ve breathed in more than enough of that forest air,’ Mr French said. ‘If you don’t watch out your nose will fall off. You really have to go and check the girls now. I’ll lock the outside door. Then I’ll go and look in on the boys.’
Miss James sighed deeply, then breathed in one last dose of forest air. ‘Bah,’ she said. ‘You don’t have a romantic bone in your body.’
Her head disappeared inside and the window banged shut. Alfie growled with relief. He was trembling. The outside door, he thought. I have to get inside before Mr French locks it.
He ran straight to the door and pushed the handle down with one paw. Fortunately it wasn’t locked yet and he was able to slip inside cautiously.
The hall was full of dark shadows from the planter boxes with palms that lined the walls. Now I have to make it to the dormitory, thought Alfie. And then into bed, without anyone seeing me.
Alfie crept down the hall on his wolf toes, sneaking from planter box to planter box. He was already halfway when the door at the end of the hall opened.
‘Goodnight, Jenny,’ Mr French said.
Alfie froze for a moment, like a cartoon character. He looked left, right. On his right there was a door with a little man on it. Alfie pushed it open, shot in and closed it behind him. With his back against the door he stayed there in the darkness listening.
He heard Mr French’s footsteps in the hall. The teacher was walking in his socks and they were very soft footsteps that an ordinary boy wouldn’t have heard, but Alfie had super-sensitive werewolf hearing. Mr French’s footsteps came up to the door, then carried on. Thank goodness, his teacher hadn’t seen him.
He’s at the back door, thought Alfie. Now I can slip into the boys’ dormitory.
Just then the door opened. A hand flicked the light switch and in a flash the room was brightly lit. A girl was standing in the doorway. It was Rose.
17
A Wolf, Ha-ha
Rose was standing dead still in the doorway. She had accidentally chosen the wrong toilets, that was obvious. She’d gone into the hall in the dark and hadn’t paid attention to the symbol on the door. This wasn’t the girls’ toilets. She looked at the creature standing before her. It definitely wasn’t a girl.
But it wasn’t a boy either. It was a wolf. A white wolf, standing upright, like a person. The strange thing was that this wolf was wearing glasses. A wolf, ha-ha. Impossible. Wolves don’t hang around toilets wearing glasses.
Rose almost burst out laughing. She almost screamed with laughter. Rose actually wanted to yell. She could see the way the wolf was looking at her. She saw its sharp claws. She saw its shining teeth. It was too horrible to be true. The room began to spin.
‘Ha-ha,’ said Rose in a feeble voice. Then her legs swished out from under her as the walls and ceiling spun away. Everything went dark, as if someone had turned off the light.
Alfie stood motionless, still frozen to the spot. He looked at Rose, who was lying still on the floor. She’d fainted.
Bad luck for her, good luck for me, thought Alfie. I thought I was a goner.
Quickly he turned off the light, stepped over Rose and peeked around the corner. Mr French was still at the outside door. The lock was being difficult. Alfie heard him mumble while he struggled with the key.
‘They could oil this lock now and then. You stupid, stubborn thing, give me a break, why don’t you?’
Mr French kicked the door.
‘Ow!’ he shouted, dancing around on one foot.
Lucky again, thought Alfie, turning and creeping off to the boys’ dormitory, where the door was ajar. Alfie listened in the doorway and heard a loud uneven rustling. The breathing of some twenty boys. Soft snoring was coming from a couple of them.
Alfie stuck his head into the dormitory. The moon was shining in through the thin curtains and by the looks of things all of the other boys were asleep. Alfie pattered past the beds on all fours, gliding like a shadow to his own bunk above Vincent.
He had almost reached his bed. Vincent was sleeping peacefully. Alfie looked back. Mr French would come in any minute now to check that everybody was asleep. He stood up.
All he had to do now was climb up on to his bed – carefully, making sure he didn’t wake up Vincent – then slip into the sleeping bag before Mr French came in. Suddenly a hand grabbed him by the back of the neck.
‘No, not that!’ a voice said.
18
Loud Snoring
Alfie froze. For a few seconds he looked like a stuffed wolf, as motionless as the shadows on the floor. His eyes wide open. His hair standing on end. He felt the hand on the back of his neck.
Uh-oh! thought Alfie.
‘Not that,’ the voice said again. ‘Mum, please, I hate spinach.’
Huh? thought Alfie.
‘Come on, Mum, I want a Coke.’
Slowly, Alfie turned his head. The hand stayed where it was on the back of his neck. It was Sven’s hand. Sven was in the top bunk next to Alfie’s and he was lying on his back with his eyes closed. His arm was hanging out of the bed and his hand was draped limply over Alfie’s neck.
‘I want a Coke, Mum,’ Sven said. ‘And a Big Mac too, please.’
Alfie growled softly. Idiot! It was nothing at all. Sven’s hand had flopped on to his neck by accident. He wasn’t even awake. He was dreaming about his mother. He didn’t know a thing.
Carefully, Alfie moved Sven’s hand away from his neck.
‘No, Mum, don’t, don’t do it,’ Sven groaned, pulling his hand back into his sleeping bag, but he didn’t wake up.
The dormitory door swung open. Alfie heard Mr French’s socks sliding over the floor and acted instantly.
With one leap he was up on t
he top bunk. No time to pull on his pyjamas. He zipped open the sleeping bag, slipped into it, pulled it up over his ears and lay there listening.
Mr French walked past the beds, straightening blankets here and there, making sure no one could fall out of one of the top bunks and listening to see whether everyone was really asleep. Alfie heard Mr French approaching and crept further down into his sleeping bag.
Mr French checked Vincent first. He was sleeping calmly. Then he saw that Alfie was hidden away at the bottom of his sleeping bag. Mr French frowned. ‘That boy will suffocate down there,’ he whispered to himself. ‘I’d better open that sleeping bag a little.’ Very carefully he took hold of the top of Alfie’s sleeping bag.
Alfie broke into a cold sweat.
‘Alfie, come up out of the sleeping bag a little,’ his teacher whispered.
All Alfie could do was growl. ‘Wrow!’
Startled, Mr French dropped the sleeping bag. Had he heard properly? Alfie must be having a very strange dream. Mr French hesitated. Maybe I should just let him sleep, he thought. But what a strange noise that was.
Just then Sven started thrashing from side to side. ‘No, Mum, no cabbage either!’
Mr French turned around quickly to Sven. ‘Shhh,’ he whispered. ‘You’ll wake everyone up.’ He patted Sven on the shoulder. ‘You don’t have to eat any cabbage here. Go back to sleep now.’
A smile appeared on Sven’s face. He turned on to his side. ‘Thanks, Mum,’ he said.
‘You’re welcome,’ whispered Mr French.
He looked over at Alfie one last time. Loud, rhythmic snoring was rising up out of the sleeping bag. It sounded rather strange for a boy, more like a grizzly bear really. The teacher yawned. Oh well, forget it, he thought. Alfie is probably a very deep sleeper. Some people just happen to snore louder than others. I’m going to hit the sack too.
He turned and walked over to his own bed, close to the door. Alfie heard the teacher moving away. Phew, the snoring noises had helped. Now he was out of danger. He could relax and go to sleep.
Tomorrow morning he would just be a boy called Alfie Span again. He growled and rolled on to his back. Just before falling asleep he thought of something. His clothes were still out there in the forest. He had forgotten to bring them back with him. Oh well, luckily he had a tracksuit and trainers with him. Alfie yawned. Tomorrow, he thought. Now I’m going to sleep.
He stared out over the edge of his sleeping bag at the full moon. His eyes were almost closed. A figure was standing outside the window and peering in through the glass with yellow eyes. The figure was panting. Its tongue hung out of his mouth and its hairy ears stuck straight up. After a while it turned away and there was no one left at the window.
I’m already dreaming, thought Alfie, turning over on to his side.
19
A Hunter?!
Tim’s father woke with a yawn, ‘Uwaaahl’ Mum turned over and screamed.
A pair of yellow eyes in a shaggy, hairy head were staring at her from the pillow next to hers.
‘Goodness! Is that thing lying there between us again? Will you please stop leaving that wolf’s head on your pillow at night? You scared the living daylights out of me.’
‘Do I really have to stop?’ asked Dad, sitting up straight and lifting the wolf mask up with both hands. ‘I want to keep it close by. I’m trying to imagine what it’s like to be a wolf. Then I’ll understand how Alfie feels at full moon.’
‘That’s very sweet of you,’ Mum said. ‘But I’d rather you didn’t bring it to bed with you.’
Dad swung his legs over the edge of the bed and turned the wolf mask around to look at it from the other side. ‘You know, something’s bothering me, but I’m not sure what.’
Mum sat down next to him on the side of the bed. ‘Is it something to do with Alfie? You said he was doing well.’
Dad nodded. ‘I thought he was, but it was something he said.’
‘What did he say?’
Dad rubbed his temples. ‘I’m trying to remember. Everything was fine. He said that he’d manage. Tonight they’re going for a walk in the forest. A hunter is going to show them around.’
For a moment it was dead quiet in the bedroom. Sunlight shone in through the curtains. Mum tried to catch her breath.
‘A hunter?’ She jumped up, grabbed Dad by the shoulders and started shaking him. ‘Did I hear that correctly? Did you say a hunter?’
‘Y-y-yes,’ said Dad.
‘Our Alfie is going into the forest with a hunter?’ Mum shouted. ‘When it’s full moon again tonight? Do you know what hunters do when they see wolves?’
Dad tried to answer but she was shaking him too hard.
‘They shoot them!’ Mum shouted. ‘Hunters have guns. Hunters love guns. And when they get a chance, they start shooting.’
‘Sh-shooting? But not when the other kids are there? Surely not?’
Finally Mum let go of Dad’s shoulders. His head was spinning and he toppled sideways on to the bed.
‘Shooting,’ Mum said. She had turned as white as a sheet. Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Tim came into the room.
‘What’s going on?’ he said. ‘What’s all the shouting about?’
‘Alfie is going into the forest tonight with a hunter,’ Mum said. Tim’s eyes grew larger.
‘Alone?’
‘No, with the other kids,’ Dad said. ‘But he might turn into a wolf again. And if he does, the hunter might see him and what then?’
Tim stared at his parents for a few seconds. ‘Why don’t we just go and get him?’
‘Because he doesn’t want us to,’ Dad explained. ‘Alfie doesn’t want to keep running away. He wants to join in with the other kids. And he’s actually right. But this is dangerous.’
Tim spun around and ran up to his room. Less than a minute later he was back, fully dressed.
‘What are you doing?’ Mum asked.
‘Someone has to keep an eye on Alfie,’ Tim said. ‘And there’s really only one person who can do a good job of it.’
‘Who?’ Dad asked.
Tim tied the laces of his trainers and looked up. ‘Grandpa Werewolf. He knows his way around forests. He can watch out for Alfie without anyone seeing him.’
Mum got some colour back in her face. ‘Maybe you’re right, Tim, but where can we find Grandpa Werewolf?’
‘In the park?’ Tim suggested. ‘That’s where Alfie first met him. I’ll find him, even if I have to spend all day searching.’
Tim ran downstairs.
‘Wait!’ Mum shouted. ‘You can’t go outside. You’re ill, remember?’
Tim was already at the front door. ‘Don’t worry,’ he called back. ‘I’m as good as better. My temperature has almost gone.’
‘Tim!’ Dad shouted, but the front door had already slammed shut.
20
Punishment
‘It’s true,’ Rose said. ‘I saw it with my own eyes.’
Vincent tried to keep a straight face. ‘Tell us again, Rose. I didn’t hear you properly. What did you see?’
‘A wolf!’ Rose screamed. ‘Last night in the boys’ toilets.’
It was dead quiet for a moment at the breakfast table. All faces turned to Rose. No one was blinking. Mouths were agape. Then everyone burst out laughing. Only Noura didn’t laugh.
‘I think you’re all being mean,’ she said. ‘There’s no need to laugh at Rose.’
Alfie came into the breakfast room in his tracksuit. Astonished, he took in all the smiling faces. ‘What’s up?’ he asked.
‘Rose went into the wrong toilets by accident,’ Dave shouted.
‘And she got such a fright …’ Vincent went on, hiccuping with laughter, ‘that she saw a wolf.’
‘Go on, laugh,’ Rose shouted. ‘It was a wolf. I know what I saw. It had glasses.’
‘Water glasses,’ screeched Vincent, ‘or wine glasses? Or did it have glasses just like Alfie’s?’ He laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair. ‘Di
d you go to the toilet last night, Alfie?’
Alfie blushed. ‘Um, yes.’
‘Then it’s obvious,’ Vincent sniggered.
‘Rose went into the boys’ toilets by accident and saw Alfie. She got such a fright she thought he was a wolf.’
Once again everyone burst out laughing. Noura gave Alfie a look that was full of sympathy. Rose stamped her foot angrily.
‘Laugh away, stupid. It wasn’t Alfie. It was a wolf. I’m not mad, you know.’
Just then the doors to the kitchen swung open. Mr French and Miss James came in carrying trays of bread rolls.
‘I’m glad to see you so happy,’ Mr French said. ‘You’re laughing so hard we could hear you in the kitchen.’ He started to hand out the rolls.
‘I want to go home,’ said Rose. ‘I don’t want to stay here another minute.’
Mr French looked at Rose with surprise. ‘What is it this time, Rose?’
‘There was a wolf in the toilets.’
Mr French put the tray down on the table and took a very deep breath. ‘I’ve had enough, Rose. You keep trying to ruin this school trip. You come up with one weird story after another, but this takes the cake!’
‘But I—’
‘Be quiet! I don’t want to hear another word out of you. Go to the dormitory and stay there all day. We’ll decide later whether you’re allowed on the forest walk.’
‘But, sir, I really did see—’
‘Silence!’
Mr French looked like he might explode. He pointed to the door. Rose didn’t say another word. She got up silently and shuffled out of the room.
This is terrible, thought Alfie. Rose is getting punished, and it’s all my fault. He ate his bread roll in silence.
Alfie the Werewolf 2: Full Moon Page 4