The Hundred-Mile-an-Hour Dog

by Jeremy Strong

  ‘I don’t believe it,’ he said hoarsely.

  ‘You better had,’ said Tina. ‘We’ve won that bet, Charlie, and that means that you’ve lost, and THAT means that you’ve got to wash in the old tin bath.’

  Oh no – there was no way Charlie was going to let this happen! He pulled himself up to his full height. He knew there was no way we could force him into that bath.

  ‘Oh yeah?’ he sneered. ‘Who’s going to make me? You two wimps? You’ve got to be joking!’

  Charlie was right of course. We had no chance of getting him into that tub, unless he got in himself, and he wasn’t going to do that in a million years.

  ‘It was a bet,’ said Tina. ‘And you agreed to it.’

  ‘Get lost!’

  Tina folded her freckled arms across her chest and sighed. ‘Well, I’m afraid that leaves us no choice. We shall just have to tell all your friends that we saw you in the woods holding hands with Sharon Blenkinsop.’

  ‘Charlie!’ squeaked Sharon, hands to her mouth in horror.

  ‘You wouldn’t!’ spluttered Charlie.

  ‘Of course we would. We had a bet,

  Charlie, and we won. Either you get in that tin bath…’

  ‘And don’t forget to wash your hair,’ I added.

  ‘… or we tell your pals that you’ve got a girlfriend – lover-boy!’ Charlie caved in. He was completely crestfallen. ‘It’s the last day of the holiday tomorrow,’ Tina went on. ‘You can have until then to decide. See you tomorrow, Charlie!’

  Tina and I set off home. I shouted ‘Walkies!’ and Streaker came bursting out from the grass and trotted home with us, tail wagging cheerfully. (If I’d had a tail at that moment, mine would have been wagging like crazy!)

  Dad had just got in and we showed him and Mum how obedient the dog was. They were pretty amazed of course, and why not? It was amazing! Mum handed over the thirty pounds and said it was worth every penny. I reminded her that I owed money for the dog-biscuits and her tights and the phone bill. She told me to forget it. The dog behaved herself and that was worth a fortune. Even Dad gave way eventually, but that was only because he had brought home a new golfing video (Fifty Classic Golf Shots – I ask you! Bring on those tanks!) and he wanted some peace and quiet so that he could sit down and watch it.

  And that’s it, really. It was great to have thirty pounds sitting in my pocket. The only thing I felt a little bad about was teasing Charlie over having a girlfriend. ‘After all,’ I said to Tina, ‘we’ve never liked being teased about it.’

  ‘We’re different,’ Tina explained. ‘Charlie didn’t want anybody to know about him and Sharon.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘We don’t mind,’ said Tina, giving me her ever-so-sweet smile. ‘I like being your girlfriend and I don’t care how many people know.’

  I was thunderstruck. I suppose I should have seen it coming. I thought: No, no! Please, not this! Not after everything I’ve been through! Tina began to sort of lean towards me.

  I think it was the first time I had ever moved faster than Streaker.