My Gran The Gorilla by Jackie French

Author:Jackie French [Jackie French]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780730444992
Publisher: HarperCollins

‘TJ! Are you all right? TJ! Speak to me!’

Speak to her? What did she expect him to say?

‘Uh…hi,’ said TJ feebly.

‘Hi!’ exclaimed Linda. ‘You go gallumphing down into a hole and all you can say is “Hi”?’

‘What do you want me to say then?’ asked TJ.

‘Are you okay? Have you broken anything? What are you doing down there?’

‘I’m not doing anything down here. Just sitting.’ TJ checked himself all over. ‘And I think I’m fine,’ he added.

Linda peered down at him, almost blocking the daylight. ‘I can’t see anything,’ she said. ‘There’s a sort of false floor here, a mat all covered in leaves and bark. You must have fallen through it. You know what I think this hole is?’

‘No,’ said TJ.

‘I think it’s a wombat trap! The wombat walks along all unsuspecting and it steps on the false floor and it falls down and gets trapped. What do you think?’

‘I think my bum’s sore,’ said TJ. ‘Thank goodness I landed on something soft.’

‘What?’ asked Linda.

‘My school-bag.’

There was silence up above. Then Linda said carefully, ‘Wasn’t Egbert in your school-bag?’

Egbert! TJ sat up straighter. How could he have forgotten Egbert? He pulled the school-bag from under his bum and opened it hurriedly, expecting squashed slug to ooze up around his fingers.

Instead a furious head popped out. ‘Me bruised all over! Me kick your kneecaps! Me tread on your toes!’ signed Egbert, his antennae quivering with anger.

‘Egbert!’ cried TJ. ‘Thank goodness you’re okay. I was so worried about you. He’s all right!’ he called up to Linda.

‘Me not all right! Me furious! Me got secret weapon,’ said Egbert. ‘You be sorry if me uses secret weapon!’

‘Look, I said I’m sorry,’ cried TJ. ‘It wasn’t my fault I fell on you. We’ve fallen into a wombat trap.’

Egbert peered around him. ‘Huh,’ he signed. ‘Nowhere to skateboard. No lettuce. Me have nap.’ He disappeared back into TJ’s school-bag.

‘TJ?’ It was Linda again, calling from above.

‘What?’ asked TJ.

‘Stop lazing around down there. We have to find Mr Pifflewhiskers!’

‘I’m not lazing around!’ called TJ. ‘I’m stuck down here!’

Linda sighed. ‘Well, reach up as far as you can. I’ll haul you out.’

‘I’m too heavy.’

‘Huh! I’m stronger than I look. Give me your hand.’

TJ wiped the slug slime off his fingers on his tracksuit, then reached up. He’d dreamt all week of holding hands with Linda—but not like this!

If only Gran was here! For the first time even TJ almost wished Gran wasn’t a gorilla. But she was, he thought guiltily. So it was up to him.

Linda grasped his hand in hers. It was a strong hand, thought TJ, and surprisingly muscular for a girl. He wondered if Linda did acrobatics or something.

‘When I say “jump”,’ called Linda, ‘jump!’

TJ jumped. For a second his toes lifted off the ground and he felt himself dragged up the stony wall of the trap. Then he fell back down again.

‘Again,’ ordered Linda

‘I really don’t think…’ began TJ.

‘Jump!’ yelled Linda.

TJ jumped as Linda’s hand gripped his. Higher…higher. His tracksuit pants dragged against the wall.

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