The Spider Gnomes by Linda Chapman

Author:Linda Chapman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

But Sam wasn’t fine the next day. When Sophie called for him in the morning, his mum said that he was ill and wouldn’t be going to school. Worried, Sophie walked to school on her own. An awful thought was beginning to form in her head. Maybe Sam was ill because of the scratch. What if the Spider Gnomes had poisonous fangs? She fretted about it all day and after school raced straight back to Sam’s house.

“Is Sam any better?” she asked when his mother opened the door.

“I’m afraid not,” his mum sighed. “I’m sure he’d feel better if he went outside and got some fresh air, but he doesn’t want to get out of bed.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I was going to go to the town meeting tonight, but I can’t leave him with a babysitter when he’s sick. Maybe seeing you will cheer him up, Sophie. Do you want to pop up? Don’t stand too close though; you don’t want to catch it.”

Sophie nodded gratefully and ran up to Sam’s bedroom. He was lying huddled up in bed.

“You look awful!” she said. Even from the doorway she could see that his skin was a funny grey colour.

Sam nodded miserably. “I feel really hot, and the scratch on my neck is hurting.”

The scratch was bright red and purple now. Sophie stared anxiously at it. Was the scratch the reason Sam was so ill?

“I told Mum I’d scraped it on a tree and she put some cream on it, but it hasn’t helped,” Sam continued. “She thinks I’ve got the flu, but I’m swelling up too.” He pushed back the duvet to show her his tummy. He was usually skinny, but now his tummy was bulging out. “And all my legs ache,” he went on, pulling the duvet back round him.

“All your legs?” echoed Sophie. “Don’t you mean both your legs?”

Sam blinked. “Yeah, of course. Sorry, I don’t know why I said all.”

Sophie went nearer to the bed. “You really do look dreadful.”

Sam’s skin was even greyer than she had first thought. And something was different about his face. His nose somehow seemed more hooked, his teeth more pointed.

At that moment, a fly zoomed past. “Mmm. Yummy fly! Come here!” said Sam. He grabbed the fly from the air with super-quick speed. It buzzed furiously in his closed fingers.

“Sam!” Sophie stared. “What are you doing?”

“I want to eat it.” Sam’s eyes gleamed greedily. “I haven’t eaten all day. I’m starving!”

“Sam! You can’t eat a fly! You—”

Sam threw his head back and stuffed the fly into his mouth! Sophie was so shocked she was speechless for once.

Sam burped.

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