Unreal Collection! by Paul Jennings

Author:Paul Jennings
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781760142520
Publisher: Penguin Group Australia
Published: 2015-10-30T04:00:00+00:00

Every kid in the class was laughing at Richard.

Well, everyone except Tim. He felt more like crying. After all, Richard was his brother.

Even Ms Fish, the teacher, had to bite her tongue to stop herself chuckling. She stared out of the window, watching Richard leap around in the playground. ‘Tim,’ she said.

Tim sighed. Then he picked up his crutches and swung his way to the door. Another gale of laughter rocked the room as he left. Richard was at it again. Toilet paper. Why was Richard so mad about toilet paper? Why couldn’t it be newspaper? Or paper bags? Why did it always have to be toilet paper?

Today it was worse than usual.

In the past Richard had wrapped up letter-boxes and sticks and garden spades. But today took the cake. Richard had wrapped himself. He looked like a mummy risen from the dead. Bound head to foot in toilet paper. Loose bits flapped in the breeze as he danced around the playground.

Tim hobbled across the yard. ‘Come on,’ he said gently to his brother. ‘Come back inside.’

‘Aargh, aargh, aargh,’ barked Richard.

‘Aargh’ was his only word. If you could call it a word. Richard had never spoken a sensible sentence in his life.

As Tim approached, Richard pranced around like a dog when someone tries to take a ball from its mouth. He darted in and out – wanting and not wanting to be caught at the same time.

‘Oh no,’ Tim said as he saw Richard glance at a nearby gum tree.

Tim tried to shepherd his brother away. But the crutches and his tired arms slowed him down. In a flash Richard was scrambling up the tree trunk.

Tim suddenly felt very tired. The crutches chafed his armpits. And his head throbbed. The pain that always gnawed at his chest was worse than ever. He lowered himself to the grass. ‘Please come down, Richard,’ he said. ‘I can’t climb trees.’

‘Aargh, aargh, aargh,’ barked Richard.

Tim looked towards the school. The teachers had agreed to give Richard a trial. Two months to see if they could handle him. If not, he would have to find another school. Tim shook his head. Nobody could handle Richard. Except Tim. He had to think of something. Otherwise there would be a fuss. And Richard wouldn’t be allowed to stay. ‘Come on, Richard,’ he yelled. ‘Please come down.’

The bell rang and kids started streaming out into the yard. Soon there was a big circle standing around the tree. Laughing, pointing, joking. Richard waved a white toilet roll in one bandaged hand.

‘Please don’t,’ Tim said to himself.

Richard started to unroll his treasure. Soon a long ribbon was fluttering out from his arm. Longer and longer like a never-ending flag. Flapping and waving in the sunshine. Finally it broke. The wind caught the fragile paper and lifted it above the head of the crowd. Kids jumped and reached, yelling and laughing. The toilet paper twisted and snaked towards the school. Finally it drifted down and the mob grabbed it wildly, pulling the sheets apart and throwing them into the wind.

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