Sam Hannigan and the Last Dodo by Alan Nolan

Author:Alan Nolan [Alan Nolan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788491174
Publisher: The O'Brien Press
Published: 2019-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

He handed the pungi to Sam, who gave it a tentative toot. ‘I’ll never be able to learn how to play “The Walls of Limerick” on this by this afternoon,’ she said, moving her fingers up and down the two pipes.

‘You don’t have to play a tune on it!’ said Ajay, laughing. ‘The pungi is also known as the snake charmer’s flute – I thought you could bring Priscilla the python on stage in the great big wicker laundry basket Nanny Gigg has in the bathroom, and get her to rise up out of the basket when you play a few notes on the flute.’

Sam raised her eyebrows. ‘Nanny Gigg would never get into the laundry basket!’

‘Not Nanny Gigg – the snake!’ Ajay laughed so hard he fell off the bed. ‘Priscilla would be in the basket. You come out wearing a turban and charm the snake out. It’s a snake-charmer act! We could train Priscilla this morning. Snakes love the sound of the pungi, they sway from side to side to the notes – it looks like they’re dancing to the music!’

‘Hmmm,’ said Sam. ‘I’m pretty sure Nanny Gigg has a purple turban in her bedroom. She has a huge collection of hats in there.’

Ajay clapped his hands together. ‘I’ll help you,’ he said. ‘My ventriloquist act is perfect, so I’ve plenty of time!’

They brought Priscilla up to the bedroom and tried all morning to train her, but the huge python wasn’t very cooperative. She ignored the sound of the snake charmer’s pungi completely, preferring to either coil herself up and take a nap, or go for a little slither around the bedroom. She particularly liked nosing around under Sam’s bed. ‘There’s probably a mouse under there,’ said Ajay. ‘Maybe she’s hungry?’

Sam looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table. ‘She’s always hungry,’ she said. ‘It’s almost two o’clock, Ajay. The snake’s not ready, but we’ve run out of time. We better put her in the laundry basket and get around to the hall.’

‘It’ll be all right on the night,’ said Ajay. ‘You’ll be fine once you and Priscilla get on stage – these things have a way of working out.’

Sam wasn’t too sure. Her snake-charmer act had DISASTER written all over it in big letters, and, despite his optimism, Sam thought that Ajay’s dummy act could turn out to be a bit of a dead duck too. She didn’t say this to Ajay, of course – he was her best friend and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Maybe I should have just done my Irish dancing again, she thought, like I did last year … and the year before that … and the year before that …

While Ajay wrestled Priscilla into the large wicker laundry basket, Sam went downstairs to ask Nanny Gigg if she could borrow her turban. She found her granny chasing the dodo in circles around the kitchen table. ‘Desmond!’ Nanny Gigg was yelling. ‘Give me back my cheese sandwich!’

Desmond made a

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