I.B.F.Fs: Imaginary Best Friends Forever - Chapter 1

Imaginary friends have been with us since the world was created. In the Garden Of Eden, Adam had neglected Eve a lot to care for his animal friends, so Eve created a friend of her own. She came to life right before her eyes, and Eve named her Bunny. She was a pink elephant with long, floppy rabbit ears that bathed Eve before she went to sleep every night using water from her long, dexterous trunk. Adam had no imaginary friends, he just basked in being cared for by all the animals his creator had made. That is, until the day Eve ate from the Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good & Evil. God exiled Adam and Eve from the garden, and took Bunny away from Eve forever. Her soft pink fur turned to hard, cold stone, and was left to stand as a statue in what once was Eden.

Years later, Moses lead all his people across the Red Sea. The journey was long and exhausting, and once the people reached the other side, God couldn’t be happier. He gifted every single one of Moses’ people with their very own imaginary friends, whether human, animal or someone mixed up. Moses got an imaginary friend too, and it was a white lion who went by the name ‘Our God’. He was with Moses until his death, when he collected the Ten Commandments and brought them up to Heaven.

He carved a new commandment on the stone in which Moses wrote. He announced that everyone must have an imaginary friend from birth ‘til death. Imaginary friends are immortal and will do all possible to protect their friends from worries and obsessions. Should their friend die, the imaginary friends will die too, and fly up to Heaven with their respective partners. All through the Victorian era, there were imaginary friends. Through the ‘50s, there were imaginary friends. Through the ‘60s, there were imaginary friends. Through the ‘70s, there were imaginary friends. Through the ‘80s, there were imaginary friends. Through the ‘90s, there were imaginary friends. Through the ‘00s, there were imaginary friends. And even today, we have imaginary friends to protect us right then and there.

Now imaginary friends live with people who’ll look after them and protect them, and they’ll protect them back. Some go to work with their friend and play music on the keyboards while they’re correcting papers. Some play golf near hotels, but run too far and catch it. Some are just great friends to children. Especially me. I’ll introduce myself later. Some even have their own TV series, and they were as famous as the people who got their star in Hollywood. Friends like Andy Pandy and Chip N Dale have had their own TV series long before I was born. They, including TV shows that were forgotten, spawned lots and lots of merchandise, including cologne and porcelain figures. It was their rise to fame that made them the best friends any kid could have.

Now to introduce myself. My name is Sophie, and I’m only 6 years old. I live at home with my mum and my five roommates. They’re my imaginary friends. I don’t go to school, I am homeschooled, because Mum couldn’t afford the money to get me into a real school. You know what school is like, everyone is noisy and crazy and never cares about how you’re feeling. But here, I am safe with my imaginary friends, living in the quiet, clean country. First, there’s Fang. He’s an ordinary boy, but when he goes into a rage he transforms into a werewolf and attacks people. Fang still means well and acts like my big brother to me. He is a cuddly werewolf who can hug you whenever you need one. He plays with me like he is my brother too, hiding under my bedcovers and pretending to nibble my toes when he has the chance. Luna is vegan. Well, not just vegan, a vegan vampire. He has smooth, sensitive skin, and the sort of clothes any normal vampire would wear, except he’s quite wimpy and needs consoling every now and again. He bravens up when he’s playing with me and my friends, and he likes to lead a game when it’s his turn to be the pirate captain. Zura is 4,000 years old, but she still looks young, and she’s an Egyptian mummy. We act like we were sisters, and we love to play at being grown up ladies, spraying Mum’s precious lavender perfume and putting lipstick on. We’d often walk around with high heels, pretending we’re grown up, too, but Zura trips and falls over flat sometimes. Cookie and Candy are two puppies who love to play and spend time with us. Cookie is yellow, while her little sister Candy is red. They love playing with me and my big sibling imaginary friends, and they like to call each other different names when they’re playing at being everyday people like doctors or teenage girls.

We live next door to an animation studio. Some animation studios are located in the city, but this one is located right here in the countryside. Its name is Warehouse Create, and my mum works there, making TV series for kids and families alike to enjoy. I forgot to mention: all the imaginary friends that live in our world today are stop-motion, so there’s not a chance a show would be filmed in CGI. CGI only occurs in an illness, and once there was a CGI pandemic, meaning everyone had to stay indoors, and only the imaginary friends got vaccinated to stop the spread the year after. Anyway, Zura, Fang, Luna, Cookie and Candy had TV shows of their own. Zura, Fang and Luna starred in their own TV series named Monster Avenue, while Cookie and Candy starred in a TV series made for ABC in Australia named Cookie Dough. But the real hot ticket is ‘I.B.F.Fs’, a series Mum creates about me and my friends and all our imaginary adventures. And guess what? I’m the writer!

I usually write stories in the morning, and send them to Mum via email (I know how to use emails, although I’m only 6). At the end of every week, she reviews the stories, and the best ones will be adapted into episodes for my TV series. My mum set up Warehouse Create after she won £1,000 in the lottery. It was a lucky draw, and we all cheered when we heard the great news. She set up this animation studio back in 2010, and every weekend, filming commences once the stories have been chosen. We would hold each other’s hands, and listen out to see which story would be picked to be an I.B.F.Fs episode every weekend. I would wriggle around in our shared bed every night, waiting for the big day to arrive.

When we’re not filming episodes, I’m using my powerful imagination to take my friends wherever I fancy, from jungles to pirate ships to fairy castles and places all around the world. I have this special pink magic wand with a golden star on top, which I use to activate a special, magical cupboard near my bed. It chooses a location, and me and my friends just have to jump in. When the homeschooling is done, we love how the cupboard detects which story I’ve done, and then we jump in, ready for our next adventure. Only one problem…I have to deal with the inclusion of real friends, too.

Big Fat Naughty Bears

Swimming On Holiday

Luke, Resus, Cleo and I were in Australia on holiday with Lucky and his family. They have agreed to take us on their holiday while our parents went to visit some old friends back home in England. We have rented a holiday home in Brisbane, complete with a pool. It was fun to go on holiday with another family while our parents were off to visit some relatives. Lucky, Chucky, Janelle and Lucky’s dad were delighted to have us come along on the vacation, as we loved going on holiday in far off places, especially with others.

One morning, we were having breakfast in the kitchen. It was honey-flavoured cereal, the kind Lucky’s Dad brought from the local supermarket. “I wonder what we’ll do today?” I asked. “Maybe we’ll go on a boat ride,” said Cleo. “How about we go swimming?” asked Chucky. “Shall we play football in the park?” asked Lucky. “Let’s go to a local fashion shop and check out some Aussie gear!” said Cleo. “Boring,” Luke, Resus, Chucky, Lucky and I said. “Now, kids, be respectful to Cleo,” said Janelle, “She is our holiday guest after all.” “I was only suggesting,” laughed Cleo. “How’s about we go out for ice cream?” asked Lucky’s dad. “Yeah! Ice cream!” we cried. “Look, Pat,” said Janelle, “The weather is kind of hot here. We should go for a swim after we’ve had ice cream.” Lucky’s Dad was already sweating. “Yeah, hoo, kind of hot.” “Too hot even to melt the deodorant you sprayed on yourself this morning.” “Mum! Don’t talk about Dad’s stinky armpits while we’re eating!” said a disgusted Lucky.” “You can smell them if you want,” said Lucky’s dad. We all grossed out!

Later, we went to Lick! Ice Cream down the street. Boy, was it great! Cleo had vanilla bean, and so did Janelle. I had marshmallow bubblegum, Luke had cookies and cream, Resus had OMG Strawberry, Lucky’s Dad had Crunchy Peanut Butter Choc Chip, and Lucky and Chucky each had a Splice ice cream. While we were tasting our ice cream, we saw the boys drop their ice creams and chorus “Wow!” “What are you wowing for?” I asked, my mouth full of sticky ice cream. “Are you in the Splice world? Bluey went there when Bandit took her and Bingo out for ice cream. He was in Ragdoll mode at the time.” “Ragdoll? I’ve never heard such a thing.” said Lucky’s Dad. “You have! You definitely have!” said Resus, “We’ve heard clumping and bumping next door one day. It was Bluey’s dad.” “What can you see from eating Bluey’s favourite ice cream?” “A green bear dancing with me, and morphing into cold green water.” said Lucky. “A jelly bouncy castle!” said Chucky. “This reaction happens to kids,” said Janelle, “You have to accept that Lucky and Chucky saw things all green and white when tasting something out of paradise.” “Can we have a taste?” Cleo asked. “Taste your own ice cream,” said Lucky’s Dad. So we did!

Later, we were walking through the town when we stopped in our tracks. Janelle held up a large swim bag. “Why have you got that?” I asked. “Didn’t I just tell you? We’re going to Streets Beach!” “Yeah!” we cried. 

Imaginary Friends & Being Prepared

I found these articles on WikiHow, and they associate with two of my favourite things: imaginary friends and excitement. I'm adding this on there because I love my imaginary friends Luke, Resus, Cleo, Bluey and Bingo, and I have three things to look forward to in the next two months: our new car, spending more time with Mum and Hallowistmas!

https://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Imaginary-Friend

https://www.wikihow.com/Always-Have-Something-to-Look-Forward-To

Everyone Loves The Scream Street Joke Book!

The Scream Street Joke Book is my favourite book of all time, and just to be sure it doesn't get left out, I'm happy to share with you this article from this mum named Franca and her kids, who ran this competition to win the joke book back in November 2021. I bet they made their own Scream Street skits after running this competition!

https://www.amomentwithfranca.com/brand-new-spook-comedy-screams-street-returns

Wake Up

Aggravating behaviour, people used to point out, and what do you think Luke, Resus, Cleo and I were watching on this very day? That’s right, a Teletubbies episode. Its name was Wake Up, and the song featured a sequence that involved a group of children waking up a man who was asleep in his armchair. That man, being the one who sings the song. Dig and Lulu were watching too, although in pet standards they were far too busy chasing each other round the house to even listen to the beat of the song and the catchy lyrics. Okay, maybe they’re not too catchy.

Once the song ended, I switched off the TV and said to my big siblings, “And that, my friends, is why you shouldn’t wake your dad in the middle of the night.” I was right, our parents were taking a well deserved rest upstairs. Remember when Chilli had to take a break when Bandit had his fur trimmed into a mullet? This was different me time to us children. “Now, we need to play a game inspired by the song. What game shall we play, hmm?” “I know!” piped up Resus, “Let’s grab my guitar and scream out this song to the music of Brain Drain!” “No, Resus, no,” said Cleo, “This will wake up our parents. Imagine how mad they’ll be when they find out we were playing Brain Drain at full blast. Then they’ll send us to our rooms for all eternity.” “Wait - I’ve got another idea.” I said, “Why don’t we play the Wake Up game?” “What’s the Wake Up game?” asked Luke. “Well, one person lies in bed and pretends to be asleep. Other players have to creep into the room, pretending to be tigers, lions, cheetahs or panthers. When they approach the target, they pounce!” The others agreed at this new game. “Now, who shall we start with?” I said with a sinister smirk on my face. “YOU!” Luke, Resus and Cleo cried in chorus. Cleo grabbed me and held me under her arm and carried me upstairs, with Luke and Resus following.

In our bedroom, Luke, Resus and Cleo ‘tucked me into bed’. Cleo ‘kissed me goodnight’ and my siblings left the room just as I fell asleep. Luke, Resus and Cleo saw their chance. They were now ready to pretend to be lions. They crept into my bedroom, being careful not to shrink back because of my snoring. But I didn’t snore, only our parents snore. Once they approached our bed, they pounced onto me and woke me up. I was shrieking with laughter, and I just had to grab Luke, Resus and Cleo and hug them. “This is great!” I cried, “We should play this more often. Luke, would you like a go?”

Luke was ‘tucked into bed’ next by command, and Resus, Cleo and I snuck out of the room, ready to pretend to be panthers. However, as we crept into the room, Luke snored loudly and we had to shrink back until he stopped snoring. With every snore, we shrank back. When he finally was silent, we crept up slowly to him, and POUNCED!! When Luke woke up, he grabbed me and tickled me on my tummy. I pretended I was an electric eel, electrocuting him like when Bluey played the Octopus game at Chloe’s house. Luke froze on the spot, pretending to be burnt to a crisp. “My go next!” cried Resus.

Resus was tucked up in bed, and then Luke, Cleo and I snuck out of the room and were ready to be cheetahs next. Resus was snoring softly, so we had to keep a safe distance until he stopped. Lulu approached us. “Hello, Lulu, want to play too?” I asked. Lulu hissed in response, her fleshy breath floating into my nostrils. When Resus finally was silent, we stayed together and positioned ourselves. “1…2…3…CHARGE!” I cried, and we ran across the room like real cheetahs and pounced onto Resus, who laughed as we tickled him. Cleo was too late, and tripped over one of my dolls! Luke and I caught her just in time. “You should really clean that up,” said Cleo, “Don’t you know anything of cleaning your room?” “Boring!” said Luke. I picked up the doll and put it back in the toybox. “Since we caught you, I think you’ll be next, Cleo.”

Cleo snuggled into bed while Luke, Resus and I got dressed into tiger onesies, pretending to be tigers. I crept into the room and climbed onto the bed, settling myself under Cleo’s head. Cleo sighed, and I giggled. When Cleo turned over, I grabbed her bandaged nose, waking her up. Cleo screamed in joy and annoyance, and Luke and Resus ran in. She grabbed her two brothers and began using them as blankets, until they tickled her. She laughed and laughed for all she was worth. I crawled out from under Cleo’s head and bashed her with a pillow. She screamed and bashed me with another pillow. Luke and Resus started doing the same. Soon, we were all engaging in a crazy pillow fight. Our laughter and happy screams filled the air, feathers flying everywhere. Soon, our laughter turned to tired yawns, and we were feeling very tired indeed. We snuggled together in our bed and fell fast asleep.

At the time, Luke, Resus and Cleo’s parents woke from their rest and went into our room to see how we’re doing. They threw back the covers and saw us fast asleep, me snuggled in my little tiger onesie. “How sweet,” said Mrs Watson, “Little sister sleeping with big siblings.” “From what I heard they were playing some sort of game. What was its name again?” Mr Watson thought for a moment, and then said, “Ah! I know! The Wake Up game. Well, now that they’ve fallen asleep from playing it too much, let’s see if we can have a turn. Everyone outside!” The parents ran outside the room, and were ready to pretend to be not lions, not tigers, not cheetahs, not panthers, but a mix of all four! They crept into our room, and it was very easy indeed because we weren’t snoring. At last, they pounced onto us, and we woke up, laughing. The tickling and pillow fighting started all over again, and this time, our parents joined in. More feathers flew everywhere, as our laughter and shouts filled the room.

A few minutes later, Dr F and Six entered our house. “Hello? We have come for a visit!” called Dr F. There was no response. “I wonder where my cousin is?” asked Six. “I don’t know where they are.” Dr F responded. “Maybe they’re upstairs playing,” Six said. “If they’re playing, then we’re totally in for it.” Dr F and Six went upstairs into our bedroom. They threw back the covers and saw us and our parents asleep together in the softness of our bed. “What a shame,” said Dr F, “It’s never that they refuse an offer to go swimming with us.” “Or go to the park,” said Six, “It’s my favourite place. Anyway, can’t be bothered.” Six put on her headphones and listened to the ‘Wake Up’ song on her phone, while Dr F began dancing. Oh well, that’s the effect of a song about waking up to you!

THE END.

Untamed Eden

Luke, Resus, Cleo and I wandered through the fog in a grassy meadow. We had not a single layer of clothing on ourselves, and butterflies were climbing up dew-laden blades of grass. It was very quiet, save for the occasional bird call. We touched the grass with the tips of our fingers. It was all wet, but it still splashed in little tiny tips against our skin. In the fog, you’re sure to get lost, so we stayed together the whole time. We sat in the grass sometimes and quietly watched more butterflies flutter beside us. We were at one with nature, caressed by the mysterious meadow. We were mysteriously gentle children, cradled in the cool serenity of nature.

Through the fog, we could see a huge lake with a flock of flamingos squawking and cleaning their feathers. We didn’t care if the weather was really cold, we just had to run into the lake and play together, because this was what friends like us do. We raced into the lake screaming and shouting and laughing, our feet squelching and splashing in the shallows as the flock began to scatter and turned into bewildering shadows before they disappeared into the fog. We were splashing each other in the cold water, kicking water at each other with our bare feet and showering each other with water in our cupped hands. It was as freeing and as delightful as the warm wind in the forest. The fog blinded the countryside far off, so we couldn’t see dry land far off. It was just us, splashing and squealing in our beautiful watery bath out in nature. We lay in the water and sighed, gazing up at the blurred sky which had been covered by thick fog. We felt at one with the freezing currant, and we were warm in the icy lake.

By this time, we were shivering from playing in the lake, and looking further into the fog, we saw a huge rock. We climbed out of the water and looked up at the rock. It was so grand and majestic. We just had to climb it. With our strong hands we climbed up every inch of the rock, until the ground and the lake was far away from us. Luke was a very strong climber, because he was a werewolf. He hadn’t the need to get angry, because he was in a place where he can practise mindfulness anytime, anywhere. We felt patience and balance as we climbed up the rock, which seemed to get taller and taller with every inch we climbed. Once, I fell, but Luke took me onto his shoulders and helped me climb up the rock. Once we reached the top of the rock, it led to a cliff leading high above the world, above the fog, where we finally felt warm surrounded by the sunset sky, all pink and orange and yellow, with a shade of tangerine. We looked further over the edge of the cliff and saw what we couldn’t believe.

It was a whole jungle! We had never seen anything like it before. It was deep green and thick as a duvet, and a flock of birds flew out of the trees. We had to carefully climb down the cliff because one of us might fall, and when we got into the jungle, it was blocked by vines and leaves. We vowed we could stay together, and so we walked arm-in-arm across the density of it all. We saw monkeys scuttling across the trees, jaguars prowling in the shadows and parrots balancing on vines, squawking. We thought large insects might come and bite us, but not one insect came, not even blood-sucking ones like leeches. By that time, we were getting a bit tired, but we approached a huge cliff with a waterfall beside it. A big one in fact. We climbed up the cliff for the second time that day, and saw a river leading downstream into the lake far below. We felt…freedom. We were soon yelling in excitement, exhilarated and full of joy.

I yelled really loud. I can yell as loud as a chimpanzee, although we just passed a troop of these animals on the way to the waterfall. In fact, I yelled so loud that cockatoos began to fly out of the trees and right over us. Laughing, we ran across the water and tried to follow them. Running onto the other side, we felt such joy running in the cold air, until we collided into each other and tripped over a stone, sending us rolling down the cliff and into the river far below. I emerged, and looked around for Luke and the others as I was swept down the currant. I saw Luke, struggling for air and splashing in the water. Resus and Cleo were doing the same. I grabbed each of them, and we held onto each other, reassuring each other as we coughed up water. On both sides of the river, some kangaroos were bouncing along beside us. We thought they were going to follow us, as if they were robotic spy kangaroos, but they weren’t. They were just normal, regular kangaroos.

Suddenly, we saw that the river lead to another waterfall. We screamed and held on tight to each other as we floated nearer and nearer to the waterfall, until we started to fall. Down, down, down we went, until we disappeared under the water far below. A moment later, we woke up in the dense thickness of the jungle, and felt soft hands stroke our skin and bandages (at least, that’s what Cleo does). I slowly opened my groggy eyes and looked up at who touched us. It was Luke’s mum, a kindly and loving figure. She carried me in her arms and took me across the jungle, with Luke, Resus and Cleo following. They were glad to have someone in their company, as was me. I was so tired, and we’ve travelled a long way.

When we approached the jungle clearing, there was a whole tribe waiting for us - Luke’s dad, Alston, Bella and Niles, plus our wild dog and leech pets Dig and Lulu, all waiting for us. Luke, Resus and Cleo were getting tired, so their parents lead them to a soft, comfortable bed in our hut, just big enough for all four of us. Luke, Resus and Cleo got into bed, and Luke’s mum tucked me in beside her son and Cleo, kissing me a tender kiss goodnight. We were so tired, we fell asleep straight away, as the fog cleared and the dense sky turned a dark black, with beautiful stars peppering the sky. It was the home which was best for our natural instincts to be unleashed.

THE END.

How To Make A Story, According To Bluey

Frog Pond

Luke, Resus, Cleo and I were playing and splashing in the lake, all naked - save for Cleo, she wears bandages - and feeling as free as could ever be. Actually, this story makes us side characters, and is about Luella. While we were playing and splashing each other, Luella was watching in sadness. She too was naked, and she sat in the shallow end feeling she had nothing to do in her life. She watched as we shrieked and splashed and laughed in the cool water, feeling carefree and happy. She lay in the shallow water and looked up at the sky. She was sad she didn’t have anyone to play with.

As she was about to give up and walk out of the water, she heard a croaking sound coming from a nearby rock. She looked around, and saw a little green frog standing there, alone and without a family. She sighed softly, and let the frog jump onto her soft hands. She nuzzled it and comforted it, stroked it and hugged it. She promised she will do everything in her power to protect him. That’s exactly what she did. She and her new friend splashed around in the lake, they swam underwater and they floated down rivers and streams together. Never had a trainee witch and a frog been such good friends. It was mindful watching the frog hop from lily pad to lily pad, because just seeing someone you can’t leave behind hopping makes your heart hop too. Luella and the frog swam underwater into a vast underwater glade of fish swimming about. The fish swam around Luella so that she giggled, and her giggles came out as little bubbles that floated towards the surface. As she swam, she thought of how grateful she was to have such good friends, and the bond between her and her frog would make her want to play with us more.

Luella was sitting in the shallows cradling the frog as it bloated with every croak. She gave it a soft hug, promising she’ll take good care of it forever more. Suddenly, a deeper croak filled the air. The frog responded with its similar croak. Luella looked around and saw the frog’s family on the rocks. Luella felt sad. She was going to miss her new friend forever…but how will she remember it? She hugged it one last time, then gave it a kiss and placed it on the rock so it can rejoin its family. Luella was in tears as she watched the frogs swim away, and she buried her face in her hands and cried. It was at that moment that I swam up to Luella and gently wiped away her tears. I put my hand on her shoulder, then I hugged her.

Luella is now playing freely with us in the water, all because she made a new friend that taught her about the warmth of friendship, and how she can be included in every single game we play.

THE END.

Willow The Wisp

Everyone Altogether!

Forget The Dentist!

Yes, you can forget the dentist now, and I can too, because there are now three more exciting things that are going to happen to me in September and October.

First, Frances arrived yesterday and said yes, we can go out, but Mum has to select someone from Key to help look after Grandma. The funding came in well! Second, we are getting a new car! It'll be a white car with something to plug in so you can play all your music. I have to find out its name, sorry if I don't know it. I also chose the picnic bag for our car, and it's coming today. In fact this morning, Mum quoted Yoda when she said I chose the right picnic bag. Finally, it's Hallowistmas, which means wrapping up my new Scream Street books in lovely paper and presenting them to me on the day of their release. It is set to be the best 2022 ever!

Niles Plays

One day, I spent time at Cleo’s house with her, Luke and Resus. Niles was cleaning the kitchen, and we were doing a jigsaw puzzle. It was a picture of a huge pyramid with palm trees surrounding it. As we were doing the puzzle, I was thinking about Bluey’s dad, Bandit. “Hey, guys, have you ever seen Bluey’s dad play with his two girls?” I asked. “We have, like, a couple of times before.” said Cleo. “You have seen them from our own backyard enough times to understand who Bluey is, she has the best father in the whole entire universe! Has your dad ever been like this?” “My dad’s too wimpy to play like an Australian father,” said Luke, “Maybe if he was strong and tough he would be.” “My dad isn’t much of a playful young father type, he’d much rather drink blood than play with me.” said Resus. “As for mine…” Cleo hid her face in her hands. “He’s always childish and stupid. He never has time to play with me, and his brain was put into the bin when he was mummified.” “You told me that on your Deathday, Cleo,” I said. “If only your dad was much like Bluey’s dad, then life would be as perfect as a can of tomato soup.” It took us a while to think about what to do with Niles. I gazed thoughtfully at Niles hoovering around the kitchen. Then I had an idea. “I know! Why don’t we teach your dad to be more like Bluey’s dad?” “Good idea!” my friends agreed.

We ran up to Niles and I asked him, “Mr Farr, can we play hide and seek?” Niles turned off the hoover and gazed at us thoughtfully. “Hmmmm…you three may be a bit old for that game.” Soon, we were bragging Niles to play the game, our voices not heard over Niles’ pleas for us to stop talking, until Cleo said, “Why don’t we have a game of sardines?” “Sardines?” said Niles, “Okay, I’ll get some out of the fridge.” Cleo facepalmed. Why was life so difficult for her? I ran up to Niles just as he took the sardine tin out of the fridge. “Mr Farr, no, wait!” I cried, “This isn’t sardines!” Niles had already eaten one sardine. “What?” he said with a full mouth, “This is good.” “No, Sardines is hide and seek in reverse! One player hides, and the others go and look for him. Whenever one person finds the hider, he or she joins them, until every single player is hiding.” “Oh, okay,” said Niles, and he put the sardines back in the fridge.

Niles hid while we all counted down to one. Then, we searched around the house for Niles. We searched under the sofa and on shelves, we searched in Cleo’s bedroom and in the bathroom, but there was still no sign of Niles…until I went into the kitchen. I had found him first. Niles grabbed me and let me hide under the table with him. I giggled, but Niles told me to “Sssssshhhh!” Luke, Resus and Cleo were looking for me and Niles, and wondering where I had gone to. “Maybe she went down into the basement and never came out again.” “What? The one with the talking skeleton?” asked Luke. “That’s Dr Skulley, you silly goose! Remember the time when we went through the basement to look for the Stone Of Ra?” asked Resus. “Guys, this isn’t a time to talk about the past, we must be focused on looking for-” DING DONG! The doorbell rang. “Yep, looks like a nice time to hide.” said Cleo, and she, Luke and Resus raced under the table with us, giggling and whispering excitedly.

“Hello? Sybil! We’ve come to see how you’re getting on!” It was Rusty and Jack. They had arrived to Scream Street to see what we’ve been up to. Rusty couldn’t see us anywhere. “Sybil? Luke? Where are you guys?” called Rusty, but there was no response. “Maybe they’re having lunch,” said Jack. “Yeah, maybe,” said Rusty, “Come on. Let’s go and see them.” Rusty and Jack entered the kitchen, and heard giggles and whispers coming from under the table. Jack began to feel scared. “Is the house haunted?” “No, not really,” said Rusty, “I think it sounds like they’re hiding under-” But before he could speak, we all jumped out screaming with laughter, landing on top of the two dogs. “I can’t believe we fell for it!” laughed Rusty. “Thank god you found us,” said Cleo, “We thought we might surprise you. We didn’t know you were coming to Scream Street!” “Well, we’re the seekers now.” said Jack, “Why don’t we play the game again, only this time, I’ll hide first.” “Yeah!” we all cried.

So we all counted while Jack went to hide. And do you know where he hid? No? Well, you do now…

He hid under Cleo’s bedclothes!

THE END.