Soon almost everyone in the school was talking about the Rainbow Boots Denzil had on order. At lunchtime, kids crowded round him.
“Will your boots really be hand-made?” someone asked.
“Every stitch,” said Denzil.
“And customised?” added another kid.
Denzil nodded. “You bet.”
“You mean, even better than Stevie Glossop’s Rainbow Boots on TV?” called a third kid.
“Much better,” said Denzil.
“So when do we get to see them?” asked the first kid.
This was the killer question. Denzil was thinking hard as he stared up at the smart green roof of the school’s new assembly hall.
“Who knows?” he said, at last. “It takes weeks to make Rainbow Boots like mine. If you rush them they could be ruined.”
Even Lorna was impressed.
“Nice one, Denzil,” she said. “You’ve got all the kids hooked now. They can’t wait to see your boots.”
“No problem,” Denzil said.
“No problem?” exclaimed Nadeem on the way home. “These special, hand-made, customised boots of yours don’t exist. That’s the problem!”
“Look,” said Denzil. “I’ll get it sorted, OK?”
“How?” asked Nadeem.
Denzil shook his head. He had no idea how. But a clever kid like him was bound to think of something.
Well, wasn’t he?
