The policemen blew their whistles.

TWOOOOT!

There were shouts and the sounds of boot steps…

“STOP THEM!”

“CATCH THEM!”

“GORILLA ON THE LOOSE!”

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

…as our three heroes were chased along the platform. They didn’t dare turn round and look. Just to make it on to the train would be a miracle.

Sid was really struggling to keep up on his old tin legs…

CLINK! CLANK! CLUNK!

…especially as he was pushing the wheelchair too.

Eric was helping push, but Gertrude was HEAVY! And all that fruit-and-nut cake had made her HEAVIER!

“At this rate, we’re going to miss the train!” gasped Sid, huffing and puffing.

“Then we have no choice. GERTRUDE! RUN!” shouted Eric, pulling the gorilla up to her feet.

The wheelchair toppled over on to the platform.

THUNK!

Happily, it landed right in the policemen’s way, delaying their pursuit for a few crucial seconds.

“BLAST!”

Gertrude could run surprisingly fast, though, of course, being a gorilla, she had the strangest gait – this low lollop that looked most unlike that of a person. Still in her wedding dress/net curtains, she raced to the back of the train, and hung on to the handle at the end. Eric ran after her, reached out and clung on to Gertrude’s huge hairy hand. Then, with his other hand, the boy reached back for Sid.

“You go without me!” the old man shouted heroically, now some way behind. “Save Gertrude!”

“No!” said Eric. “You are coming with us! Come on, Gertrude! We have to save him!”

He yanked on the animal’s hand, and they leaped down off the moving train back on to the platform.

THUD!

“Get on her back, Uncle Sid!” ordered the boy.

“I can’t…!” spluttered the man.

“Just do it! She’ll give you a ride, won’t you, Gertrude?”

The gorilla nodded and hauled him on to her back. Then she took a running leap on to the end of the train.

WHOOSH!

THUMP!

Once there, she climbed on to the roof.

“I really could get used to this!” exclaimed Sid.

The boy, still on the platform, chased after the now speeding train.

Just as Eric could feel the policemen breathing down his neck, he copied what he’d just seen Gertrude do. He took a running jump…

WHOOSH!

THUMP!

…and just managed to grab hold of the handle at the back of the train.

However, one of the policemen grabbed on to his foot.

“GOTCHA!” he shouted.

Eric wiggled and waggled and woggled* his ankle as much as he could.

WIGGLE! WAGGLE! WOGGLE!

Just as he’d hoped, his shoe came off in the policeman’s hand.

As the train chugged out of the station, the policeman was left standing at the very end of the platform holding a small shoe. He threw it to the ground in frustration.

THWACK!

And stamped on it for good measure.

STOMP!

“NOOOO!” he shouted.

Eric clambered up on to the roof of the train, struggling with his footing as he only had one shoe on. Despite this minor setback, the boy was in triumphant spirits. He turned round and waved back to the policeman.

“YOU CAN KEEP THE SHOE!” he shouted.

From behind him on the roof of the train, he heard Sid shout, “DUCK!”

Eric looked left and right, “You keep saying ‘duck’. But I can’t see any ducks anywhere!”

“NO! WE ARE GOING INTO A TUNNEL! DUCK!”

The boy turned round to see that the train was indeed going into a low tunnel. Gertrude and Sid were already lying flat on the top of the train. If Eric didn’t act fast, he would smash straight into the brick arch.

But he was so terrified he felt frozen to the spot…

* Check the definition in your Walliamsictionary, the least trusted book of words in the world.