‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!’ squealed the pig.
He rolled his eyes.
He stamped his trotters.
He snorted a plug of chocolate from his snout.
‘I’ll get you for this, Osmosis!’ he squealed.
‘Her name is Olive!’ snapped the Queen. ‘Not Osmosis!’ and she belted Pig McKenzie with her handbag once more. WHACK!
The porker stomped down the stairs, stormed into his cupboard and slammed the door.
Carlos crouched down and stuck his fingers in his ears. He signalled to those around him to do the same. Mrs Groves, experienced in the way of her students, bobbed down and stuck a hermit crab in each ear. The Queen and Olive copied. Although they used their fingers.
‘Three! Two! One!’ shouted Carlos.
Clunk!
Whirr!
KABOOM!!
The door blew off the cupboard. The grand staircase pulled away from the wall. Three windows shattered and the entrance hall filled with rubble and dust.
‘Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!’ squealed the pig.
An almighty crash was heard at the top of the building.
Carlos ran out onto the front lawn and everyone followed. They watched in glee as Pig McKenzie flew up, up, up into the air, his soup-pot trolley rocketing through flocks of birds, swarms of gnats and clusters of clouds, until he vanished from sight.
Carlos turned to Olive and shrugged. ‘Whoops!’
Olive smiled and squeezed his shoulder. ‘Don’t let it worry you, Carlos. It’s hard to judge with dynamite.’
