CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

DOWN TO THE RIVER

‘Quick, after him!’ yelled Jonny. He led the chase, with Ted running alongside. The other brothers followed, streaming behind in hot pursuit. George was running hard, a good way out in front, when suddenly he stopped. The river! He had run towards the river that flowed through the meadows on the edge of town, and now it was barring his way. The brothers soon caught up and formed a tight semicircle around him, with the rushing water at his back. He was trapped.

‘Hand over that laptop,’ Jonny said. ‘Hand it over so we can put an end to all this swapping madness.’

‘Never!’ said George. ‘Sibling Swap will succeed! Children around the world will be grateful to me, an only child who solved the problem of siblings! Perfect!’

George suddenly turned and began climbing down the riverbank towards the water.

‘What’s he doing?’ Jonny shrieked.

‘He’s got a boat, look!’ shouted Ted. ‘He’s getting away! Stop him! Stop him!’

Too late! George had clambered into a tiny wooden boat, hidden in the rushes, and was drifting out into the middle of the river. He pulled his laptop out of his backpack and waved it at the brothers standing on the bank.

‘Bye bye!’ he called. ‘Right here in this computer is the power to change lives. No one can stop me now! No one!’

No one? thought Jonny. There must be someone who can help. Another brother … Of course!

‘Mervyn!’ Jonny gasped, and then he shouted, loud and clear, ‘Mervyn, help! Mervyn! MERVYN!’

Silence. George floated further downstream, about to disappear round a bend in the river. The boys stood in silence. There was no Mervyn. George had got away. Jonny had failed. His shoulders sagged as he stared at the ground, miserable.

‘What was that?’ whispered Ted.

The boys all looked where he was pointing. There was a faint movement beneath the water, a flash of silver, a ripple.

George didn’t see it. He was still waving the laptop at the boys and giving them a gloating thumbs up. He didn’t notice the top half of a boy appear from the water behind his boat. He never spotted the triumphant flick of his gorgeous fishtail as he leaped into the air like a dolphin.

‘Mervyn!’ gasped Jonny.

‘Wowwwwwww!’ gasped all the other brothers as the boy flew up, grabbed the laptop and splashed back down beneath the surface, taking it to watery destruction.

‘My laptop!’ roared George, peering over the side of the boat. ‘No!’

He began paddling his hands desperately in the water and then, leaning forward a touch too much, tumbled head first into the river. Quickly, Mervyn swished alongside, pulling the spluttering boy up and tossing him back into the boat.

‘Perhaps you should stay there for now,’ said Mervyn. ‘I might not be around to save you next time.’

George sprawled, soaking and exhausted in the bottom of the boat, while Mervyn swam over to greet Jonny.

‘You came!’ said Jonny. ‘You heard my call!’

‘That’s what brothers are for!’ said Mervyn, and he splashed his tail vigorously, sending a shower of droplets over the boys, who all whooped and cheered and punched the air.

‘Mervyn, you’re the best!’ shouted Jonny, above the sound of laughter and high-fiving. They had done it! The laptop was destroyed, the children were free, Ted was Jonny’s brother again, it was all …

BARK BARK!

The group froze, silent. It wasn’t Hari this time. This was a deeper bark, an angrier bark.

BARK! BARK!

There it was again! The boys turned to see Fatso the guard dog running towards them, all teeth and slobber and fur. He had chewed through his rope and, furious at seeing all the children escaping, was bombing towards the boys at full speed. There was only one thing to do …

‘RUN!’ yelled Jonny.

Instantly, the group scattered. Alfie scampered up a nearby willow tree and Hari disappeared down an old burrow in a very meerkatish way. J2 and Pete-Pip hid behind Henry and his giant robes, but the dog hardly noticed. He had someone else in his sights. Ted! He was tearing after Ted, chasing him into a patch of dense undergrowth. Ted jumped and swerved and ducked his way through, but the dog was gaining on him. Suddenly, he came to a dead end, a thick hedge of brambles barring his way. He was stuck!

Fatso was crouching now, ready to pounce, teeth bared, a deep growl rumbling like thunder in his throat.

Ted was shaking, unable to get away. He shut his eyes, waiting for the animal to sink its teeth into him. All he could hear was growling, growling, growling, then WHEEEEE!

Ted’s eyes pinged open.

Jonny had grabbed some yoghurts off Henry and was lobbing them at the dog.

‘LEAVE! MY! BROTHER! ALONE!’ roared Jonny, chucking another one, which exploded against a tree trunk like a milky firework. The dog instantly forgot about Ted and began licking the creamy splats instead.

‘Quick, Ted, get over here while the dog’s distracted,’ shouted Jonny.

Ted dodged past the huge animal, still happily licking up yoghurt.

‘You saved me!’ he said.

‘No problem! It’s the least I can do for my brother!’

Then Jonny grinned at him and Ted opened his arms and folded his little brother into a warm hug. Jonny basked in that hug. It was a great hug. Probably one of the best hugs he’d ever had.

The warm feeling soon evaporated when Jonny opened his eyes. Looking over Ted’s shoulder, he could see Fatso, who had finished the yoghurt and was now snarling at the two brothers.

‘UH OH!’ he said, shoving Ted towards the tree Alfie had climbed up as the dog began loping towards him, teeth bared.

‘Go, Ted, go!’ Jonny shrieked. ‘Climb that tree!’

‘You too, Jonny. Come on!’ Ted screamed as he pulled himself up on to a branch. But Jonny didn’t move. He held his ground. He had no more yoghurts, but his hand found something else in his pocket.

‘Quickly, Jonny, climb up!’ shouted Ted. But Jonny wouldn’t budge. He stood firm, a small boy standing between his brother and a very angry dog. Well, I never was much good at climbing, Jonny thought, and then …

GRRRRR!

Fatso ran at him, and as the huge dog got closer Jonny gripped the soft-something in his pocket. A tissue? A baby squirrel? No, it was a large pair of men’s pants. A large pair of men’s pants with cars on. The Hanging Pants of Doom! Of course! But Jonny was no longer scared of them. He had conquered his fear the moment he pulled them out of that tree. They worked for him now!

As Fatso leaped towards him, front paws in the air, ready to flatten him, Jonny flung his secret underwear weapon. The pants flew out, opening up like a matador’s cape and landing perfectly on the dog’s face, covering his eyes and hooking around his ears. Now Fatso couldn’t see, which was good, but he also couldn’t stop. Which was less good.

WHAM!

The full force of a high-speed forty-kilogram guard dog, now wearing pants on his head, hit Jonny squarely in the chest. He was thrown to the ground. He felt a bright pop of pain and saw a flash of white light as his head cracked against the hard ground. Then he blacked out.