He scrambled down to the ground.

“Quick, Kevin! Pass me the POOBUM. I need to speak to the animals!”

Kevin picked up the POOBUM in his mouth and trotted toward Alan. Then he stopped and put it down again, just out of Alan’s reach.

“Hurry up!” said Alan. “Give it to me! This isn’t a game, you stupid dog!”

“Before you invented the POOBUM, you liked me,” said Kevin, his voice wobbling with emotion. “You respected me. You enjoyed spending time with me. You said I was the best right-hand man in the world. You told me you loved me . . .”

“Stop yabbering and give me the POOBUM, you stinky mutt!” said Alan impatiently.

“And that is why I am going to do this . . .” said Kevin. With that he grabbed the POOBUM and shook it like it was his favorite slipper or a naughty sock or one of his squeaky toys or his raggy. He shook it and shook it and bit and chewed and clonked it on the floor until it shattered into a thousand pieces.

“My POOBUM!” cried Alan.

As Wilf watched, Alan’s face started to get bigger and bigger and his whole body started to get bigger and bigger and—wait a minute—that’s not Alan getting bigger! That’s Wilf getting closer and closer in his balloon!

Oh no!

CRASH!

went Wilf’s balloon into Alan.

Wilf and Dot and Abi and Stuart all rolled out of the basket, dazed.

Alan picked up the BOUNCY EXPLODEY BOMB and ran toward a dirt track.

In the distance a policeman was zooming toward him on his motorcycle. Alan put down his bomb and waved his arms frantically, trying to flag him down.

The policeman stopped.

“Please!” said Alan. “You’ve got to help!”

“What is it?” asked the policeman.

“I need to steal your motorcycle!” said Alan, pushing him aside and climbing on, his bomb balanced between his body and the handlebars. Kevin jumped on the back of the motorcycle and they sped off.

“You can’t stop me!” yelled Alan. “I have my BOUNCY EXPLODEY BOMB and I am going to use the sick snakes and destroy everyone and everything in Africa and then the rest of the world!”

“We have to stop him before he gets to Victoria Falls!” said Wilf. But it was at that moment he heard a noise. A very loud and frightening

Wilf turned to see that he and Dot and Abi were surrounded by lions. Oh no! What were they going to do? Well, get eaten, I imagine.