excited.
I thought for a moment.
“I don’t think she’d like that one either,” I sighed.
It was a shame because both the ice-cube and the worm were good ideas.
“How about . . . how about if we get a frog from Miss Ree’s pond and drop that down Mum’s back?” Anthony said.
“That’s it!” I said.
“Brilliant!” said Edward.
We all thought that was a wonderful idea. There was just one problem. Howcould we get into Miss Ree’s garden, get the frog and get back home without being seen? Miss Ree is our grumpy next door neighbour and if she saw us in her garden we’d be in big, BIG trouble!
“I know!” I grinned. “We could drop Frodo, my rubber frog, down Mum’s back and pretend it’s a frog from Miss Ree’s pond.”
“Will that scare Mum?” Anthony asked.
“No, it won’t,” Edward said.
“Yes it will, if we do it right,” I argued. And I told the Terrific Twins my super-duper, wonderful plan.
“Not bad,” Anthony said, surprised.
“Not too bad,” agreed Edward.
We all dashed up to my bedroom to get Frodo off my pillow where he slept every night.
“OK, Terrific Twins,” I said. “I’ll get Mum to stand in the hall. Edward, you have to creep down the stairs without Mum hearing you. When you’re close enough you can drop Frodo down the back of Mum’s blouse. Then you, Anthony, must make a noise like a mad frog.”
“This is going to be fun,” laughed Anthony.
“Yes it is!” Edward clapped his hands.
“This is sure to make Mum say we’re the scariest,” I said happily.
Anthony and I ran downstairs whilst Edward crouched on the landing.
“Mum! Mum! Come and look at this,” I called out.
“What is it?” Mum asked, coming out of the living room.
“Mum, look at that,” I said, pointing upat the wall above the living room’s door frame.
“I can’t see anything.” Mum frowned.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Edward tip-toeing down the stairs. But Mum was too far away from the banisters for Edward to reach her.
“You’ll have to move back a bit to see it,” I said to Mum.
“To see what? What are you talking about, Maxine?” Mum asked.
“Stand back here against the banisters, Mum,” I said. “Then you’ll see it.”
Mum took a step backward to stand against the banisters.
“I still don’t see . . .”
I looked up. Edward pulled back the neck of Mum’s blouse and dropped my frog, Frodo, down her back.
“It’s a frog from next-door’s pond,” I said quickly.
“Cro-oo-oak! Cro-oo-oak! Rei-ei-bit! Cro-oo-oak!” Anthony called out, jumping up and down and all around just like a frog himself.
Mum screamed and pulled the bottom of her blouse out of her skirt. She screamed again as Frodo hit the carpet and bounced around. Anthony, Edward and I creased up laughing. I laughed so hard that my witch’s hat fell off.
“We scared you! We scared you!” we called out.
I picked up my frog. “It’s just Frodo,” I laughed. “Look Mum, it’s just Frodo.”
Mum stared at us without saying a word. Then her lips began to twitch, then to quiver, then to quaver.Then she burst out laughing. I don’t think she wanted to – it’s just that she couldn’t help it.
“You three are going to drive me bonkers!” Mum laughed.
“We were going to use a real frog out of Miss Ree’s pond,” Anthony began.
“Yeah! But we decided to use Maxine’s frog instead,” said Edward.
Mum’s smile instantly disappeared. “I’m glad you decided not to drop a real frog down my back,” she said quietly. “I wouldn’t have liked that. I wouldn’t have liked that one little bit.”
The way Mum said it made me think we’d had a very lucky escape! I don’t think Mum would have laughed quite so much if Frodo had been a real frog!
“Come on, you three.” Mum smiled. “Time to go to your cousin Jayne’s party.”
As we walked to the car Anthony said, “Your plan to scare Mum wasn’t as seriously smelly as your plans usually
I thought for a moment.
“I don’t think she’d like that one either,” I sighed.
It was a shame because both the ice-cube and the worm were good ideas.
“How about . . . how about if we get a frog from Miss Ree’s pond and drop that down Mum’s back?” Anthony said.
“That’s it!” I said.
“Brilliant!” said Edward.
We all thought that was a wonderful idea. There was just one problem. Howcould we get into Miss Ree’s garden, get the frog and get back home without being seen? Miss Ree is our grumpy next door neighbour and if she saw us in her garden we’d be in big, BIG trouble!
“I know!” I grinned. “We could drop Frodo, my rubber frog, down Mum’s back and pretend it’s a frog from Miss Ree’s pond.”
“Will that scare Mum?” Anthony asked.
“No, it won’t,” Edward said.
“Yes it will, if we do it right,” I argued. And I told the Terrific Twins my super-duper, wonderful plan.
“Not bad,” Anthony said, surprised.
“Not too bad,” agreed Edward.
We all dashed up to my bedroom to get Frodo off my pillow where he slept every night.
“OK, Terrific Twins,” I said. “I’ll get Mum to stand in the hall. Edward, you have to creep down the stairs without Mum hearing you. When you’re close enough you can drop Frodo down the back of Mum’s blouse. Then you, Anthony, must make a noise like a mad frog.”
“This is going to be fun,” laughed Anthony.
“Yes it is!” Edward clapped his hands.
“This is sure to make Mum say we’re the scariest,” I said happily.
Anthony and I ran downstairs whilst Edward crouched on the landing.
“Mum! Mum! Come and look at this,” I called out.
“What is it?” Mum asked, coming out of the living room.
“Mum, look at that,” I said, pointing upat the wall above the living room’s door frame.
“I can’t see anything.” Mum frowned.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Edward tip-toeing down the stairs. But Mum was too far away from the banisters for Edward to reach her.
“You’ll have to move back a bit to see it,” I said to Mum.
“To see what? What are you talking about, Maxine?” Mum asked.
“Stand back here against the banisters, Mum,” I said. “Then you’ll see it.”
Mum took a step backward to stand against the banisters.
“I still don’t see . . .”
I looked up. Edward pulled back the neck of Mum’s blouse and dropped my frog, Frodo, down her back.
“It’s a frog from next-door’s pond,” I said quickly.
“Cro-oo-oak! Cro-oo-oak! Rei-ei-bit! Cro-oo-oak!” Anthony called out, jumping up and down and all around just like a frog himself.
Mum screamed and pulled the bottom of her blouse out of her skirt. She screamed again as Frodo hit the carpet and bounced around. Anthony, Edward and I creased up laughing. I laughed so hard that my witch’s hat fell off.
“We scared you! We scared you!” we called out.
I picked up my frog. “It’s just Frodo,” I laughed. “Look Mum, it’s just Frodo.”
Mum stared at us without saying a word. Then her lips began to twitch, then to quiver, then to quaver.Then she burst out laughing. I don’t think she wanted to – it’s just that she couldn’t help it.
“You three are going to drive me bonkers!” Mum laughed.
“We were going to use a real frog out of Miss Ree’s pond,” Anthony began.
“Yeah! But we decided to use Maxine’s frog instead,” said Edward.
Mum’s smile instantly disappeared. “I’m glad you decided not to drop a real frog down my back,” she said quietly. “I wouldn’t have liked that. I wouldn’t have liked that one little bit.”
The way Mum said it made me think we’d had a very lucky escape! I don’t think Mum would have laughed quite so much if Frodo had been a real frog!
“Come on, you three.” Mum smiled. “Time to go to your cousin Jayne’s party.”
As we walked to the car Anthony said, “Your plan to scare Mum wasn’t as seriously smelly as your plans usually
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