Stars’.
But when he arrived at the Superheroes Society (Baxter Branch) headquarters at ten to nine, Ernie saw that he needn’t have worried. Maud, who was already there, was her usual good-humoured self.
‘Hi partner,’ she called happily, when she spotted Ernie. ‘Look at this—a van! I’ve never been in a van before!’
Sure enough, a white van was parked at the kerb. Standing beside it, each holding a small suitcase, were Super Whiz, Valiant Vera and Housecat Woman. Ernie thought he’d neverseen their costumes look so shiny and neatly pressed.
Super Whiz was looking at his watch and muttering impatiently. ‘What’s taking him so long? I’ve told him a thousand times how important it is that we are punctual.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Valiant Vera said soothingly. ‘I’m sure he’ll be out in a minute.’
She had barely finished her sentence when Amazing Desmond came bustling throughthe shabby brown door with two enormous suitcases.
‘Goodness me,’ said Vera. ‘What on earth have you packed, Desmond? We’re only going for one night.’
‘Just a few essentials,’ Desmond assured her. ‘Tuxedo, in case of a ball. Snorkel and flippers, in case there’s a coral reef in Thomastown. Jodhpurs, in case we go horse riding …’
Super Whiz was turning purple. ‘This is a
serious
conference, Desmond, about important matters. We are there to learn from our colleagues, to study new—’
‘Keep your shirt on, Whiz,’ Desmond said mildly.
Valiant Vera gave Desmond a sharp nudge in the ribs with her elbow and whispered something that Ernie didn’t quite catch, though he thought he heard the words ‘nervous’ and ‘speech’.
Desmond nodded at what Vera was saying, then turned to the others and said, ‘Well, what are you standing around for? Let’s go!’
They all bustled forward to stow their suitcases, then Desmond slid open the side door of the van to reveal two rows of seats, three at the back and two at the front.
Housecat Woman, who could move surprisingly quickly when she was awake, was first in. She made straight for the back row,stretched out along the three seats, and promptly fell asleep.
‘Ernie, you and Maud take the two seats there,’ Valiant Vera instructed. ‘I’ll sit up front between Super and Desmond.’ To keep the peace, Ernie suspected.
‘Ooh, Ernie, can I have the window seat? Please, please, please?’ Maud was hopping excitedly from hoof to hoof.
‘Of course you can, Maud,’ said Ernie generously. He’d ridden in a van many times.
After a bit of a struggle with Maud’s seatbelt—‘You’d almost think these were designed with no idea of the shape of a sheep,’ Maud complained—they were on their way.
‘Jingle bells, jingle bells,’ sang Amazing Desmond as he drove down High Street.
‘Could you please stop that infernal racket,’ grumbled Super Whiz. ‘How am I meant to concentrate on my maps with you caterwaulinglike that—oops!’ He clapped a hand over his mouth and glanced at the back seat to see if Housecat Woman had taken offence, but she was snoring away in a dreamy doze.
‘Sorry, Whiz,’ said Desmond. He took one hand off the steering wheel and mimed buttoning up his lips.
‘And keep both hands on the steering wheel!’ Super Whiz yelped.
‘Sorry, Whiz,’ said Desmond again, though he didn’t really sound sorry.
‘And don’t call me Whiz,’ snapped Super Whiz.
‘Oops. Sorry, Whiz,’ said Desmond.
‘I
said—’
‘Could you show me Thomastown on the map?’ Vera asked Super Whiz. ‘I have no idea where it is.’
‘Of course,’ said Super Whiz, who liked it when people recognised his superior knowledge. ‘Now, we’re going to follow this road for anotherfifty kilometres, then you see this highway here …’
‘Oh, show me, show me,’ begged Maud. ‘I’ve never seen a map before. Sheep don’t use maps.’
‘But how do you find your way?’ asked Super Whiz, puzzled.
‘You just follow the sheep in front of
But when he arrived at the Superheroes Society (Baxter Branch) headquarters at ten to nine, Ernie saw that he needn’t have worried. Maud, who was already there, was her usual good-humoured self.
‘Hi partner,’ she called happily, when she spotted Ernie. ‘Look at this—a van! I’ve never been in a van before!’
Sure enough, a white van was parked at the kerb. Standing beside it, each holding a small suitcase, were Super Whiz, Valiant Vera and Housecat Woman. Ernie thought he’d neverseen their costumes look so shiny and neatly pressed.
Super Whiz was looking at his watch and muttering impatiently. ‘What’s taking him so long? I’ve told him a thousand times how important it is that we are punctual.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Valiant Vera said soothingly. ‘I’m sure he’ll be out in a minute.’
She had barely finished her sentence when Amazing Desmond came bustling throughthe shabby brown door with two enormous suitcases.
‘Goodness me,’ said Vera. ‘What on earth have you packed, Desmond? We’re only going for one night.’
‘Just a few essentials,’ Desmond assured her. ‘Tuxedo, in case of a ball. Snorkel and flippers, in case there’s a coral reef in Thomastown. Jodhpurs, in case we go horse riding …’
Super Whiz was turning purple. ‘This is a
serious
conference, Desmond, about important matters. We are there to learn from our colleagues, to study new—’
‘Keep your shirt on, Whiz,’ Desmond said mildly.
Valiant Vera gave Desmond a sharp nudge in the ribs with her elbow and whispered something that Ernie didn’t quite catch, though he thought he heard the words ‘nervous’ and ‘speech’.
Desmond nodded at what Vera was saying, then turned to the others and said, ‘Well, what are you standing around for? Let’s go!’
They all bustled forward to stow their suitcases, then Desmond slid open the side door of the van to reveal two rows of seats, three at the back and two at the front.
Housecat Woman, who could move surprisingly quickly when she was awake, was first in. She made straight for the back row,stretched out along the three seats, and promptly fell asleep.
‘Ernie, you and Maud take the two seats there,’ Valiant Vera instructed. ‘I’ll sit up front between Super and Desmond.’ To keep the peace, Ernie suspected.
‘Ooh, Ernie, can I have the window seat? Please, please, please?’ Maud was hopping excitedly from hoof to hoof.
‘Of course you can, Maud,’ said Ernie generously. He’d ridden in a van many times.
After a bit of a struggle with Maud’s seatbelt—‘You’d almost think these were designed with no idea of the shape of a sheep,’ Maud complained—they were on their way.
‘Jingle bells, jingle bells,’ sang Amazing Desmond as he drove down High Street.
‘Could you please stop that infernal racket,’ grumbled Super Whiz. ‘How am I meant to concentrate on my maps with you caterwaulinglike that—oops!’ He clapped a hand over his mouth and glanced at the back seat to see if Housecat Woman had taken offence, but she was snoring away in a dreamy doze.
‘Sorry, Whiz,’ said Desmond. He took one hand off the steering wheel and mimed buttoning up his lips.
‘And keep both hands on the steering wheel!’ Super Whiz yelped.
‘Sorry, Whiz,’ said Desmond again, though he didn’t really sound sorry.
‘And don’t call me Whiz,’ snapped Super Whiz.
‘Oops. Sorry, Whiz,’ said Desmond.
‘I
said—’
‘Could you show me Thomastown on the map?’ Vera asked Super Whiz. ‘I have no idea where it is.’
‘Of course,’ said Super Whiz, who liked it when people recognised his superior knowledge. ‘Now, we’re going to follow this road for anotherfifty kilometres, then you see this highway here …’
‘Oh, show me, show me,’ begged Maud. ‘I’ve never seen a map before. Sheep don’t use maps.’
‘But how do you find your way?’ asked Super Whiz, puzzled.
‘You just follow the sheep in front of
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