Inside the Worm Read Online Free PDF

possible, but I think we’re going to have to draw the line at fire-breathing.’
    â€˜Aw, Sir—?’
    â€˜No, David, I’m sorry. Anything you could devise would be highly dangerous. Just think what would happen if the worm caught fire with people inside it. It might be possible to fake smoke using dry ice or something, but there’s to be no fire. Is that understood?’
    â€˜Yes, Sir.’ Trot looked crestfallen.
    â€˜I thought he was here in an advisory capacity,’ hissed Neil Atkinson.
    The teacher looked up sharply. ‘He is, and he has sharp ears, and his advice to you is to keepcomments of that sort to yourself. All right?’
    â€˜Yes, Sir.’
    From the start of the session, Lisa had struggled silently with herself. A part of her wanted to withdraw from the play, or at least from the worm, while another part – a dark, submerged part of herself whose existence she hadn’t even suspected a week ago – urged her in excited whispers to say nothing: to hold on to her place inside the worm and see where it might lead her. And this had nothing to do with Trot. She was fond of him, of course, but this was something else; something altogether darker, more compelling. And the dark part won. When twenty to three rolled round and the teachers brought the session to an end, she’d said nothing.
    I’ll do it, she cried inwardly, and a tingle ran down her spine into her tummy-muscles. When Fliss approached her gingerly at home-time she seemed her old self, and they chatted as they dawdled up the drive. Only Lisa knew she’d given in to something dark and strong, and neither girl knew their paths were set to diverge, or that when they came together again it would be as enemies.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
    WHEN FLISS GOT to Trot’s at twenty-five past seven, Lisa was already there. Fliss’s arms ached from carrying the curtain. She let it fall to the floor. Ellie-May and the two boys went down on their knees to look and feel. ‘It’s terrific, Fliss!’ cried Gary.
    Ellie-May lifted a fold, rubbed it against her cheek and let it slip through her fingers. ‘Yeah, terrific. It’s shiny, like it might be covered with slime or something, and the colour’s exactly right. How long is it?’
    They measured, and the curtain proved to be more than ten metres long. Lisa pulled a face. ‘Pity. The real worm was twice as long.’
    â€˜Yes,’ said Fliss, ‘but remember it’s very wide.If we cut it in two lengthways and stitch the halves together we’ll still have plenty of width and it’ll be just the right length.’
    â€˜Who’s going to do all this stitching?’ asked Gary. ‘I’m useless at sewing.’
    â€˜No problem,’ Trot told him. ‘My mum’s volunteered to help. All we have to do is tack it more or less as we want it and she’ll stitch it properly on the machine. Let’s get started.’
    It wasn’t nearly as easy as it sounded. Their lengthways cut was a bit wavy and it took ages to fasten the two pieces together, even with Trot’s big tacking stitch. Then they had to drape the slippery material over the worm’s neck and body and mark where they’d attach the tapes which would be knotted under the worm’s belly to fasten the skin to the frame. When that was done, they spread the fabric on the floor and took turns sewing on the tapes in such a way that they wouldn’t be visible to an audience. It was twenty past nine by the time they’d finished, and they’d done nothing with the fifteen metres of material which would form the monster’s tail. ‘Leave that,’ said Trot. ‘My mum’s clever. She’ll figure out a way to cut and stitch so it tapers to a nice sharp tip.’
    â€˜Let’s try it out,’ suggested Gary. ‘Fliss can tie the tapes, and the end can just trail for now like a peacock’s tail.