Monkey and Me Read Online Free PDF

member,” Skimp reminded him.
    A gang member is a gang member even if he is a probationary. That’s called semantics. I’d have mentioned this, but Mark would say I was just being a know-it-all clever-clogs.
    Rocky had a strange look on his face. I’ve seen him like that when we go round his house – he’s got a great collection of war and horror movies which we’re not supposed to watch. It’s a bit like him drooling in front of a sweet shop. There’s something very needy about Rocky.
    â€œLet him do it,” he said.
    â€œNo way!” said Mark. “I’m not getting grounded for the rest of my life because Jez gets devoured by some creature from a hidden tomb in Black Gate’s cellars.”
    â€œI want to do it! And you can’t stop me.” There were all those words dangling in front of my face again. Where did they come from? But I had to show Mark and the others that I didn’t need looking after all the time.
    Skimp nodded. “I think Rocky is right. Beanie should go in if that’s what he wants. Then, if he doesn’t come out, we’ll know it’s true about the monster. But if he does come out alive then everyonewill stop picking on him because we’ll be witnesses that he dared to go in.”
    Suddenly Mark was wrestling Skimp to the ground. “He’s my brother! He doesn’t have to prove anything!”
    Rocky and Pete-the-Feet pulled him off.
    â€œYes, I do,” I said. “I’m not scared.” And this time the air from my breath held the words like angels dancing on a cloud.
    It must have been cold because everyone froze in that moment. They all looked at me. And then Rocky broke the silence. “Me neither.”
    â€œNor me.” Skimp.
    â€œAll right. Let’s do it.” Pete-the-Feet.
    We all looked at Mark. This was a command decision. His whole future as a possible world leader was in the balance.
    â€œWe’ll go in as far as we can,” Mark said.
    â€œAnd Beanie?” Rocky asked. “He should go in first. It was his idea.”
    â€œHe stays behind me.”
    And the way Mark said it everyone knew there wasn’t going to be any argument.

Being scared is blaming the cold when you shiver. But when your legs are trembling so much that you couldn’t run away if you had to, that’s like living in an igloo with no clothes on.
    â€œIt’s getting really cold,” I said.
    They looked at me and nodded because they were shivering too. Skimp hugged himself, maybe he was trying to keep from running away by holding himself down. We skirted the walls and found a few slippery handholds, there was moss growing on the one side and Rocky told us that means it’s north facing. I didn’t know if that was true or not. I didn’t care. All I knew was I wouldn’t be able to climb the wall there. So we trudged around a bit further. Mark was in front, then me, then Skimp, Pete-the-Feet and Rocky was Tail-end Charlie. And he kept looking over his shoulder.
    I noticed we were all whispering. We reached the gates, and they were huge, much bigger thanI remembered them. They were like prison gates with spikes on top. They were rusty in places and the grass and weeds had grown all round the hinges and the bars. We looked up at the sign: Dangerous Building – Condemned – Keep Out.
    Condemned. That’s like being executed or something.
    Only Pete-the-Feet was tall enough to see the house’s roof in the far distance above the undergrowth.
    â€œThere’s no sign of life,” he said.
    And we all looked at him. Of course there was no sign of life – it was haunted!
    â€œYou’re as daft as a brush, you are,” Mark told him.
    â€œWe’ll never get over these gates,” said Mark. And I think there was a bit of relief in his voice.
    â€œWe can squeeze through here,” Skimp said, and rubbed his hand between the iron gate and the wall.