My Nasty Neighbours Read Online Free PDF Page A

stuff. ‘I’m not going to sort through it anymore,’ she told me. ‘I’m just going to scoop it into bags.’
    I nodded. If I could just watch as she shovelled things in, like on a conveyor belt, then I couldpick out anything of interest, like a medal.
    ‘Did you know Great Uncle Albert had won a medal?’ I asked.
    ‘Well, Mr Bently’s story did sound familiar,’ she said in a distracted sort of way.
    ‘What medal was it?’
    ‘The George Cross.’
    ‘When did he win it?’ I asked her.
    She frowned. ‘In World War Two.’
    ‘Well, I know that!’ This was hopeless. ‘I didn’t think they handed them out at the Co-op Bakery,’ I answered, hoping to prod Mum into remembering something. ‘But what did he win it for?’ I persisted.
    This time her voice came from deep inside a cupboard. ‘Er, bravery, I think.’ And this was the person who disapproved when my Maths report said I should pay more attention to detail.
    ‘Poor Great Uncle Albert!’ I said. ‘Fancy winning a medal and your family just ignoring it. I bet he died of a broken heart.’
    ‘Well, he took long enough about it. He lived another fifty years,’ came the cupboard voice.
    ‘Fifty years after what?’ I asked. ‘Where was he fighting? Was he an officer? Surely you mustremember something.’
    Mum reappeared from the cupboard. ‘David, I’m up to my ears in the accumulated dirt and grime of half a century here. As far as I’m concerned, I’m the one who deserves a medal. Now go and get on with something useful.’
    ‘Just one more question,’
    ‘Just one.’
    ‘Did Great Uncle Albert mention the medal in his will? Did he leave it to anyone in particular?’
    Mum shook her head. ‘No.’ Then she added, ‘But you can have it if you find it, so long as you get on with some work.’
    I was delighted. I would shift every item in the house if it meant I could have Great Uncle Albert’s medal.

CHAPTER NINE
The Search
    I started immediately. I searched every drawer and cupboard in Great Uncle Albert’s house, including the pantry cupboards. The medal was in none of them.
    ‘Perhaps he lost it,’ Mum suggested. ‘Or gave it away.’
    But I knew he wouldn’t have done either.
    Mum grew more irritated. ‘David, we’ve just one day to clear this whole house. You’re making it more untidy, if that’s possible. I insist you clear out the rubbish instead of chucking it from one place to another.’
    Dutifully, I spent the next couple of hours loading stuff on the skip. By the time I was finished, it was nearly full.
    That evening Mum stood in the empty sitting-room. Its emptiness pleased her, but to me it meant there was little chance of finding themedal.
    ‘If I called round to visit Mrs Ridgewell, I could ask her about the medal,’ I suggested.
    ‘No more elderly neighbours!’ cried Mum. ‘Come on, give me a hand with this old chair,’ she instructed, taking hold of the last piece of furniture in the room.
    Reluctantly I grabbed hold. ‘It weighs a ton,’ I complained, as we lugged it towards the front door.
    ‘Uncle Albert probably stuffed it full of five-pound notes,’ joked Mum.
    I dropped my side of the chair. ‘Of course.’
    ‘David, I was only joking,’ Mum protested.
    ‘I know, but that’s exactly the sort of thing he would do,’ I jabbered. ‘Put something valuable in a good hiding place!’
    I was too excited to speak clearly. Suddenly I was sure I knew where the medal was.
    I raced out to the skip, delighted with my idea. Then I saw the state of the skip. A mountain of furniture, old rugs and junk of all sorts sat there. And I knew the socks were right at the bottom.
    I clambered onto the pile.
    ‘None of that rubbish is coming in hereagain!’ yelled a voice from an open upstairs window.
    ‘I only need one sock,’ I called back. One after another I threw objects off the skip.
    It took twenty minutes before I glimpsed the dark mess of socks nestling at the bottom. I dragged an old burnt pot and