The Demon Headmaster and The Prime Minister’s Brain Read Online Free PDF

bright red spots … this morning … yes, all of us … yes, all over …’
    When he came away from the phone, he did not look very happy. ‘Well, that’s done,’ he said. ‘But it was horrid. She was ever so nice and sympathetic’
    ‘Ah, but you had to do it, didn’t you?’ Ingrid said nastily. ‘So that we can be SPLAT and go with Dinah.’
    She was still in a really bad temper. When they went down the steps into the Underground station, she trailed behind, making loud, rude remarks to Harvey. And when they got to the Underground train, she persuaded him to sit up at the far end of the carriage with her, pretending not to know the others.
    ‘Oh dear .’ Mandy frowned. ‘Do you think I ought to go and talk to them?’
    ‘Whatever for?’ Ian looked amazed. ‘They’re having a lovely time. You know how Ingrid likes sulking.’
    Mandy did not seem convinced, but she settled back in her seat anyway. ‘Oh well, they’ll probably be all right when we reach North Island. That’s what the place is called, isn’t it, Dinah? An island sounds wonderful. This horrible, dusty heat is making us all crotchety. Just think how lovely it’ll be to see a beautiful river, full of water.’
    Dinah frowned. Until then she had not joined in the conversation at all. She had sat, very still and upright, on the edge of her seat, looking wooden because she was so nervous. But now she said, ‘I’ve been wondering about that. Yes, the place is called North Island. I’ve got to go to the Sentinel Tower on North Island. So there must be a river. But I can’t work out which one. We won’t be anywhere near the Thames.’
    Lloyd waved a hand. ‘Don’t worry. I bet there are millions of rivers in London.’
    ‘Perhaps this is a nice little one,’ said Mandy. ‘With reeds at the edges, and waterfalls.’
    ‘Oh sure,’ Ian said sarcastically. ‘And herons and salmon and otters. All in the middle of London.’
    Lloyd licked his lips. ‘I’ll settle for just the water. It’s so hot in this carriage.’
    They sat back, dreaming of cool, clear running water and trying to ignore the rude snorts that came from Ingrid and Harvey at the other end of the carriage.
    All at once, Dinah sat up. ‘Get ready,’ she said. ‘It’s the next stop.’
    ‘Oi!’ Ian yelled down the carriage. ‘You two ugly mugs! Get off at the next stop.’
    ‘Huh!’ Ingrid tossed her head and she and Harvey turned their backs, but at the next station they did get off, even though it was by a different door. They charged up the steps and through the ticket barrier, ahead of the others, and Lloyd could hear them muttering as they climbed the second staircase, towards the open air.
    ‘… horrible computers … putrid Computer Director …’
    ‘… spoilt the whole summer … and …’
    ‘ OH! ’
    They both said it together, as they reached the top of the steps. Stopping dead, they looked from side to side, staring. Quickly the other four raced up behind. Their heads were full of beautiful, refreshing pictures of grass and water and ducks.
    ‘ OH! ’ they all said, as they reached the top.
    Because there was no grass. Not a single duck. In fact, there was not a river in sight.
    Instead, they were standing in the middle of an enormous motorway intersection. The station looked tiny, completely surrounded by bridges and tunnels and cars. Roads looped up above them, high in the air, supported by concrete arches. Roads plunged down, vanishing into the darkness of underpasses. More roads ran round them at ground level, on every side. And the traffic sent up a steady, unbroken roar.
    For a moment, they were utterly bewildered. Then Ingrid said triumphantly, ‘You see? It’s all a load of rubbish. Well, we’re not standing about here, are we, Harvey? We’ll go and sit on that bench over there, until they all decide to be sensible and go to Auntie Alice’s after all.’
    The two of them marched off and Mandy looked distressed. ‘We’ve got to do