Nugget. Aimee Harper

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       One Mud Monster

      “Over here, Louie!” Bella shouted.

      Across Chestnut Park, Bella’s little brother bent back his arm to throw the ball. Bella ran backwards, reaching up with her hands. Suddenly she stumbled and toppled over, landing on her bottom. The ball sailed over her head.

      “Get off!” Bella spluttered, laughing as her little dog Pepper put his paws round her neck and tried to lick her face. “Your breath stinks!”

      Louie jogged over. “It’s not his breath,” he said. “Pepper’s rolled in something smelly.”

      “Yuck!” Bella wrinkled her nose and pushed Pepper off. She loved Pepper, but not when he rolled in things.

      “You looked funny,” Louie sniggered. “Landing on your bum like that!”

      “It was a bad throw,” Bella told him. She got up and brushed down her jeans. “How was I supposed to catch it?”

      “Haven’t you ever heard of jumping?” Louie asked. “Oh, I forgot. Girls can’t jump.”

      “Come back here and say that again!”

      Bella chased Louie, laughing. Barking with excitement, Pepper followed her.

      Chestnut Park was shaped like a large triangle. On one side were the backs of the shops and houses on the street where Bella and Louie lived. On another side was a busy road that Bella and Louis knew not to play near. On the third side was a row of much bigger houses, with large gardens and high hedges separated from the park by a stretch of woodland. Pepper loved the woods. Bella guessed that was where he’d found the stinky stuff to roll in.

      Louie was running towards the trees. It was downhill part of the way. Bella ran faster, determined to catch him. At the last minute, Louie swerved. Bella couldn’t stop. She toppled into the straggly ditch that separated the woods from Chestnut Park. There was a nasty squelch as she sank into the thick brown mud. Somewhere out of sight, she could hear Louie laughing like a hyena.

      “That is so gross!” Bella squealed, staring in dismay at the gunge on her knees and arms.

      Pepper put his head through the tall grass on the top of the ditch. One of his ears pricked up and he started barking wildly.

      “Be quiet, Pepper,” Bella grumbled, trying to rub the dirt off.

      Pepper barked again, running up and down. His eyes were fixed on something near Bella. Bella saw what looked like a large lump of mud lying in the ditch. The lump got on to four legs and waved a long mucky tail at her.

      “Louie, come quickly!” Bella shouted.

      Louie’s eyes almost popped out of his head. “It’s a mud monster!” he shouted.

      “Woof!” Pepper barked, almost beside himself.

      “Don’t be silly,” said Bella. “It’s a dog. The poor thing must have fallen in the ditch and it couldn’t get out again!”