The creepy old house smells like three-month-old kitty litter and rotting dumpster food.
The night is cold, and the air in the run-down house even colder. Rachel takes another step down the hall
... [+]
Toby wanted to fly the kite but Majid wouldn't let go of the string. "It's mine."
"Yeeha!" Peter shouted. Toby put his hands to his ears. Peter was too noisy and never listened to anyone. "Yeeha!"
Lala was looking at a toad she'd found under the stone by the park pond.
"I wonder if there are any baby tadpoles in the water?" asked Toby.
"Toads don't have tadpoles," replied Lala. "It's frogs that have them."
"They do, too. And newts," said Toby. "I saw it in a nature programme."
"No way." Lala shook her head.
"Lala's right," said Peter. "She always comes top in class tests."
"But she might not get everything right!" Toby said, feeling fed up. "I've had enough. So much for the Friendly Four!"
"Where are the famous Friendly Four?" asked Mum.
"I don't like them anymore," replied Toby. "They are the Terrible Trio now. I wish I had better mates."
"Mmm," said Dad. "No one is perfect."
"I don't like them," Toby moaned.
The Build-A-Friend
For anything you could ever want in a pal.
Choose your own qualities
"You said you wanted a better friend," said Dad. "So we've found the perfect gift for you."
Mum handed him the certificate. "I hope we chosen the things you like."
"Let's call him Fred," said Toby.
"Fred it is," Dad said. "Remember, he runs on batteries. They will only last so long before they need to be replaced."
Then he took Toby for a spin on the roundabout followed by the seesaw.
"Fred doesn't need meals like human beings," said Dad. "He's made of metal."
"That's great," said Toby, helping himself to seconds. "More for me."
"What is 81 divided by 9," asked Toby.
"9," answered Fred.
"How do you spell dinosaur?" asked Toby.
"D I N O S A U R," replied Fred.
"Fred is so clever," said Toby. "He knows all the answers."
Then one day, Toby's teacher, Mr Patel said. "Can you bring Fred in to show us?"
So Toby did. The children loved playing with him in the playground. Then the bell went. It was time for class.
"Can Fred do the test too?" asked Toby.
"Of course,' answered Mr Patel.
After everyone had finished, Mr Patel read out the results. Toby had come sixth but Fred had come first. He had gotten every answer right!
"Do bring Fred back again," some of the children said as they waved the pair goodbye.
"Let's cut across the field," said Toby. His mum always told him not to go that way, but as he was with Fred, he was sure it would be okay.
But something was wrong. Fred didn't answer. He stood frozen on the spot.
Toby tugged him, but he didn't move.
"Just stay there. I'll get Dad."
Peter, Majid, and Lala had been riding their bikes home from school when the rain started. They ducked into the newsagents to get some sweets and waited for the rain to stop.
"The sun is back out," said Lala. "Let's go."