Chapter 15

Sunday– park closing time All my dreams crumbled like dust before me. Behind us in the queue, at least another ride full of passengers were shaking their fists at the sheer injustice, while I just wanted to crawl quietly under a bush and die. 'This can't be true,' I muttered.

'No it is not and I'll make sure of it!' snapped Dev, and before I knew it he'd ducked under the barrier and started quibbling with the ride operator. 'Please,' he pleaded, thinking up some dramatic excuse. 'I've worked fifteen Saturday jobs to save up for this ride.'

'Yeah, well here's another job for ya... get back behind the barrier!' said the operator. Glumly, Dev ducked back under. At least he tried.

How to Wangle your Way onto a ride But I've Worked fifteen Saturday jobs to save up for this ride... I said, SLING YER HOOK! NO ENTRY A dozen boxes of the finest Belgian gourmet chocolates Have as many goes as you like Agung was by the exit on the far side. He was surrounded by admirers shaking his hand and arranging elaborate group selfies. 'Agung!' I shouted. He heard me this time and headed towards us. He chuckled, 'Hao gow!'

That means 'so much fun' in Hakka. The last time he said that, FUZZFACE had smashed two vases and pulled down a curtain trying to catch a fly. Dad had told me what it meant. 'Do you know that man?' the operator said to me. I wasn't sure whether admitting it was going to get me into trouble, but hell, things couldn't have got any worse than they were already. 'Erm, yeah, he's my grandad,' I said. 'This man is a flippin' hero!' said the operator, patting Agung on the shoulder. 'He's the oldest bloke we've ever had on any ride here, let alone THE MEGA

BEAST. He didn't have a ticket but he had a voucher, so that was good enough for me.' Then I saw: Agung was holding a page of the Sudmouth Post that his pickled eggs were wrapped in. The voucher was clearly printed on one side. 'Pickle egg,' said Agung, waving it in my face. 'You know what?' said the operator. 'I was so impressed with your old gramps here that I'm going to let you lot have a go on the ride too.' 'Hello? Hello?' I repeated to myself. 'Earth calling Maddy.' I needed to test my hearing because I couldn't quite believe what the operator had just said.