Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 Once again, Charlie thought about all his worst fears. As he breathed out, his friends disappeared from his mind. He was alone. His dad's company, McGuffin & Sons,fn1 had collapsed… His family had moved to Aunt Brenda's cat-we-esmelling house… He had started at a new school, full of threatening, angry faces… His brother was ill again, stuck on a drip in hospital… He had changed and became stuck, doomed to stay forever as a tiny, squirming maggot, forgetting that he had ever been a boy called Charlie… Electricity shot through him, from his neuronsfn2 to his fingertips.

His body began folding in on itself, like a flower at night. He was changing and nothing was going to stop it this time. He was growing smaller, sprouting fur. Feet turning into paws. There was a snout. And claws. He had changed but he had no idea what into. 'FLAMING NORA!' cried Wogan, still aiming the catapult at Charlie. 'HOLY MAJOLY!' exclaimed Flora, staring at him in astonishment. 'I'M GONNA PUKE!' croaked Mohsen. 'Mohsen! Don't be rude!' said Flora. Yes, thought Charlie. Don't be so rude!

'But it was so gross!' 'Yes, it was,' said Flora. 'It was disgusting to watch, but it's rude to point it out.' Guys, thought Charlie. I can still understand you, you know. 'I just can't actually believe my eyes,' said Mohsen, who just couldn't actually believe his eyes. 'You've really changed,' Wogan added, almost not believing it had happened right there in front of him. 'I almost can't believe it happened right here in front of me.' 'You did it, Charlie!' said Flora triumphantly. 'Well done!' She gave Charlie's fur a tentative rub, and then wiped her hand on her dress. Yes, I know I've changed, thought Charlie, but can someone please tell me what exactly I have changed into? 'OK, Charlie, it's time to change back before you start forgetting who you are,' said Flora briskly. 'Meanwhile,' she continued, looking at Wogan and Mohsen, 'the important thing is not to startle Charlie in any way. You know. In case he… erm…' Flora left her sentence hanging, glancing at Charlie with a meaningful look on her face. No, I don't know! In case I what?! thought Charlie. What am I? 'Any loud noises or sudden movements might mean he accidentally–' A sudden knocking sound made everybody jump.

'Everything OK in there?' shouted Charlie's mum through the bedroom door. 'Everything's fine, Mrs McGuffin!' said Flora quickly. Charlie started panicking and attempted to scurry under the bed but found to his dismay that he couldn't quite fit. Charlie's mum tried opening the door, but fortunately Flora had had the foresight to jam it, using a Lego model of the Millennium Falcon as a doorstop. 'Is this door stuck, kids? Can you let me in?' Charlie's mum rattled the handle. Fumbling to put the catapult away, Wogan accidentally let go of the elastic. A small pebble shot from it and hit Charlie squarely on his furry backside. Charlie yelped in pain and without him even thinking about it, something sprayed out of his furry backside. Something that smelled so vile, so nosebustingly disgusting, that Flora, Mohsen and Wogan immediately started retching. Charlie finally realized– too late by far– what animal he had changed into. Charlie was a skunk. And he had just blasted his room with maximum- strength skunk spray from his bum.fn3 'Oh, it's awful,' gagged Wogan. 'I'm going to be sick!' 'No!' said Flora, holding her nose. 'You can't! If you do– oh my goodness it smells SO bad– if you do that, then Charlie's mum will– oh gosh, I think I'm going to be sick.

Mohsen was desperately trying to open the window one-handed, while covering his mouth and nose tightly with the other. He was looking very pale and trying not to vomit. Charlie shuffled around, not knowing what to do with himself. Should he hide? Would it be worse for his mum to come in and find Charlie missing or to come in and find him replaced with a skunk? 'What is going on in there?' Charlie's mum asked. She tried pushing the door again, but fortunately the Millennium Falcon held. 'Nothing, Mrs McGuffin,' said Flora. 'We're just– hurrrgggghhhhhohgod– playing a game.' 'Well, can I just see what you're up to, please?' Charlie's mum pushed the door harder. It cracked open a centimetre. 'No!' shouted Wogan. 'It's a– hurrrghhhogghhhohboy– secret game!'

'Charlie? What's going on in there?' 'Charlie can't talk right now,' shouted Flora. 'He's doing a sponsored si-hurrrrghhhhhhh-lence.' 'A what?' shouted Charlie's mum. 'Why are you all making strange noises?' 'A sponsored–' Flora swallowed, concentrating on not heaving– 'silence.' Holding her nose, she whispered to Charlie urgently, 'Now would be a very good time to change back!' Charlie closed his little skunk-eyes and desperately tried to slow his breathing and think happy thoughts, but if you have ever desperately tried to calm yourself down, you'll know it's tough. Especially with the sound of your three best friends gagging and heaving, and your mum banging on the door and about to discover you have changed into a skunk. 'Good grief!' shouted Charlie's mum. 'What is that smell? Open this door immediately!' Charlie could see his mum's nose poking round the door. He couldn't help it– he panicked and another blast of foul stench shot out of his bum glands. Flora looked like she might faint. Wogan for some reason had put Charlie's bin on his head in a vain attempt to protect himself from the smell. By the sounds he was making from inside, it wasn't working. Mohsen finally managed to push open the window and mustered the strength to reply. 'Really sorry, Mrs McGuffin, but Wogan just farted.' Flora, Charlie the skunk and Wogan, still with the bin on, all swung their heads towards Mohsen.