15 A kick in the Twinklenuts

CHAPTER FIFTEEN A kick in the Twinklenuts Sebastian Silver threw back his head and laughed. He strode over to where Titus was sitting. The Grimwood team had collapsed in the corner, their helmets and leotards in tatters. Ginger Fiasco was crying. Willow and Frank were helping the rest of the squirrels get back to their feet. Sir Charles was trying to comfort a wailing Ingrid. Sharon and Pamela had flung down their pom-poms and flown back to the Magic Tower. Meanwhile, the Twinklenuts supporters were pulling party poppers and chinking glasses of fizzy elderflower.

Sebastian stretched out his paw. 'Well, Titus,' he said, 'a deal is a deal. Kiss goodbye to Grimwood and tell your mad bird to get off my Magic Tower. Well played, chum!' Fatima Hostile took some sheets of paper out of her briefcase. Susan Kidneys scrabbled about in her handbag for a pen, and eventually found one, thank goodness. Ingrid gave an angry quack. 'You are a crook, Silver,' she hissed. 'Please know that I am a vengeful duck and I will ruin your life one way or another.' Sebastian's eyes narrowed. He leant in, so that nobody from Twinklenuts could hear him.

'Everyone in Twinklenuts adores me,' he snarled. 'Nothing you say will turn my people against me. You lot had better start looking for somewhere else to live, because none of you will be welcome in Twinklenuts, that's for sure.' Titus stood up. 'Mr Silver,' he said. 'I have dreaded this day. I have cried many tears. I have eaten many biscuits. But when I became Mayor of Grimwood, I promised to do my job with honour and decency until the end. So, I must accept defeat, because it is right and fair. And that is the Grimwood way.' With tears in his eyes, Titus held out his wobbling hoof to shake Sebastian's paw. Just then a voice rang out. 'NO! DON'T SHAKE HIS PAW, TITUS! DON'T DO IT!' It was Ted. He was running as fast as his little legs would carry him. Behind him were Wiggy and Nancy. And behind them was everyone who had been chucked into Sebastian's secret prison cell. Crusty McTavish was being wheeled along in his roller skate by Mo.

Ted pointed a shaky paw at Sebastian Silver. 'He's a liar!' he yelped. 'And he's been lying to each and every one of you.' The Twinklenuts supporters gasped when they saw their old friends. 'It's Crusty! And Mo! And Dr Khan! And loads of others we haven't got time to name!' they shrieked. 'Mr Silver,' said Anoushka Wispy. 'You told us they'd all gone on a really long cruise! Was that a lie?' Sebastian Silver's mouth opened and closed in shock. 'Don't listen to a word this fox says,' said Nancy, jabbing her paw at Sebastian. 'He locked up all these animals cos they didn't fit in with his stupid Twinklenuts Charter.' Everyone gasped. 'And the so-called official map? It's a FAKE! We found the proper one in the library. Grimwood ain't even on it– but neither is Twinklenuts.' Everyone gasped again.

Sebastian Silver growled and spun on his heels to face the Twinklenuts supporters. 'I did it all for us!' he shouted. 'Don't you want to see Silvertown become a reality? Don't you want us all to become rich, rich beyond your wiiiiildest dreams?' 'You should never have become mayor,' said Crusty McTavish. Sebastian Silver let out an evil laugh. 'You're just angry that I won the election, you tatty old squirrel,' he said. But then Mo held up a large sack. She turned it upside down and hundreds of bits of paper fluttered to the ground. 'Recognize these?' she asked. 'Fake votes from the Twinklenuts election. We found them hidden in the library. You didn't win nothin'!'

'Ah. You found the map room,' I see,' sighed Sebastian. 'Fair enough, I suppose.' 'He's a FAKE!' shouted Anoushka Wispy, putting down her guitar and sounding very un-wispy. 'He's NASTY!' yelled Reena, taking off her treebonk helmet. 'He's a CHEAT,' said Fatima Hostile, ripping up the papers Titus was about to sign. And suddenly, it really didn't matter who was from Grimwood and who was from Twinklenuts. Everyone stood together, glaring at Sebastian Silver. He was on his own. But he didn't seem to care. In fact, he was grinning. 'Ha! Fools, all of you!' he cried. 'Do you think any of you can actually stop me? Don't you get it? I can do whatever I want!' And he clambered into his shiny helicopter, which was parked just next to the treebonk clearing. 'I'm not scared of any of you,' he yelled, as he started the engine. 'I'll take over the Magic Tower whether that stupid eagle is up there or not!' Ted buried his face in Nancy's fur as the helicopter rose into the air. The huge, powerful propellers whirred angrily. Sebastian Silver pointed up at them. 'And if your eagle gives me any trouble, she's going to have to deal with these bad boys,' he grinned. 'See you later, losers!' And he steered the helicopter towards Pamela and the Magic Tower.