Harriet Bright in a Pickle (3 page)

Of all the planets

in deep dark space

Paul Picklebottom

isn't from the

human race.

He's big

and heavy

and tall and

mean
.

He's a
monster
from

Mars and his insides

are
green!

The doughnut was sticky from the sun and the chocolate stuck in Harriet Bright's hair.

Harriet Bright liked chocolate doughnuts.

But not today.

Harriet Bright was getting very close to her house.

But Paul Picklebottom was getting very close to her.

She could hear his heavy footsteps behind her.

Harriet Bright was frightened.

It was
just
like feeling carsick.

Her father said that feeling carsick was a
load of old rubbish
. ‘Mind over matter,' he said.

When Harriet Bright was sick all over the back seat of their new car on a trip to the coast last year, her mother said, ‘It doesn't matter, darling.'

Her father slammed on the brakes and screamed,
‘WET ONES!'
Then he glared at her. He
really
seemed to mind!

Harriet Bright's mother had told her to think of something else when she felt sick.

Harriet Bright now thought of all the words that rhymed with pickle:

stickle

fickle

nickel

tickle

She could only think of one word that rhymed with bottom, but it was a good one:
rotten.

Harriet Bright wondered how the Picklebottoms got their name.

Maybe people who eat pickles get
big
BOTTOMS
, she thought. There should be a warning on the pickle bottle.

No one at school teased Paul Picklebottom about his name.

No one at school teased him about anything.

He was
too
big
.

Her mother said she should ignore Paul Picklebottom.

Her father said Paul Picklebottom should pick on someone his
own
size.

PAUL PICKLEBOTTOM
said she was a ‘
-
sized
elephant'.

Harriet Bright had read all about elephants.

She knew that they are the biggest animals on land and that there are two types, African and Asian.

Elephants can't see very well and they all live together in groups called herds. This means that they can protect the young elephants from dangerous animals that might attack them. Like lions and tigers.

And Paul Picklebottom.

She could hear him breathing. He was only about twenty steps away.

Harriet Bright closed her eyes. She imagined that she was in Africa.

Her skin felt dry and cracked in the burning sun. She filled her trunk greedily with water from the muddy waterhole, squirting it into her mouth and hosing her hot body.

Several hippos swam nearby. Large eyes bulged out of their heads and their heavy bodies disappeared into the murky water.

The air
with insects and all the smells of the animals mingled in the heat.

But there was another smell too.

Something that made the birds
squa
w
k
and
high into the air.

Something that made the elephants
and
ROAR
.

It was the smell of danger,

Harriet Bright could feel her trunk tingling.

Her senses were on standby.

Her brain was mission control.

Receiving. Loud and clear.

DANGER!

ATTACK!

shouted Harriet Bright as she turned and charged towards Paul Picklebottom with a herd of elephants following close behind.

The ground pounded with furious footsteps and clouds of dust gathered around the storming animals.

Paul Picklebottom looked
completely
surprised.

He dropped his school bag and took off in a
giant
hurry,
around the corner.

Harriet Bright watched him go.

When the dust settled, she kicked a little stone and began to dawdle the last few steps home.

She already had another poem in her head.