by Lydia Monks
“I don’t call that properly unusual,” said Crystal. “I’d say she’s just got some kind of disease. You ought to take her to the vet. Now, Katy, it’s your turn.”
But before Katy’s stick insect had a chance to show off its dancing talent, there was a ring at the door.
Crystal went to answer it. “Hello, Ellen. You’re a bit late,” the others heard her say, and the next second a strange-looking dog bounded into the room.
Lapsang’s fur stood on end and she at last demonstrated her low-pitched miaow, but this didn’t put the new unusual pet off: he made a dash for the cat, who fled across the room and up the curtains.
“Come here, Prince Precious . . . I mean, Splodge!” commanded Ellen, but the dog ignored her. He had spotted Silver the hamster and was leaping up at Crystal. Everyone gasped: for one second it looked as if his jaws had actually closed round the hamster. But a moment later the dog had bounded back to Ellen and Silver was still running about over Crystal’s hands.
“Being unusually badly-behaved doesn’t count,” said Crystal.
“Is Splodge all right?” Katy asked Ellen. “He looks all different – sort of see-through.”
“That’s his new trick,” said Ellen. “He can turn himself into a ghost dog.”
Just then the dog gave a growl which was more like the rustle of autumn leaves. He was staring at Sinclair the slow-worm and his ghostly hair was bristling. He backed away, then turned and ran.
“He’s gone through the wall!” exclaimed Rachel.
“He couldn’t have done,” said Crystal.
“He has,” said Ellen. “He can do that. He’s a very, very unusual pet.”
“There he is – he’s looking in through the window!” said Martin.
Lapsang gave another deep miaow, then jumped down from the curtain and slunk into her cat basket.
“Call him back inside, Ellen,” said Katy.
“I don’t think he’ll come if Sinclair is still out,” said Ellen.
Martin obligingly put Sinclair into his tank and covered it with his jacket. Meanwhile Rachel put Timbucktoodle-oo back into his box and Crystal shut Silver into his cage. Then Ellen called, “Splodge! Splodge!” and the ghost dog came bounding in through the closed window.
Everyone laughed and clapped. After that the children had fun getting Ellen’s unusual pet to go through various bits of furniture.
“He can even go through people!” boasted Ellen. They all stood in a line, shoulder to shoulder, and sure enough the wildly excited dog jumped through the human wall and back again. After a few goes of this, he leaped through the window again.
“What’s he up to now?” said Pamina.
They all crowded to the window. Crystal’s little brother was outside, playing football with some friends. The ghost dog was trying to get the ball, but of course his jaws just kept going through it.
“Come back!” Ellen called. The dog turned and gave her a cheeky look, and then he bounded off down the road. She guessed he was going back to his true owner but she didn’t tell the others.
“As he’s not here any more, no one’s allowed to vote for him,” said Crystal, but for once the others rose up against her: “That’s not fair.” “He was at the meeting.” “He’s so unusual!”
Crystal had to give in. “All right. But remember,” and she glared at Ellen, “no one is allowed to vote for their own pet.”
The vote took place, and there was no doubt about the winner. Twiglet the stick insect got two votes (from Crystal and Ellen); everyone else voted for the ghost dog.
Rather grumpily, Crystal handed Ellen the certificate. “I hope you realize that the winner has to have the next meeting in their house. It’s in the rules,” she said.
“That should be fine,” said Ellen, “but I don’t know if Splodge will be able to do his ghost trick next week. He only does it sometimes.”
Everyone except Crystal looked disappointed.
Back home, Ellen had a quick look round for the mirror girl and dog, but there was no sign of them and Mum was calling her to supper.
“Pass the potatoes, please, Ellen,” said Luke. “Did you have a good time at the club?” He sounded surprisingly polite.
“Yes, thanks,” said Ellen frostily. She still hadn’t forgiven him for his behaviour earlier.
“What club?” asked Dad, so Ellen told them a bit about the meeting. She didn’t mention Prince Precious Paws. Her family didn’t even believe in Mirror-Belle, so she reckoned that a ghost dog would be too much for them to swallow. Instead she pretended that she had just gone along to watch.
“Why didn’t you take Splodge with you?” asked Mum.
“He’s not unusual enough,” Ellen explained. “But maybe I’ll be able to teach him a couple of tricks by next week. The meeting’s supposed to be here at six o’clock – is that all right?”
Mum agreed, and Luke said, “That’s good. You’ll have time to watch Holiday Swap first.”
Ellen gave him a suspicious look. “Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?” she asked. “What’s got into you?”
“Just toad-in-the-hole,” said Luke, holding out his plate for a second helping.
“Talking of television,” said Dad, “Splodge was behaving very oddly when I was watching the news just now. He kept barking at the television, as if it was going to bite him. And then I noticed that the screen had paw prints on it, as if he’d been attacking it – all very weird.”
Ellen smiled. She knew who the paw prints really belonged to. Prince Precious Paws must have gone back through the screen with Mirror-Belle. She felt sorry not to have said goodbye.
“Well, Ellen?” said Luke, breaking into her secret thoughts, and Ellen realized he had been talking to her.
“Sorry, I wasn’t concentrating.”
“I was just saying,” said Luke, “that I’ve been thinking about Evilton. If you want to borrow him next week, that’s fine by me.”
About the Author and Illustrator
Julia Donaldson is one of the UK’s most popular children’s writers. Her award-winning books include What the Ladybird Heard, The Snail and the Whale and The Gruffalo. She has also written many children’s plays and songs, and her sell-out shows based on her books and songs are a huge success. She was the Children’s Laureate from 2011 to 2013, campaigning for libraries and for deaf children, and creating a website for teachers called picturebookplays.co.uk. Julia and her husband Malcolm divide their time between Sussex and Edinburgh. You can find out more about Julia at www.juliadonaldson.co.uk.
Lydia Monks studied Illustration at Kingston University, graduating in 1994 with a first-class degree. She is a former winner of the Smarties Bronze Award for I Wish I Were a Dog and has illustrated many books by Julia Donaldson. Her illustrations have been widely admired.
Books by Julia Donaldson
The Princess Mirror-Belle series (illustrated by Lydia Monks)
Princess Mirror-Belle
Princess Mirror-Belle and the Party Hoppers
Princess Mirror-Belle and the Magic Shoes
Princess Mirror-Belle and Prince Precious Paws
Princess Mirror-Belle and the Flying Horse
Princess Mirror-Belle and the Sea Monster’s Cave
Poetry
Crazy Mayonnaisy Mum
Wriggle and Roar
Shuffle and Squelch
Poems to Perform (anthology)
Plays
Play Time
Plays to Read (a series for schools)
Picture books with Lydia Monks
Sharing a Shell
The Princess and the Wizard
What the Ladybird Heard
The Rhyming Rabbit
The Singing Mermaid
Sugarlump and the Unicorn
Princess Mirror-Belle and the Dragon Pox
What the Ladybird Heard Next
These stories first published 2006 in Princess Mirror-Belle and the Flying Horse
by Macmillan Children’s Books<
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This edition published 2015 by Macmillan Children’s Books
This electronic edition published 2015 by Macmillan Children’s Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-1-4472-9556-3
Text copyright © Julia Donaldson 2006
Illustrations copyright © Lydia Monks 2006, 2015
The right of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Pan Macmillan does not have any control over, or any responsibility for, any author or third-party websites referred to in or on this book.
You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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