As the end of the day approached and the two superheroes made their way back to 32 High Street, Ernie knew that they couldn’t carry on this way. He had to do something. ‘Hey, Maud?’ he said casually. She looked up in surprise. It had been nearly two hours since she gave him the laundry tip and neither of them had uttered a word in that time. ‘What?’ she asked suspiciously.
‘Why don’t we grab a milkshake or something, after we’ve reported back to base?’ Ernie suggested.
‘I’m afraid I don’t have time, Ernie,’ Maud said haughtily. ‘I have a lot to do before my Sidekick Tryouts tomorrow.’
Something in Ernie snapped. ‘Well, I hope you get a better sidekick than I’ve got!’ he shouted.
Maud gave an outraged bleat. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ she demanded.
‘It means that you’ve been so busy with your stupid sidekicks that I might as well have been patrolling on my own for the past week!’ Ernie yelled.
‘Are you saying that I’m selfish?’ Maud shot back. ‘Ha! You should be called Super Selfish! But I suppose that’s typical of an only child—you think you should have everything your own way!’
Ernie could feel himself swelling with rage, but before he could respond he heard a quiet, firm voice behind him. ‘You two! Inside at once!’
Turning, he saw Valiant Vera glaring at them from the doorway of the blank shopfront that was the Baxter Branch of the Superheroes Society. ‘We could hear you quite clearly even with the door shut,’ she said severely. ‘And I imagine the rest of Baxter could too.’
Meekly, Ernie and Maud followed Valiant Vera inside.
‘This is NOT the superhero spirit,’ said Valiant Vera sternly, once the door had shut behind them. ‘As superheroes, we never argue among ourselves.’
Super Whiz and Amazing Desmond both looked a little uncomfortable at this, as they had been known to bicker occasionally. But they didn’t dare contradict Valiant Vera, who sounded almost fierce.
‘I don’t care who started it, or whose fault it is,’ she said, holding up a hand as Ernie and Maud began to talk at once. ‘Until you two can work together, I don’t want to see either of you here. Now, go home and don’t come back until this problem is sorted out!’
Ernie quaked inside. Not come back to the Superheroes Society? Being a superhero was the most important thing in the world to him! He glanced at Maud. He knew she felt the same way—surely they could work this out. But Maud refused to meet his eye. Ernie felt his anger surfacing once again. Fine!
They both headed to the door and reached it at the same time.
Ernie opened it and stood back to let Maud pass. ‘After you,’ he said coldly.
‘No, thank you,’ said Maud. Her voice was like ice. ‘After you.’
Ernie exited without another word and marched down High Street towards home without a backwards look.
FIVE
On Sunday morning Ernie was in low spirits. He decided to have a lazy morning in his pyjamas. He was just settling himself onto the sofa with a cup of cocoa to watch a special one-hour episode of his favourite show, The Daring Dynamo, when he heard a tap at the door.
At first, seeing what looked like fleece through the peephole, Ernie thought it was Maud, come to apologise. But no. It was a tiny little sheep—more of a lamb, really. Her big wide eyes were framed with long dark lashes, and her fleece fell in soft white curls. A faded tea towel was pinned around her neck. She was the cutest sheep Ernie had ever seen.
‘You must be Mavis,’ he said.
Mavis nodded shyly. ‘I’m Maud’s sister,’ she piped in a high, clear voice. ‘Have you seen Maud today?’
Ernie shook his head.
‘I can’t find her anywhere,’ said Mavis sadly
‘Wait!’ said Ernie, as she turned away from the door. ‘Wasn’t Maud holding her Sidekick Tryouts today?’
The little sheep looked at him hopefully.
‘You could try Mackie’s Meadow,’ Ernie suggested.
With a grateful baa, Mavis trotted away on her tiny legs.
Ernie went back to his cartoon, but his mind wasn’t on the adventures of The Daring Dynamo. Instead of urging on his hero in his latest battle with Count Crustaceous, he found himself thinking of Maud. Ernie felt bad about snapping at her. He should have been more sensitive—she was obviously upset when she arrived late yesterday morning. But instead of being supportive, he had thought only of himself. Maud was right—he was selfish.
Then Ernie had an idea. He would go along to the Sidekick Tryouts and see if Maud needed any help. That would show her he cared.
Feeling happier already, he ran to his room and pulled on jeans and a jumper. Within ten minutes he was jogging down the road on his way to Mackie’s Meadow.
He could hear the noise from several blocks away—braying, bleating, crowing, croaking—and as he approached Ernie was surprised by the size of the gathering. He noticed a donkey, several goats, two roosters, chickens, ducks, ponies and—was that a rat?
Bustling about importantly among the crowd of animals was Maud. She was wearing her pink cape and a visor to keep the sun out of her eyes and she had a clipboard hanging from a piece of string tied around her neck, next to a whistle.
Ernie hung around at the edge of the crowd between two pigs. He was a little nervous about what sort of welcome he might get. Finally, he plucked up his courage and called, ‘Maud! Over here!’
At the sound of his voice Maud turned her head and scanned the crowd. When her eyes rested on him, her face broke out into a huge sunny smile. ‘Ernie!’ she cried, trotting over. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I, er, I thought you might want some help,’ Ernie said. He looked at the ground. ‘Listen, Maud,’ he began, ‘I’m sorry about …’
But Maud didn’t let him finish. ‘I’m the one who should be apologising,’ she said. ‘I don’t know what got into me. I’ve been acting like a sheep with a sore head. Friends?’
‘Friends!’ replied Ernie happily. ‘Now, what can I do to help?’
‘Well, Ernie,’ said Maud, ‘it would be great if we could share some of our experiences with the group. You know, as an example of all the teamwork and cooperation that goes into being a superhero.’
‘That’s a great idea, Maud,’ Ernie said admiringly.
Maud gave a short, sharp blast of her whistle, and there was an immediate hush. ‘If you’ll all sit down,’ she called, ‘we’ll begin by outlining the duties of a superhero team.’
After a brief tussle, in which the smaller animals jostled their way to the front, Ernie found himself looking into a sea of faces.
‘This is my partner, Extraordinary Ernie,’ Maud continued, gesturing with a hoof towards the blushing Ernie.
Ernie cleared his throat and began to talk about the patrols he and Maud did up and down High Street and around the park, offering their assistance to the people—‘and animals,’ Maud added—of Baxter.
The crowd nodded and murmured.
‘Don’t forget about the time you saved me from that vicious dog,’ Maud said. She began to tell the story, with lots of dramatic emphasis.
The animals stared open-mouthed, hanging on her every word.
‘Oh, and what about the time we helped Emma Plucker with those bullies?’ Ernie reminded her.
Maud began to laugh. ‘That’s right,’ she said. ‘Remember how you pushed one of them …’
‘And you stood behind him, so that when he fell …’ Ernie chimed in.
‘He tumbled right into the pond!’ Maud finished.
They both began to laugh.
‘So you see,’ Maud said, ‘if you want to be a good superhero sidekick, there’s nothing more important than trust and teamwork.’
‘And a good friendship,’ Ernie added.
‘That’s right,’ Maud agreed, giving him a warm smile. ‘And a good friendship.’
The next couple of hours were spent playing a series of games that Maud had invented to test qualities like speed and
coordination. Ernie didn’t always understand the rules—‘No, Wesley,’ Maud explained patiently to a middle guinea pig for the third time, ‘you have to grip the sack with your teeth, or it doesn’t work’— but he had a wonderful time.
After the games they all sat in a circle and, one by one, the animals introduced themselves and talked about why they wanted to be superhero sidekicks. Ernie was fascinated by some of their stories. ‘I never knew frogs were so ambitious,’ he whispered to Maud.
They finished up around mid-afternoon, and the animals began drifting off, with Maud promising to continue the tryouts the following Sunday. Ernie was helping Maud pack up her gear when he noticed a sheep cantering across the meadow. She looked a lot like Maud, but with glasses.
‘Um, Maud,’ Ernie said, ‘I think Doris is here.’
‘What?’ Maud turned to look in surprise. ‘It is Doris,’ she said. ‘I wonder what she wants.’
Maud trotted over to greet her older sister, followed closely by Ernie.
‘Have you seen Mavis?’ Doris bleated breathlessly.
‘She stopped by my place this morning,’ Ernie said. ‘She was looking for Maud, so I sent her over here.’
Maud’s face took on a stubborn look. ‘She did come here,’ she said. ‘But I sent her straight home.’
‘When would that have been?’ Doris asked.
‘Oh, about three or four hours ago,’ replied Maud. ‘Why?’
Doris looked serious. ‘Mavis is missing,’ she said.
SIX
‘Missing?’ Maud echoed.
Doris was looking at her helplessly. ‘What should we do, Maud?’ she asked.
Maud pulled herself together. ‘It’s all right, Doris,’ she said. ‘You know how dreamy Mavis is. She probably wandered down to the park and has lost track of time. You go home and wait there in case she shows up. Ernie and I will go and look around the park.’
As soon as Doris had left, though, Maud’s face dropped. ‘This is all my fault,’ she wailed.
‘Mavis showed up at the tryouts this morning, but I wouldn’t let her enter because she wasn’t a middle child!’ She sniffled, then said, ‘Plus I was still angry at her for taking my cape for her dress-ups again yesterday. She got it all creased and crumply—and she knows how important that cape is to me!’
Ernie gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. ‘Don’t worry, Maud,’ he said. ‘We’ll find her.’
Ernie and Maud took off at a run, making a quick detour to Ernie’s house so he could change into his green superhero costume. Catching a glimpse of himself in his bedroom mirror, he already felt more confident and in control.
Maud was waiting outside on the footpath, still puffing after their run from Mackie’s Meadow. Poor Maud: sheep weren’t used to doing so much running. Then Ernie had an idea. ‘What we need is more speed, Maud,’ he told her.
‘I know, Ernie,’ Maud panted. ‘But I don’t think I can run any faster.’
‘That’s okay; I’ve had an idea.’ Ernie ran into the garage. When he emerged, he was wheeling a bike. He had a skateboard tucked under one arm and a rope draped over the other.
Maud looked doubtful. ‘Maybe we should call a taxi,’ she said.
Ernie tied one end of the rope to the back of his bike and the other to the skateboard. ‘I was thinking that you could stand on the skateboard, holding the rope, and I could tow you with the bike,’ he explained.
‘Ernie, that’s a brilliant idea!’ said Maud. ‘We’ll be able to cover a lot more ground this way.’
‘One more thing!’ Ernie dashed back to the garage and returned with two helmets. He put one on, then bent down to strap the other around Maud’s woolly chin. ‘I outgrew this one last year,’ he told her, ‘but it should fit you.’
When the helmet was secure, Maud hopped onto the skateboard and planted her hooves firmly on the narrow surface.
Ernie jumped onto his bike. ‘Ready?’ he called.
‘Ready!’ Maud called back, picking up the rope.
‘Here we go!’ Ernie began to pedal. He could feel his cape begin to rise as they gathered speed and, glancing back, he saw that both his green cape and Maud’s pink one were streaming behind them.
They reached the park in no time. Maud stepped off the skateboard and started trotting around the park in anxious circles. ‘Mavis!’ she called. ‘Mavis!’
Ernie leaned his bike against a tree and ran to the far side of the park. ‘Mavis! Mavis!’
The sun was starting to sink in the sky when they met up by the pond.
‘I don’t think she’s here, Maud,’ Ernie said. ‘And we didn’t see her when we approached the park from that side,’ he pointed back in the direction from which they’d come, ‘so let’s walk up High Street and see if we can spot her.’
‘Okay,’ Maud agreed.
‘In fact, why don’t we report in to HQ? We can leave the bike and skateboard there, and ask the superheroes for their help.’
On reaching 32 High Street, they found the superheroes gathered around the table—except Housecat Woman, who was dozing quietly in her armchair. Super Whiz had all thirteen lectures arranged on the table in front of him and was quizzing his colleagues about which one they liked best.
Ernie propped the bike against the wall while Maud hurriedly told the superheroes about her missing sister.
‘Leave her alone and she’ll come home,’ Super Whiz advised, looking a bit irritated at the interruption.
But Amazing Desmond jumped up. ‘Of course we’ll help,’ he said. ‘Won’t we, Vera?’
‘Definitely,’ said Valiant Vera. ‘And I’m glad to see you two behaving like a team again,’ she added.
In the end, all four superheroes—even Housecat Woman—said they’d help.
‘Ahem. In times of trouble, we must rush to the aid of our superhero friends,’ Super Whiz stated.
No sooner had they trooped out through the shabby brown door of the Superheroes Society (Baxter Branch) than they were hailed by a man who was running down High Street towards them.
‘Come quick! There’s a poor little sheep stuck in a tree!’ he shouted. Then he added, ‘And it’s the cutest sheep I’ve ever seen …’
Oh no! Mavis! The superheroes began to run.
SEVEN
Ernie and Maud were the first to reach the tree outside the supermarket. But this time, when Ernie peered up into the leaves, it wasn’t a ball of fluff he saw clinging to the uppermost branches. Instead, he saw a very frightened ball of wool.
The spectators were gaping at the astonishing sight.
‘Her fleece is white as snow!’ exclaimed one woman in wonder.
‘Mavis!’ cried Maud urgently, as Valiant Vera, Housecat Woman and Super Whiz approached the scene. ‘Is that you?’
‘Maud,’ bleated Mavis pathetically from the top of the tree. She began to cry.
‘Don’t worry, Mavis,’ said Maud. ‘We’ll get you down—won’t we, Ernie?’
‘Yeah!’ said Ernie, trying to sound confident. He turned to Maud. ‘I’m sorry, Maud,’ he said in a whisper, ‘but I don’t think I can climb down a tree carrying a sheep!’
The superheroes began a hushed conversation.
‘How are we going to get her down?’ Maud asked in despair.
‘The question is how she got up there in the first place,’ Super Whiz said.
Valiant Vera shushed him. ‘That’s not important now,’ she said, looking up at the trembling lamb. ‘What I’m most worried about is Mavis slipping. I imagine that it’s hard to grip with hooves.’
Maud nodded fearfully.
‘Yes, yes,’ said Super Whiz loudly. ‘Our first action must be to secure the sheep to the branch. So, any ideas?’ He looked around the circle.
‘Um, I’ve got one,’ said Ernie. ‘Housecat Woman, I bet you’re a fantastic climber.’
‘That’s true,’ said Housecat Woman. ‘I used to do a lot of climbing as a kitt — er, kid.’
‘Could you climb up the tree with a rope an
d tie Mavis to the branch so she doesn’t fall?’
‘Easy,’ said Housecat Woman, looking more alert than Ernie had ever seen her. ‘Give me the rope.’
The superheroes looked at each other. ‘All right,’ said Super Whiz bossily. ‘We’ve established that we need a rope urgently. Desmond, you’re good at finding things in a flash … Desmond?’
But Amazing Desmond was nowhere to be seen.
‘That Desmond!’ said Super Whiz, stamping his foot. ‘He always disappears right when you need him most.’
‘That’s not really fair …’ Valiant Vera began.
‘I used a rope to tie the skateboard to the bike!’ Ernie interrupted. ‘I’ll run and get it.’
He dashed back down High Street to the Superheroes Society and within a couple of minutes was racing back up to where the superheroes were gathered around the tree.
‘Good work, Ernie,’ said Valiant Vera as he handed the rope to Housecat Woman. She immediately coiled the rope about her shoulder and began scaling the trunk.
‘I’m scared, Maud,’ bleated Mavis from the top of the tree, wobbling dangerously.
The onlookers and superheroes gasped.
‘Please hang on, Mavis,’ Maud called. ‘Housecat Woman is on her way up with a rope. She’ll tie you to the tree so you don’t fall.’
To the relief of all below, the words had barely left Maud’s lips before Housecat Woman could be seen busily securing the little sheep to the branch.
‘That’s one problem taken care of,’ said Valiant Vera. ‘But we still haven’t solved the big problem. How on earth are we going to get Mavis down?’
Super Whiz, meanwhile, was still fuming about Desmond. ‘Here we are, in the middle of a crisis, and where’s Desmond?’
His fuming was interrupted by the sound of an enormous engine. Rumbling down the street was a giant crane—and there, waving from the driver’s seat, was Amazing Desmond.
The Middle Sheep Page 2
