Casketball Capers (3 page)
Authors: Peter Bently
“My arms are not arms but bat wings. My legs are little bat legs. My body is small and furry. My head is a bat's head with big bat ears. Got that?”
“Yes, Miss Gargoyle,” chorused the class.
“Next, I say these words to myselfâ
I'm a bat, a bat is me,
A bat is all I want to be.”
With a soft
POP!
Miss Gargoyle changed into a little brown bat flapping in front of the blackboard.
“See?” squeaked Miss Gargoyle. “To change back, just sayâ
Pointy fangs
and swishing cape.
It's time to take on
vampire shape.”
With another
POP!
Miss Gargoyle changed back into a vampire.
“Remember, don't
POP!
too loudly or Fangless folk might hear,” she said. “Right, now you all try.”
Lee, Bella, and Billy soon found that changing into a bat wasn't as easy as it looked.
At first, Lee only managed to change his armsâ¦
And Bella changed everything except her headâ¦
Billy changed himself into a
cat
â¦
and then a
rat
.
But finally there was a
POP!
and suddenly Lee was flapping around the room.
“I did it! I did it!” he squeaked. “I'm a bat!”
Chapter 3
Boris the Bat
By lunchtime the classroom was full of little bats giggling with glee.
“Well done, class!” said Miss Gargoyle. “After recess we'll practice hanging upside down. There'll be a little time before the werewolves arrive for the casketball game.”
At recess Lee and his friends hurried outside. They couldn't wait to practice turning into bats.
It was a lot trickier without Miss Gargoyle there to help. First of all, Lee's left half became a bat but his right half stayed the sameâ¦
Bella turned into a huge ball of bat furâ¦
And Billy turned into a
bag.
