Young Werewolf
Since he was bitten that night by the yellow-eyed dog, Matt has been feeling weird. Then he sees his reflection in the mirror. His best friend Lisa is absolutely sure: it was not a dog, that snapped at Matt’s hand.
Matt is returning home from the cinema when a yellow-eyed monster bites his hand and his whole world - and body - changes. Helped by his best friend Lisa and teacher Mrs Ruskin, they have just two days to find a cure before the curse takes hold forever!
- First published 2002
- Reading age Age 8
- Illustrated by David Roberts
- Publisher Barrington Stoke
It happened on a Sunday evening in October. A horrid evening.
Matt and Lisa had gone to the cinema. When they stepped out onto the street after the film, it was already dark. Matt didn't like the dark. If it was up to him, he would have banned the night a long time ago. The night and the moon and everything else that went with it.
A cold, wet wind blew into Matt and Lisa's faces. It whipped up the fallen leaves. People turned up their collars as they rushed home. Dogs growled at each other. And above them all, the moon hung milky white between the clouds.
"What a stupid film," Lisa said. "Totally stupid."
Without another word she started towards home. She took such long strides that Matt had trouble keeping up, as usual. Lisa was a head taller than Matt, and she was his very best friend.
"I didn't think the film was that bad," Matt said.
"You don't say," Lisa mocked.
Matt and Lisa did not like the same films. Lisa liked anything with animals. Matt liked space stories. Lisa liked films where everyone was terribly nice to each other. Matt liked ones crammed with baddies. But they both enjoyed arguing about films, much more than they enjoyed the films themselves.
They turned into the small path that led to the railway underpath. Their breath hung in the air like white smoke.
"Brrr!" Lisa's face screwed up. "I hate going through here. It smells and it's creepy."
"Oh, come on," Matt sayd. After he had watched a film, he always felt a little braver than usual.
The underpass gaped like a black mouth. It did not look very welcoming at all, but it was the shortest way home.
Lisa took Matt's hand. "Yuck!" she said "It smells worse than usual today, doesn't it? And there's something different about the smell ..." Her steps made eerie echoes in the darkness, and her voice sounded strange and hollow. "Hello?" she called. "Is anybody there?"
"Lisa, stop that!" Matt said. He felt his way along the cold, wet tunnel wall. In his imagination, he was Commander Matt and he had landed on an unexplored planet. But the darkness made his heart race, even as Commander Matt.
A train thundered above their heads. Then the silence returned.
"Matt!" Lisa whispered. "Matt, look over there."
"Stop the stupid jokes!" Matt growled back.
But Lisa wasn't joking.
The light of a street lamp glowed at the other end of the tunnel. And right there, just one step from the exit, Matt saw a dark shape.
It wasn't human. A fox, perhaps? No... a dog.
"Great," said Matt. "You like dogs, don't you?"
Matt didn't like dogs at all. Not one bit.
"I don't like that one," Lisa whispered. "It looks scary. Hadn't we better turn back?"
Matt shook his head. Nonsense! Turn back because of a dog? He could imagine what his big brother would have to say about that. He took a deep breath and walked towards the dark shape.