Tommy Tickletail

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—
Tommy Tickletail is asleep in the kitchen.

His body stretches twelve feet long.

He snores and his teeth rattle like a train in a tunnel.

Who dares creep past Tommy Tickletail?

—

Sophie and Sam dare.

Sophie and Sam have hungry tummies and supper was a long long time ago.

They want:
Sun-soaked cheeses
Bread like beaches
A lemonade ocean
and a cream cake mountain.

Sophie and Sam have hungry tummies.
Hungry tummies are noisy tummies.

—

Please be quite, hungry tummies.
Please don’t wake the Tickletail.

“Wake up, Tommy Tickletail, wake up,” snarls Sam’s tummy.

Please don’t wake up, Tommy Tickletail, please don’t.

—

Sam’s tummy snarls its snarl.

Tommy Tickletail snores his snores…

… but he does not wake.

—

Tiny toes are top-toe toes.

Tiny toes tickle the cold wooden floor.

“Please be quiet,” Sophie and Sam say to the floor. “Please don’t laugh.”

But the wooden floor is a ticklish floor…

—

… and in long creaky squeaks, the wooden floor chuckles a wooden chuckle.

“Wake up, Tommy Tickletail, wake up,” says the floor.

Please don’t wake up, Tommy Tickletail, please don’t.

—

The floor laughs its laugh.

Tommy Tickletail snores his snores…

…but he does not wake.

—

The air is dusty.
The air is musty.

The children freeze.
They dare not wheeze.

Sniffly noses please don’t sneeze.
Please don’t wake the Tickletail.

—

But sniffly noses won’t stay quiet and Sophie sneezes a whistling sneeze.

“Wake up, Tommy Tickletail, wake up,” says Sophie’s nose.

Please don’t wake up, Tommy Tickletail, please don’t.

—

They dare not move forwards.

They dare not move backwards.

They hold their tummies.

They hold their toes.

Sophie holds her nose.

Please don’t wake up, Tommy Tickletail, please don’t.

—

TOO LATE.

—

TOMMY TICKLETAIL WAKES.

—

One eye.

Two eyes.

Emerald stones in a dark storm.

Go back to sleep, Tommy Tickletail.
Please go back to sleep.

—

But Tommy Tickletail won’t go back to sleep.

—

Out flies the Tickletail.

—

The children run.

Crows cannot fly faster.

Rivers do not flow further.

—

The children run quickly.

But the Tickletail is quicker.

—

The Tickletail catches Sam.

The Tickletail catches Sophie.

Two children, looped and lifted in the midnight kitchen.

The Tickletail curls around and around.

A long, black rope.

A shadowy snake.

—

There is no escape.

The children should not be awake.

The children should not be out of bed.

Tommy Tickletail has them now.

Tommy Tickletail won’t let go.

—

Tommy Tickletail stops.

Tommy Tickletail looks.

Tommy Tickletail listens.

—

A noise on the stair.

A creak in the air.

An opening door.

“Go back to sleep, Tommy Tickletail.”

“Go back to bed, Sophie and Sam.”

—

The kitchen door opens.

The dark disappears.

Tommy Tickletail shrinks beneath the kitchen table.

—

Mummy and Daddy Ticklefingers are here.

—

The Ticklefingers catch Sophie.

The Ticklefingers catch Sam.

Mummy and Daddy Ticklefingers carry the children back to bed, tickling all the way.

—

Under the table, Tommy Tickletail stretches twelve feet long.

It’s time for his midnight walk.

It’s time to find a new table to sleep under.

—

Whose table?

YOURS!

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Buy the beautifully illustrated book for your Kindle now.