We Were a Handful (Ukázka, strana 99)

So off we went chatting non-stop together. Patch knew we were talking about him and kept jumping about and barking loudly and whirling around and that’s how we got to Jirsák’s. Mr. Jirsák wore specs and was stitching a cap as he began with “A warm welcome to you, young sirs!” and then said nothing more. Patch gave him a sniff and wagged his tail and Mr. Jirsák said: “Who’s been a bad boy, then?” and gave a laugh.

Mrs. Jirsák said we shouldn’t mill about because there wasn’t room to swing a cat and we should go into the garden so she didn’t have to have us indoors. So we went into the garden, where there was a gnome with a long beard filling a pipe. Eddie Kemlink said that we had to have a conference with regard to our trip to Italy and so we held a meeting.

Each of us was to take a rucksack and fill it with food to stave off hunger. I said I’d fetch some fizzy sweets from the shop and we’d make lemonade so we didn’t get thirsty, seeing that Italy had a hot climate. Everyone told me this was a great idea and that made me happy. Jirsák said that we ought to pay careful attention to everything there, so that 98

Ukázka elektronické knihy, UID: KOS201750

we’d know how high each mountain was and which rivers flowed into which other rivers. Then we’d be able to give the right answer if our teacher asked us about it.

While he was telling us this we heard a terrible roar from Mr. Jirsák as he cried out: “Holy Mackerel, he’s eaten my cap!” A moment later Patch came flying out of the door with a mouth full of morsels of shredded cap and Mr. Jirsák came rushing after him, stomping about and asking how he’d come to deserve this.

Eddie urged the dog not to eat caps and Patch made eyes at him with his tail down. Then Eddie told us he’d got a map of Italy which he was going to study so that we’d know where we had to change buses or trains. We agreed that he should definitely take a good look at this map and then we went home.

When I got home Ma asked me where I was forever hanging around and I said “Nowhere”. She told me to take some shoes to the cobbler’s because the heels had worn down and ordered me to make 99

Ukázka elektronické knihy, UID: KOS201750

sure that I passed on her best wishes and asked when the shoes would be ready. So I took the shoes and repeated her words on the way there so that I wouldn’t get mixed up.

As I was going over her words Anthony Bejval turned up and said: “Hallo, where are you off to?”

I saw that he was trying to be nice so I told him that I wasn’t talking to just anyone.

He asked me whether I was in a strop because of the bike. I told him I didn’t care a hoot about his wretched bike and wanted to be left alone. He said that there was no need to be angry on account of the bike because he would let me borrow it whenever I liked.

When I didn’t reply he said that he’d invented something fabulous which would have everyone’s eyes popping in wonder. I didn’t ever want to talk to him, seeing what he was like, but even so I asked him about the invention.

In a hushed voice he told me that he had been in the fields the other day. Sure enough he’d discovered a wasps’ nest in the grassy patch that runs along the edge. He even said that we could scoop 100

Ukázka elektronické knihy, UID: KOS201750