Free The Chocolate Dog by Holly Webb

sort of fondant stuff – looks like modelling clay. I reckon she was going to use that to make the mermaid with, so we’ll have a go. It’s just like a big art project…” She smiled at her.
    â€œOnly you can eat it,” Amy added helpfully. “Which is even better. Where are you going?”
    Lara had suddenly scooted round Kate and dashed out into the hall, making for the loo.
    â€œIs she all right?” Kate asked anxiously, looking from the cake to the hall and back again, as though she wasn’t sure what to worry about first.
    Amy sighed and held up the mixing bowl, which was empty.
    Kate swallowed. “She ate all of them?”
    â€œYou didn’t tell her not to…”
    Lara trailed back into the kitchen, looking rather pale, and red under the eyes.
    â€œWere you sick?” Amy asked her.
    Lara nodded, and sat down on one of the stools, admiring the flourishing green tail that Kate had shaped. “I don’t care. I feel fine now.” She smiled faintly at Kate. “It was worth it.”
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    Choc was sitting next to Amy, wagging his tail hopefully. Dogs were not allowed on the bouncy castle – Kate had had to sign a piece of paper agreeing to all the rules, and that had been one of them. But now that it had stopped growing, Choc was desperate to get on it, Amy could tell. He was shivering with excitement, and he kept leaning closer and closer. Then he would wriggle his paws so the rest of him caught up with his nose.
    Amy was sitting next to him to hold him back. She’d had a go before everyone else arrived, and anyway the castle looked a bit dangerous now. Lara’s mate from nursery, Ben, was running from one side of the castle to the other, and just ploughing through anybody who got in his way.
    Kate had looked at them all bouncing and decided to change the timing plan slightly, so that tea was right at the end of the party. She said she loved Amy’s mum very much, but she wasn’t cleaning up a bouncy castle after ten children had been sick on it, even for her.
    Amy looked at her watch. Another quarter of an hour. She couldn’t wait for tea time – she wanted to see the mermaid cake in all its glory, with the candles in the sugar seashells that Kate had modelled out of the spare pink icing. Amy was so proud of it. She kept nipping back into the kitchen and sneaking little looks under the silver foil they’d covered it up with. Twice, she’d found Lara there admiring it too. The cake was probably the nicest thing she’d ever done for Lara, she thought.
    She got up, clicking her fingers to call Choc to follow her. If she left him in the garden, he’d be on that bouncy castle before she’d even got in the house. Choc and Ben together would be a lethal combination.
    â€œOoh, Amy, are you coming to help?” Kate stuffed a plate of sausages into her hands. “Can you put that in the middle of the table for me?”
    As soon as she went out into the garden again, the castle seemed to empty itself by magic.
    â€œIs it tea now?” about three small girls asked her, reaching for sausages.
    Amy nodded, holding the sausages out of their way. “Yes. Um, Kate?”
    â€œOh! Sit down first. No food for anyone who isn’t sitting down!” Kate ran out into the garden with more sausages and a slopping jug of squash.
    â€œWhen is it birthday cake?” Lara hissed to her. “Now? Can we have it now?”
    â€œNo. You have to eat other stuff first.” Kate nudged Amy. “That little girl next to Lara is licking the icing off the biscuits, and then she’s putting them back!”
    Amy nodded. “That’s what they do at parties, Kate. Lara’s doing it too, but she’s feeding the biscuits to Choc after she’s licked the icing. Choc, here, come here!” Amy crouched down by the party table, and Choc crept out reluctantly, looking hard done by and licking biscuit off his