Free Lizard Loopy by Ali Sparkes

“ALLIGATOR!”
    The scream echoed across the hall, filled with blood-chilling terror. Claudia Petherwaite’s eyes were glassy with horror and her pink mouth was stretched wide as the scream poured out of it.
    The alligator swung its snout round and located Claudia’s scent. It grinned at her, taking a step closer, its dim swamp-green eyes fixing on the movement as she staggered backward toward the foldaway climbing bars. Her lunchbox fell to the floor, scattering sticks of celery and carrot across the scuffed wooden surface.
    The alligator was not distracted. It smelled meat. Not veg.
    â€œNO! NO! NO!!!” screamed Claudia Petherwaite, trying to scramble up the bars but failing because her shiny shoes were too slippery and her hands were slidey with fearful sweat.
    The alligator laughed—at least it looked that way. Its snaggletoothed snout lifted and its huge mouth opened wide, getting ready to snap down on a limb.
    â€œShouldn’t we help her?” screamed another girl, cowering by the stack of gym mats. “She’s going to be eaten alive!”
    â€œIt’s awful,” sobbed another, just behind her. “But she was so mean to Danny in biology this morning. Maybe it’s a bit harsh . . . but I—I suppose if
anyone
had to get eaten alive by an alligator . . .”
    The alligator’s mouth got wider still. Rows of vicious pointed teeth gleamed in the midday sun that shafted through the tall hall windows. Its stubby clawed feet dug into the wooden floor as it raised its scaly head on a thick, muscular neck. It roared and belched, and the stink of a recently dismembered gazelle wafted up toward Claudia,who was now babbling wildly, swinging on a gym rope just inches away from the ravening reptile’s gaping jaws.
    â€œI know—I know I was horrible to Danny,” she shrieked. “And it was so wrong of me to say he was stupid because he couldn’t spell “crysalis.” I never should have laughed at him. And now, as I’m about to be eaten alive, I just wish I could say sorry to him first . . . and tell him that he’s actually very clever and handsome and fabulous in e-every wa-a-ay . . . ayayaaaargh MY LEEEEEEG!”

    â€œAnd then I bite her leg off,” Danny said. He made a cracking and squelching noise and followed it with a gurgling scream. He rested his elbows on the gatepost and smiled happily.
    â€œYou need help,” Josh said. “Professional mental help.”
    â€œWhat—just because I want to S.W.I.T.C.H. into an alligator and bite Claudia Petherwaite’s leg off?” Danny shrugged at his twin. “Oh, come on! She’s
asking
to have her leg bitten off. I bet you half the kids in school would agree with me. There was never a girl so obviously in need of losing a leg to a killer reptile. It would probably make her a much nicer person. SO—come on! Let’s GO! I WANT TO BE AN ALLIGATOR!”
    Josh just folded his arms and stared at him—so Danny jumped up and down and squeaked like an over-excited toddler. “Come ON! I WANT TO BE—”
    Josh thwacked him on the back of the head with his hand.
    â€œGet a grip,” Josh said. “You’re eight, not three!”
    â€œBut I want to be an alligator,” whined Danny. “NOOOOOOOW!”
    â€œYou’ve acting crazy again,” Josh said. “I’m taking you home.” He grabbed his twin brother by the arm and yanked him up the path, away from their neighbor’s scruffy old red brick house. Away from any chance of Danny becoming an alligator.
    â€œYou can just pretend for now, like you do in those embarrassing dragony questy role-play games with Scott and Zac,” went on Josh, shoving Danny ahead of him down the side passage to the back garden. His twin was still so overexcited he was bouncing off the brick walls.
    â€œThey’re not embarrassing. They’re a laugh,” chirruped Danny. “And