Free Shrunk! by F. R. Hitchcock

out together. Oh no! What
is
Eric going to say? I look across, he’s talking to a policewoman. He looks as if he’s saying quite a lot.
    â€˜You were, or you weren’t.’
    â€˜I was,’ I say, as quietly as possible. I need to keep this upset thing going. I sniff, loudly, and the policeman digs in his pocket for a tissue.
    â€˜So what time do you think you went out?’ asks the policeman.
    â€˜About six?’ What’s Eric going to say?
    â€˜And did you see Jacob?’
    â€˜I did.’ Now why did I say that?
    The policeman holds up his hand, and a policewoman appears, looking all concerned. Mr Bell follows – he looks even more concerned.
    There’s a horrible silence in the classroom, and from deep in my pocket, I hear Jacob yowling like a cat. I put my hand over my stomach and pretend it was me. He’s singing something. ‘Ring a Ring o’ Roses’?
    The policemen look at each other and frown.
    Too loudly, I say, ‘My phone.’ No one looks as if they believe me, so I have to start talking to cover the noise. ‘Eric was there too. We both saw Jacob – didn’t we?’
    The girls gasp.
    The boys shuffle their feet and bang the chairs.
    â€˜Yes,’ says Eric, and stares at me.
    â€˜He took your sweets – don’t you remember?’
    The henchmen giggle. The policeman looks round and they shut up, immediately.
    â€˜Yes,’ says Eric, still staring at me.
    â€˜That doesn’t sound like Jacob!’ says Mr Bell.
    The policemen look puzzled.
    â€˜It does. He’s a bully,’ says Eric.
    The girls gasp.
    â€˜No he’s not – he’s a gifted and talented youth,’ says Mr Bell.
    â€˜When was this?’ asks the policewoman.
    Jacob’s yowling again. I can’t keep pretending it’s my stomach – he’s kicking and punching at the camera bag and my hand really hurts.
    â€˜Just as it got dark,’ I say quickly and loudly. ‘We were near the town hall, he tried to take Eric’s sweets, and then I came along and he . . .’
    I can’t say,
shrank
.
    â€˜Yes?’ asks the policewoman.
    â€˜Vanished.’
    â€˜Yes,’ says Eric.
    â€˜Where? Vanished?’ asks Mr Bell.
    â€˜Vanished,’ I say.
    â€˜Vanished,’ says Eric.
    Jacob starts singing, ‘London’s Burning’.
    â€˜Into the dark,’ I say.
    â€˜Into the dark,’ says Eric.
    â€˜Hmm,’ says Mr Bell.

Chapter 24
    They finally let us out at lunchtime. By then my stomach really is rumbling. Jacob’s bitten through the bag, and is yelling his head off. He’s singing rude songs about Eric.
    â€˜Dinner hall!’ shouts Eric.
    Luckily the hall’s so noisy no one could possibly hear Jacob, and we take as long as we can to get our packed lunches out of the store.
    â€˜Whew,’ says Eric.
    â€˜Did you hear him?’
    â€˜I heard “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” when Mr Bell was on about strangers and aliens. You should have left him at home.’
    â€˜And have Grandma find him?’
    Eric sighs. ‘What
are
you going to do with him? He can’t live like that for ever.’
    â€˜He’s the least of my worries.’
    â€˜I’ll come and help you look for Jupiter.’
    In the playground, we hide behind the bins and Eric gives Jacob a corner of his tofu sandwich.
    Jacob bites into the sandwich and scowls. ‘Yuk, Four Eyes, this is disgusting. D’you eat this muck every day?’
    â€˜It’s nutritious, and healthy. At least I won’t die of clogged arteries, and obesity.’
    â€˜What d’you mean? Are you calling me obese?’
    Eric looks across at me. ‘Well, yes,’ he says. ‘Technically, I think you probably are.’
    Jacob squeezes in his gut. It doesn’t really get any smaller. But I notice he seems less like a bed bug now, and more like a pile of overripe tomatoes.