Free Fly Frenzy by Ali Sparkes Page A

working!” Mom knelt down and drove her trowel viciously into the soil. “We never know who might win this year, do we?”
    â€œDon’t we?” smirked Mrs. Sharpe. “Well, have fun trying. It really is quite a nice little garden . . . ” And she stalked off with her son. He was still sticking his tongue out at Josh and Danny.
    â€œCome on, you two,” said Mom. “Pay no attention to the genius! Weeding, please!”
    Josh and Danny worked their way along the wall. They pulled out very tiny weeds and threw them into Mom’s wheelbarrow. “Wee-aargh!” shrieked Danny, wildly flapping his hand. A small spider dropped off it and scuttled away.
    â€œYou know, I’m surprised you haven’t got over your fear of spiders,” said Josh, quietly. “Considering you’ve been a spider.”
    â€œ DON’T remind me!” Danny looked around warily for more eight-legged foes. “I’m trying to forget it ever happened.”
    â€œWhat—that we got hit by Miss Potts’s S.W.I.T.C.H. spray? And we got changed into spiders, fell down the drain, got rescued by rats. Then we were almost eaten by a toad and a blackbird, and then got made human again—all before dinner?” Josh grinned as Danny narrowed his eyes at him.
    â€œI don’t know how you can be so calm about it!” grunted Danny, brutally pulling up a dandelion.
    â€œI’m not!” said Josh. “It gives me the shivers just to think about Petty Potts. She’s hidden away in her secret lab behind the shed, turning all kinds of poor creatures into bugs just for fun. But it was kind of exciting too—wasn’t it? And she did turn us back again.”
    â€œExciting? It was terrifying ! I was a spider ! A spider! I was scared of my own legs !”
    Josh chucked another handful of weeds into the wheelbarrow. “Well, don’t worry. It’s all in the past now. We haven’t even seen Petty Potts since. And we’re never going next door again!”
    â€œAh!” said Mom to someone at the gate. “Good timing! I’m just about to go to the garden center now. Is it still OK for the boys to come over to your house?”
    Danny and Josh looked up from their weeding. Their mouths fell open in horror.
    Standing by the hedge was their next-door neighbor: Petty Potts.

“NOOOOOO!” shouted Josh and Danny. They stared aghast at the secret scientist who had transformed them into spiders.
    â€œJosh! Danny!” Their mother looked at them crossly. “How can you be so rude?”
    â€œWe—we—we mean . . . ” gabbled Josh. “We mean we wanted to come along to the garden center with you. Th-that’s all . . . ”
    Danny just gibbered.
    â€œWell, you can’t come! I have a lot to do if I’m going to win the contest. I don’t need you two running around and climbing up the trellises!” Mom put her hands on her hips. They knew it was no good arguing when she did that. But Danny tried anyway.
    â€œWe could help . . . ” he began.
    â€œNo! You couldn’t! I would leave you here, but Jenny’s going out. Miss Potts has very kindly offered to babysit you. Now, isn’t that nice of her?”
    Petty Potts smiled sweetly at them. To Danny she looked like a wolf in a tweed hat and glasses. “Come on in,” she said, heading back to her house. “I have cake . . . ”
    â€œRight,” said their mom. “Off you go then.”
    â€œBut she’s . . . weird!” hissed Danny.
    â€œNonsense,” said their mother. “She’s very nice once you get to know her. I know she was always complaining about your noisy playing before. But just recently I think she’s become rather fond of you both.”
    â€œIt’s only because she wants to use us for experiments,” muttered Danny.
    Mom laughed. “You and your crazy ideas, Danny! Now, on your best behavior,