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AMBUSH KIT

You need a lot of stuff for an Awful As I needed were--bats Lots and lots of bats So I went off to Uncle Drac’s turret to catch asbats, as I always help Uncle Drac with them whenever they escape Aunt Tabby hates bats She thinks that they are going to nest in her hair, but no self-respecting bat would want to go anywhere near Aunt Tabby’s hair, as it is stuffed full of hairpins

They would be bat-kebabs in five seconds flat Anyway, I founda rafter at the top of the turret Uncle Drac was fast asleep, snoring in his sleeping bag, which hung from the rafters and swayed with each snore There was a crowd of bats fast asleep all around hi Or perhaps I just couldn’t hear theh- pitched for humans to hear "Here, bats, " I whispered, and scooped up as many as I could and stuffed them into the sack The bats didn’tBat, who does not like anything, as he is a grumpy old bat

But I really wanted to have Big Bat in the aured he would be pretty scary

I grabbed hi, and he squeaked really loudly Uncle Drac stopped snoring and snuffled a bit in his sleeping bag, and I froze I really didn’t want him to wake up, as I kneould not letto save the house from a lot of stupid people anted to take it away from us Uncle Drac’s bats areelse in the world When I had enough bats, I took the in the dark They looked really happy The next thing I needed for the Awful Ambush Kit wasStrawberry Jell-O This was o back into Aunt Tabby’s territory

I had to get to the fourth- kitchen-on-the-right-just-past-the-boiler- room I zoomed by the boiler room at top speed, and I didn’t see Aunt Tabby anywhere, although there was a large pile of soot in the corner, so I knew she’d be around soon to sweep it up In no tiht-just-past-the-boiler- rooiant box of mix for Extra-Sticky Strawberry Jell-O I had made two buckets full of strawberry Jell-O and was slowly sloppingthe baseh, I heard Aunt Tabby "Is that you, dear?" she called out I don’t like it when Aunt Tabby says "dear" like that, -90- through gritted teeth It always means trouble I sped up as fast as I could, but it was too late You can never escape Aunt Tabby, however hard you try As I splashed past the open door to the boiler rooe pile of soot spoke to me "Well done, dear, " said the pile of soot "It’s very sweet of you to clean your bed- rooms It makes such a difference if people see a nice clean house I just hope they get to see a nice clean boiler as well

"The pile of soot shook itself, and I could see it was really Aunt Tabby with a broo that these people will be just right for the house, " she said I sto, " I ht " I soon had all the other stuff for the Awful A of assorted spiders Q a big pile of pillowcases Qa e box of balloons Q a giant bag of flour QQQ

I took it all down to Sir Horace’s roo pile in the hed I jumped about six feet into the air and nearly fell into a bucket of Extra-Sticky Strawberry Jell-O "Hello, " said Ed up on people like that, " I told hihost Someone could hurt themselves " "But Sir Horace told me to come and help you, " Ed ere going to put him in a dust bin with some bicycles and make him into cat food But I do not understand why they wish to do this " "It’s because of the Tabitha, " I told Edmund "Ah, " said Edmund, "I see "

After that Edhosts" ready-- Edmund blew up the balloons and I put the squealers in I tied a slipknot around the ends so that I could set them off quickly I put the balloons in the pillowcases and poured flour over thehosts" out onto the balcony Next I scooped all the spiders out of the spider bag and hung theled just above the place where people always stopped with their mouths wide open

Last of all I carried out the buckets of Extra-Sticky Strawberry Jell-O and set the in Sir Horace’s room until they were needed Then Edmund and I sat down behind the buckets and waited

We were ready for anything