LITMIR.BIZ

       “Happy Birthday to you,Squashed tomatoes and stew,Bread and butter in the gutter,Happy Birthday to you!”

      We were all walking back from school on Friday, arm in arm right across the pavement – me, Kenny, Fliss, Rosie and Lyndz. And because it was my birthday that weekend, the others had all decided to caterwaul really loudly at me, and expect me to like it.

      “Gee, thanks, you guys,” I said, putting on a really cheesy accent. “Ah’m reeeally moved by your beeootiful singing voices—ow!”

      “You’re just an ungrateful pig, Frankie Thomas,” grinned Kenny, bashing me in the ribs with her elbow again.

      “Yes, I agree with Kenny,” said Fliss in an exaggerated way, her eyelashes batting up and down like a pair of mad spiders. “We were trying our best, you know.”

      “I wasn’t,” said Rosie with a grin. “Anyone got any crisps?”

      “LYNDZ!” we all chorused. Lyndz always had food in her bag.

      “Hey, guys,” said Lyndz, burrowing deep down in her manky old rucksack (it had a stain on one corner which Fliss swore was horse muck), “I can’t wait for tomorrow, can you?”

      “Why, what’s happening tomorrow?” said Kenny in her most innocent voice, her eyebrows all crinkled and enquiring.

      “Oh, you know!” spluttered Lyndz, fishing out a squashed packet of crisps and passing them to Rosie. “Frankie’s birthday treat!”

      “Oh Lyndz, didn’t anyone tell you?” said Rosie slyly. “Frankie’s birthday treat has been cancelled. We’re not going to Animal World tomorrow after all, are we Franks?”

      “Give over,” I said, giving Rosie a friendly shove. “Poor Lyndz has been looking forward to this for weeks, haven’t you my leetle animal-loving friend?”

      “Squeak,” said Fliss solemnly.

      “Oink,” added Rosie.

      “GrrrRRRRrrr!” roared Kenny, making us all jump.

      “Yeah, yeah,” grinned Lyndz, looking totally relieved. “Squeak and oink and grrr to you too. So it’s still on then?”

      “Of course it is, you great lummock!” I laughed. “Ever since Dad came up with the idea, it’s been, like, on. He’s even got the tickets!”

      “Fantastic!” squealed Fliss.

      “So I’ll see you all tomorrow at nine, then?” I said. “Round at mine?”

      “Too right!” breathed Lyndz, in total ecstasy at the thought of all those animals she’d see tomorrow.

      “Er…” said Kenny, consulting an imaginary diary. “Well, I’m not sure if I can fit you in between feeding Merlin my rat and winding up big sis Molly. But I’ll see what I can do.”

      “OK – but when we get there, I’m not going anywhere near the snakes, right?” said Fliss. “Just so that’s clear.”

      “It’s clear,” we all said together. It was only about the zillionth time Fliss had said it.

      “Rendezvous-ing at oh-nine-hundred hours at the Thomas establishment,” nodded Rosie. “Unless I have a spy mission to attend to first, of course. I take my career in the Secret Service very seriously, you know.”

      Saturday dawned bright and misty – a perfect April morning, with just a little breeze in the air. Today was the day we were going to Animal World, and today was my birthday!

      I shot out of bed like my pyjamas were on fire, and hurtled down the stairs.

      “Hey!” laughed Dad, swerving out of the way as I bombed off the third last step in a huge, flying leap. “Happy birthday, Frankie love!”

      “Thanks, Dad!” I grinned. “What’s for breakfast?”

      Now, you might think I’m a total greedy-guts for asking that straight off, but it’s a Thomas tradition that we ALWAYS have fab birthday breakfasts. Eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, beans and veggie sausages for me – mmm! And Mum and Dad usually decorate the table too, with flowers and candles and, of course, PRESENTS piled round my plate. Coo-ell or what?

      “Happy birthday, love!” Mum gave me a big sloppy kiss and a hug. “Would you like scrambled or fried eggs?”

      Oh, man – birthdays are just the best, you know? Eggs for breakfast, presents to open, totally being the centre of the universe to everyone you meet, and a birthday outing with your best friends to look forward to! I hugged myself secretly with a lovely little shiver, and tried not to think of the worst thing about birthdays – that when they are over, you have to wait another 364 days till the next one. Or even 365 days, if it’s a leap year.

      “One, two three, Happy Birthday to you…” warbled Dad.

      Mum joined in, and even Izzy burbled a couple of notes and banged her spoon on the table, more or less in time. Pepsi barked hysterically the whole time. I don’t reckon she thought much of Dad’s singing voice, to tell the truth!

      Breakfast was ace. Mum and Dad gave me a wicked watch with funky silver sparkles in the strap, the latest S Club 7 CD and a new pair of fantastic flared trousers with beads sewn all round the bottom. Gran gave me a little gold-edged book of proverbs – she loves proverbs, my gran. I got a really cool top from Pepsi with a groovy silver logo on the front, and Izzy gave me a baseball cap, some nice smelly soaps and a bottle of nail varnish with lots of teeny little glittery lovehearts floating in it.

      I’d hardly got dressed (in my new flares) when the doorbell went for the first time. BING BONG! It was Lyndz – early, of course.

      “Happy birthday, Frankie!” she said breathlessly, passing me a squashy parcel wrapped up in cute paper covered in tigers. “Are the others here yet?”

      I looked at my new, sparkly watch. “Lyndz,” I said patiently, “it’s only quarter to nine. Give them a chance!”

      Lyndz had given me a little purse made of shaggy blue fur. “I just thought it was kind of cuddly,” she giggled. “You can get in some practice for all those animals you’ll be cuddling at Animal World!”

      By nine o’clock on the dot, all the others had arrived too. I got some really adorable little hairgrips from Fliss, a gorgeous woven friendship bracelet from Rosie, and some fart spray from Kenny.

      “The fart spray would be really wicked if we sprayed it near the M&Ms in school one day,” sniggered Kenny. The M&Ms are our worst enemies – and fart spray is too good for them, quite frankly.

      “Now then, everyone ready?” asked Dad.

      “Yeah!” we all chorused, Lyndz loudest of all.

      “Then let’s go!”

      Animal World Wildlife Park was just the other side of Leicester, so it didn’t take us long to get there. Mum had to stay at home with Izzy, so it was just Dad and us – and it was kind of squashed in the car! But there was loads to talk about, so the journey went really quickly.

      “What shall we visit first?” Lyndz wanted

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