I swung my legs back and forth, trying to gain some momentum. The worm responded by squeezing harder until my breath was coming in gasps and I felt as if my intestines were about to rise up through my gullet. The pain grew more intense and I was afraid I was going to black out. I forced myself alert. Once I had built up enough energy, I dived down and grabbed one of Jamie’s white-knuckled hands. His head rose and he stared at me in stark fear.

‘Hang on,’ I grunted, adjusting my grip so I wouldn’t lose him. Then I swung back, yanking hard.

Like a toy caught between two toddlers, Jamie’s body was now being pulled in both directions. His mouth opened in a silent scream. The stoor worm let out a strange whine again and loosened its hold slightly. Jamie was no longer being pulled in the direction of its cavernous mouth but it wouldn’t be long before it happened again.

I cast around. There had to be something here I could use as a weapon. Bob’s knife – scimitar – was on the floor but it was well out of reach.  If I could grab one of the pillows on the hard bed I could smack the stoor worm round the head – but unless the worm was allergic to feathers, that wasn’t going to help.

Growing more and more angry, the stoor worm threw out another tentacle. It smashed against the side of my head, making my senses reel. There was no way out of this, not without asking for help.

‘What do we do?’ Jamie shrieked.

‘The scimitar,’ I gasped. ‘Throw me the sodding scimitar.’ I couldn’t reach it from up here in the air but if Jamie could grab it I could summon Bob. Yes, there would be dangerous consequences but the alternative right now was either being squashed to death or chomped on.

Jamie was baffled. ‘Scimitar?’

‘Letter opener! Throw me the letter opener!’

His head swung round until his eyes alighted on the little knife. ‘It’s too small. It’s not going to do anything,’ he yelled as the stoor worm’s jaws snapped forward, narrowly missing him.

‘Just do it!’

He stretched out, taking the hilt and flinging it upwards. Unfortunately he timed it badly and the knife bounced into another swiping tentacle. Instead of flying up to me, it went out of the other window.

‘Bob!’ I screamed as the silver flashed in the failing sunlight. The genie didn’t answer.