He ran across the room and started trying to climb up the wardrobe, but it was too smooth and he kept slipping down.

‘Wish I was on top of the wardrobe, Sam!’

‘OK, I wish you were on top of the wardrobe.’

There he was, next to my suitcase full of money. I’d forgotten about that. He spread his arms like a diver and launched himself off into space.

I clutched my face in alarm – even though he’d said it was safe it did still look like a horribly long drop . . .

He hit the carpet, rolled and got up grinning all over his face.

‘You try!’

So for the next five minutes we played at jumping off the wardrobe. It was amazing – like bungee jumping, I guess, but we didn’t have to worry about hitting the ground. We were so light we couldn’t hurt ourselves.

‘I bet we could jump from higher – I bet we could jump from the roof of the house!’

I’m like, ‘D’you reckon?’

‘’Course. Look, we only weigh about as much as mice – and if a mouse fell off the roof it would be OK, wouldn’t it?’

‘I dunno.’

‘Wish you knew, then.’

‘Oh yeah. I wish I knew if a mouse would hurt itself if it fell off the roof of our house.’

And the little newsreader’s voice in my head said, No. It would receive a slight shock and scamper away unharmed.

‘I wish we were on the roof of our house, then!’

We sat on the ridge at the very top of the roof. Slate-grey tiles, each one about the size of our bathroom floor, sloped away from us. The garden was so far below it looked like another country.

‘This is it,’ Evan said. ‘The big one!’

I took a deep breath.

Evan stood up. ‘You ready?’

I nodded. I stood up.

I heard a beat of wings behind me and a massive great bird swooped down and snatched me up in its horrible, big, spiky talons, and flew off with me.

Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

The talons were gripping me tightly and it really hurt. I craned my neck round to look at the bird. It was like something out of a horror film. When you see birds pecking about on the lawn they can look quite cute. But when you see them really close-up they’re about as cute as a great white shark. This one had a cruel, curved beak and blank, psychotic eyes. It was planning to eat me, and it wouldn’t suffer a moment’s remorse. Scientists say birds are descended from dinosaurs, and all I can say is, I believe it.

‘I wish I was my normal size again!’