DUMMY1/sn209_0077.wav|At all that noise, Pinocchio lifted his head and raised his eyes.
DUMMY1/sn209_0078.wav|There, in front of him, in a box sat a beautiful woman.
DUMMY1/sn209_0079.wav|Around her neck she wore a long gold chain, from which hung a large medallion.
DUMMY1/sn209_0080.wav|"On the medallion was painted the picture of a Marionette. ""That picture is of me!"
DUMMY1/sn209_0081.wav|"That beautiful lady is my Fairy!"" said Pinocchio to himself, recognizing her."
DUMMY1/sn209_0082.wav|He felt so happy that he tried his best to cry out:
DUMMY1/sn209_0083.wav|"""Oh, my Fairy!"
DUMMY1/sn209_0084.wav|"My own Fairy!"" But instead of words, a loud braying was heard in the theater, so loud and so long that all the spectators -- men, women, and children, but especially the children -- burst out laughing."
DUMMY1/sn209_0085.wav|Then, in order to teach the Donkey that it was not good manners to bray before the public, the Manager hit him on the nose with the handle of the whip.
DUMMY1/sn209_0086.wav|The poor little Donkey stuck out a long tongue and licked his nose for a long time in an effort to take away the pain.
DUMMY1/sn209_0087.wav|And what was his grief when on looking up toward the boxes, he saw that the Fairy had disappeared!
DUMMY1/sn209_0088.wav|He felt himself fainting, his eyes filled with tears, and he wept bitterly.
DUMMY1/sn209_0089.wav|No one knew it, however, least of all the Manager, who, cracking his whip, cried out:
DUMMY1/sn209_0090.wav|"""Bravo, Pinocchio!"
DUMMY1/sn209_0091.wav|"Now show us how gracefully you can jump through the rings."" Pinocchio tried two or three times, but each time he came near the ring, he found it more to his taste to go under it."
DUMMY1/sn209_0092.wav|The fourth time, at a look from his master he leaped through it, but as he did so his hind legs caught in the ring and he fell to the floor in a heap.
DUMMY1/sn209_0093.wav|When he got up, he was lame and could hardly limp as far as the stable.
DUMMY1/sn209_0094.wav|"""Pinocchio!"
DUMMY1/sn209_0095.wav|We want Pinocchio!
DUMMY1/sn209_0096.wav|"We want the little Donkey!"" cried the boys from the orchestra, saddened by the accident."
DUMMY1/sn209_0097.wav|No one saw Pinocchio again that evening.
DUMMY1/sn209_0098.wav|The next morning the veterinary -- that is, the animal doctor -- declared that he would be lame for the rest of his life.
DUMMY1/sn209_0099.wav|"""What do I want with a lame donkey?"" said the Manager to the stableboy."
DUMMY1/sn209_0100.wav|"""Take him to the market and sell him."" When they reached the square, a buyer was soon found."
DUMMY1/sn209_0101.wav|"""How much do you ask for that little lame Donkey?"" he asked."
DUMMY1/sn209_0102.wav|"""Four dollars."" ""I'll give you four cents."
DUMMY1/sn209_0103.wav|Don't think I'm buying him for work.
DUMMY1/sn209_0104.wav|I want only his skin.
DUMMY1/sn209_0108.wav|His new owner took him to a high cliff overlooking the sea, put a stone around his neck, tied a rope to one of his hind feet, gave him a push, and threw him into the water.
DUMMY1/sn209_0109.wav|Pinocchio sank immediately.
DUMMY1/sn209_0110.wav|And his new master sat on the cliff waiting for him to drown, so as to skin him and make himself a drumhead.
DUMMY1/sn5_0001.wav|The head teacher knew for a fact that it was somebody else who had been doing all the bad spells around school.
DUMMY1/sn5_0002.wav|But not everybody knew that she was innocent.
DUMMY1/sn5_0003.wav|In fact, as far as most people were concerned, Katie was still the Number One Suspect. This unpleasant state of affairs became home to Katie when somebody stuck a horrid poster about her on the classroom pin board.
DUMMY1/sn5_0004.wav|It showed a picture of a witch with a pointed hat and a broom, and beneath the picture was written:
DUMMY1/sn5_0005.wav|Katie did not notice the poster at first, but then Isabelle said:
DUMMY1/sn5_0006.wav|“Hey Katie, you’re notorious.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0007.wav|Katie wasn’t quite sure if notorious was a good or a bad word, but when she saw the poster she realised that it was definitely bad.
DUMMY1/sn5_0008.wav|She ripped the poster off the wall and tore it up.
DUMMY1/sn5_0010.wav|Mandy said:
DUMMY1/sn5_0012.wav|Are going to turn me into a toad?”
DUMMY1/sn5_0014.wav|But she held back because that would be doing Black Magic. And that really would be bad.
DUMMY1/sn5_0015.wav|Katie knew that almost all the girls in her class were gossiping about her.
DUMMY1/sn5_0016.wav|Isis remained her only loyal and true friend.
DUMMY1/sn5_0017.wav|The boys didn’t seem to care if she was a witch or not, but the boys didn’t talk about anything much anyway, apart from football and action movies.
DUMMY1/sn5_0018.wav|Except for one.
DUMMY1/sn5_0019.wav|And that was Paul. You might think that Paul would be more wary of Katie than most.
DUMMY1/sn5_0020.wav|He had been acting the lead role in the school play that had gone embarrassingly wrong when somebody put a spell on it.
DUMMY1/sn5_0021.wav|He was good looking, and clever – so Katie thought – and the school play was the first time he had ever been in trouble.
DUMMY1/sn5_0022.wav|But Paul didn’t seem at all cross with Katie. In fact, he was really nice to her.
DUMMY1/sn5_0023.wav|For example, on Friday afternoon in the art class, when Katie was painting a black cat, Mandy whispered that it was a witch’s cat.
DUMMY1/sn5_0024.wav|But Paul said that the eyes in Katie’s painting were just like his own cat’s, and that he really liked his cat because she was mysterious and did her own thing.
DUMMY1/sn5_0025.wav|“Well, Paul likes weird things,”
DUMMY1/sn5_0026.wav|said Mandy.
DUMMY1/sn5_0027.wav|“In fact, he likes Katie.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0028.wav|And Judy asked,
DUMMY1/sn5_0029.wav|“Hey Paul, why do you talk to Katie?
DUMMY1/sn5_0030.wav|She put a jinx on your bid for stardom.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0031.wav|And the girls sniggered.
DUMMY1/sn5_0032.wav|And Jemma, who had also been in the play with Paul, and who was still crushingly embarrassed about saying all the wrong lines in front of all the parents and governors – not just any old wrong lines – but really stupid ones – was furious with Katie, and she said:
DUMMY1/sn5_0033.wav|“Look Paul, don’t you ever learn?
DUMMY1/sn5_0034.wav|Stay away from Katie. Witches are bad news.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0036.wav|“All you girls ever do is gossip and whisper nasty things.
DUMMY1/sn5_0037.wav|You don’t know everything.
DUMMY1/sn5_0038.wav|You just think you do.
DUMMY1/sn5_0039.wav|It wasn’t Katie who did those spells.
DUMMY1/sn5_0040.wav|Somebody stole her magic book.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0041.wav|“Oh yeah, if you believe that you’ll believe anything,”
DUMMY1/sn5_0042.wav|said Jemma. And then they all had to be quiet because Miss Stripes the art teacher was looking at them.
DUMMY1/sn5_0043.wav|And for the first time in a week, Katie felt really happy.
DUMMY1/sn5_0046.wav|In fact, if there was any boy in the class who was ok, it was Paul. He was so nice that he was almost like a girl, only he was a boy.
DUMMY1/sn5_0047.wav|In fact, he was perfect.
DUMMY1/sn5_0048.wav|But perhaps Paul wasn’t quite as perfect as he used to be.
DUMMY1/sn5_0049.wav|The next week he was late for school on Monday, and then on Tuesday, and then if he was late on Wednesday, he would be in serious trouble.
DUMMY1/sn5_0050.wav|It was nine.thirty on Wednesday morning.
DUMMY1/sn5_0051.wav|Miss Vile was taking the register.
DUMMY1/sn5_0052.wav|And Paul’s chair was empty.
DUMMY1/sn5_0053.wav|Miss Vile said:
DUMMY1/sn5_0054.wav|“Imran – “Yes, Miss Vile.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0056.wav|“Yes, Miss Vile.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0057.wav|“Katie”
DUMMY1/sn5_0058.wav|“Yes, Miss Vile.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0059.wav|And Katie thought:
DUMMY1/sn5_0061.wav|Miss Vile had reached Matthew. Next it would be Nathan and then it would be Paul. Katie wasn’t supposed to do spells at school, but then on the other hand, she really did owe Paul a favour, and she really didn’t want him to be in trouble, because that wouldn’t be fair, because normally he was so good.
DUMMY1/sn5_0062.wav|“Paul,”
DUMMY1/sn5_0063.wav|said Miss Vile. And before the teacher could look up at Paul’s empty chair, Katie quickly said a spell and made it look like he was sitting there and saying:
DUMMY1/sn5_0064.wav|“Yes, Miss Vile,”
DUMMY1/sn5_0065.wav|in a voice that sounded almost like his real one.
DUMMY1/sn5_0066.wav|But just as the magic Paul was answering the register, the real Paul walked into the room.
DUMMY1/sn5_0067.wav|So if anyone else looked up, the would see two Pauls. And that really could cause double trouble and confusion.
DUMMY1/sn5_0068.wav|Katie quickly said another spell to make the real Paul disappear for a moment while she sorted out the mess.
DUMMY1/sn5_0069.wav|Fortunately everyone was quite sleepy because it was first thing in the morning, and nobody seemed to notice the strange comings and goings of Paul’s likeness.
DUMMY1/sn5_0070.wav|Katie was pleased because she had helped Paul, even though he didn’t know that she had – or so she thought.
DUMMY1/sn5_0072.wav|“Thanks for helping me out Katie. But there was no need.
DUMMY1/sn5_0073.wav|I don’t want you to get into trouble for doing magic.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0074.wav|And Katie was surprised, because she didn’t think he could see through her magic.
DUMMY1/sn5_0075.wav|“Oh really it was nothing,”
DUMMY1/sn5_0076.wav|she said.
DUMMY1/sn5_0077.wav|“I owed you.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0078.wav|But Paul kept on getting into more trouble at school, and Katie wasn’t always there to help him.
DUMMY1/sn5_0080.wav|Mr Sadie, the games teacher, didn’t believe him and made him run twice as far as everyone else.
DUMMY1/sn5_0081.wav|On that occasion, Katie gave Paul just a little help, and said a spell to make him run faster.
DUMMY1/sn5_0082.wav|“Thanks once again,”
DUMMY1/sn5_0083.wav|said Paul later on.
DUMMY1/sn5_0084.wav|“Thanks for what?”
DUMMY1/sn5_0086.wav|“Thanks for making me run faster.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0087.wav|And this time Katie asked him how he knew that she had done some magic, because most people wouldn’t have noticed.
DUMMY1/sn5_0088.wav|And Paul let her into a secret.
DUMMY1/sn5_0089.wav|He told her that his grandfather had been a wizard.
DUMMY1/sn5_0090.wav|But his family were really embarrassed about it, and they hushed up this chapter in the family history and made Paul swear never to do any magic.
DUMMY1/sn5_0091.wav|His mum and dad thought that magic was something you should be ashamed of.
DUMMY1/sn5_0093.wav|said Katie.
DUMMY1/sn5_0094.wav|“But then, they aren’t the only ones who think like that.
DUMMY1/sn5_0095.wav|There’s a lot of prejudice against witches.
DUMMY1/sn5_0096.wav|People are afraid of us because they don’t understand us.
DUMMY1/sn5_0097.wav|That’s why it’s supposed to be a secret that I’m a witch.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0098.wav|“It’s not a very good secret,”
DUMMY1/sn5_0099.wav|said Paul.
DUMMY1/sn5_0100.wav|“Everyone knows it.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0102.wav|“Yes, I’ve noticed,”
DUMMY1/sn5_0103.wav|said Paul. Although what Paul had told Katie was a secret, she shared it with Isis because she was her best friend.
DUMMY1/sn5_0104.wav|And when Isis heard, she said:
DUMMY1/sn5_0105.wav|“Now it all makes perfect sense.
DUMMY1/sn5_0107.wav|That’s why he’s sticking up for you.
DUMMY1/sn5_0108.wav|He feels guilty that everyone is blaming you for his naughty spells.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0109.wav|And at first Katie couldn’t believe that Paul would do something bad like stealing her book.
DUMMY1/sn5_0110.wav|But then she thought some more, and she had to admit that whoever stole her book seemed to have a talent for magic.
DUMMY1/sn5_0111.wav|Because it was one thing to read the spells in a book, and it was another to actually do them.
DUMMY1/sn5_0112.wav|In fact it was really only supposed to be witches and wizards who could do them.
DUMMY1/sn5_0114.wav|said Isis.
DUMMY1/sn5_0116.wav|“I have not.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0117.wav|“Yes, you have.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0119.wav|admitted Katie. The next week Paul did something really, really bad.
DUMMY1/sn5_0120.wav|He sneaked out of school at lunchtime and went for a walk around town on his own.
DUMMY1/sn5_0121.wav|And then some rough boys started picking on him.
DUMMY1/sn5_0122.wav|A police car was going by and saw that there was a fight about to happen.
DUMMY1/sn5_0123.wav|They stopped to help Paul and that was how they found out that he was playing truant from school.
DUMMY1/sn5_0124.wav|Now he was in big trouble.
DUMMY1/sn5_0125.wav|Like getting excluded from school kind of trouble.
DUMMY1/sn5_0126.wav|Miss Hepworth, the head teacher, called his mother in for a chat.
DUMMY1/sn5_0127.wav|The word was out that Paul was going to get the Big Push. Paul wasn’t in school, but Katie really wanted to talk to him.
DUMMY1/sn5_0128.wav|She had never been to Paul’s house, and she didn’t have his phone number or email address.
DUMMY1/sn5_0129.wav|But that didn’t stop her.
DUMMY1/sn5_0130.wav|Her mum had a magic phone that knew everyone’s number in the entire world, even the numbers of people like the Queen, or the President of the United States, or Sir Paul McCartney. Mum never used it to call people like them, because she said they were busy, and in any case, they didn’t need any help or advice from a witch because they had their own kind of magic.
DUMMY1/sn5_0131.wav|But the phone was incredibly useful when you lost a friend’s number, or didn’t have it in the first place.
DUMMY1/sn5_0132.wav|Katie picked it up and just said:
DUMMY1/sn5_0133.wav|“I’d like to call Paul please,”
DUMMY1/sn5_0134.wav|And the phone understood which Paul she meant and it called him right away.
DUMMY1/sn5_0135.wav|Paul’s mum answered and she heard her call up the stairs:
DUMMY1/sn5_0137.wav|on the phone for you.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0138.wav|And a bit later Paul picked up the receiver and said:
DUMMY1/sn5_0139.wav|“Hello Katie. Or perhaps I should say goodbye.
DUMMY1/sn5_0140.wav|You know they’re going to kick me out of school.”
DUMMY1/sn5_0141.wav|“I’m so cross with you,”
DUMMY1/sn5_0142.wav|said Katie.
DUMMY1/sn5_0143.wav|“Why have you been acting so bad recently?
DUMMY1/sn5_0144.wav|You’ve always been so well behaved.
DUMMY1/sn73_0001.wav|She lived in a nice house, on a nice street.
DUMMY1/sn73_0002.wav|She had a little brother called Joe, and a dog called Marmalade. And most of the time Natalie was happy.
DUMMY1/sn73_0003.wav|She played with her friends.
DUMMY1/sn73_0004.wav|She played with her dog.
DUMMY1/sn73_0005.wav|Sometimes she even played with Joe – when he wasn’t being annoying.
DUMMY1/sn73_0006.wav|But there was one thing Natalie didn’t like.
DUMMY1/sn73_0007.wav|Getting up.
DUMMY1/sn73_0008.wav|Every morning her Dad would come into her room and say:
DUMMY1/sn73_0009.wav|“C’mon Natalie, time to get up.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0010.wav|And Natalie would say:
DUMMY1/sn73_0011.wav|“Just one more minute.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0012.wav|“Now, now, you’ll be late for school,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0014.wav|“Just one tiny minute,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0015.wav|Natalie would say.
DUMMY1/sn73_0017.wav|“Now, Natalie.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0018.wav|“It’s so warm in bed,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0019.wav|Natalie would moan.
DUMMY1/sn73_0020.wav|And so it went on every morning.
DUMMY1/sn73_0021.wav|Dad would shout at Natalie to get up.
DUMMY1/sn73_0022.wav|Mum would shout at her.
DUMMY1/sn73_0023.wav|And Marmalade the dog would bark.
DUMMY1/sn73_0024.wav|And Joe would already be up.
DUMMY1/sn73_0025.wav|And then Mum would shout at her again.
DUMMY1/sn73_0026.wav|And the dog would bark even louder.
DUMMY1/sn73_0027.wav|But Natalie just pulled the cover over her ears.
DUMMY1/sn73_0028.wav|Because Natalie just really, really, really hated getting out of bed in the morning.
DUMMY1/sn73_0029.wav|“You know, Natalie, one day you’re going to miss something really important because you stay in bed too long,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0030.wav|said Dad. As it happened, something very important was about to happen.
DUMMY1/sn73_0031.wav|The nights were getting longer, and the leaves were falling from the trees, and soon Natalie was getting very excited because it was getting close to Christmas. And she had so many different things she had asked for.
DUMMY1/sn73_0032.wav|She wanted a new game for her Nintendo DS. And a doll that cried real tears.
DUMMY1/sn73_0034.wav|Of course, she had to rehearse for the school play – except she nearly missed it because she was sleeping in.
DUMMY1/sn73_0035.wav|And she had to go and see Santa in the grotto – but she nearly missed that as well because she didn’t want to get out of bed.
DUMMY1/sn73_0036.wav|“I just don’t know what to do about all this sleeping,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0037.wav|said Mum. But Natalie didn’t care.
DUMMY1/sn73_0038.wav|If I want to stay in bed, why shouldn’t I?
DUMMY1/sn73_0039.wav|she decided to herself.
DUMMY1/sn73_0040.wav|So finally Christmas Eve arrived.
DUMMY1/sn73_0041.wav|And Natalie was so excited she found it really hard to get to sleep.
DUMMY1/sn73_0042.wav|She wanted to stay and see if she could really see Santa. She tried ever so hard to stay awake as long as she could.
DUMMY1/sn73_0043.wav|But eventually, she went off to sleep.
DUMMY1/sn73_0044.wav|And she slept.
DUMMY1/sn73_0045.wav|And slept.
DUMMY1/sn73_0047.wav|At one point she heard Dad coming into the room to wake her – but she just rolled over, put the pillow over her head, and went back to sleep again.
DUMMY1/sn73_0048.wav|Finally she decided she had been so long in bed that it was starting to get boring.
DUMMY1/sn73_0049.wav|She pulled away the pillow and looked towards the window.
DUMMY1/sn73_0050.wav|It was morning.
DUMMY1/sn73_0051.wav|“Wow, it’s Christmas day,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0052.wav|said Natalie.
DUMMY1/sn73_0053.wav|“I’m so excited.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0054.wav|She looked towards the end of her bed.
DUMMY1/sn73_0055.wav|But where was the stocking?
DUMMY1/sn73_0056.wav|she wondered.
DUMMY1/sn73_0057.wav|Where had Santa left all his toys?
DUMMY1/sn73_0058.wav|Natalie jumped out of bed, and ran downstairs.
DUMMY1/sn73_0059.wav|She was quite out of breath – because she’d never jumped out of bed before.
DUMMY1/sn73_0060.wav|“Mum, Dad, its Christmas,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0061.wav|she shouted.
DUMMY1/sn73_0062.wav|She glanced around the room.
DUMMY1/sn73_0063.wav|Joe was playing with a new toy car.
DUMMY1/sn73_0064.wav|Mum was folding away some used wrapping paper.
DUMMY1/sn73_0065.wav|Dad was reading a boring looking book with no pictures — in fact, the sort of book Mum gave him every year.
DUMMY1/sn73_0066.wav|And Marmalade the dog was eating something that looked suspiciously like turkey leftovers.
DUMMY1/sn73_0068.wav|shouted Natalie, even louder this time.
DUMMY1/sn73_0069.wav|There was a silence.
DUMMY1/sn73_0070.wav|Everyone looked at her – everyone that is except Marmalade who was busy eating turkey.
DUMMY1/sn73_0072.wav|said Natalie, more quietly now.
DUMMY1/sn73_0073.wav|“You mean, it was Christmas,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0075.wav|“You slept right through,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0077.wav|“We tried to wake you,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0078.wav|said Dad.
DUMMY1/sn73_0079.wav|“But, but, but....”
DUMMY1/sn73_0080.wav|said Natalie.
DUMMY1/sn73_0081.wav|“I told you you’d miss something important one day,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0084.wav|said Joe.
DUMMY1/sn73_0085.wav|“We had loads of food, and loads of presents.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0086.wav|“And I missed it,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0087.wav|wailed Natalie. And she started to cry.
DUMMY1/sn73_0088.wav|And cry.
DUMMY1/sn73_0089.wav|And cry.
DUMMY1/sn73_0090.wav|“Sorry,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0091.wav|said Dad.
DUMMY1/sn73_0092.wav|“It also means you didn’t get any presents from Santa. But don’t worry, there will be another Christmas next year.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0094.wav|wailed Natalie.
DUMMY1/sn73_0095.wav|“But I always told you you’d miss something important if you didn’t get out of bed in time,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0096.wav|said Dad.
DUMMY1/sn73_0097.wav|“Now, help me clear away all this wrapping paper....”
DUMMY1/sn73_0098.wav|But Natalie just walked out of the house.
DUMMY1/sn73_0099.wav|She walked through the garden.
DUMMY1/sn73_0100.wav|And across the park.
DUMMY1/sn73_0101.wav|When she got there, she cried and cried.
DUMMY1/sn73_0102.wav|She was so upset about missing Christmas. And she didn’t know how she could wait for a whole year.
DUMMY1/sn73_0103.wav|Now, it so happened that it was still very early in the morning.
DUMMY1/sn73_0104.wav|And the sun was only just coming up, so it was still quite dark.
DUMMY1/sn73_0105.wav|And at that very moment, Santa was just trudging his way across the sky in his sleigh on his way back to Lapland. He was very tired.
DUMMY1/sn73_0106.wav|And so were the reindeer, because they’d been all around the world delivering presents to all the children.
DUMMY1/sn73_0107.wav|But, even though he was tired, he couldn’t help noticing one little girl sitting on a park bench all by herself.
DUMMY1/sn73_0108.wav|And crying and crying.
DUMMY1/sn73_0109.wav|“Whoa there Rudolf,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0110.wav|said Santa.
DUMMY1/sn73_0113.wav|said Rudolf, who was hungry and tired, and wanted to get back to his grotto to get some food.
DUMMY1/sn73_0115.wav|No gratitude....”
DUMMY1/sn73_0116.wav|“We better see,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0117.wav|said Santa. And so he pulled the sleigh down into the park.
DUMMY1/sn73_0118.wav|“What’s the matter?”
DUMMY1/sn73_0121.wav|said Rudolph.
DUMMY1/sn73_0123.wav|When I started this job they were happy with a small piece of wood and an orange.
DUMMY1/sn73_0124.wav|The stuff you have to carry noawadays.
DUMMY1/sn73_0125.wav|It’s hardly surprising my back hurts.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0126.wav|“Didn’t you like your presents?”
DUMMY1/sn73_0127.wav|said Santa. Natalie rubbed her eyes, and then looked up.
DUMMY1/sn73_0128.wav|And she gasped.
DUMMY1/sn73_0129.wav|Santa was sitting right next to her.
DUMMY1/sn73_0130.wav|“Oh-my-gosh,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0131.wav|she said.
DUMMY1/sn73_0132.wav|“Is it....you?”
DUMMY1/sn73_0134.wav|said Santa.
DUMMY1/sn73_0135.wav|“You see I’m not really supposed to show myself to children.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0136.wav|“We’ll be in trouble for this,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0137.wav|moaned Rudolph.
DUMMY1/sn73_0138.wav|“I told you we should have gone straight home.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0139.wav|But Natalie gave Santa a hug.
DUMMY1/sn73_0140.wav|“You see Santa, I slept right through Christmas....and now I’ve missed it.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0142.wav|said Santa. Then he looked towards the house.
DUMMY1/sn73_0143.wav|“We’ve still got a few things left in the sack,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0144.wav|he said.
DUMMY1/sn73_0145.wav|“So go inside, and check the fireplace in your bedroom in a few minutes.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0146.wav|“But, but....”
DUMMY1/sn73_0147.wav|“Just go,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0148.wav|said Santa. So Natalie stated to walk home.
DUMMY1/sn73_0149.wav|And Santa went back to his sleigh.
DUMMY1/sn73_0150.wav|“We’re not doing another delivery are we,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0151.wav|said Rudolph.
DUMMY1/sn73_0152.wav|“Because, that’s overtime, that’s what that is...I’ll need an extra carrot for that.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0153.wav|“Oh, c’mon you lazy animal,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0154.wav|said Santa. And then Natalie came back into the house.
DUMMY1/sn73_0155.wav|She couldn’t believe her eyes.
DUMMY1/sn73_0156.wav|Jingle bells was playing on the hi-fi.
DUMMY1/sn73_0157.wav|Everyone was wearing hats.
DUMMY1/sn73_0158.wav|And her mum had re-heated some turkey and made some fresh roast potatoes.
DUMMY1/sn73_0159.wav|“We thought we’d re-start Christmas,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0160.wav|said Dad.
DUMMY1/sn73_0161.wav|“Just for you.”
DUMMY1/sn73_0162.wav|And Natalie jumped up and down, then ran upstairs.
DUMMY1/sn73_0163.wav|Because in the fireplace in her bedroom there was a stocking bursting with presents – there was a doll with real tears, a princess on a white pony, a game for her nintendo, and, finally, after she had opened all the other presents from Santa there was one special one from Dad – An Alarm Clock!
DUMMY1/sn73_0164.wav|So for the rest of the day, Natalie had the best Christmas ever.
DUMMY1/sn73_0165.wav|And do you know what?
DUMMY1/sn73_0166.wav|A couple of weeks later it was the first day of a new term.
DUMMY1/sn73_0167.wav|Dad came into the bedroom.
DUMMY1/sn73_0169.wav|he said.
DUMMY1/sn73_0170.wav|The he looked around.
DUMMY1/sn73_0171.wav|“Natalie,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0172.wav|he said, sounding worried.
DUMMY1/sn73_0174.wav|But he couldn’t see her anywhere.
DUMMY1/sn73_0175.wav|Then he heard a voice from downstairs.
DUMMY1/sn73_0176.wav|So he rushed down to kitchen.
DUMMY1/sn73_0177.wav|And Natalie was out of bed, had put on her school uniform and brushed her hair, and had made breakfast for everyone.
DUMMY1/sn73_0178.wav|“I’m never going to be late for anything again, Dad,”
DUMMY1/sn73_0179.wav|she said.
DUMMY1/sn78_0001.wav|The answer is simple:
DUMMY1/sn78_0002.wav|Tick Tock Turkey, and his friend Future Dog, can travel in time, and it usually results in a lot of confusion.
DUMMY1/sn78_0004.wav|White, dark, milky, with nuts, with caramel, any way you like it, chocolate is the best.
DUMMY1/sn78_0005.wav|And Egg Island is fortunate enough to have the world’s only Chocolate Tree. It’s made out of solid chocolate, with hot chocolate sauce in its centre, and it grows chocolate fruit all year round, as long as it has plenty of sun and shade and water.
DUMMY1/sn78_0006.wav|Tick Tock Turkey had spent the best part of the day in the jungle, steadily gobbling his way through all of the chocolatey bits and pieces beneath the Chocolate Tree. He’d started with the juicy chocolate berries, which were so big and swollen with sugary goodness that they had fallen like chestnuts to the ground.
DUMMY1/sn78_0007.wav|Once they were all gone, he’d set about eating all of the chocolate leaves that had dried and curled in the sun before wafting gently on the breeze to fall in the shade of the tree.
DUMMY1/sn78_0008.wav|When they were finished, he munched the chocolate twigs that lay strewn about the jungle floor.
DUMMY1/sn78_0009.wav|The chocolate twigs didn’t taste anywhere near as nice as the berries, or the leaves.
DUMMY1/sn78_0010.wav|The twigs were dry and bitter.
DUMMY1/sn78_0011.wav|But they were still chocolate.
DUMMY1/sn78_0012.wav|Tick Tock Turkey decided they shouldn’t be wasted.
DUMMY1/sn78_0013.wav|Besides, he wasn’t full yet.
DUMMY1/sn78_0014.wav|After a long time, and a considerable amount of gobbling, Tick Tock Turkey sat heavily at the bottom of the tree.
DUMMY1/sn78_0015.wav|His belly was packed with chocolate, and his beak and wings were covered in brown chocolate sauce.
DUMMY1/sn78_0016.wav|‘Oh dear,’ he said, rubbing his tummy.
DUMMY1/sn78_0017.wav|‘I feel queasy now.
DUMMY1/sn78_0018.wav|I must be full up.
DUMMY1/sn78_0019.wav|Future Dog says it’s important to eat enough, but never too much.
DUMMY1/sn78_0020.wav|I should stop for a rest, to let the food go down.’ He lay back in the sun, and licked some chocolate from his beak.
DUMMY1/sn78_0022.wav|On with the chocolate!’ Tick Tock Turkey jumped to his feet and looked eagerly around him.
DUMMY1/sn78_0023.wav|‘Oh no,’ he said.
DUMMY1/sn78_0024.wav|‘It can’t all be gone!’ He strutted around the Chocolate Tree looking hard at the ground for more chocolate bits.
DUMMY1/sn78_0025.wav|‘There must be something.
DUMMY1/sn78_0026.wav|A little bit of chocolate berry?
DUMMY1/sn78_0028.wav|A leaf?
DUMMY1/sn78_0029.wav|Maybe a piece of bark that’s fallen off?’ But there was nothing more to eat.
DUMMY1/sn78_0030.wav|Tick Tock Turkey sighed and shrugged.
DUMMY1/sn78_0031.wav|Then his eyes wandered up to the Chocolate Tree. There had been plenty of rain and sun in the past few days, and the tree had a decent crop of chocolate berries and even some big, stripy, chocolate bananamatoes dangling from its branches.
DUMMY1/sn78_0032.wav|Tick Tock Turkey’s eyes grew large and his tongue wagged.
DUMMY1/sn78_0033.wav|‘They look so juicy and sweet,’ he said.
DUMMY1/sn78_0034.wav|‘But Future Dog told me off for picking things straight from the tree.
DUMMY1/sn78_0035.wav|She said if I keep on taking chocolate sauce from the trunk for my sandwiches, and eating all the fruit without letting some fall to the ground, that eventually the Chocolate Tree won’t grow anymore, and there’ll be no more chocolate on Egg Island Ever. And that wouldn’t do.’ He looked sadly at the tree.
DUMMY1/sn78_0036.wav|‘But I’m so hungry.
DUMMY1/sn78_0037.wav|In fact, if I don’t eat something soon, I might faint or get sick.
DUMMY1/sn78_0038.wav|And no one would want that.
DUMMY1/sn78_0039.wav|I’m sorry Mister Chocolate Tree – but this is a medical emergency and I need some bananamatoes right now!
DUMMY1/sn78_0040.wav|Doctor’s orders!’ With a loud flap of his wings and a flurry of feathers, Tick Tock Turkey hopped into the branches and started gobbling the fruit.
DUMMY1/sn78_0042.wav|‘TICK TOCK TURKEY!’ came an angry voice from below.
DUMMY1/sn78_0043.wav|‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?’ Tick Tock Turkey froze.
DUMMY1/sn78_0044.wav|It was Future Dog, and she looked absolutely furious.
DUMMY1/sn78_0045.wav|Tick Tock Turkey hopped down from the tree and hung his head.
DUMMY1/sn78_0046.wav|‘I was just, um, checking how the fruit was getting on.
DUMMY1/sn78_0047.wav|They’re growing very well.’ ‘Were you now?’ said Future Dog. ‘And how do you explain all the chocolate on your beak?
DUMMY1/sn78_0048.wav|And that half eaten bananamato you’re hiding behind your back?’ ‘Oh, Future Dog,’ said Tick Tock Turkey. ‘I was just so hungry, I felt ill, and I had to have a tiny nibble.
DUMMY1/sn78_0049.wav|It won’t do any harm.’ Future Dog folded her paws crossly.
DUMMY1/sn78_0050.wav|‘Tick Tock Turkey, you probably felt ill because you’ve eaten too much!
DUMMY1/sn78_0051.wav|What did I tell you about the Chocolate Tree?
DUMMY1/sn78_0052.wav|It’s very precious and you have to be extremely careful with it.’ ‘I’m sorry,’ said Tick Tock Turkey. ‘I won’t do it again.
DUMMY1/sn78_0053.wav|But it’s just soo tasty...’ ‘And that’s why it’s so special,’ said Future Dog. ‘Now let’s go down to the beach, and maybe you can get some exercise and work off some of that fatty chocolate.’ ‘Exercise?’ said Tick Tock Turkey, ‘bor-ing.
DUMMY1/sn78_0054.wav|What’s that you’ve got in your hand?’ Future Dog held up a small musical instrument with strings.
DUMMY1/sn78_0055.wav|‘This is a banjo.
DUMMY1/sn78_0056.wav|I’m teaching Blobert how to play.’ ‘Blobert!’ sniffed Tick Tock Turkey, ‘that stupid blob.’ ‘Don’t be rude about people who aren’t here,’ said Future Dog. ‘Blobert is actually a very good player.’ ‘Fair enough,’ said Tick Tock Turkey. ‘But I can’t imagine how he plucks the strings with those blobby fingers.’ ‘That’s enough,’ said Future Dog. ‘I’m going to play volleyball.
DUMMY1/sn78_0057.wav|If you aren’t coming, then at least try to stay out of trouble.
DUMMY1/sn78_0058.wav|And no more chocolate today!’ Future Dog strolled off through the jungle towards the beach.
DUMMY1/sn78_0059.wav|Tick Tock Turkey watched her go.
DUMMY1/sn78_0060.wav|And then Tick Tock Turkey did something very naughty.
DUMMY1/sn78_0062.wav|There’s nothing for it – I’m going to use the time watch!’ He fiddled with the button on his watch.
DUMMY1/sn78_0063.wav|There was a fizz and sizzle of sparkling lights around him, a loud WHOOSH!, and everything was still again.
DUMMY1/sn78_0064.wav|Tick Tock Turkey looked around.
DUMMY1/sn78_0065.wav|The jungle appeared more or less as it should.
DUMMY1/sn78_0066.wav|The trees were the same, although perhaps a little smaller.
DUMMY1/sn78_0067.wav|He could see Egg Mountain very clearly in the middle of the island – tall and grey against the cloudy sky.
DUMMY1/sn78_0068.wav|The view of the mountain wasn’t usually so clear.
DUMMY1/sn78_0069.wav|He could also see a big turkey statue nearby.
DUMMY1/sn78_0070.wav|This statue was usually covered in moss and vines, but now it looked clean and bright and new.
DUMMY1/sn78_0071.wav|Its edges were sharp.
DUMMY1/sn78_0073.wav|‘Very odd,’ he said, with a shiver.
DUMMY1/sn78_0074.wav|‘Anyway, let’s have some of those delicious bananamatoes!’ But the Chocolate Tree wasn’t there.
DUMMY1/sn78_0075.wav|There was a big gap in the jungle where the tree should be.
DUMMY1/sn78_0076.wav|‘What?’ said Tick Tock Turkey. ‘Where’s it gone?
DUMMY1/sn78_0077.wav|It’s such a huge tree!
DUMMY1/sn78_0080.wav|What?’ The tree was nowhere to be seen.
DUMMY1/sn78_0081.wav|Tick Tock Turkey waddled up to the exact spot where the trunk of the Chocolate Tree used to sprout from the earth.
DUMMY1/sn78_0082.wav|He peered down, squinting, and poking at the ground with his feet.
DUMMY1/sn78_0083.wav|‘Where could it be?’ he said.
DUMMY1/sn78_0084.wav|Tick Tock Turkey noticed something peeping through the soil.
DUMMY1/sn78_0085.wav|It was a tiny brown shoot.
DUMMY1/sn78_0086.wav|He sniffed it.
DUMMY1/sn78_0087.wav|Definitely chocolatey!
DUMMY1/sn78_0088.wav|He pulled at the shoot with his beak and, gradually, out came a long, thick, sugary chocolate root.
DUMMY1/sn78_0090.wav|‘Eureka!’ cried Tick Tock Turkey. He took a bite.
DUMMY1/sn78_0091.wav|It was quite simply the sweetest, chocolatiest, most delicious thing he had ever eaten.
DUMMY1/sn78_0092.wav|‘I’m in chocolate heaven!’ he said, and, with a few enormous gobbles, he finished the root.
DUMMY1/sn78_0093.wav|He let out an enormous burp.
DUMMY1/sn78_0094.wav|‘That was spectacular,’ he said, patting his swollen tummy.
DUMMY1/sn78_0095.wav|‘I’d better get back before Future Dog misses me.’ He fiddled with the time watch again.
DUMMY1/sn78_0096.wav|‘I’ll try to go back to just after I left, then no one will suspect a thing!’ He pushed the button, and, with a loud SHOOWH!, he was back in the jungle clearing of today.
DUMMY1/sn78_0097.wav|‘What have you been doing?’ asked Future Dog, who was standing there waiting, tapping her paw on the ground.
DUMMY1/sn78_0098.wav|‘Oh, hello,’ said Tick Tock Turkey, taken aback, ‘I was just, um, trying out the time watch.
DUMMY1/sn78_0099.wav|I think I’ve got the hang of it now, thank you.’ ‘Well,’ said Future Dog, ‘I came back to check on you, and I was very surprised to see what’s happened to the Chocolate Tree.’ ‘I didn’t do anything!’ gobbled Tick Tock Turkey. ‘You said no more chocolate today and I haven’t had anymore chocolate today.
DUMMY1/sn78_0100.wav|I didn’t touch the Chocolate Tree again today!’ Future Dog shook her head.
DUMMY1/sn78_0101.wav|‘Then how do you explain that?’ and she pointed at the tree.
DUMMY1/sn78_0102.wav|That is, Future Dog pointed to where the tree should have been.
DUMMY1/sn78_0103.wav|But there was no tree there.
DUMMY1/sn78_0104.wav|‘Not again,’ said Tick Tock Turkey, ‘it’s got a habit of doing that.’ ‘Oh, Tick Tock Turkey,’ sighed Future Dog, ‘what have you done?’ Tick Tock Turkey flapped his wings and gobbled his story in a rush:
DUMMY1/sn78_0105.wav|‘You said no more chocolate today but you never said no more chocolate yesterday so I went back in time to yesterday to have more chocolate but there was no Chocolate Tree there so I ate a chocolate root instead and then I came forward in time to today and there’s no Chocolate Tree here either!’ He took a deep breath.
DUMMY1/sn78_0106.wav|‘So I don’t see how it’s my fault.’ ‘We all love chocolate,’ said Future Dog, ‘but you want to have it all to yourself.
DUMMY1/sn78_0107.wav|That way everyone misses out in the end – even you.
DUMMY1/sn78_0108.wav|Now show me exactly what you did with the watch, and let’s see if we can tidy up this mess.
DUMMY1/sn78_0109.wav|Otherwise there’ll never be any chocolate on Egg Island ever again.’ ‘No one would have any chocolate ever again?’ cried Tick Tock Turkey. ‘I never meant for that.
DUMMY1/sn78_0110.wav|I just wanted a bit of chocolate for myself.
DUMMY1/sn78_0112.wav|‘I wound the watch back to here – yesterday.
DUMMY1/sn78_0113.wav|That’s about right, isn’t it?’ Future Dog looked at the watch dial and then slapped her forehead with her paw.
DUMMY1/sn78_0114.wav|‘Tick Tock Turkey!
DUMMY1/sn78_0115.wav|You went back hundreds of years!
DUMMY1/sn78_0116.wav|To when Egg Island was still a part of the land of Turkeytopia!’ ‘Gosh!’ said Tick Tock Turkey. ‘That explains why everything looked so different.’ ‘The root that you ate must have been the root of the one and only Chocolate Tree when it was just a sapling!’ ‘So that’s why it tasted so incredibly delicious!’ he licked his beak at the memory.
DUMMY1/sn78_0117.wav|Future Dog frowned.
DUMMY1/sn78_0118.wav|‘Sorry,’ said Tick Tock Turkey, ‘I’m very sorry I ate it.’ ‘Okay,’ said Future Dog, ‘so we need to go back a few moments earlier than you did last time, and stop you before you eat the root.’ Tick Tock Turkey flapped his wings.
DUMMY1/sn78_0120.wav|We, that is, you and me – are going to go back in time and stop...
DUMMY1/sn78_0121.wav|me?
DUMMY1/sn78_0128.wav|I won’t be doing that again!
DUMMY1/sn78_0132.wav|I’m not like that at all.’ ‘Hmm,’ said Future Dog. ‘And where’s he gone?’ asked Tick Tock Turkey. ‘I don’t like to think there’s another me out there.
DUMMY1/sn78_0133.wav|What if I bump into me again?
DUMMY1/sn78_0134.wav|It’s so confusing.’ ‘Yes, it is rather complicated.
DUMMY1/sn78_0135.wav|But I wouldn’t worry about it right now.
DUMMY1/sn78_0137.wav|Future Dog pushed the button on the time watch and held tightly onto Tick Tock Turkey’s wing.
DUMMY1/sn78_0139.wav|they found themselves back in the jungle clearing of today.
DUMMY1/sn78_0140.wav|Vines and moss covered the ancient turkey statue, and there in front of them the Chocolate Tree stood tall and brown, laden with bananamatoes and berries, looking healthier and taller than ever before.
DUMMY1/sn78_0141.wav|‘Well,’ said Future Dog, ‘that’s a good result.
DUMMY1/sn78_0142.wav|The tree looks wonderful!’ ‘Yes it does!’ said Tick Tock Turkey. ‘Big and delicious.
DUMMY1/sn78_0143.wav|Let’s eat some chocolate to celebrate!’ ‘Oh dear,’ said Future Dog. ‘Haven’t you learned your lesson?’ ‘Lighten up, misery guts!’ said Tick Tock Turkey. ‘It was a joke.
DUMMY1/sn78_0144.wav|There’d never be any fun around here if it wasn’t for me – the one and only Tick Tock Turkey.’ ‘That’s true,’ said Future Dog. ‘The one and only Tick Tock Turkey – apart from the other Tick Tock Turkey!’ Tick Tock Turkey shook his head.
DUMMY1/sn78_0145.wav|‘That stupid bird!’ .
DUMMY1/sn52_0002.wav|Laura thought that she should be the leader because she had friends in the music business.
DUMMY1/sn52_0003.wav|“Kevin isn’t in the music business,”
DUMMY1/sn52_0004.wav|said Mandy.
DUMMY1/sn52_0005.wav|“He’s just a loser who sweeps up in a recording studio.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0006.wav|“That’s just like you,”
DUMMY1/sn52_0007.wav|said Laura,
DUMMY1/sn52_0009.wav|Kevin’s a studio producer and a musical whiz-kid.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0010.wav|“Well just because you met the guy at a bus stop doesn’t mean that you’re a musical genius too,”
DUMMY1/sn52_0011.wav|said Mandy.
DUMMY1/sn52_0012.wav|“Yeah, but I’ve got contacts.
DUMMY1/sn52_0013.wav|Besides, Kev said I’ve got a great voice.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0014.wav|“Yeah, but Kev says that to all the girls.
DUMMY1/sn52_0015.wav|Besides, what this band needs is somebody to call the right shots and make the right decisions.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0016.wav|“Exactly, that’s why I should be leader,”
DUMMY1/sn52_0017.wav|said Laura,
DUMMY1/sn52_0018.wav|“because I know more about the music business than you do.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0019.wav|Mandy pointed out that she was the one who had set up their web page on Myspace, and that Laura had been promising to ask her friend, Kev, for a recording session at his studio for two weeks now, and she still hadn’t fixed it.
DUMMY1/sn52_0022.wav|She took out her mobile phone and sent him a text message:
DUMMY1/sn52_0024.wav|Got time yet to give three gals a helping hand?”
DUMMY1/sn52_0025.wav|And Kev texted back:
DUMMY1/sn52_0026.wav|“Sure, next week’s looking good.
DUMMY1/sn52_0028.wav|So the chiX had their first recording session set up for three days’ time.
DUMMY1/sn52_0029.wav|When Gladdy heard, she pointed out that they didn’t have a tune for their song, let alone any backing music.
DUMMY1/sn52_0031.wav|said Laura.
DUMMY1/sn52_0032.wav|“He just presses some buttons on his recording desk and pulls some levers.
DUMMY1/sn52_0033.wav|He’s a genius at that sort of thing.
DUMMY1/sn52_0034.wav|He even made the Diamond Girls sound half decent.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0035.wav|Gladys tried to imagine the chiX turning up at the recording studio and asking Kevin to do everything for them.
DUMMY1/sn52_0036.wav|She thought it sounded a bit unlikely that he would just say:
DUMMY1/sn52_0037.wav|“Sure girls, here’s a number one hit single that I just wrote yesterday especially for you.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0038.wav|“If it was that easy,”
DUMMY1/sn52_0039.wav|she said,
DUMMY1/sn52_0040.wav|“everyone would be stars.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0041.wav|“Yeah, but not everyone is mates with Kevin,”
DUMMY1/sn52_0042.wav|said Laura.
DUMMY1/sn52_0045.wav|In fact, Gladys knew that she could look after herself better than the sisters, but that was how things were.
DUMMY1/sn52_0046.wav|When they got to London, they took the underground train to the station called Goodge Street, which Laura said was in the swanky part of town.
DUMMY1/sn52_0047.wav|In fact, when they got out it looked pretty grotty to Gladys. Keven’s studio was on the fifth floor of a tall office building.
DUMMY1/sn52_0048.wav|It was about the size of their bathroom at home.
DUMMY1/sn52_0051.wav|“and what’s the music?”
DUMMY1/sn52_0052.wav|“Ah right,”
DUMMY1/sn52_0053.wav|said Laura,
DUMMY1/sn52_0055.wav|Seeing as you’re such a whiz-kid.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0056.wav|Kevin blinked.
DUMMY1/sn52_0057.wav|Gladys could see that he was trying not to look too surprised.
DUMMY1/sn52_0058.wav|After a pause he said:
DUMMY1/sn52_0059.wav|“Right girls.
DUMMY1/sn52_0060.wav|Go behind the soundproof glass and put some headphones on.
DUMMY1/sn52_0062.wav|Gladys knew that loops were some drum beats and other bits of music that were already recorded on the computer.
DUMMY1/sn52_0063.wav|They were called loops because they went round and round, and when you got to the end of say thirty seconds, the music started at the beginning again.
DUMMY1/sn52_0064.wav|She had been experimenting with some loops at home, and she had also been recording some music of her own using an electronic keyboard.
DUMMY1/sn52_0065.wav|After she had put the notes onto the computer, she could make them sound like almost any instrument.
DUMMY1/sn52_0066.wav|Kevin pressed a drum beat.
DUMMY1/sn52_0067.wav|“Too grungy,”
DUMMY1/sn52_0068.wav|said Laura through the microphone.
DUMMY1/sn52_0069.wav|“The chiX are kind of a bit funkier than that.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0070.wav|So Kevin let them hear something a bit more polished.
DUMMY1/sn52_0073.wav|“The chiX are kind of a mix of different musical styles and influences, if you see what I mean.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0074.wav|“Yeah. Find us something that’s just right.”
DUMMY1/sn52_0076.wav|“How about this one girls?”
DUMMY1/sn52_0077.wav|he asked.
DUMMY1/sn52_0080.wav|asked Mandy to Laura. She didn’t realise that the microphone was switched on and Kevin could hear her.
DUMMY1/sn52_0081.wav|Gladys thought she could see hot steam coming out of his ears.
DUMMY1/sn52_0087.wav|said Mandy. But Kevin replied that he was alright about showing Gladys how his mixing desk worked.
DUMMY1/sn52_0088.wav|Much later that evening, after quite a few tries, the ChiX made the first song of their career.
DUMMY1/sn52_0089.wav|And though they didn’t know it yet, the music was written by Gladys with only a little help from Kevin.
DUMMY1/sn191_0002.wav|Suddenly he saw a little cottage gleaming white as the snow among the trees of the forest.
DUMMY1/sn191_0003.wav|"""If I have enough breath left with which to reach that little house, I may be saved,"" he said to himself."
DUMMY1/sn191_0004.wav|Not waiting another moment, he darted swiftly through the woods, the Assassins still after him.
DUMMY1/sn191_0005.wav|After a hard race of almost an hour, tired and out of breath, Pinocchio finally reached the door of the cottage and knocked.
DUMMY1/sn191_0006.wav|No one answered.
DUMMY1/sn191_0007.wav|He knocked again, harder than before, for behind him he heard the steps and the labored breathing of his persecutors.
DUMMY1/sn191_0008.wav|The same silence followed.
DUMMY1/sn191_0009.wav|As knocking was of no use, Pinocchio, in despair, began to kick and bang against the door, as if he wanted to break it.
DUMMY1/sn191_0010.wav|At the noise, a window opened and a lovely maiden looked out.
DUMMY1/sn191_0011.wav|She had azure hair and a face white as wax.
DUMMY1/sn191_0012.wav|Her eyes were closed and her hands crossed on her breast.
DUMMY1/sn191_0014.wav|"""No one lives in this house."
DUMMY1/sn191_0017.wav|"What are you doing at the window, then?"" ""I am waiting for the coffin to take me away."" After these words, the little girl disappeared and the window closed without a sound."
DUMMY1/sn191_0018.wav|"""Oh, Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair,"" cried Pinocchio, ""open, I beg of you."
DUMMY1/sn191_0019.wav|"Take pity on a poor boy who is being chased by two Assass -- "" He did not finish, for two powerful hands grasped him by the neck and the same two horrible voices growled threateningly:"
DUMMY1/sn191_0020.wav|"""Now we have you!"" The Marionette, seeing death dancing before him, trembled so hard that the joints of his legs rattled and the coins tinkled under his tongue."
DUMMY1/sn191_0021.wav|"""Well,"" the Assassins asked, ""will you open your mouth now or not?"
DUMMY1/sn191_0023.wav|You do not answer?
DUMMY1/sn191_0024.wav|"Very well, this time you shall open it."" Taking out two long, sharp knives, they struck two heavy blows on the Marionette's back."
DUMMY1/sn191_0025.wav|Happily for him, Pinocchio was made of very hard wood and the knives broke into a thousand pieces.
DUMMY1/sn191_0026.wav|The Assassins looked at each other in dismay, holding the handles of the knives in their hands.
DUMMY1/sn191_0027.wav|"""I understand,"" said one of them to the other, ""there is nothing left to do now but to hang him."" ""To hang him,"" repeated the other."
DUMMY1/sn191_0028.wav|They tied Pinocchio's hands behind his shoulders and slipped the noose around his neck.
DUMMY1/sn191_0029.wav|Throwing the rope over the high limb of a giant oak tree, they pulled till the poor Marionette hung far up in space.
DUMMY1/sn191_0030.wav|Satisfied with their work, they sat on the grass waiting for Pinocchio to give his last gasp.
DUMMY1/sn191_0031.wav|But after three hours the Marionette's eyes were still open, his mouth still shut and his legs kicked harder than ever.
DUMMY1/sn191_0032.wav|Tired of waiting, the Assassins called to him mockingly:
DUMMY1/sn191_0033.wav|"""Good-by till tomorrow."
DUMMY1/sn191_0034.wav|"When we return in the morning, we hope you'll be polite enough to let us find you dead and gone and with your mouth wide open."" With these words they went."
DUMMY1/sn191_0035.wav|A few minutes went by and then a wild wind started to blow.
DUMMY1/sn191_0036.wav|As it shrieked and moaned, the poor little sufferer was blown to and fro like the hammer of a bell.
DUMMY1/sn191_0037.wav|The rocking made him seasick and the noose, becoming tighter and tighter, choked him.
DUMMY1/sn191_0038.wav|Little by little a film covered his eyes.
DUMMY1/sn191_0039.wav|Death was creeping nearer and nearer, and the Marionette still hoped for some good soul to come to his rescue, but no one appeared.
DUMMY1/sn191_0040.wav|As he was about to die, he thought of his poor old father, and hardly conscious of what he was saying, murmured to himself:
DUMMY1/sn191_0041.wav|"""Oh, Father, dear Father!"
DUMMY1/sn191_0043.wav|He closed his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched out his legs, and hung there, as if he were dead.