Miss Smith was returning the class's homework. 'James... Tim... Emma... Lee, that was good... Winston... Kevin...' She paused. 'Oh, Kevin, what on earth happened to your book?'
'You've got it there, Miss.'
'I know that, Kevin. I mean...' She found the page where the homework had been done. 'What on earth is this great big brown splodge?'
She held it up for the class to see. They giggled.
'It was the cat, Miss. She had muddy paws.'
'Muddy paws? She must be the size of a sheep to leave paw marks this size!' She handed back the book.
There was no point in asking any more questions. At least Kevin had done the homework. The following week, though, Kevin's book was even worse. It looked as if it had been chewed.
'Kevin. Your book is a disgrace. What happened this time?'
'Oh, Miss. I couldn't help it. My hamster got hold of it.'
'Your hamster?'
'Yes, Miss. It's a big hamster. And it tries to make a nest out of things. I got the book back just in time. I'll mend it.'
Miss Smith sighed. She looked at the book. She held it up. 'Kevin, you can't mend it. There are chunks missing. You must have a hamster with a mouth the size of a coffee mug!'
She gave the book back. It was nearly used up, thank goodness. 'When you get a new book, I shall expect you to keep it in a decent condition. Is that understood?'
'Yes, Miss.'
Chapter 2
But two weeks later the new book wasn't even handed in.
'I did the homework - honest! But my brother's got this pet rat... and it, well, it got my book in the night...'
'What was it doing, Kevin? Checking the answers?'
'No, Miss. Rats chew paper, you see. But this one is a bit wilder than most. And I didn't want to upset her.'
'So you left your book in the care of your brother's pet rat - because you were afraid of it.'
'Sort of...' 'Kevin. Your stories get worse. They are not even funny any more. I'm going to give you some paper. I want you to do the homework again and hand it in tomorrow. I'm not going to issue you with a new notebook. You can do the work on separate sheets from now on.' Kevin took the paper without arguing.
He looked as though the world did not understand him.
Chapter 3
'First it was a cat - a huge moggy with paws the size of saucers. Then it was a giant hamster that could bite chunks the size of plums out of a thick notebook.
And now the latest story is about a rat! A rat that runs off with exercise books in the middle of the night. A rat so terrifying that you dare not get your book back the next morning!' Miss Smith's husband enjoyed listening to the tales about school. He knew the names of all the worst pupils - and those that were a bit daft, like Kevin.
It was Kevin that they saw as they were driving out of the supermarket car park. She couldn't just ignore him. She stopped the car and leaned out of the window. 'Kevin! Do you want a lift?' She didn't usually ask pupils. They didn't want to be embarrassed by their teachers out of school. But Kevin was loaded down with carrier bags. 'Oh. Thanks, Miss. Cheers.' She helped him put the bags into the boot.
'These are heavy, Kevin. Have you been doing the family shopping?'
'Sort of, Miss. I had to get lots of pet food.'
She couldn't tell if he was joking or not. They drove down the street to Kevin's house. 'Just along here. Past the lamp post. This is it, Miss, with the green door.'
It was an ordinary house in an ordinary street. She got out and opened the boot. Kevin lifted the bulging carrier bags.
'Do you want to come in and see them, Miss?'
'See what, Kevin?'
'Our pets. You know, the cat and the hamster and the rat.' She hesitated. Then she thought, well why not? It would only take a minute and it would stop him using those excuses again.
She turned to her husband. 'Do you mind? I won't be a minute.'
'Carry on,' he said. 'I'll listen to the radio.' Chapter 4 Kevin's Proof
Kevin led her down the side path and up to the back door. It wasn't locked. 'Come in,' he said. 'Come and meet the family.'
She stepped into the kitchen. It wasn't the cooker or the kitchen sink she noticed. It was the cat in the basket in the corner. It was enormous. Grey and black with white paws. Paws the size of saucers... It opened its eyes and stared at her. The great green eyes were cool and cruel. She was too stunned to say anything.
Kevin pointed to one side. 'Sammy the hamster,' he said. There, in a cage rather like a big rabbit hutch, was a giant hamster.
Its black beady eyes were as big as marbles. It opened its mouth and she could see sharp front teeth that could chop through a telephone directory or two.
Kevin turned and smiled at her.
'You see, Miss. I wasn't making it up...'
She remembered the huge paw mark. She remembered the chunks bitten from the exercise book. And then she remembered the rat that had taken the notebook away... The rat that even Kevin wouldn't dare upset. Then there was a noise at the door on the far side of the kitchen... It was a scratching noise. It sounded like the sort of scratching a rat's claws would make. The claws of a terrifyingly large rat.
Kevin looked at her again. His eyes were innocent and he smiled. 'Shall I let her in, Miss?' She turned and ran out of the house, trying not to scream.
She didn't ask any questions about Kevin's homework ever again.