Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt

The Peski Kids - The Beginning

July 22, 2020 R.A. Spratt Season 1 Episode 22
Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt
The Peski Kids - The Beginning
Show Notes Transcript

This is me reading the Prologue and Chapter 1 of 'The Peski Kids 1, The Mystery of the Squashed Cockroach'. It's where the story of April, Fin and Joe Peski all begins.

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Speaker 1:

Hello,

Speaker 2:

Welcome to bedtime stories with me, RA Spratt. Well, at the beginning of August, I've got a new book coming out and it's called the pesky kids. The final mission. It's the fifth and final book in the pesky kids series. So to get ready for that, I thought that this week on the podcast, I would read for you the first two chapters of the first book in the series, the pesky kids and the mystery of the squashed cockroach.

Speaker 1:

You enjoy it.

Speaker 2:

This is the first book in the pesky kids series, the mystery of the squashed cockroach. And I shall now commence on page one, the prologue, the line shuffled forward, Dr. Bamfield had just checked in for her flight. She was hoping to get back before the children came home from school, she only needed to pass through security. Then she'd be able to sit down and relax in the lounge. As much as you can relax, surrounded by a thousand sweaty, nervous strangers, but the line was taking forever. There was a family in front of her that was fussing over their hand luggage. They seem to have broken every airport security rule, liquid scissors, bottle openers. They had everything you shouldn't in their bags. Finally, the things pass through the x-ray machine for the last time. And Dr. Banfield was able to lift her one, carry on suitcase onto the conveyor. She rifled through the pockets of her old Tweed jacket, digging out her spare glasses, throat, lozenges, and tissues. She dumped them into a plastic tray and then step through the metal detector. Security guards never wanted to Pat her down or do an explosive test on her bag. She was a frumpy middle-aged lady. She was harmless. They barely even noticed her. That was until now the conveyor belt jutted to a halt. Dr. Banfield looked up as a man in a cheap gray suit, stepped into the security area. He whispered something to the x-ray operator. Then pulled Dr. Banfield suitcase aside. He motioned for Dr. Banfield to join him at the counter. This had never happened before she watches the man in the suit, open a suitcase and search through her dirty clothes and museum paperwork. What is this said the man with a thick accent, he pulled something from the bottom of her suitcase. It was a large bone. That's the owner of a sticker. Sora said Dr. Banfield, it was found in Kiev is particularly significant because the striations on the bone appear to be the teeth marks of a saber tooth tiger, which would be the earliest known confirmation of that species on the Asian continent. Really? So the man in the suit, we'll see about that. He raised the bone and what it down hard on the edge of the counter. Cried Dr. Banfield. It's a crucial fossil for the understanding of the evolution of mammals in Eastern Europe. The man in the suit apparently did not like being yelled at by frumpy middle-aged lady. He looked angry now he's he raised the bone again and smashed it down. Even harder. It shattered into a thousand fragments, but line in the middle with something black and shiny, a small USB drive. The man in the suit, picked it up. What do we have here? I've got no idea how that got there. So Dr. Banfield, she turned pale. Her eyes gave to wide. This was going horribly wrong. You had better come with me. So the man ominously, but my flight's at Dr. Banfield. I have to get home. My children are expecting me. I'm sure it will only take a few moments to clear this up, set the man with a smile. He was lying. It took Dr. Banfield's very large brain, just a millisecond to recognize this fact, another millisecond to see that two armed guards were approaching to assist him and a third millisecond to decide the, her best course of action was to punch this man and his cheap gray suit in the throat with her wedding ring, Dr. Banfield lashed out with lightning speed hitting the man so hard. His brain was momentarily starved of oxygen, and he collapsed the two armed guards hesitated. Their smaller brains were struggling to assimilate the fact that a Dowdy middle-aged lady had just failed the department head. One of them belatedly reached for his gun, but his hand had only just touched the grip. When Dr. Banfield broke in his forum with a brutal turning kick, she then kicked him in the knee with the other foot to knock him down to the other guard. Lunch for her. Dr. Banfield duct slammed her elbow into a solar plexus, delivered an uppercut to his jaw and took off running. She vaulted over the x-ray machine and sprinted back out into the check-in lobby. It would only take a few seconds for reinforcements to arrive. She had to get out of there. Unfortunately, 2:00 PM at any airport is a busy time. People were moving slowly, dragging unwieldy luggage behind them. Dr. Banfield ran, picking up speed. As she hurdled bags bounced off passengers and dodged around trolleys until suddenly she slammed into a brick wall. At least that's what it felt like. She soon worked out from the gray polyester jacket pressed into her face that she'd been crushed, tackled. She was hoisted to a feet. The man in the suit was holding her tightly by the upper arm. He looked at shoveled, Dr. Banfield, you are under arrest, but the man, but I'm just an academics that Dr. Banfield with bumbling innocence, a scientist, I studied dinosaur bones. Don't give me that. So the man, you are a spy chapter one, a bad start, shut your face or shut it for you said April angrily. She was a winery girl who like a hummingbird, had the strange ability to be in constant motion and appear eerily still at the same time, you can't shut a face, said Finn in his pedantic, monotone, a face. Isn't something that opens and closes. You could ask me to shut my eyes or shut my mouth, but my ears and my nose are on Blockable orifices. All block them for you. When I punch you. And they swell shut said, April Finn narrowed his eyes slightly, which was about as expressive as his features got. He was not terribly in touch with his own emotions. So they rarely affected the shape of his face. No violence said Joe or I'll tell mom, Joe was their older brother. And he stammered when he was nervous and talking, made him nervous. So he stammered quite a lot. Joe knew exactly what he wanted to say, but just as the words were about to leave his mouth, they would perform some sort of acrobatics on the tip of his tongue and refuse to emerge. So generally he said very except for constantly reminding April and Finn, not to hurt each other. April made a scoffing noise, huh? Their mum didn't often notice what was going on. So it was pretty easy to keep things from her like kidney budget and your brother during dessert, April may do with shoving fin out of the way and stomping up the front path. So she got to the door. First. She punched in the code. They lived in a normal suburban house, but their mother was forgetful and often lost her keys. So they'd had a pin padlock installed. There's a limit to how many times you can get locked out of your own home. And it still feels like fun. That limit is one having to eat raw vegetables from the garden while you wait for a locksmith is never a barrel of laughs. As soon as they push into the house, a whirlwind affair, leptin, April trying to look at face, but falling short and scrambling all over her knees instead. Oh, I missed you too. Pumpkin gushed, April bending over to greet her beloved dog. I hate it. When we do javelin PE and you have to stay home. Pumpkin's head snapped around his fin and the house, the dog leaped forward and bit him on the ankle. Cried fin. Good boys said April fishing, a treat out of her pocket and rewarding her dog. You can't try. And pumpkin to bite me said, Finn, I didn't train him, said April. He's just following his natural K9 instincts. He can smell loser. Joe was a tall and growing taller 16 year old boy. He seemed to have more muscles popping up every month. So he spent a great deal of time eating food. He left April and fit into that argument and went to the kitchen to find a snack. He didn't have much luck. The fridge was empty. There was a low fat yogurt and kale juice in there, but Joe didn't consider them to be food. Mom yelled, Joe, but there was no reply. Joe assumed his mom was looking at a particularly in gross in dinosaur bone. He opened the pantry and side. There wasn't much in there either except for a half empty jar of olives. That would have to say him through till dinner. Joe opened the jar and wandered back to the living room.

Speaker 3:

Mom yelled at April. Finn called me and Eddie yet. No

Speaker 2:

Said, fin, I called you an idiot savant. In that context, the word idiot is just an adjective. Savant is actually a compliment. It means to be unnaturally good at something you said, she's good at something said, Joe, this was unusual. Finn was 13 and April was 12. They were in fact only 11 months apart. So for one month of the year, they were technically the same age and in all their lives ever since they had learned to speak, finan, April had never said anything nice to each other. Not once he said I was an idiot. Savant explained April. I'd been a pain in the neck. It's true. That VIN one freakish talent, bellowed, April, their mother didn't have many rules. And the funerals she did have were rarely enforced, but she was adamant that they should not call each other idiot or stupid. So April knew if she presented an argument, well, she could get fin in a lot of trouble. If you.me inset, VIN, I'll tell her what you did at lunchtime. I didn't do anything at lunchtime set. April, you wrestled Michael Harrigan to the ground. Fin reminded her. Now April rolled her eyes. He loved it. She said she tucked a wavy hair behind her ear. You did promise no more wrestling. Joe reminded her. Yeah. The headmaster made you sign a contract saying you wouldn't Finn at it. I didn't hurt. Michael said, April, you tore his shirt off, said Finn with his characteristic, irritating accuracy, he should learn to. So then retorted, April, it's an important life skill find set fin. Then you won't mind me telling mum about it ma you are the worst set. April clenching her fist. If she was going to get in trouble for wrestling, she might as well do some more wrestling to make it worthwhile. Where is she asked Joe looking at the ceiling and mother didn't live in the ceiling, but she had an office directly above the living room. So normally if they yelled and screamed at each other long enough, eventually they'd hear her chest grape back as she got up and came downstairs. So she could shout at them to stop shouting. But there were no sounds from above. Did she say she was going to stay light at the museum as Joe? Their mother was a paleontologist, the senior. And well-respected one. But the thing about spending all day with a bunch of bones that are 300 million years old, is that nothing is ever really urgent. If it's weighted 300 million years, chances are it can wait one more day. So their mother was very rarely late home unless she accidentally got stuck in a lift or forgot her past to get out of the car park, which she did with surprising regularity. If you can't keep track of your own house key, remembering a Pascal is going to be pretty difficult too. Maybe she got lost. Again, said April, their mother often got lost, particularly in shopping center, car parks, but she would normally just get a taxi home, pick up the kids. And then they'd all go back and help her find the car. Joe looked at the answering machine next to the telephone there. The light wasn't flashing. There were no messages. She would have left a message. If she was delayed, she's probably fallen asleep, said Finn. He went up to the staircase and bounded up the stairs. Two at a time, it was pancakes for breakfast that always makes us sleepy. They heard Finn throw up in the office door. Mom. He called, but there was no answer. Joe and April heard fin looking in the other rooms upstairs. She's not here. I'll check the shed said Joe charging towards the back door. Why do you think she's decided to mow? The lawn asked April sarcastically and their mother had never mowed the lawn. She didn't understand the Western cultural obsession with short grass. Some of them were zealous. Neighbors had pleaded with her to let them do it for her saying that long grass encouraged snakes, but their mother just said she quite liked snakes. And very low percentage of them were venomous. And they only lived 2.3 kilometers from the nearest hospital. So even if one of them was bitten by a venomous snake, they'd probably be able to access the antivenom in time. It only took Joe a few seconds to cross their small yard, to the tiny shed where their mother kept saying she didn't use very often, like the vacuum cleaner and the ironing board mum wasn't there. Joe came back, shaking his head. Where could she be? Even? Yeah. April was started to get concerned. And generally she didn't stop being angry long enough to be concerned about anything other than herself. Just then pumpkin ran to the front door barking wildly fin back down the stairs. What's pumpkin barking about now. Oh, the struggles of indigenous people in pop one. You Guinea said April sarcastically. No, I don't have dog. ESP. How can you have extra sensory perception when you've barely got regular perception? Agreed, Finn. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. April launched herself at Finn, grabbed him by the collar and wrenching him sideways to pull him off his feet. But 12 years of living with April had taught fin a thing or two about self-defense tactics. He grabbed April's wrists and dropped his weight on them. So as he fell down, he brought her down to a, it was just about to put Finn in a headlock and started minster nuggies when there was an almighty bang, their front door exploded, inwards splinted would flew everywhere and a stocky black plaid figure wearing a full face mask burst into the room. The children found themselves looking down the barrel of a handgun. Oh, it's used at the gun woman in an unexpectedly familiar, feminine voice. She hosted the gun and pulled off a face mask. Professor[inaudible] exclaimed. John, is that you now I must pause to explain a few things. Joe recognized this gun woman, because professor Maynard was their mother's boss, Joe fin, and April's mother was a very Dowdy middle-aged woman. She wore frumpy practical clothes, cheap, thick, framed glasses, and often forgot to brush her hair for several weeks at a time. So to them, their mother's boss was frumpiness squared. She was just like their own mother. Only more so and older. She was the type of woman you'd expect to absentmindedly offer you the used tissue. She just pulled out of her sleeve cuff, not the type of woman you'd expect to burst into your home dress like a Ninja and brandishing a weapon. Yes, I'm afraid. It is me said, professor may not terribly. Sorry about that. That'd be much fun for you to have an old lady burst in and wave a taser at you when you should be doing your homework. That's a taser asked fin. It looks a lot like a real gun. Don't be a silly sausage said, professor may not. It would totally be against the rules to point a gun at children, but they do make our tasers look like guns. So they're more terrifying. She got the taser out again. See for yourself. Professor may not pull the trigger. Then blasted the potted Asper Dester that sat in the corner of the living room, the plant hissed and jutted, uh, several thousand volts of electricity flooded through it. I think I'd rather get shots at Finn. As the leaves of the plant turned Brown, then black then started to singe. Oops, sorry. I said professor may not release in the trigger. I'm sure with a bit of water it'll perk up again. The plant was now slumped and dripping Brown green gloop. Nevermind about that said professor may not stepping in front of the plant so the children would stop looking at it. I expect your surprise to see me. This was an understatement professor may not had only been to their house twice before once when their mother had locked herself out. And another time when their mother forgot to come home from a conference in news, Pakistan and professor may not had popped up until they could arrange a babysitter. I'm here to give you some very good news that professor may nod. She smiled broadly to emphasize how good the news was and how lucky they were to be about to hear it. Your mother is in jail, in a secret prison, somewhere in Eastern Europe and will probably be there for a very long time. The children were horrified. How is that? Good news asked April. Well, because she's not dead said professor may nod. We're all very relieved. She's not dead and we'll leave it there. So you've got to read the book to find out how it all goes to get the book. You can go to your local bookstore and order a copy. There'll be able to get it in for you. Or you can go to my website, RA sprat.com and click on the book, depository banner. They've got all my titles and free international shipping. All right, that's it for now until next time. Goodbye.