Pwf & The Goblins' Revenge pdf by Kaye Umansky Page B

pointing to his lumpy bare head.
    Everyone ignored him. So Lardo snatched Sproggit's hat and put it on his own head.
    Sproggit, of course, objected, and a brief fight followed. Everyone joined in out of habit, but
    nobody's heart was really in it.
    Hog broke up the fight by passing around the humbugs, and for a short time the
    Goblins sat in silence, blowing hot, humbuggy breath on their cold fingers and trying not to
    think about the long walk home.
    That was when Macabre (following a hunch) arrived at the Broom park for the first
    time. She was so shocked to find it deserted that she didn't notice the Goblins in the bushes.
    She did notice Lardo's hat, though. She swooped down on it with a cry of triumph and bore
    it away at full gallop.
    "What were that?" asked Hog. "I fort I ’eard a noise. Sounded like gallopin’ hooves."
    "Probably a squirrel," said Eyesore knowledgeably. "’Ave a look, Sproggit."

    Sproggit crawled off into the bushes. He lost his way and was gone quite a long time.
    When he finally crawled back, the rest of the Goblins had dozed off. Sproggit shrugged, then
    joined them.
    When Macabre returned to the Broom park to hunt for clues more thoroughly, she
    wondered how she missed them the first time. There they were, only a few yards from the
    scene of the crime, all snoring like mad, and reeking of peppermint. Scattered all around
    them was the evidence of a full scale broom-napping attempt. Of the Brooms there was still
    no sign.
    Macabre hugged herself with excitement. She dismounted from Rory and tiptoed
    over to the sleeping Goblins. Then:

    "Wakey wakey!" screeched Macabre, and treated them to a deafening blast on her
    bagpipes. At the same time Rory let fire with a malicious moo. The Goblins stirred, sat up
    and blearily knuckled their eyes.
    "Stand and deliver! Surrender! Hands oop!" Macabre had a bossy sort of nature, and
    loved arresting people. In fact, she always carried a pair of handcuffs in her sporran, in case
    she ever got the chance to use them. Delightedly, she clapped them on Plugugly then tied
    up the rest of the Goblins with rope whilst they were still half asleep. She then frogmarched
    them away from the Broom park, down the hill and into the enemy camp.
    "Now look what ah got! Goblins!" bellowed Macabre importantly. "Caught napping
    at the scene o’ the crime, they were. Skulking in yon bushes. Aye. Broomnappers. Every last
    one."
    Seven sleepy, surly Goblins were rudely thrust forward. The assembled Witches gave
    them the usual charming Witch welcome: they pulled rude faces, jeered, and pelted the
    captives with bread rolls. Ratsnappy stuck her foot out to trip up Lardo and Bendyshanks
    poked Eyesore in the leg with a stick. Sludgegooey dabbled her fingers in her mug of tepid
    bogwater and flicked some in Plugugly's eye. Sproggit got jostled. Stinkwart got hit in the
    ear with a piece of ham. The Witches were having a wonderful time. What a night it had
    been. First, the business of Pongwiffy's Broom. That was closely followed by the excitement
    of the Broomnapping. Then there was the discovery that their Magic wasn't working prop-
    erly and the State Of Emergency and everything. Now, just when things were beginning to
    get dull, hey presto! The Broomnappers themselves turn up! The sandwiches were getting
    low, but the Witches’ spirits were running high.

    "Boo!"
    "Go home, Plugugly!"
    “Stand up straight. Slopbucket, you'll trip over your knuckles!"
    "What you lot done with our Brooms then, maggot face?"
    "Let me through! Let me at ’em! I'm Grandwitch, I get to ask the questions!" shouted
    Sourmuddle, pushing her way through the crowd to where the Goblins stood in a truculent
    huddle. Macabre stood to attention and saluted proudly as the boss hobbled up.
    "Well done, Macabre. Glad to see somebody's got their wits about them. Right, you
    Goblins. What have you got to say for yourselves? Caught red-handed, eh?" Sourmuddle
    cackled, wiggling her fingers in front of their noses