Ben Spies

The Magic Pencil

First published by Spies Publishing 2017

Copyright © 2017 by Ben Spies

First edition

ISBN: 978-0-473-52590-3

Illustration by Robert Spies

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

To my beloved grandparents in Brazil and England

Contents

Preface

1. Late

2. Embarrassed

3. Art Time

4. The Principal

5. At the Restaurant

6. Best Friends

7. Gingie the Cat

8. Undercover

9. A Little Duel

10. Bad Luck

11. In the Sewer

12. History Lesson

13. The Queen

14. Bang!

15. The Plan

16. Fail

17. On the Plane

18. Orlando!

19. Outer Space

20. You Are Saved

21. Black Hole

22. The Future

23. Raptor

24. Much Worse

25. Pterodactyl

26. Meteor

27. Egypt

28. The Penalty

29. Dungeon

30. The Treasure

31. The Gateway

32. Einstein

33. A New Way

34. Bad Boys

35. Captured

36. Escaping

37. Panic Attack

38. Never Forget

39. A Great Idea

40. Secret Lair

41. Cursed

42. Epilogue

About the Author

Also by Ben Spies

Preface

Hello, my name is Bob and I’m 11 years old. I live in London with my mum and dad. I’m quite a clumsy boy and I’m also HORRIBLE at drawing. This is the story of a mistake I recently made. Just one tiny mistake…

Well, okay it was not that tiny. My mistake put the whole city in danger! Actually, the entire world! And do you know how it happened?

I let a Magic Pencil fall into the wrong hands. Right into the hands of a police officer… he was pretending to be a police officer.

And guess what he drew?

He drew…

Wait, you’ll have to find out, won’t you…

1

Late

It all started one day when Bob was heading out for school. He walked out of the garage wheeling his bike and then cycled off to school. Along the way, he saw a pencil lying on the street. It had a shiny piece of tinfoil wrapped around it. He didn’t exactly care too much about it, so he left it behind. Someone else might need it more than me, Bob thought to himself and continued on his way.

When he got to class, his teacher turned on him.

YOU’RE LATE! she roared.

Sorry teacher, I was cycling today and I saw… but before Bob could finish his sentence the teacher interrupted.

That’s no excuse, Bob. And how many times have I told you? My name is not ‘teacher’! It’s Miss Rot.

The whole class laughed out loud at the name.

No one could hold it in. SILENCE! screamed Miss Rot. Everyone went silent.

Sit down Bob! she continued. Now, I want to introduce all of you to our new girl, Natalie.

Natalie stood up and glared at everyone, especially at Bob.

No one should talk to Miss Rot like that! she snarled at Bob.

She is now my number one girl. Actually, my number one person, Miss Rot chimed in.

Bob stumbled over to his desk. Miss Rot told them to carry on with their art. Bob grabbed his pencil case only to realise there was no pencil! Bob asked the children around him if he could borrow one of their pencils.

EVERY one of them said no. In the end Bob used his pen, but since he is so HORRIBLE at drawing he made exactly 234 mistakes! Even worse, Natalie started to annoy Bob.

And your clothes, she said, how awful!

Bob looked at his reflection in the window. He had brown hair, brown eyes and was just the right height for his age. My clothes aren’t too bad, Bob thought. He was wearing khaki green baggy shorts and his favourite lightning bolt top.

How dare she insult him like that!

2

Embarrassed

On the way home something shiny caught Bob’s eye— tin foil! He stopped cycling and took a closer look at it. It was that pencil again, the same one he had seen on his way to school that morning.

Hmm, thought Bob. This may come in handy. And with that he picked up the pencil and sped off. When Bob arrived home he put the pencil into his pencil case.

Hi Mum, Bob said in a grumbly voice.

Hi honey, she replied. Is there something wrong?

She had done it again… guessed how he was feeling!

I’m okay, said Bob. It’s just this girl at school. Her name is Natalie and…

"Ooooh! How old is she? Is she nice? asked Mum.

But before Bob could answer all of the questions (which he was not expecting), Dad came in.

What are you guys talking about? he asked.

Oh, I’m talking about girls with Bob.

Aaaaaaaahhhhh, exclaimed Dad. I might as well get out of here.

Bob slapped his forehead. Mum! I don’t like…

Just then, the phone rang before Bob could finish his sentence.

Hello? said Mum, putting the phone on the speaker.

Hello, replied the voice at the other end.

It was one of Mum’s friends, Doris, from next door.

How are you?

Mum then said something that would make Bob slap his forehead again…

"Oh,