Toad Rage - Morris Gleitzman [35]
“More than disgusting,” said Limpy. “We're going to show the world just how vile, revolting, and repugnant cane toads really are.”
Goliath frowned. Then understanding crept slowly across his big warty face.
Limpy looked up at the girl and gave her a nod.
Holding Limpy in one hand and Goliath in the other, the girl stepped through the curtain onto the stage.
Limpy was almost blinded by flashing cameras and glaring TV lights.
The girl put him and Goliath down on a table in front of her.
Limpy noticed that most of the cameras were pointing at him and Goliath rather than her.
Good, he thought.
With an encouraging grin to both of them, the girl opened the tin of mud worms they'd spent all morning collecting. She tipped them out onto the table.
As he picked the first one up and dropped it wriggling and alive into his mouth, Limpy noticed some of the journalists and cameramen screwing up their faces.
By the time he and Goliath had half a dozen worms, each wriggling down their throats, Limpy was pleased to see some of the cameras being turned away and some of the journalists looking a bit ill.
He could tell they were going right off the idea that cane toads were lovable.
The international market for stuffed cane toads, thought Limpy with grim satisfaction, will be history in about two minutes.
He turned round so the journalists all had a good view of his bottom.
Limpy sat in the middle of the highway and let the warm North Queensland night air caress his skin and soothe the sore armpits he'd got from two days on the back of a mango truck.
It was good to be home.
Then he heard a distant rumble.
This is it, he thought, warts suddenly prickling with tension.
A vehicle was approaching at speed.
Limpy looked anxiously up at Goliath, who was sitting next to him on the bitumen. Goliath met his eyes for a moment.
“Here goes,” muttered Goliath.
Limpy looked even more anxiously down at Charm, who was sitting on the other side of him.
“I love you, Limpy,” said Charm. “I'm saying it now in case we don't get a chance afterward.”
Limpy stroked her cheek and felt his insides glow with love for her, and his crook leg ache with anxiety.
He held his breath.
The vehicle, a huge semi, was almost at the crossing.
Limpy gripped his stick and faced the oncoming headlights, grim and determined.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Goliath raise his stick.
“Come and get us, you mongrels,” yelled Goliath.
Limpy, trembling, wanted to grab Charm and hop for the grass verge, but he didn't.
He saw Charm raise her stick.
The truck thundered over the crossing.
Limpy stayed glued to the spot as Goliath raised himself up to his full height and waved his stick at the truck bearing down on them and yelled a torrent of swearwords at it.
Limpy's heart was pounding so hard his warts were aching.
“Now,” he yelled.
He watched as Charm planted one end of her stick on the bitumen, just like they'd practiced, gripped the other end, flung herself upward, and pole-vaulted through the air.
Limpy did the same. Just before he landed on the grass at the edge of the highway, he looked back desperately to make sure Goliath had too. But all he could see was a cloud of dust as the truck roared past.
“Charm!” yelled Limpy. “Goliath!”
He was still yelling as the truck disappeared into the distance and the dust settled.
Charm stuck her head out of a clump of grass, grinning.
Goliath dropped down from the paperbark tree he'd landed in.
“It works,” he yelled. “Good on you, Limpy.”
Limpy grinned too, dizzy with relief.
The other cane toads broke into excited applause and crowded round the three of them.
Limpy glowed happily as Dad gave him a proud slap on the back.
Mum hugged him, face shining with love.
Even Ancient Eric shook his hand.
“It's just as I predicted, young Limpy,” he said. “You've brought peace and security to cane toads for countless generations to come.”
He glanced nervously down at his stomach.