The Wolf Cupboard by Susan Gates

Chapter One

Little Brother Lost
    Leon was in big trouble. He had lost Danny, his little brother.
    That morning, Mum had dropped them both off at school.
    She had told Leon: “This is Danny’s first day at school. Make sure he knows where the toilets are. Make sure no big kids bully him.”
    And Leon had said, “Don’t worry, Mum. He’ll be all right with me.”

    Leon had meant to check on Danny at morning break. But he forgot. He played football with his friends instead.
    When the bell rang for home time, Leon went running out of the school gates. Then he suddenly remembered. He was supposed to be walking Danny home!
    He ran back to find Danny.
    The babies’ class had already come out of school. Mums, dads and carers were taking them home.

    Leon looked around for his little brother’s cheeky grin.
    But there was no sign of Danny anywhere.
    â€œMum will kill me if anything happens to him!” thought Leon.
    Everyone went home. The playground was empty and quiet. And still no Danny.
    Then Leon really started to panic.
    â€œWhere are you, Danny?” he whispered, his voice shaky.
    He felt sick. What if Danny had gone home without him? There was a busy road between school and home. Danny was only four years old. Leon had scary pictures in his mind, of Danny getting run over.

    Or what if some bad person took him away?
    Leon couldn’t even
think
about that. He blocked it out of his mind.
    Then he heard a noise. A kind of whimper, coming from behind the school bins.
    Leon ran over. “Danny? Danny? Is that you?”
    Leon shoved the big, heavy bin out of the way. And there was Danny, hiding behind it.

    Leon was really pleased to see his little brother. But he was angry too because he had been so scared that Danny was lost.
    â€œDanny!” he yelled. “I nearly had a heart attack! I thought you’d gone home without me!”
    Danny looked up. His face was covered with snot and tears. He looked really scared.
    â€œWhat’s the matter, Danny?” asked Leon. “Has someone hurt you?”

Chapter Two

The Wolf Cupboard
    Danny gave a big sniff and wiped the snot from his nose with his sleeve.
    â€œHurry up and tell me!” said Leon.
    â€œThis big boy…” Danny began.
    â€œWhat!” yelled Leon. “Did a big boy hurt you? Tell me his name!”
    â€œI don’t know his name,” said Danny. “He was just some big boy.”
    â€œDid he hurt you?” asked Leon again.
    â€œNo,” said Danny. “He told me about the wolf cupboard.”
    â€œThe what?” said Leon. “What wolf cupboard?”

    Danny began to cry again. “That big boy told me if you’re bad at school they shut you up in the wolf cupboard. And there’s a big, bad wolf in there. And he eats you all up.”
    Leon felt his fear rush away, like water down a plug hole. He burst out laughing.
    â€œDanny!” he grinned. “There’s no such thing as a wolf cupboard!”

    â€œYes there is a wolf cupboard!” said Danny, still crying. “That big boy showed it to me. It’s outside my classroom.”
    â€œHe was just trying to scare you,” said Leon. “Look, Danny, wolves don’t live in cupboards.”
    But Danny wasn’t listening. He gave a big shiver.
    â€œI hate this school,” he told Leon. “And I’m never, ever coming back here again!”

    â€œOh no!” thought Leon.
    He’d promised to look after Danny. But what would Mum say if he took Danny home crying and scared and saying he was never,
ever
going to school again?
    â€œMum will kill me!” thought Leon.
    She was on early shifts at work. So Leon would have to walk Danny to school tomorrow.
    â€œWhat if he won’t go?” thought Leon. “What if I have to drag him crying and screaming down the High Street?”
    Things were looking really bad.
    â€œI’ll just have to show Danny that this wolf