SOS So Cool

Chapter One

The Big Idea

‘Hey, Big Chipper!’

The salty seagull looks up from his morning tea to see a white rabbit calling out to him.

Nora Nibblesworth raises an arm and waves wildly as she bounces across the courtyard.

I wonder why Nora is so excited? thinks The Big Chipper.

He swallows his mouthful with a gulp as Nora skids to a halt in front of him.

‘Hi, Nora,’ he squawks. ‘Do you want one? I’ve got plenty to spare.’ He holds out a greasy chip. ‘Freshly cooked with extra salt.’

‘No, thanks,’ she puffs. ‘I just had a carrot. Healthy eating starts here.’

‘Suit yourself,’ says The Big Chipper, stuffing the chip into his mouth.

‘I’m here on official school captain business,’ pants Nora.

‘Oh,’ says The Big Chipper. ‘Do you want me to sing the school song at assembly again?’ He hiccups. ‘I’m really good with sound effects.’

‘Er, not this week,’ says Nora. ‘But I did want to talk to you about those shipwrecked hamsters.’

The Big Chipper lets out a low whistle. ‘Poor little guys. I heard they lost everything when their ship crashed on the rocks. It’s a shame the Lousy Lighthouse wasn’t working.’

Nora’s smile dips into a frown.

‘The Lousy Lighthouse never works!’ she says, jumping on the spot. ‘Never, never, never. I keep saying that someone should fix it. But will anyone listen to me? No. They say I’m just a silly little Scallywag with carrot in her teeth!’

‘I’m listening to you,’ says The Big Chipper. ‘And for the record, your teeth are sparkling white and clean. Not a chunk of carrot in sight.’

‘Well, that’s good to hear,’ says Nora, calming down slightly.

‘So how can we help the hamsters?’ asks The Big Chipper.

‘Oh yes,’ says Nora. ‘My big idea. As students of SOS, I thought we could raise some money to help the hamsters get back on their furry little feet.’

‘That’s a great idea,’ says The Big Chipper. ‘Are we going to do it the pirate way?’

‘Hmm,’ thinks Nora. ‘Robbing, stealing and walking the plank are not the best fundraising ideas. But we could dig up buried treasure if you have a map.’

The Big Chipper holds up another chip.

‘Sorry,’ he says. ‘Plenty of hot chips but no treasure map.’

‘Ooh, I have an idea,’ squeals Nora. ‘What about a costume parade? You know, the kind where everyone dresses up and walks around on stage. Every student can make their own costume. People can buy a ticket to attend, and at the end of the parade the audience can buy their favourite costumes. It’s brilliant! The money we raise will help the hamsters buy food, clothes and perhaps a new hamster wheel!’

‘A costume parade,’ repeats The Big Chipper. ‘Um, great idea.’

He tries to sound excited but the idea terrifies him.

I can’t make a costume, he thinks. Certainly not a costume someone would buy.

Reaching up a wing, he feels the upside-down chip bucket he wears as a hat.

No one would pay a cent for my fashion failures, he says to himself.

He suddenly notices Deluchio da Silva standing in the shade under the fig tree. It is hard not to feel jealous of the handsome grey wolf.

Deluchio always wears the latest pirate fashions, thinks The Big Chipper. I wear last week’s leftovers. I bet he will have the coolest costume in the parade.

As Nora hops over to Deluchio to share her idea, The Big Chipper feels his head itching under his greasy hat. In frustration, he grabs the chip bucket and throws it on the ground.

Chapter Two

Crazy Costumes

Feeling miserable, The Big Chipper picks up his hat and sulks off to his dorm room to search for costume ideas.

Everywhere he looks is another dead end.

His rusty birdcage makes him look like a jail bird. And his broken birdbath is too heavy to lift.

In the corridor outside his room, students talk excitedly about their costumes.

‘I’m going to make a ballerina costume,’ says Nora. ‘Or maybe I’ll go as a dragon-fighting princess …’

The Big Chipper wishes he could sew like Nora. Everything she makes looks perfect. But he has two wings and two webbed feet, and he keeps dropping the sewing needle.

‘I’m going to wear four gold chains, six gold rings, eight gold bracelets, three lucky charms, five earrings and a jewel-covered belt. Oh, and don’t forget the gold banana!’ says Benny Banana Peel.

‘Why not throw on a tiara and you can be the princess!’ laughs Nora.

‘Nah,’ says the cheeky chimp. ‘I need room on my head for my baseball cap.’

‘Let me guess,’ says Nora. ‘You’re going as the Sea Shanty Rapper.’

‘Exactly,’ says Benny. ‘It’s the perfect costume. Part pirate, part hip-hop singer, and all-round awesome! Oh, that reminds me – I’ve come up with a new rap to get the Scallywags excited about the costume parade. Listen.’

Glue on some sparkles, paint an old hat.

Make a cool costume in three seconds flat.

Add a fun hairdo. Don’t be afraid.

Help out a hamster and join the parade!

‘Wow,’ says Nora, ‘That was really catchy, Benny. Do you think you could write another rap convincing the audience to come along?’

As the two Scallywags continue down the corridor, The Big Chipper gets an idea.

Maybe I could dress as a Sea Shanty Rapper too, he thinks. I can sing and shake my tail feathers better than any seagull. All I need is a gold chain, or at least something that looks like a gold chain …

Growing more excited, he searches under his bed and in the dark corners of his room for any old chips. He is in luck. It doesn’t take him long to find a whole pile of chips.

‘It pays to be a messy bird,’ he chuckles.

After brushing off the dirt and grime, he glues the chips together to make a long golden chain.

Perfect!

But when he puts the new chip chain around his neck, the glue comes unstuck and the chain breaks apart, sending chips crumbling to the floor.

‘Bother!’ huffs The Big Chipper. ‘There is nothing cool about chip crumbs.’

While he is standing there feeling sorry for himself, he hears another student walking down the corridor.

The footsteps stop right outside his open door.

Oh no, thinks The Big Chipper as Deluchio da Silva, the coolest student at SOS, steps through the doorway.

The Big Chipper tries to hide the mess he has made but sticky chip crumbs are everywhere.

‘H-h-hi, Deluchio,’ he stammers. ‘I was just doing a … er, a little science experiment.’

Deluchio peers down at the broken chip chain.

The Big Chipper waits for him to laugh, but instead, Deluchio asks, ‘Are you ready for the costume parade? I can’t wait.’

The Big Chipper doesn’t know what to say. He stands there blinking for a moment.

He doubts he will ever be ready for the costume parade.

Finally, he finds the courage to ask, ‘What are you wearing, Deluchio?’

Deluchio gives him a big wolfish grin.

‘It’s a surprise,’ he says. ‘But it’s so cool.’

Chapter Three

Dazzle and Delight

The next morning, the SOS students gather on the school stage to practise for the costume parade.

‘I have invited a special guest along,’ says Nora. ‘As you know, one of our teachers was once a famous fashion model.’

On cue, a spotted French frog with enormously long legs sweeps out from behind the stage curtain wearing a stylish dress.

‘Bonjour, students,’ says Legs Lorraine, the SOS swimming teacher.

Bonjour, The Big Chipper knows, is French for hello.

‘Bonjour, Miss Lorraine,’ he mumbles.

‘How are you all feeling on this fashionable Friday?’ asks Legs Lorraine. ‘I hope you are all ready to dazzle and delight.’

‘I am always ready to dazzle!’ cheers Benny.

‘And my middle name is delight,’ adds Nora.

While the rest of the students get excited about the rehearsal, The Big Chipper just stares at his toes.

‘Some of you are still making your costumes,’ says Legs Lorraine, ‘so today you will be practising without them.’

Some of us haven’t even started making our costumes, thinks The Big Chipper.

‘Please follow my instructions,’ says Legs Lorraine. ‘Today you will learn how to walk like a model on the catwalk. I will tick off your name once you have perfected your routine.’

One by one, the students walk down a long red carpet in the centre of the stage. When they reach the end they stop and wave to an imaginary crowd. Then they spin in a circle and walk back again.

When it is Deluchio’s turn he does something different. Reaching the end of the carpet, he grins, clicks his fingers, and then strikes a cool pose.

‘Bravo!’ cheers Legs Lorraine. ‘You certainly have style, Deluchio. That looked magnifique.’

Deluchio takes a bow.

Watching from behind the stage curtain, The Big Chipper mumbles, ‘Show off.’

As Deluchio walks off the stage, Legs Lorraine looks down at her list.

‘Let me see,’ she says. ‘Ah yes, our final student to practise is The Big Chipper. Is there a salty seagull in the house?’

The Big Chipper wraps himself inside the stage curtain and closes his eyes.

‘Has anyone seen The Big Chipper?’ asks Legs Lorraine.

‘He’s over here,’ says Benny, peering around the side of the curtain. ‘I think he has fallen asleep. Or maybe he’s laying an egg.’

The Big Chipper opens an eye.

‘I’m awake,’ he mumbles.

Annoyed, he uncurls himself from the curtain and plods onto the stage.

‘Thank you for joining us, Big Chipper,’ says Legs Lorraine. ‘Kindly walk down the red carpet and give us your winning smile.’

I don’t have a winning smile, thinks The Big Chipper. And my normal smile looks more like a frown.

He is so grumpy that he forgets to spin. He doesn’t even wave to the crowd.

‘Try it again, Big Chipper,’ says Legs Lorraine. ‘And remember to smile.’

The Big Chipper’s next attempt is even worse. His toe gets caught on the red carpet and he almost falls off the stage.

‘Again!’ yells Legs Lorraine. ‘And put some heart into it. You are not leaving until it is perfect.’

It takes him six attempts to gets it right. By the end of the rehearsal, he is dizzy from all the spinning.

And he still forgets to smile!

Chapter Four

Eye Spy

All the next morning, The Big Chipper sits on a branch of the fig tree in the school courtyard.

It is his favourite place to go when he wants to be alone.

Surrounded by high stone walls, the courtyard is at the very centre of the school.

From his leafy perch, The Big Chipper can see the school garden to his left and the open-air stage to his right.

The other students don’t notice him as they walk past with their costumes.

Legs Lorraine has asked them to deliver their costumes to the dressing-room at the back of the stage. Most of the students are so excited that they are already wearing their costumes.

Maybe one of them will give me an idea, thinks The Big Chipper.

He spots a lot of great costumes but nothing is quite right.

‘Too big … too small … too fancy … too bananary,’ he mutters. ‘And every costume looks impossible to make!’

Losing hope, he is ready to fly away when Deluchio appears carrying a big black bag.

The Big Chipper leans over the branch for a closer look.

It must be Deluchio’s secret costume, he thinks. If only I could see inside.

The grey wolf disappears into the dressing-room and returns a few minutes later without the bag.

‘Now is my chance,’ says The Big Chipper.

He looks both ways for any teachers and then flies across the courtyard to the back of the stage.

The door to the dressing-room is shut but not locked, and it easily opens with a twist of the handle.

The Big Chipper feels like a thief as he tiptoes inside. What if someone catches him creeping around?

I’ll just sneak a peek at Deluchio’s costume and then leave, he tells himself.

Deluchio’s black bag is lying on a table surrounded by superhero costumes, makeup bags and silly hats.

As quiet as a mouse, The Big Chipper unzips the bag and reaches inside. The first thing he discovers is a shiny black boot. Then he sees a pair of brown pants and a thick belt with a skeleton buckle.

Next, he pulls out a fancy hat with a feather, and a white shirt with puffy sleeves.

He places all the items on the table and stares down at them.

‘Deluchio is dressing as a pirate!’ he exclaims.

He is about to put the costume away when he spots a large mirror on the wall.

Hmm, he thinks. I wonder how I would look in a pirate costume.

A little voice in the back of his head tells him that it is wrong to touch other people’s things.

I’ll put the costume straight back, he tells himself. No one will ever know.

Chapter Five

Fashion Failure

The Big Chipper’s heart is pounding like a drum as he puts on Deluchio’s pirate costume.

Nervous and excited, he wonders what he will look like.

Will I be as cool as Deluchio? he asks himself.

He refuses to look in the mirror until he is wearing every piece of the costume.

After tying the bootlaces, he stands up straight.

‘Tada!’ he cries.

But the character staring back at him from the mirror is anything but cool.

The entire costume is six sizes too big. He looks like a turkey in a sack of potatoes!

What a joke, he thinks.

He is too busy feeling sorry for himself to notice someone entering the room until a second face appears in the corner of the mirror.

The Big Chipper’s heart almost skips a beat when he realises who it is.

Oh no!

Deluchio da Silva holds up an eyepatch.

‘I forgot this …’ he begins. Then his eyes widen. ‘Whoa! Is that my costume?’

Feeling stupid and ashamed, The Big Chipper stammers, ‘I-I-I wasn’t trying to steal your costume, Deluchio. Honestly. I was just trying it on.’

‘But why?’ asks Deluchio, more curious than angry.

‘I just wanted to see if I looked, um cool, like you,’ mumbles The Big Chipper.

‘Oh,’ says Deluchio.

‘I’m sorry,’ sighs The Big Chipper. ‘I know it was wrong. I shouldn’t have touched your costume. Just look at me in this thing. I look like a great big goose!’

‘Hmm,’ thinks Deluchio. ‘Now that you mention it, you do look like a strange bird I once saw in the Bog.’ He winks.

‘So you’re not mad?’ asks The Big Chipper, raising his beak.

‘Oh no,’ says Deluchio. ‘I needed a second opinion anyway. To be honest, the boots could do with a bit more polishing.’

‘I’m sure you’ll still raise a lot of money for the hamsters,’ says The Big Chipper.

He takes off the hat.

‘Can I ask you a question, Deluchio?’

‘Sure,’ replies Deluchio.

Taking a big breath, The Big Chipper says, ‘What makes you so cool?’

Deluchio thinks for a moment.

‘I suppose it’s just the way I am,’ he says. ‘In the same way that you are just the way you are.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ asks The Big Chipper.

‘It means that I am cool in a wolf kind of way,’ says Deluchio. ‘And you are cool in a seagull kind of way.’

The Big Chipper frowns. ‘I never knew seagulls were cool.’

‘Oh yes,’ says Deluchio. ‘Seagulls are very cool.’ He points to the pirate shirt. ‘Where do you think I got the idea for my puffy white sleeves? Seagull wings, of course!’

The Big Chipper gives his wings a little flap.

‘Yeah, they are pretty cool when you think about them,’ he chuckles.

‘Are you kidding me?’ exclaims Deluchio. ‘They are more than pretty cool. They are super cool. I’d love to fly.’

The Big Chipper feels a strange warmth spreading through his body. Deluchio is right. He has a lot to be thankful for.

Being a seagull isn’t so bad after all.

But there is still one thing bothering him.

‘Having wings is great,’ he says. ‘But they’re not exactly a costume.’

Deluchio shakes his head. ‘With wings like that, I’m sure you can find the perfect costume!’

Chapter Six

On the Hunt

That afternoon, The Big Chipper flies high over the cliffs of Shark Tooth Island.

He has an idea. A brilliant idea!

With the costume parade only hours away, he must hurry.

Reaching the Lousy Lighthouse, he swoops towards the sea.

Rotting masts and the cracked hulls of shipwrecks poke out of an ocean filled with sharp black rocks.

Nora is right, The Big Chipper thinks. The Lousy Lighthouse does a terrible job.

All around him, large waves crash against the rocks, spraying water high into the air.

It is a dangerous place for a boat but The Big Chipper has wings to fly him out of danger.

‘Aha!’ he squawks.

From the air, he spots something on a rock. Diving down, he snatches it with his beak and then carries it to shore before returning to look for more.

It takes him until sunset to collect everything he needs.

‘Deluchio isn’t the only one with a surprise costume,’ he chuckles to himself.