~~~~~

'Mike hasn't said good night,' Ellie wailed after her mother. 'He hasn't said good night to me.'

Two minutes later, Mike invaded his little sister's bedroom. 'You still owe me,' he said.

'I know,' said Ellie.

'Well?'

'I haven't got it yet.'

'Tell you what,' said Mike, 'I'll let you off if you can answer three questions.'

'What questions?' asked Ellie in a flat voice. Horrible hard fraction questions, nasty spelling questions: she knew she wouldn't be able to answer them.

'One, what can you keep even when you give it to someone else?' asked Mike. 'Two, how many stars are there in the sky? And three, what am I thinking?'

'I know the first,' siad Ellie. 'My promise.'

'Who told you that?'

'Harriet! What was the second one?'

'Stars,' said Mike.

'Wait a minute,' said Ellie. She got out of bed, and walked across to the window, and peered between the curtains. 'I remember now,' she said. 'Nine hundred and ninety-nine.'

'Says who?'

'There are,' protested Ellie.

'How do you know?'

'If you don't believe me,' said Ellie, 'you can count them for yourself.'

'Huh!' said Mike. 'All right, what am I thinking?'

'Not fair,' said Ellie. 'That's like saying, "What's in my pocket?"'

'Do you give up?'

Ellie pressed her nose into the window; then she had an idea; and then she saw herself begin to smile. 'Mi-ike,' she began slowly, 'you think you're talking to Ellie.'

'What do you mean?'

'What I said.'

'Of course I am,' said Mike.

'I'm not Ellie at all. Mum just told me. They called me Rosie when I was born. When I was christened. But when I stayed pale and sort-of thin - when I wasn't rosy, they change my name.'

'Are you making that up?' asked Mike.

'So... you let me off?' asked Ellie.

~~~~~

lol Mike's reaction

This is the end!    * cries *

oh well

thanks for reading this book!

Note: these are not my stories - if you know who wrote them, please tell me :)

~ tol bean out xx