Video Rose and Mark Spark Read online

  “Don’t you fret yourself, my pet. We’ll sort something out, just you wait and see.”

  Chapter Three

  “I’m ever so sorry, Louise,” said Mark. “I really wish I could stay overnight for your birthday treat. But I can’t. I’ve got to go and stay with my Great Gran that weekend.”

  “Oh Mark!” said Louise, frowning. “Don’t muck up my birthday treat.”

  “Can’t you go and stay with your Great Gran some other weekend?” said Jason. “You’ve got to come too, Mark.”

  “I’m sorry. But I’ve got to be with Great Gran. She’s – she’s scared of the dark, you see. She needs me there,” said Mark.

  “Hang on,” said Jason. “Your Great Gran’s blind, so she’s always in the dark. Why should she be scared?”

  Mark Spark scratched his head. “Burglars,” he said. “There’ve been several break-ins down near my Great Gran’s. She’s getting nervous.”

  It was true enough. There had been several burglaries. And Great Gran was worried about it. And Mark Spark certainly wanted to look after her. Great Gran always looked after him. It was her idea that he should stay with her, so he needn’t go to stay with Louise.

  “It won’t be any fun without you, Mark,” said Jason.

  “Yes it will,” said Louise crossly. “Okay then, Mark. If you can’t come I’ll invite my friend Lily instead.”

  “Yuck! Not Lily,” said Jason, looking horrified. “I can’t stick Silly Lily.”

  Jason didn’t ever dare call Lily Silly to her face. She might have a small soft name but she was a big tough girl and she never let any of the boys boss her about. But she could be good fun too. She often had good ideas. Almost as good ideas as Mark Spark.

  It was very hard for Mark listening to Louise and Jason and Lily planning the birthday treat.

  “Mum says we can cook food on her little camping stove,” said Louise.

  “Sausages! Wow, can we have sausages?” said Jason.

  “And if I bring my mum’s special pan we could have pancakes with maple syrup,” said Lily.

  Mark’s mouth was watering. It sounded as if the birthday treat was going to be such fun.

  “Look, Louise, maybe I could come for the camp stove feast?” he said hopefully. “Then I could go along to my Great Gran’s after, when it gets dark and you lot go to bed in the tent.”

  “No, Mum says I can only have two friends. She says more will just get silly. And now I’ve asked Jason and Lily,” said Louise.

  “Lily is silly,” Jason muttered to Mark. “Hey, I do wish you were coming instead of her, Mark.”

  “So do I,” said Mark miserably.

  It was hard when he knew he wasn’t going because he was the silly one.

  Chapter Four

  “We’ll have our own camp fire feast, little pal,” said Great Gran on Saturday night.

  Mark helped her cook it in the kitchen. They had sausages. They had bacon too. And baked beans. And chips. They didn’t eat it at the kitchen table as usual. They went into Great Gran’s lounge and she switched her electric fire on, even though it was a hot evening.

  “It’s our camp fire, right?” said Great Gran.

  “You bet,” said Mark, sitting down cross-legged in front of the fire.

  Great Gran couldn’t quite manage to sit cross-legged, but she drew her armchair up near the fire and they had their feast. Then they had their pudding.

  “Oh Great Gran!” said Mark, seeing the bowl of batter. “Are we having pancakes too?”

  “You bet,” said Great Gran.

  She cooked the pancakes in very hot fat. They made a lot of smoke. It was very like a camp fire. Great Gran couldn’t see but somehow she knew exactly when to toss each pancake. She made six. She ate two. Guess who ate four. One with lemon and sugar. One with jam. One with chocolate spread. And one with condensed milk.

  Mark Spark felt very full indeed afterwards. He watched television with Great Gran but the heat from the fire and the food in his tummy made him feel very very sleepy.

  “Come on, we’re both nodding off,” said Great Gran. “Let’s go to bed, eh?”

  They got undressed and Mark cleaned his teeth and Great Gran popped hers in an old cup in the bathroom. Then they both climbed into Great Gran’s bed.

  “We can play tents in here,” said Great Gran, pulling the bedclothes over their heads.

  “No, it’s a bit too dark, Great Gran,” said Mark.

  “Okay pet,” said Great Gran, tucking the sheets back under Mark’s chin.

  She said Mark could keep the light on all night long. Mark snuggled up happily, feeling safe. Great Gran was especially cuddly without her corsets. Mark fell asleep straight away.

  He had a funny dream about Louise and Jason and Lily. They were all safe in their tent with torches but they’d pushed him out in the dark and he didn’t know what to do. He stumbled around in his dream, bumping into things and crying. He heard himself wailing and then he heard Great Gran’s voice.

  He woke up. He felt for Great Gran. He sat straight up in bed. Great Gran wasn’t there! He heard the weird wailing again. And then he heard Great Gran’s voice outside, down in the garden.

  What was she doing out there in the dark by herself?

  Mark started shivering, wishing Great Gran would come back. Then he heard a thump and a bang and a fumble and a groan. Great Gran!

  Was it a burglar? Had he hurt Great Gran?

  “You leave my Great Gran alone!” Mark Spark shouted, and he hurtled out of bed, out of the bedroom, down the stairs three at a time, down the passage and out the back door. Into the dark. The great black terrifying outdoor dark.

  “Great Gran!” Mark shouted, scarcely able to see a thing. And then he bumped right into someone and shrieked.

  “Hey, little darling, it’s only me,” said Great Gran, holding him tight. “What are you doing out in the garden, eh?”

  “What are you doing out in the garden?” Mark gasped. “Where’s the burglar?”

  “There’s no burglar, sweetheart. Just a silly cat who’s been rooting around in my dustbin. I just tripped right over it. But I think we’ve frightened him off now.”

  “Good.”

  “So you thought there was a burglar? And yet you came out here in the dark to protect your old Great Gran, eh? That was very very brave of you.”

  Mark thought about it. “Mmm. Yes. I suppose it was,” he said, pleased.

  “The dark isn’t so very terrible, is it?” said Great Gran.

  Mark looked all around him. It wasn’t so bad now he was holding Great Gran’s hand. It wasn’t really so frightening at all. It wasn’t even as black as he’d expected. Maybe he’d be able to stay over at Louise’s house next time.

  He looked up at the dark sky and smiled.

  “I can see all the stars, Great Gran,” he said. “They sparkle.”

  “Like you, pet. My Markle Sparkle,” said Great Gran.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  About the Author

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Content

  STARRING MARK SPARK AND VIDEO ROSE

  VIDEO ROSE

  1…

  2…

  3…

  4…

  5…

  6…

  MARK SPARK

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  MARK SPARK iN THE DARK

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four