Milo and the Pirate Sisters (9 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

UP FOR THE MATCH

S
hane kept telling me that I was a wuss on the day of our match. I’d already puked twice, once on Mum’s new rug in the hall and later in the kitchen when I got the whiff of Dad’s sausages frying in the pan. Mum had washed my soccer gear and she even ironed it. ‘I went to a lot of trouble,’ she said. ‘So no more vomiting please.’

‘I know, Mum,’ I sighed.

‘Oh, I’m joking, Milo,’ she laughed, giving me a hug that almost did stir up more puke. ‘I’m so proud of you. Dad and I will be there to cheer for you. I’ll be waving my red scarf.’

‘Great, Mum. Just don’t scream my name, OK?’

I called in for Shane, who wasn’t even remotely nervous. I’ve always wished I was as cool as him. He said that in Africa no one gets their knickers in a knot over games because they’re used to worse things like vicious crocodiles, fanged snakes and plants that eat people. I don’t know where he got that information because he was only a baby when he and his granny came to Ireland.

‘Cakes are for later, fellas,’ Big Ella said when Shane reached out, as he was leaving, for a scone with raspberry jam.

‘Good luck, boys,’ said Mister Lewis, all chirpy and back to his old self. ‘I’ll be there.’

We walked to the soccer pitch because Shane said it was another way to get noticed. He reckoned that there might be soccer guys hanging around scouting for kids like us that they’d take back to England for top-notch training. And we’d be put up in hotels so posh that we could just snap our fingers for anything we want.

‘Shane,’ I laughed. ‘This is our first ever match. Except for the tips we got from Wedge and Crunch, we barely know what to do.’

‘You kick the ball,’ said Shane, ‘and I’ll stop it.’

‘But I’ll be kicking to
the other
goal,’ I said.

‘Oh yeah, you’re right,’ grinned Shane.

‘Huh, where did those two come from?’ he added when he saw Wedge and Crunch
waiting at the sideline.

‘Hey, Shane,’ grinned Wedge. ‘Haven’t you forgotten something?’

‘What?’ asked Shane.

‘Your SKIRT!’ chortled Crunch.

They both shut up when they saw Dad coming towards us to wish us luck.

‘Give ’em stick, guys,’ he called out to Shane and me. ‘Bend it like … like, eh … Pelé.’

I cringed when Wedge and Crunch and even Shane sniggered. Dad is big on rugby but knows nothing about soccer. Shane would hoot about this for days.

Dad turned to Wedge and Crunch. ‘It looks like you two are in the clear,’ he said. ‘The missing boat was found farther down the river. Probably broke its moorings.’

But Crunch was looking over Dad’s shoulder, his grin disappearing as the three pirate sisters came over the hill.

‘Hey, Mister … I mean, Guard!’ he shouted after Dad. ‘There’s the raggedy women who were throwing stones at us. Go on, arrest them.’

But Dad was already out of earshot.

Like a mini whirlwind, Tara came screaming towards Wedge and Crunch, waving her broken sword that was held together with one of Big Ella’s stockings. ‘Who are you calling raggedy?’ she shrilled. ‘Look at me. I’m lovely!’

I’m not much interested in whatever girls wear, you understand, though I had to admit she did look different.

However, the shouts from Wedge cut through any silly thoughts about girls with hair and frocks. He pointed at the sword. ‘That’s ours,’ he snarled so fiercely that little spits flew from his lips. ‘You stole our sword, thief!’

Tara made a run at Wedge. ‘I am NOT a thief,’ she yelled. ‘I’m the PIRATE COUSIN of GRANUAILE,’ she added dramatically.

‘Ha!’ put in Crunch. ‘That Graniathingy one is dead for years.’

‘And so are me and my sisters,’ retorted Tara, pointing to Eulalia and Mellie.

Wedge and Crunch took to their panicky heels, followed by Tara, waving the plastic sword and being cheered on by her sisters.

‘Wow!’ I said to Shane. ‘Have you ever heard anyone as loud as those women?’

‘Ha, Milo,’ laughed Shane. ‘When Big Ella was shampooing their hair, they screamed like banshees.’

When we were all sent out onto the pitch, after a talk from Mister Sullivan, I was glad I’d had no breakfast to throw up. The whistle blew and we were off.

I hardly got to kick the ball during the match, but I did what Wedge and Crunch had said. Every time I went to an opposition’s right side, they kicked the ball against my legs and it mostly rebounded to one of our own players. We even scored a goal after one of my ‘passes’. My legs were black and blue, but I was so proud it didn’t matter.

‘Shane, my man,’ I said gallantly after the final whistle blew, ‘you were the star of the show. And when you dived in front of their big forward, that was totally cool.’

Shane rubbed his bruised forehead. ‘That was no dive, Milo. Mister Lewis was right behind me, yabbering in my ear. I tried to get out of the way of the forward, but Mister Lewis pushed me at the last second and the ball just hit my head.’

‘You mean it was your big head that won
the cup for us?’ I laughed. ‘Cool, Shane.’

When our team went up to get the cup, I saw Mum waving her red scarf like mad and Dad blowing a horn, and Miss Lee was waving a flag too. Beyond them, I saw three figures also waving, and, instead of screeching, they were laughing. Yes, they were Tara, Mellie and Eulalia, dressed in the vintage clothes that Big Ella had given them – after she’d made them scrub themselves and shampoo their hair. They looked well posh jumping up and down with excitement and chatting to Big Ella.

I was sort of sorry when the sisters told us they were going back through time to their kinfolk in Galway, leaving Mister Lewis in charge of the mill.

‘Back to our own time,’ said Mellie.

‘We’ve noticed that our snooty upstart
cousin Granuaile gets all the fame,’ said Eulalia. ‘We intend to change all that.’

‘Yes indeed,’ added Mellie. ‘Watch out for
our
names and faces on books.’

‘I just want a nice, quiet life,’ sighed Tara. ‘No more trying to tame my big sisters.’

When we went back to the dressing room, I turned to Shane. ‘Didn’t Big Ella say me and Mum and Dad are having tea in your place?’

‘Yes, Milo. So hurry up,’ he said. ‘I’m starving. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.’

Mary Arrigan studied at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, and at Florence University. She became a full-time writer in 1994. Her novel for teenagers
The Rabbit Girl,
one of her forty-four published books, was selected by the United States Board on Books for Young People for their list of Outstanding International Books for 2012. Her awards include the International White Ravens title, a Bisto Merit Award, a
Sunday Times
/Crime Writers’ Association Award and a Hennessy Literary Award. Her books have been translated into twelve languages. You can read more Milo Adventures in
Milo and One Dead Angry Druid, Milo and the Raging Chieftains,
and
Milo and
the Long Lost Warriors.

When Shane’s gran digs up a weird ancient stone, best buddies Milo and Shane find themselves face to face with its owner − one dead angry druid. Willie Jones’s lizard goes mental and Shane disappears. Milo is in deep, deep trouble, and he needs a rescue plan before midnight strikes.

Milo’s ghostly buddy, Mister Lewis, appears in the town’s ancient castle, but he’s not alone. He’s in trouble and needs Milo’s help. Things get very complicated when Milo’s teacher, Miss Lee, accidentally wakes some raging chieftains from long ago. And then she disappears.