Noisy Neighbours1 Mr FlinchIn a grim, grey house in a grim, grey town lived an unhappy man.It was not his grey house that made Mr Flinch unhappy. It was not that he was poor, because he was not. Mr Flinch was a miser. He never gave away a penny. ( He never gave away a smile either. ) He was a mean and miserable man.Mr Flinch was miserable because of his neighbours.On one side of Mr Flinch?s grim, grey house stood a jolly red one. It belonged to Carl Clutch who mended cars.Carl loved CarS - and motorbikes and VanS and lorries. EVery morning, Mr Flinch woke up to hear hammers banging, spanners clanging and engines reVVing. The whole street shook with the noise.On the other side, in a bright blue house, liVed a musiC teaCher Called Poppy Plink. EaCh morning, Poppy sat down and played grand tunes on her grand piano. After breakfast, her students started to arriVe.Violins sCreeChed, drums thundered and bassoons bellowed. Mr FlinCh Shut his Window, but the noise still Came through the wall. Brum - brum, tootle -toot, bang! HiS whole house shook and shivered.He put his fingers in his ears.He rapped on the wall …but hneighbours did not hear.They were far too happy. They were mending Cars and making musiC, and they loved their work.BrUm - brum, tootle - toot, bang!Mr FlinCh rap rapped until he made holes in his wallpaper. It did no good.Mr FlinCh loCked himself in a Cupboard. He wound old towels round his head.He wrote angry letters, but tore them all up. , Stamps Cost far too muCh money!? he said.Even in bed, he wore a hat to keep out the noise.But the Cars still revved and the musiC still jangled.Mr FlinCh was the grey filling in a noise sandwiCh.,This Can?t go on,? FlinCh thought to himself. He even shouted it out loud: 2 Nasty TriCksMr FlinCh went next door to Carl?s house. Carl was mending Cars. It was easy to sneak into his kitChen and put a dead rat in the fridge.,That will get rid of him!? said FlinCh, and smiled a nasty smile. ,Nobody wants to live in a house with rats!?At midni ght, Mr Fli nch CIimbed on to his roof and - carefully, carefully - Crawled aCross the tiles. He put his head down Poppy?s Chimney and gave a long, loud, ,Hooowooowoooo!?,That will get ride of her,? he said with a grim grin. ,Nobody wants to live in a house with ghosts!?Then he climbed back into bed.Next morning, Mr Flinch woke to a HUGE noise. Cars and lorries were stopping outside. He looked out of his window.Carl was sitting outside in the rood, with a table, a kettle, a loaf of bread and a bottle of tomato sauce.Carl called to Mr Flinch, ,Can?t use my kitch en today! Rays, urgh! My mum is cleaning up. She told me to eat my breakfast outside. That?s how I got this great idea! Take - away breakfast! DriVerS Can StOP here and buy breakfast.?Just then, POPPy Plink Came running Out Of her blue frOnt dOOr. ,Oh, Mr FlinCh! Oh, Carl! Guess what haPPened last night!?,I giVe uP,? said Mr FlinCh, with a sumg smirk. ,DO tell.?POPPy beamed with jOy. ,Last night, angles sang dOwn my Chimney! They did, I PrOmise!? She frOwned. ,But the musiC wasn?t Very gOOd! I thin k they want sOme new sOngs tO sing! I?m sure they want me tO write them, and I shall! Oh I shall!?She did.POPPy still had tO teaCh musiC all day.But at night she wrOte angle musiC. She made it niCe and lOud, with lOts Of Cymbals and trumPets.It was all tOO muCh fOr Mr FlinCh.3 Mr FlinCh has a PlanMr FlinCh went next dOOr tO Carl?s hOuse.He shOwed Carl a fistful Of mOney. ,The day yOu mOVe hOuse, all this is yOurs!? he said.,Anything yOu say, Chief,? said Carl, wiPing his dirty hands On a rag.,As lOng as I Can mend Cars, I?ll be haPPy anywhere.? Carl went On, ,I?ll mOVe Out as sOOn as I Can sell the hOuse!?Next, Mr FlinCh went tO POPPy?s hOuse and Offered her a hatful Of mOney. ,The day yOu mOVe hOuse, all this is yOurs!? he sai d.,Of COurse! If that is what yOu want, dear heart! Cried POPPy.She had neVer seen sO muCh mOney in her life. ,As lOng as I haVe my musiC, I Can be haPPy anywhere! I will mOVe Out just as sOOn as I Can sell my little hOuse!?Mr Flinch Went home a happy man - well, as happy as a man Iike Mr FlinCh Can eVer be.He felt in his empty pockets and gulped. ,All that money gone! Ah, but soon those noisy neighbours will be gone, too!?In a few days, Mr Flinch?s neighbours had sold up their houses.Now, at last, he would have PeaCe and quiet - nothing but the noise of mice scratching in the empty cellar.4 Moving DayMr Flinch watched as Poppy Plink moved out. Bo-jangle went the piano as she pushed and bumped it down the steps.,Going already are you, you pest?? he mutted. ,I pity the person who has to live next door to you!?Seeing him, Poppy waved up at the window.,Such luck, Mr Flinch!? she called. ,Fancy! A few days ago, I met someone who wants to move house too! We agreed to swap houses!?Just then, Carl came out of his front door carrying two heavy tool boxes. He saw Poppy struggling with a harp and went to help her. ,All set, Poppy? he said.,All set, Carl! Isn?t this fun!? She replied.Then Carl moved into Poppy?s bright house and Poppy moved into Carl?s jolly red one.They helped each other to carry the big things, like tables and sofas.Then Carl had a house-warming party. He and Poppy sang, because they were so happy: ,There?s no place like home!?Mr Fli nch heard it right t hrough the WaIl Of his house …eve n in Side hiscupboard, even with a towel round his head.Princess Pip 's Holiday1 Ready to goEveryone in Princess Pip?s castle was very busy. The King was polishinghis money, the Queen was choosing sun hats, and the maids were running around with piles of vests.“ Can I take Dobbin on holiday? ”asked Princess Pip.“I?m afraid there won?t be room for a pony on the coach , ”said the Queen.“Oh, ”said the Princess Pip. “Can Amanda and Bert come,then? ”“There ,s no room for snakes, ”said the King, “not even pet ones. ”Princess Pip scowled . “This holiday is going to be BORING, ” she said. They went on holiday in their best gold coach.“Wave to all the people, dear, ” said the Queen.Princess Pip folded her arms . “ I ,m on holiday, ” she said. “Are we nearly there yet? ”“We won?t be there for a long time, ” said the Queen firmly .It did take a long time to get to the seaside . The coach got very hot, andPrincess Pip didn?t feel very well.“Here we are,at last! ” said the King happily.“But it?s a castle! ” said Princess Pip. “Just like home.It?s BORING. ”2 Just like homeThere was a girl waiting by the castle door.“This is Daisy, ”said the Queen. “She is going to look after you,Pip. ”Daisy showed Princess Pip her room.“I don?t want a four -poster bed! ”said Princess Pip. “That?sjust like home. ”“Youcan sleep on my straw mattress , then, ”said Daisy. “I?ll have the bed. ”“Oh, all right. ”said Princess Pip.That evening there was a banquet and it went on for hours.“More sprouts? ”asked the King happily.This is BORING, ”said the Princess Pip.“NOnSenSe胡说）,dear, ” Saithe Queen. “It can?t be boring. We?re On holiday! ”“ I WANT TO GO HOME”! Said PrinceSS Pip, the next day. She had been walking round the caStle wallS all morning and She hadn?t found anything to do.“But we?re having a wonderful time, ” Said the Queen,from her Sun chair.“JuSt look at the way my money ShineS in the Sun,”Said the King.“Wonderful! ”“ But it?S BORING! ” Said PrinceSS Pip.“Why don?t you go and talk to DaiSy? ” SuggeSted the Queen.PrinceSS Pip Stomped off.“That doeS it, ” She Said to DaiSy. “I WANT TO GO HOME”!3 The road home“Ifyou stayed here a bit longer,you might start liking the seaside, ”said Daisy.But Princess Pip wasn?t listening. She was putting all her important things in her suitcase.“I think we?ll have to take some things out, ”said Daisy.Daisy found them both backpacks, and they set out for home.Princess Pip and Daisy went across the drawbridge and along the road. It was very hot.“Let?s have a nice,cool snack, ”said Daisy.So they got some fish sticks from a stall.“These aren?t bad, ” admitted Princess Pip.“They taste best by the seaside, ” said Daisy. “ I?ll show you where the fish come from, if you like. ”They went down some stone steps to a place where the sea swished backwards and forwards and the ground looked as if it was made of gold.“Look in these pools, ” said Daisy.The fish were hard to catch.”You could take your stockings off, ” said Daisy, “and use them for nets.It was nice without shoes and stockings on. It was even nicer once Princess Pip had taken off her coat and crown.The fish looked very cross at being caught ，so Princess Pip let them go.“It?s not too bad here, ” said Princess Pip,at last. “ I want to stay here allthe time. ”“Let?s build a sandcastle, then, ” said Daisy.“A sand HOUSE,” saidPrincess Pip.It was hard work, but they built a huge house, with a moat all around.Soon the sea came in and filled the moat.“That?s just right. ”said Princess Pip. “Make it stop coming in now,Daisy.But the sea kept on coming in.......... and soon it had washed their house FLAT.“ We built our house too close to the sea, ”said Daisy, sadly.“STUPID SEA!”shouted Princess Pip. “STUPID SEASIDE! I WANT TO GO HOME”!4 Riding the dragonPrincess Pip and Daisy put on their shoes and picked up their backpacks.“I?m tired, ”said Princess Pip, very soon. “ I want to ride Dobbin. Are we nearly home, yet? ”“Why don?t you ride one of the horses on that merry -go- round?” suggested Daisy.“Oh, no, ”said Princess Pip. “ I?m going to ride that dragon. ”The dragon went very fast, and there was lots of exciting music--but then it all stopped. Everyone got off.“But we?re still here! ” said Princess Pip, crossly, as she got off ,too.“At least it wasn?t boring, ” said Daisy.“I WANT TO GO HOME”! shouted Princess Pip.“Atleast it was fun, ”said Daisy. “Everything is fun here because it?s a FUN- fair. ”Princess Pip sniffed. “ What?s fun about it? ” she asked.“I?ll show you, ” said Daisy.They went down the roller coaster.Then they went UP and UP and ... D OWN again.“AARRRRG”H! yelled Princess Pip and Daisy.“Let?s go on it again, ” said Princess Pip.“ Tomorrow, perhaps, ” said Daisy, who had gone very pale.“BUT I WANT... ” began Princess Pip.“Hello! ” said a voice.It was the King. The Queen was with him.“Where?s Princess Pip? ” the King asked Daisy.“Here ! ” said Princess Pip.The King and the Queen stared at her.“You can?t be Pip! ” the Queen gasped. “You?re all dirty,and you have no stockings! ”“But I am! ” saPirdincess Pip, and put on her crown to prove it. “Look! It?s me, and I?ve found a place where the ground is made of gold!Come and see.Daisy and Princess Pip showed them the beach.“Good heavens! ”saidthe King. “Howwonderful! It?s just the color of money. ”“What a perfect place for my sun chair, ”said the Queen.The beach was a perfect place for picnics and games, and races, too. Everyone loved it.Then one day the King said: “ What a pity we have to go home tomorrow. ”Princess Pip scowled, and she said...“I don?t want to go home!!! ”。