turned off the TV and picked up her knitting needles.
Click click click.
Margaret reappeared.
“I can’t sleep with that clicking noise,”
she said.
“All right,” said Mom. She sighed a little.
“And it’s cold in my bedroom,” said Moody Margaret.
Mom turned up the heat.
Margaret reappeared.
“Now it’s too hot,” said Moody Margaret.
Dad turned down the heat.
“My room smells funny,” said Margaret.
“My bed is too hard,” said Margaret. “My room is too stuffy,” said Margaret.
“My room is too light,” said Margaret.
“Good night, Margaret,” said Mom.
“How many more days is she staying?” said Dad.
Mom looked at the calendar.
“Only thirteen,” said Mom.
Dad hid his face in his hands.
“I don’t know if I can live that long,” said Dad.
TOOTA TOOT. Mom blasted out of bed.
TOOTA TOOT. Dad blasted out of bed.
TOOTA TOOT.TOOTA TOOT. TOOTA TOOT TOOT TOOT. Henry and Peter blasted out of bed.
Margaret marched down the hall, playing her trumpet.
TOOTA TOOT.TOOTA TOOT.
TOOTA TOOT TOOT TOOT TOOT.
“Margaret, would you mind playing your trumpet a little later?” said Dad, clutching his ears.“It’s six o’clock in the morning.”
“That’s when I wake up,” said Margaret.
“Could you play a little more softly?” said Mom.
“But I have to practice,” said Moody Margaret.
The trumpet blared through the house.
TOOT TOOT TOOT.
Horrid Henry turned on his radio.
BOOM BOOM BOOM.
Margaret played her trumpet louder.
TOOT! TOOT! TOOT!
Henry blasted his radio as loud as he could.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
“Henry!” shrieked Mom.
“Turn that down!” bellowed Dad.
“Quiet!” screamed Margaret.“I can’t practice with all this noise.” She put down her trumpet.“And I’m hungry. Where’s my breakfast?”
“We have breakfast at eight,” said Mom.
“But I want breakfast now,” said Margaret.
Mom had had enough.
“No,” said Mom firmly.“We eat at eight.”
Margaret opened her mouth and screamed. No one could scream as long, or as loud, as Moody Margaret.
Her piercing screams echoed through the house.
“All right,” said Mom. She knew when she was beaten.“We’ll eat now.”
Henry’s diary.
That night, when everyone was asleep, Horrid Henry crept into the living room and picked up the phone.
“I’d like to leave a message,” he whispered.
Bang bang bang bang bang.
Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong! Henry sat up in bed.
Someone was banging on the front door and ringing the bell.
“Who could that be at this time of night?” yawned Mom.
Dad peeked through the window then opened the door.
“Where’s my baby?” shouted Margaret’s mom.
“Where’s my baby?” shouted Margaret’s dad.
“Upstairs,” said Mom.“Where else?” “What’s happened to her?” shrieked Margaret’s mom.
“We got here as quick as we could!” shrieked Margaret’s dad.
Mom and Dad looked at each other. What was going on?
“She’s fine,” said Mom.
Margaret’s mom and dad looked at each other.What was going on?
“But the message said it was an emergency and to come at once,” said Margaret’s mom.
“We cut short our vacation,” said Margaret’s dad.
“What message?” said Mom.
“What’s going on? I can’t sleep with all this noise,” said Moody Margaret.
Margaret and her parents had gone home. “What a terrible mix-up,” said Mom.
“Such a shame they cut short their vacation,” said Dad.
“Still…” said Mom. She looked at Dad.
“Hmmm,” said Dad.
“You don’t think that Henry…” said Mom.
“Not even Henry could do something so horrid,” said Dad.
Mom frowned.
“Henry!” said Mom.
Henry continued sticking Peter’s stamps together.
“Yeah?”
“Do you know anything about a message?”
“Me?” said Henry.
“You,” said Mom.
“No,” said Henry.“It’s a mystery.”
“That’s a lie, Henry,” said Perfect Peter.
“Is not,” said Henry.
“Is too,” said Peter.“I heard you on