Joe Miller - The Big Game

With special thanks to Mariam Vossough

To Bethany Kate Morgan

Title Page

Dedication

Epigraph Epigraph Spinner’s Wood is full of sticky mud, tall trees and long grass. But most of all, it’s full of bugs! Now, some people think that bugs are pests. But they haven’t met Gonzo or the Bug Buddies – four best friends called Zap, Buzz, Lurch and Crunch. Their life would be perfect if it wasn’t for a spider called Spinner, who has eight legs and one mission: to trap the whole wood in his evil web. But you’ll soon find out that even bugs can be heroes …

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Bug Facts

Copyright

About the Publisher

Spinner’s Wood is full of sticky mud, tall trees and long grass. But most of all, it’s full of bugs! Now, some people think that bugs are pests. But they haven’t met Gonzo or the Bug Buddies – four best friends called Zap, Buzz, Lurch and Crunch. Their life would be perfect if it wasn’t for a spider called Spinner, who has eight legs and one mission: to trap the whole wood in his evil web. But you’ll soon find out that even bugs can be heroes …

Zap zoomed through the air, his tiny wings buzzing. He was only a branch-length away from the apple now, but instead of slowing down he sped up.

“Watch out!” shouted Zap’s friend, Lurch, who was watching from a nearby rock.

But Zap wasn’t going to stop now. It was hard to find things to be good at when you were no bigger than a daisy petal. And this was the one thing he was brilliant at – flying. He was the fastest clover seed weevil in Spinner’s Wood.

“I can’t look!” cried Lurch, covering his eyes.

Just a bit closer … Zap told himself. He got so near to the apple that he could almost taste it. Then, at the last moment, he darted around it.

“Oh no,” he heard Lurch cry. “Zap got splattered!”

Zap peeped out from behind the apple stalk.

“No, I didn’t,” he laughed.

“Oh, yeah, very funny,” said Lurch. “I thought you were squashed. And who’d play centre forward for the team then?”

“Charming,” said Zap. He flew down to the rock and landed beside Lurch, who was tossing a dung ball in the air. Lurch was a shiny dung beetle who used his legs to make big round balls out of poo, which he rolled around everywhere.

“Seriously though, you are an amazing flyer,” said Lurch.

“Thanks,” said Zap, backing away from the smell. He was used to his best friend carrying dung balls with him, but this one was particularly stinky. “Ew,” said Zap, holding his nose. “Can’t you put that somewhere else?”

“No! This is my best dung ball ever,” said Lurch. “I’m going to call it Ploppy.”

“Er… OK,” said Zap. Lurch had never given a name to a dung ball before.

“Say hello to Ploppy,” said Lurch. He turned to the dung ball. “And, Ploppy, this is my friend Zap.”

“Lurch, you’re talking to a ball of poo,” said Zap.

Lurch grinned.

“Now, Zap,” he said, “you really should stop being so horrible about yourself. You are NOT a ball of poo.”

Zap sighed. He’d walked right into that one.

“I thought we could use Ploppy in the Beetle Ball final today,” Lurch continued. “It’s the perfect size for catching.”

Beetle Ball! Zap’s body tingled with excitement. He couldn’t wait to play Centipede United in the big game later that day. But he didn’t like the idea of playing with a dung ball.

“The ball’s already been chosen,” he said quickly. “We’re going to use a pea seed.”

Lurch’s antennae sagged.

“This would be loads better,” said Lurch. “It’s so easy to throw. Look.”

He hurled the dung ball up in the air, but it hit a branch above them. The ball bounced from tree to tree, disappearing into the forest.

“We’ve lost Ploppy!” wailed Lurch.

“Hmm,” said Zap. “Shame. Now, let’s go to —”

“Zap!” said Lurch. “I need it back! I’m a dung beetle.”

Zap patted his friend on the back. “OK, I’ll go and look for it.”

Zap spread his wings and whizzed in and out of the trees, until finally he caught up with the dung ball. He darted in front and used his body to stop the ball from going any further. It came to a stop beneath a bramble bush.

“Thank you for saving Ploppy,” panted Lurch, as he caught up.

Zap coughed and spluttered, wiping poo off himself with a leaf.

“My pleasure,” he fibbed.

As he spoke, Zap felt a shiver crawl through his tiny body. The air had suddenly turned cold. He looked around and realised that he didn’t recognise this part of the wood. The trees were taller here, and Zap could hardly see the sky at all.

He’d been so busy concentrating on the dung ball, he hadn’t noticed where he was going.

“Where are we?” asked Zap.

The smile faded from Lurch’s face as he looked around.

“I kn-kn-know where we are,” he said, his six legs quivering with fright. “We’re in Shadow Creek … where Spinner lives.”

Zap laughed, trying to ignore the nervous feeling in his tummy.

“Spinner doesn’t live here,” he said. “He’s just a made up story to stop us flying too far from home.”

Lurch shook his head.

“He does live here,” he said. “And he’s the meanest, scariest, bug-eating spider in the world. Let’s get out of here.” Lurch rolled his dung ball away as fast as he could.

Zap hovered in the air, ready to follow his friend. Just then, a gang of black cockroaches crawled across the rocks in front of him.

Cockroaches gave Zap the creeps.

He watched them move further into Shadow Creek and suddenly spotted a huge cobweb in the branches of an old oak tree. The strands of silk glistened menacingly in the weak sunlight. Zap shuddered.