the tidy drawer

     She peeled the sticky backing off the false moustache and stuck it on Mum's top lip then found a paint brush in the drawer and painted a fierce red scar down her cheek using the fake blood. Mum clipped on the pirate earrings.
     "Come here," Mum said and smeared white face paint all over Abby's face. She dribbled the fake blood so it looked as if it was coming out of Abby's eyes and mouth. She put gel all over Abby's hair and made it stand up into weird, pointy shapes. Abby put in the vampire teeth and slipped on the witchy fingers. She made scary noises at Wow-Wow the cat. He ignored her and carried on washing himself on the seat next to her.
     "Wotch thish?" Abby asked, holding up a flat rubbery thing. It was hard to speak through the vampire teeth.
     "It's a whoopee cushion," Mum said. "You blow it up and sit on it. It makes rude noises." She blew it up and gave it to Abby.
     Suddenly there was a knock at the back door. A voice called out. "Hello, it's only me. I've let myself in."
     It was their nosy neighbour, Mrs Hislop. She was always interfering and complaining.
     Mrs Hislop entered the kitchen. Her mouth dropped open.
     "We're jush wooking for the change pursh," Abby explained.
     "Yes, well, er," Mrs Hislop said, "I just wanted a word about your fence. Some of it's blown down on my side."
     At that moment Abby sat on the whoopee cushion and let out an enormous, rude noise. Wow-Wow jumped off his seat and ran away.
     "Well!" said Mrs. Hislop and hurried from the room and out of the house.
     When the door banged shut Abby and Mum burst out laughing until Mum's moustache hung on by a whisker and Abby's vampire teeth dropped out.
     Abby came to sit on her Mum's knee.
     "It's fun doing this together," she said.
     "Maybe. But we still haven't found the change purse." They both looked at the enormous heap of things spread over the kitchen table.
     "Well, you know things will get lost, or broken, when they're all willy nilly," Abby said.
     "You cheeky monkey!" Mum laughed. "But what shall I do with it all?"
     "I know, it's easy," Abby said and began to scoop everything off the table into her arms. She dumped it all back in the kitchen drawer.

     Mum looked at her suspiciously.
     "Let's go and inspect your bedroom shall we."
     Abby followed her upstairs and into her bedroom. Wow-Wow was sitting in front of her fish tank looking hungrily at the goldfish. He dashed under the bed when he saw Mum and Abby. Mum kneeled down and lifted the bed cover to get him out. Underneath were heaps of Abby's toys, books, tapes, clothes and shoes, empty plastic cups and wrappers and a half-eaten sandwich on a plate.
     "Abby! What's all this?"
     "It's my tidy drawer," Abby said. She wrapped her arms around her Mum and gave her a kiss. "Let's sort this one out together now."