‘What a polite girl you are,’ said Mrs Tiffin, ‘…and such lovely manners. Your parents must have been so proud of you. Have you remembered…?’ The cook heaved and was out of breath by the time they reached the first floor of the windmill. ‘No, my amnesia…’ As Clemmie began to explain about her loss of memory, she happened to glance up at the cook. Even though it was rude to stare, she couldn’t take her eyes off Mrs Tiffin’s three chins. To begin with, they wobbled. Not a slight wobble…but a jelly wobbling lot! Then Clemmie became aware of her surroundings. At first, her stomach lurched when she felt the floor tilt under her feet, then a deep low rumble made her hair stand on end. ‘Hold onto my arm,’ Mrs Tiffin called. But as soon as the tremors started, they stopped, and an eerie silence followed in their wake. …show more content…
Oh no! Just then, an alarm bell rent the air. Definitely not a strident sound, but more like a school bell gone wrong; all sort of wonky and brittle. Right then, Clemmie had had enough! As fast she could, she dived between Boffin's legs and crouched under his desk. Then she scrunched her face up and covered her ears to muffle the sound. Even after the alarm finished ringing, she still refused to come out. 'Come on out, Clemmie,’ ordered Matron. While Matron squatted down under the desk, Clemmie made a slit in her fingers and peered through the gap. ‘It’s the doodlebugs. Are they going to catch us?’ she groaned. Just then, Harmonie rushed into the room, and together with Mrs Tiffin, bent down to see what all the fuss was about. ‘Doodlebugs?’ she asked. ‘Do you mean bombs from the sky?’ ‘Yes! They told me to hide under a table if an alarm sounded. If I was in the street, I had to find an underground