爱华网NoisyNeighbours
1
MrFlinch
In a grim, grey house in a grim, grey town lived an unhappyman.
It was not his grey house that made Mr Flinch unhappy. It was notthat he was poor, because he was not. Mr Flinch was a miser. Henever gave away a penny. ( He never gave away a smile either. ) Hewas 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. Everymorning, Mr Flinch woke up to hear hammers banging, spannersclanging and engines revving. The whole street shook with thenoise.
On the other side, in a bright blue house, lived a music teachercalled Poppy Plink. Each morning, Poppy sat down and played grandtunes on her grand piano. After breakfast, her students started toarrive.
Violins screeched, drums thundered and bassoons bellowed. Mr Flinchshut his window, but the noise still came through the wall. Brum –brum, tootle – toot, bang! His whole house shook andshivered.
He put his fingers in his ears.
He rapped on the wall … but his neighbours did nothear.
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 didno good.
Mr Flinch locked himself in a cupboard. He wound old towels roundhis head.
He wrote angry letters, but tore them all up. ‘ Stamps cost far toomuch money!’ he said.
Even in bed, he wore a hat to keep out the noise.
But the cars still revved and the music stilljangled.
Mr Flinch was the grey filling in a noise sandwich.
‘This can’t go on,’ Flinch thought to himself. He even shouted itout loud:
2
Nasty Tricks
Mr Flinch went next door to Carl’s house. Carl was mending cars. Itwas easy to sneak into his kitchen and put a dead rat in thefridge.
‘That will get rid of him!’ said Flinch, and smiled a nasty smile.‘Nobody wants to live in a house with rats!’
At midnight, Mr Flinch climbed on to his roof and– carefully, carefully – crawled across the tiles. He put his headdown Poppy’s chimney and gave a long, loud,‘Hooowooowoooo!’
‘That will get ride of her,’ he said with a grimgrin. ‘Nobody wants to live in a house with ghosts!’
Then he climbed back into bed.
Next morning, Mr Flinch woke to a HUGE noise. Carsand lorries were stopping outside. He looked out of hiswindow.
Carl was sitting outside in the rood, with atable, a kettle, a loaf of bread and a bottle of tomatosauce.
Carl called to Mr Flinch, ‘Can’t use my kitchentoday! Rays, urgh! My mum is cleaning up. She told me to eat mybreakfast outside. That’s how I got this great idea! Take – awaybreakfast! Drivers can stop here and buy breakfast.’
Just then, Poppy Plink came running out of herblue front door. ‘Oh, Mr Flinch! Oh, Carl! Guess what happened lastnight!’
‘I give up,’ said Mr Flinch, with a sumg smirk.‘Do tell.’
Poppy beamed with joy. ‘Last night, angles sangdown my chimney! They did, I promise!’ She frowned. ‘But the musicwasn’t very good! I think they want some new songs to sing! I’msure they want me to write them, and I shall! Oh Ishall!’
She did.
Poppy still had to teach music allday.
But at night she wrote angle music. She made itnice and loud, with lots of cymbals and trumpets.
It was all too much for Mr Flinch.
3
Mr Flinch has a Plan
Mr Flinch went next door to Carl’shouse.
He showed Carl a fistful of money. ‘The day youmove house, all this is yours!’ he said.
‘Anything you say, chief,’ said Carl, wiping hisdirty hands on a rag.
‘As long as I can mend cars, I’ll be happyanywhere.’ Carl went on, ‘I’ll move out as soon as I can sell thehouse!’
Next, Mr Flinch went to Poppy’s house and offeredher a hatful of money. ‘The day you move house, all this is yours!’he said.
‘Of course! If that is what you want, dear heart!Cried Poppy.
She had never seen so much money in her life. ‘Aslong as I have my music, I can be happy anywhere! I will move outjust as soon as I can sell my little house!’
Mr Flinch went home a happy man – well, as happyas a man like Mr Flinch can ever be.
He felt in his empty pockets and gulped. ‘All thatmoney gone! Ah, but soon those noisy neighbours will be gone,too!’
In a few days, Mr Flinch’s neighbours had sold uptheir houses.
Now, at last, he would have peace and quiet –nothing but the noise of mice scratching in the emptycellar.
4
Moving Day
Mr Flinch watched as Poppy Plink moved out.Bo-jangle went the piano as she pushed and bumped it down thesteps.
‘Going already are you, you pest?’ he mutted. ‘Ipity the person who has to live next door to you!’
Seeing him, Poppy waved up at thewindow.
‘Such luck, Mr Flinch!’ she called. ‘Fancy! A fewdays ago, I met someone who wants to move house too! We agreed toswap houses!’
Just then, Carl came out of his front doorcarrying two heavy tool boxes. He saw Poppy struggling with a harpand went to help her. ‘All set, Poppy? he said.
‘All set, Carl! Isn’t this fun!’ Shereplied.
Then Carl moved into Poppy’s bright house andPoppy 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 Poppysang, because they were so happy: ‘There’s no place likehome!’
Mr Flinch heard it right through the wall of hishouse … even inside his cupboard, even with a towel round hishead.
