Imagine a small red brick house. Imagine a small bedroom with a red blanket. Imagine a small head with a round face and freckles, red hair sticking up. Steve was asleep in his bed. The alarm clock rang and he woke up. He got out of bed like a sleep-walker, got washed, dressed very slowly in his designer jeans and then went downstairs to have his breakfast. He sat at the table eating coco-pops. His sister Katie came in. She was bright and pretty and wore her blond hair in a pony tail.
"Hurry up!" she said to Steve. "We'll be late for school!"

Ten minutes later they left the house and went to the corner of the street to meet their friends as usual. Katie's friend Lauren was already waiting. She had short brown hair and glasses. Steve didn't like her much as she was very bossy. Just then Boff arrived. He was a strange sight. He was very tall and thin like a stick insect. His face was quite spotty and his hair wasn't combed. His clothes were really uncool but he didn't seem to notice.

They set off walking along the road to school – past the shops, past the enormous grey factory building and down towards the river. Then suddenly they heard a noise behind them.
"Woof, Woof!"
"Oh, no," said Steve. "It's Benjie."
Benjie was Steve's dog and he was very very disobedient. He often escaped and Steve had to take him home again. Benjie ran off in front of them into a field.
"Oh, no," said Steve, "he's seen a rabbit! He's gone into the field. We'll have to catch him."

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