WHEN MY TOY HIPPO CAME TO LIFE PART-2

WHEN MY TOY HIPPO CAME TO LIFE PART 2

 

I thought my life was back to normal after the whole hippo-coming-to-life situation. I was wrong.

It had been a week since my favorite stuffed animal, Bubbles the Hippo, magically turned into a real, talking, pizza-loving hippo. At first, he was all, “Oh wow, I’m alive!” and I was all, “Oh no, Mum is going to notice a tiny hippo running around the house.”

Somehow, we managed to keep it a secret.

Until today.

7:30 AM – The Disaster Begins

I was halfway through my toast when Bubbles scampered into the kitchen, his tiny feet pattering across the floor.

“Morning, Jen!” he squeaked, climbing onto the counter and sniffing the air.

I nearly choked on my tea. “Shhh!” I hissed. “Mum’s upstairs! You’re supposed to stay in my room!”

“But I was hungry,” he said. Then, he sniffed again. His nose wrinkled. “Ugh. What is that?”

I frowned. “Toast?”

Bubbles gagged. “Disgusting.”

“You ate leaves last week!” I reminded him.

“Yes, and they were better than that.” He shook his head. “If only we had pizza.”

I groaned. “It’s morning, Bubbles. No one eats pizza for breakfast.”

Bubbles gasped, horrified. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

I had no time for this argument. “Look, just stay hidden today, okay?”

He nodded. “Of course! I’ll stay right here, where no one will see me.”

I should have known better.

4:00 PM – The Tiny Hippo Escape

The moment I walked through the front door, I knew something was wrong. The house was too quiet.

“Bubbles?” I called.

Silence.

Then I saw it. The back door was wide open.

And Bubbles? Gone.

I sprinted outside. Where would a tiny hippo go in a small British town?

Then I heard it.

“EXCUSE ME, WHOSE PET IS THIS?”

Oh no.

4:15 PM – The Pizza Thief

I ran toward the high street, dodging people staring in shock. And there, right outside Pizza Express, was Bubbles—dragging a massive pizza box down the pavement.

With Mum.

“Well, aren’t you a strange little thing!” she was saying, staring at him in confusion. “Are you someone’s lost toy?”

Bubbles froze. Slowly, he looked up at her. Then he grabbed a slice of pizza and bolted.

I nearly fainted.

Mum turned to me. “Jen! Look at that—someone’s made a robotic hippo toy that runs away with pizza! So lifelike!”

I nodded way too fast. “Yup! That’s exactly what happened!”

Bubbles shot me a look but wisely kept running.

5:00 PM – Back to (Kind of) Normal

Somehow, I got Bubbles home before he could steal more pizza.

“You left me alone for five hours, and I nearly got away with an entire Margherita,” he grumbled.

I groaned. “Bubbles, you CANNOT leave the house again.”

He sighed. “Fine. But only if you get me more pizza.”

I rolled my eyes. “Deal.”

Just then, Mum called from downstairs. “Jen, have you seen that tiny robotic hippo anywhere?”

I shot Bubbles a warning glance. He grinned.

This was not over.