The World of Norm

Extract

Norm knew it was going to be one of those days when he woke up and found himself about to pee in his dad’s wardrobe.

“Whoa! Stop Norman!” yelled Norm’s dad, sitting bolt upright and switching on his bedside light.

“Uh? What?” mumbled Norm, his voice still thick with sleep.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Having a pee?” said Norm, like this was the most stupid question in the entire history of stupid questions.
“Not in my wardrobe you’re not!” said Norm’s dad.

“That’s from Ikea that is,” added Norm’s mum, like it was somehow OK to pee in a wardrobe that wasn’t.

Norm was confused. The last thing he knew he’d been on the verge of becoming the youngest ever World Mountain Biking Champion, when he’d suddenly had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting a tree. Now here he was having to slam on a completely different kind of brakes in order to avoid a completely different kind of accident. What was going on? And what were his parents doing sleeping in the bathroom anyway?

“Toilet’s moved,” said Norm, hopping from one foot to the other, something which at the age of three was considered socially acceptable, but which at the age of nearly thirteen, most definitely wasn’t.
“What?” said Norm’s dad.

“Toilet’s moved,” said Norm, a bit louder.

But Norm’s dad had heard what Norm said. He just couldn’t quite believe what Norm had said.

“No, Norman. It’s not the toilet that’s moved! It’s us that’s moved!”

“Forgot,” said Norm.

Norm’s dad looked at his eldest son. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” said Norm, like this was the second most stupid question in the entire history of stupid questions.

“You forgot we moved house?”

“Yeah,” said Norm.

“How can you forget we moved house?” said Norm’s dad, increasingly incredulous.

“Just did,” shrugged Norm, increasingly close to wetting himself.

“But we moved over three months ago, Norman!” said Norm’s dad.

“Three months, two weeks and five days ago, to be precise,” said Norm’s mum, like she hadn’t even had to think about it.

Norm’s dad sighed wearily and looked at his watch. It was two o’clock in the morning.

“Look, Norman. You just can’t go round peeing in other peoples’ wardrobes and that’s all there is to it!”

“I didn’t,” said Norm.

“No, but you were about to!”
Norm’s dad was right. Norm had been about to pee in the wardrobe, but he’d managed to stop himself just in time.

Typical, thought Norm. Being blamed for something he hadn’t actually done.

Norm considered arguing the point, but by now his bladder felt like it was the size of a space hopper. If he didn’t pee soon he was going to explode. Then he’d really be in trouble!

“Go on. Clear off,” said Norm’s dad.

Norm didn’t need telling twice and began waddling towards the door like a pregnant penguin.
“Oh, and Norman?”

“Yeah?” said Norm without bothering to stop.

“The toilet’s at the end of the corridor. You can’t miss it.”

Norm didn’t reply. He knew that if he didn’t get to the toilet in the next ten seconds there was a very good chance that he would miss it!