“Did you gather any wood?” I asked. “In case the rain stops.”
“No,” Dash said. “There were . . . complications.”
“Coco got in trouble,” said Shadow.
“I only wanted to play with the squirrel,” said Coco. “I thought it was Curtis. Remember Curtis, who stayed with us that time? This squirrel looked just like Curtis.”
“He looked nothing like Curtis,” said Shadow. “Curtis was a red squirrel. The squirrel you were chasing was clearly a gray squirrel.”
“I still think it was Curtis,” Coco said.
BOOM!
Thunder stopped the argument.
BOOM! BOOM!
“We need a new plan,” said Dash. “What are we going to do?”
“I know what I’m going to do,” said Whiskers. “I’m going to hide under the sofa.” Whiskers jumped down and crawled underneath.
“And I know what I’m going to do,” said Shadow. “The next time that door opens, I’m out of here.”
“And I know what I’m going to do,” said Coco. “I’m going to be really friendly and helpful and give the dragon lots of mac-and-cheese. If it’s full of mac-and-cheese, it won’t have room to eat me. Or I might just hide under Cassie’s bed.”
“You’ll never fit under Cassie’s bed,” scoffed Shadow.
“If anyone is going to hide under Cassie’s bed, it’s going to be me,” Whiskers piped up. He crawled out from under the sofa. “I call Cassie’s room! I think her door has a lock. Doesn’t it?”
What was happening to us? It felt like we were falling apart, and the dragon wasn’t even here yet.
Just then Fuzzy and Furry popped out of the heating vent.
“Dad’s done downstairs,” Fuzzy said.
“He’s sweeping up,” added Furry.
“It looks really cool,” Fuzzy said.
“State of the art,” added Furry.
“But what are we going to do?” Whiskers trembled.
I looked at Dash. Dash looked at me. We both thought for a moment.
“Perhaps we do nothing,” I said. “We trust Mom and Dad’s plan.”
“Yes,” said Dash. “They’ve never let us down before.”
Shadow looked out at the pouring rain. Not the best weather for hitting the open road. “Okay,” she said. “I’m in.”
“Fine,” said Whiskers. “But I still call Cassie’s room.”
CHAPTER
10
It was Dragon Day.
Mom quietly lifted the cover off my sleeping cage in Cassie’s room.
“Good morning, Leopold,” Mom whispered. Cassie was still asleep.
Between the raging storm outside and nightmares about dragons, I hadn’t slept well.
I stretched my wings. Then I made my way downstairs to the Welcome Area with Mom.
Animal Inn was very quiet. I looked out the window. Usually this was my favorite part of the day, at least when it was sunny. But today it was wet, windy, and gloomy.
A few minutes later Dash tiptoed down the stairs. He sat beside me and waited for Mom to go into the office.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I whispered.
“Me either,” said Dash.
“I hope Mom and Dad know what they’re doing,” I said.
“Me too,” said Dash.
Dad came downstairs next.
“Good morning, Dash. Good morning, Leopold,” he said on his way to the office. “Today is the big day. Is everyone excited?”
Dash wagged his tail, but I could see his heart wasn’t in it.
Whiskers came downstairs, pausing on each step. He looked around nervously. “Is it here yet?” he asked.
“Not yet,” said Dash.
Whiskers scurried across the Welcome Area and hid under the sofa.
Jake and Ethan came downstairs next.
“Good morning, guys,” said Ethan. “Did you hear that thunder last night?”
Jake looked out the window at the rain. “Things could get tricky today,” he said. He leaned down to pat Dash’s head. “But we’ll figure it out, old buddy.”
The boys went to the supply closet to get our breakfast ready. The lights flickered on and off.
“Uh-oh,” said Jake. “I sure hope the power doesn’t go out.”
“That would be really bad,” said Ethan.
Ethan brought my breakfast right to my perch. “Noble King Leopold,” he said, and bowed. “Thy breakfast is served.” I didn’t feel like eating.
The boys went into the office to find Mom and Dad.
“If only King Leopold had a sword and armor,” Shadow said, and then snickered, slinking down the stairs. “He could slay the—”
“Don’t say that word!” Whiskers cried from under the sofa.
“What word?” said Coco, close behind Shadow. “You mean dra—”
BOOM!
A crack of lightning lit up the sky outside.
BOOM! BOOM!
“Aaahhh!” Whiskers screamed.
“It’s just thunder and lightning,” said Dash.
“I can’t take one more thing!” whimpered Whiskers.
Ding-dong!
CHAPTER
11
Mom, Dad, Jake, and Ethan hurried out of the office to answer the door.
Outside was a man dressed in a neon green rain suit. His jacket was crisscrossed with reflective stripes. He almost glowed.
Was this the wizard?
“Good morning,” the man shouted over the sound of the rain. He pulled off the hood of his jacket. “I’m Mr. Washburn from the Reptile Rescue Center.”
“Rescue?” I said to Dash. “Since when do dragons need rescuing?”
“We’re the ones who need rescuing,” Whiskers squeaked from under the sofa.
“Please, come in,” said Dad.
From my perch I could see a truck in the driveway. There were two other figures dressed in the same neon green suits.
Three wizards?
The two figures were sliding a large, rectangular crate out of the back of the truck. There were lots of small holes along the sides of the crate. It looked like steam was rising off the top.
The two figures started for the front door. Lightning seemed to flash with every step they took.
“Guys,” I whispered, “come look at this.”
Dash and Coco put their paws on the windowsill. Shadow jumped up too.
“Is that it?” said Shadow. “I thought it would be bigger.”
“Maybe it’s a baby,” said Coco. “I love babies.”
“Pretty big baby,” said Dash.
BOOM!
Thunder shook the window.
Jake came up behind us. “Hey, guys, I know you’re curious to meet our new guest. But let’s move away so the handlers can do their job.”
I looked at Dash. “Handlers?” I said. “Not wizards?”
“I’m confused,” said Coco.
“Join the club,” said Shadow.
Dad held the door open while Mr. Washburn helped the two handlers bring in the crate.
“Where’s Cassie?” Jake asked Ethan. “Doesn’t she want to see this?”
“I don’t know,” said Ethan.
Steam was still rising off the crate. The handlers carried it across the Welcome Area, slowly and carefully. Mom opened the basement door.
We all huddled into a corner. Even Shadow was on guard.
“Easy does it,” said Mr. Washburn as they made their way down the stairs. “Miss KD has had a long journey.”
“Miss KD?” Coco said. “It’s a girl dragon?”
CHAPTER
12
We heard a rattle in the heating vent. Out popped Fuzzy and Furry. Even they looked shaky.
“We were just downstairs,” said Fuzzy.
“With the green guys,” added Furry.
“What did you find out?” I asked.
“They said it’s not full grown,” said Fuzzy.
“But it is a dragon,” added Furry.
“It’s the largest kind of dragon in the world,” said Fuzzy.
“It’s going to get really big,” added Furry.
“It can run for short distances,” said Fuzzy.
“A real sprinter,” added Furry.
“And it eats almost any kind of meat,” said Fuzzy.
“Including rodents,” added Furry.
“We’re rodents,” said Fuzzy.
“So . . . we’ll be in the gerbiltorium,” added Furry. They quickly disappeared back into the heating vent.
Just then we heard the strangest noise coming from the basement. It was high-pitched and scary.
“Was that a roar?” I asked.
Mom, Dad, Jake, and Ethan were down there!
“We have to help them,” said Dash. “First, we all run downstairs. Then Coco and I will growl the dragon into a corner.”
“I can help too,” said Shadow. She let out a very convincing hiss.
“I’ll flap my wings and push the humans upstairs,” I said.
“What can I do?” Whiskers asked. He crawled out from under the sofa.
“Very important,” said Dash. “As soon as everyone is up here, you slam the door.”
But before we could put our plan into action, Mom, Dad, Jake, Ethan, Mr. Washburn, and the two handlers all came up from the basement.
“Everything is great,” said Mr. Washburn.
Great? I thought.
“Miss KD will be very happy here,” said one of the handlers.
“Thanks,” said Dad.
“We’re excited to have her,” said Mom.
“You have the care instructions,” said Mr. Washburn. “Call us if you have any questions. We’ll be back as soon as her new home is ready.”
Mr. Washburn and the handlers said good-bye and headed for the truck.
“What’s going on?” It was Cassie. She was wearing Mom’s bathrobe. “Is it here?”
“Why are you wearing a bathrobe?” asked Ethan.
“It’s not a bathrobe,” said Cassie. “It’s a kimono. To meet the kimono dragon.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Cassie, it’s a Komodo dragon, not a kimono dragon.”
I looked at Dash. Dash looked at me. “A Komodo dragon?” I whispered.
“So where is it?” Cassie asked. “Where’s the wizard?”
“Cassie, repeat after me,” said Jake. “It’s ‘lizard,’ not ‘wizard.’ ”
Cassie tried hard to make the L sound, but it still came out sounding like “wizard.”
“Wait,” whispered Dash. “The wizard is a lizard ?”
“I want to meet her!” said Cassie.
“Remember,” said Dad, “you can visit Miss KD only with a grown-up.”
“Let’s have some breakfast first,” said Mom, “and let Miss KD settle in.”
Cassie frowned, but the Tylers headed upstairs.
The basement door was open just a crack.
“Follow me,” whispered Shadow. “Let’s investigate.”
We crept down the stairs. Shadow first, then Dash and me, then Coco, and finally Whiskers.
“Where’s the dragon?” asked Shadow.
“I think she’s still in the crate,” I said.
“Why?” asked Coco.
“Maybe it gives her a place to feel safe,” said Whiskers.
Dash tiptoed over to the enclosure. He was cautious at first.
“Come here, guys,” whispered Dash. “You’ll never believe this.”
The dragon was . . . crying.
That was the sound we had heard before. Our fire-breathing, rodent-eating dragon was . . . crying?
“But why is she crying?” asked Coco. “I’m pretty sure dragons don’t cry.”
“Maybe she’s scared,” said Whiskers.
“Don’t be scared,” I said to our new guest. “We’re excited to meet you.”
We heard a few more sniffles. “Thank you,” she said. “I’m Miss KD.” To our surprise, her voice sounded small and frightened.
Suddenly a long yellow tongue appeared from the crate. It was forked at the end. It moved around, as if it were tasting the air.
Miss KD slowly crawled out. I could not connect the frightened voice to the body. Miss KD was as big as Dash. Maybe bigger.
She had a flat head, large claws, and a long tail.
In a word, she was magnificent.
CHAPTER
13
Fuzzy and Furry suddenly popped out of a heating vent in the basement.
“Are you guys okay?” asked Fuzzy.
“We couldn’t find you,” added Furry.
“We’re fine,” I said. I pointed a wing toward the enclosure. “Let me introduce Miss KD.”
“Nice to meet you, my little mouse friends,” said Miss KD.
“Oh, we’re not mice,” said Fuzzy.
“We’re gerbils!” added Furry.
Miss KD seemed a little embarrassed. “My apologies,” she said. “I should be more careful, especially since folks are always confusing me for something I’m not.”
“Like a dragon?” asked Shadow.
“Yes, sometimes,” said Miss KD.
“Or a wizard?” asked Coco.
“Now, that’s a new one.” Miss KD smiled.
I cleared my throat. “Maybe I should explain,” I said.
I told Miss KD everything that had happened since yesterday. And now it sounded so silly that we all started to laugh.
“It’s an easy mistake to make,” Miss KD said. “That’s why we’re called Komodo dragons. When humans first spotted us on the island of Komodo, they thought we were dragons. But we’re really lizards. The people of Indonesia call us ora.”
“What’s an Indonesia?” Coco asked. “Is it something to eat?”
“Oh, no,” Miss KD said, and chuckled. “Indonesia isn’t a what. It’s a where. It’s a country in Southeast Asia. It’s where I come from.”
“Then how did you get here?” Shadow asked.
“That is a tale almost as long as my tail,” Miss KD said. “But I’m happy to tell it.”
We all settled in to hear her story.
“I started as an egg in a clutch on an island called Flores. Luckily, my mother was good at creating decoy nests. I hatched. Believe it or not, I was only thirty centimeters long when I was born.”
Coco looked confused.
“About a foot,” Dash explained.
“Exactly,” Miss KD said. “I spent the first few years of my life high in the trees to avoid predators. When I turned four, I came down to the ground.”
Miss KD paused for a moment, as if she were coming to the difficult part of her story.
“Then one day I came face-to-face with a human. He was shaking a big stick at me. I ran in the other direction, but I couldn’t get away because he had helpers.”
“What happened?” Dash asked.
“The next thing I remember,” Miss KD said, “I was in a dark box that was too small for me. There was a loud noise all around, like the buzzing of hundreds of bees. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was in an airplane. There were other creatures in cages too—a baby ape, four turtles, and a couple of snakes. We were scared and confused. We had been captured.”
“That’s terrible,” Whiskers said.
“I wound up in Florida,” Miss KD said. “It was hot and humid, just like home. But as I grew, my cage got too small. I wasn’t getting the right kind of food. I started to get sick.”
Miss KD paused and took a deep breath.
“I don’t know how it happened, but one lucky day Mr. Washburn showed up with his truck and his friends. They took very good care of me. And now here I am with all of you.”
“Welcome to Animal Inn,” I said.
EPILOGUE
I learned a lot of important lessons from Miss KD:
1. Sometimes scary things are not as scary as you think.
2. It’s better to stick together than fall apart. (Especially when you’re scared.)
3. D
on’t believe everything you’ve heard. (Especially if you’ve heard it from Cassie . . . or Coco . . . or Whiskers.)
4. Kimono is something to wear. Komodo is somewhere to visit.
One day Mr. Washburn returned to Animal Inn. The Reptile Rescue Center was ready for Miss KD. Like all other Animal Inn guests, Miss KD was moving on.
We promised to keep in touch. But that can be difficult when one of you is a scarlet macaw and the other one is a hundred-pound lizard.
I was settled on my perch in the Welcome Area the next day when Cassie came downstairs. She flopped onto the sofa. I could tell by her red, puffy eyes that she had been crying.
“Leopold, I’m so sad,” she said. “I miss Miss KD.”
I nodded.
“I know it’s not fair to keep some animals as pets,” she said, “but I really miss her.”
I missed her too.
Then something near the window caught Cassie’s attention.
“A butterfly!” she cried. “A real monarch butterfly!”
Cassie jumped up and ran to the door. “Here, little butterfly!” she called.
She ran outside, leaving the door wide open. It was an opportunity too good to miss. Shadow followed close behind. Even Whiskers peeked outside to see what all the excitement was about.
An ocean of orange-and-black wings flew overhead.
Mom ran outside, holding the reservations book.
“They’re early,” she said to herself. She was trying to hold the big book and turn pages at the same time. “I have them arriving next week.”
“Beautiful butterflies!” Cassie called. “Welcome to Animal Inn!”
“Dad! Jake! Ethan!” Mom hollered. “All hands on deck. We have a lot of new guests to check in!”
FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT ANIMAL INN STORY.
Welcome to Animal Inn. My name is Dash. I’m a Tibetan terrier.
The day began like any other Saturday morning.
When I padded downstairs, the sun was just coming up. Mom was already in the Welcome Area with a cup of coffee in one hand and a to-do list in the other.
A Furry Fiasco Page 3
