Piles of Pets

by Judy Delton

  “Look how long he is. This is a great worm. The longest one in town,” said Sonny.

  Roger lifted his foot and placed his shoe right over Sport’s body. He pretended to lower his foot and stamp on him.

  “Don’t you dare step on Sport,” cried Sonny, grabbing his pet. “And you’re scaring him!”

  The two boys began to fight, and Sport squirmed deeper into the grass.

  “Get him!” yelled Sonny as he wrestled with Roger.

  No one wanted to touch Sport. Finally Mrs. Peters broke up the fight and Sonny rescued his worm and put him on his shoulder.

  “Can we show what tricks our pets can do, Mrs. Peters?” asked Roger. “Charlie can swim underwater. That’s more than that old worm can do.”

  “My worm can sit up!” shouted Sonny.

  The Pee Wees all began to laugh at the idea of a worm sitting up. But Sonny had him in his hand now, and lifted his front end with a stick.

  “See?” he said. “I think I should get a badge for having a pet worm that can sit up.”

  “It’s time to get on with the races,” said Mrs. Peters.

  “I want to race with the frog and the worm.” Kenny laughed. “My dog will win in one second!”

  “Homer is faster than your dog,” said Molly. “Just wait and see.”

  “My fish can’t race,” admitted Roger. “But if he could, he’d win.”

  “Neither can my bird,” said Lisa. “He would fly away. But he’d win if there was a singing contest.”

  “It doesn’t seem fair to have a worm and grasshopper race with the other animals,” said Mrs. Peters.

  “Yes, it does!” shouted Sonny. “Sport can win!”

  “My grasshopper is fast!” said Tim.

  “Not as fast as a dog or cat!” Molly laughed. “This ought to be good,” she added.

  “Sonny is going to feel bad,” said Mary Beth. “He hates to lose.”

  “Rat’s knees,” said Molly. “Why does Sonny think a worm can win? He should have listened to Mrs. Peters when she said it wasn’t fair. Now Sonny’s going to be crying all over the place again.”

  Molly felt sorry for Sonny. It wasn’t his fault he was such a baby. It was his mother’s. Why didn’t he admit a worm is too slow to be in a race?

  “I want to race Sport against the puppy and kitten and frog and grasshopper,” insisted Sonny.

  “There will be a red ribbon for this race,” Mrs. Peters said, laughing.

  “My worm will be wearing it!” said Sonny.

  The animals were lined up on the sidewalk.

  “We’ll make this a very short race,” said Mrs. Peters. “Just one or two feet.”

  She made a mark about a foot from the starting line. The owners stood at the finish line and whistled and called and shouted, but they could not touch their pets.

  “Keep your voice soft,” said Mrs. Peters. “Coax them gently and praise them. Don’t frighten them,” she added.

  “One, two, three, GO!” shouted their leader.

  “Come on, Sport!” called Sonny.

  Roger was rocking with laughter.

  “Come on, Hopper!” called Tim.

  But the grasshopper was rubbing his rear legs together and making the noise grasshoppers make at night in the woods. He did not move.

  “He can hop real far,” said Tim. “Real fast.” Tim hopped on the grass to show the Pee Wees.

  “Well, he’s not moving now, Noon,” said Roger.

  The dog did move. But it was the wrong way. He turned around and ran away from the race.

  Rachel’s borrowed kitten closed her eyes and cuddled into a round ball on the starting line and fell asleep!

  Molly placed Homer on the line carefully, and he flew through the air. But he flew into Molly’s lap instead of over the finish line!

  Sonny’s worm was inching along, slowly, slowly, slowly.

  In the right direction.

  It squirmed toward the finish line!

  The Pee Wees stood with their mouths open.

  The kitten watched the grasshopper.

  The puppy played on the grass.

  The grasshopper rubbed his legs together.

  The frog sat in Molly’s lap.

  But Sport inched along so slowly, he barely moved.

  It took ten minutes. But finally Sport crawled across the finish line!

  “What did I tell you?” said Sonny. “Didn’t I tell you Sport would win?”

  “I can’t believe it,” said Molly. “Sonny really did win!”

  The Pee Wees clapped and cheered. They whistled and pounded Sonny on the back.

  Mrs. Peters was laughing so hard, she almost forgot the red ribbon. Then she took it out and pinned it on Sonny’s shirt.

  “I’d put it on Sport, but he has no collar!” She laughed.

  “If that doesn’t beat everything,” said Mary Beth. “Sonny thinks his worm is so smart. And the only reason he won was just dumb luck.”

  Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Stone served refreshments out in the yard at the picnic table. Then the Pee Wees sang their song and said their pledge. It had been a fun meeting. Molly was glad that Sonny didn’t end up crying.

  Molly didn’t mind not winning. But when she thought about all of her homeless pets, she felt sad. Maybe Sonny didn’t cry, but right now Molly surely felt like it.

  The Last Temporary Pet

  When Molly got home, she fed and cleaned her temporary pets. She played with them. She took her puppy for a walk on his leash. Then she held him in her lap and rubbed his ears. He stood up and gave her a lick on her cheek.

  “I love you too!” said Molly, hugging him.

  After their walk, Molly sneaked in the back door just before her mother came out to shake a rug. She told her mother she would clean her own room this week.

  At supper her mother said, “I have heard strange noises in this house lately.”

  “Maybe it’s haunted,” said Molly nervously.

  “It doesn’t sound like ghosts,” said her mother.

  “What do ghosts sound like?” asked Mr. Duff, laughing.

  Mrs. Duff frowned. “Ghosts would moan and groan,” she said. “This is more of a chipping and chirping.” She eyed Molly.

  “Ghosts could chip and chirp,” said Molly. “They might even purr and growl. There might be animal ghosts.”

  “Our house is too new to be haunted,” said Molly’s dad, taking some more round steak. “There could be a something trapped in the chimney. That happened to the Kellys. I’ll have to check.”

  Molly bit her bottom lip. If her dad went prowling around the basement checking the chimney, he might find her homeless pets! Even though she’d hidden them behind the furnace where they’d be nice and warm. Still, they had said she could have temporary pets. Or pet.

  Molly wondered if she should confess. Blurt out her problem. If she didn’t find homes soon, she’d have to.

  She called Mary Beth and told her this was an emergency.

  “I think my aunt wants a kitten,” Mary Beth said.

  “Really?” said Molly. “Can she take it tonight?”

  “I’ll call her,” said Mary Beth.

  In a little while Mary Beth’s aunt called Molly.

  “Is it long hair or short hair?” she asked. “How old is it, and what color? Has it had its shots? Is it a male or female?”

  Molly didn’t know how old it was. Or what shots it had. Or if it was a boy or girl. The aunt sounded doubtful.

  “If I get it from the pound, it will have records,” she said.

  “But you have to pay money at some pounds,” said Molly. “And this would be a Pee Wee Scout good deed.”

  Then she remembered that Mary Beth’s aunt did not have to do good deeds. “It would be charity,” she said.

  The aunt laughed and said she’d be over to see it in an hour.

  “I’ll bring it to Mary Beth’s,” said Molly quickly, and hung up the phone before the aunt could argue.

  Molly tied one of her hair
ribbons around the kitten’s neck to make a good adoption-impression. Then she wrapped it in a little blanket, making sure it could breathe. She found her old raincoat with the big pockets and put the kitten into a pocket.

  Molly was glad they had eaten early. It was still light out.

  “I’m going over to Mary Beth’s for just a minute,” called Molly to her parents.

  “What about homework?” asked her father.

  “I don’t have any,” she called.

  “Molly?” called her mother. “Is it raining out?”

  “I don’t think so,” said Molly.

  “Then why are you wearing that old raincoat?”

  “It might rain,” said Molly. “It’s cloudy out.”

  The kitten squirmed in her pocket. “Meow!” it said.

  Her father began to say something, but by that time Molly was out the door and down the street.

  Mary Beth’s aunt was waiting.

  “Oh, it’s darling!” she said. “What a darling little itty-bitty pussycat!”

  Mary Beth’s aunt slipped a few dollar bills into Molly’s hand. “For the Pee Wees,” she said. “For charity.”

  Molly thanked her and said good-bye and dashed home. She had one less pet! No more meowing that her mother might hear! Now if only she could find some other homes this fast!

  The next day after school Mary Beth said, “Frogs like water. So do guppies. You could put them in a pond and they would be with other animals in a natural habitat. And the mouse would like to live in the woods. I’ve seen lots of mice in the woods. They are outdoor animals.”

  The Pee Wees had learned all about animals’ habitats in second grade.

  Mary Beth was right! One less frog was one less haunted croak for her mother to hear! And one less mouse to scare her!

  Molly and Mary Beth took the frog and the guppies to the pond. They let them go.

  “Look how happy they are!” said Mary Beth as the fish swam away. The frog hopped under a bush.

  They let the mouse out in the woods. He looked happy, too, as he ran off to join his friends.

  “Now I only have the bird,” said Molly.

  She didn’t mention the puppy. She couldn’t stand to think of having him go, even though she knew he’d have to. She felt very close to him. He slept on her bed at night. When he chewed her slippers, Molly bought a chew toy at the pet store.

  “Let’s go door to door and ask if people would like a free pet,” said Mary Beth.

  Up one street and down another went the girls.

  Up and down.

  Up and down.

  But either people had a pet or did not want a pet.

  “That makes sense,” said Molly, sitting on someone’s front steps. “If they wanted a pet, they would go to the pound or to a pet shop and get one.”

  Mary Beth sighed.

  As they sat there, Rachel came by with Lisa.

  “What are you doing over here?” asked Rachel.

  Molly told her.

  “My mom says people shouldn’t take in stray animals,” she said.

  “Mine aren’t stray,” said Molly.

  “Do you know their family history?” demanded Rachel.

  Molly didn’t know animals had family histories!

  “No,” she said.

  “Then they are strays,” said Rachel.

  “I think you should help us instead of criticizing,” said Mary Beth to Rachel.

  “I did my good deed for Animals Week,” said Rachel. She sat down on the steps next to Molly. “I took Shep for a walk.”

  “Pooh, that’s just a tiny good deed,” said Mary Beth.

  “It’s enough to get my badge,” said Rachel.

  Rachel was right, thought Molly. Why hadn’t she, Molly, chosen something simple? Why did she have to do something so noble? Then she thought how happy the kitten was with Mary Beth’s aunt. And she thought how happy Mary Beth’s aunt was!

  The frog and guppies were happy in the pond. The mouse was happy in the woods. Now if she could place the last two, she would not only get her badge but she would feel like she’d done something special for animals.

  “Well, the nursing home where my grandma works did say they wanted a bird to cheer up the patients,” said Rachel. “Does your bird have a cage?”

  “Yes!” said Molly, jumping to her feet. “If he didn’t, he’d have flown away a long time ago!”

  “I better call and be sure,” said Rachel.

  The girls ran to Rachel’s house and called.

  Molly held her breath as Rachel talked.

  “Is it healthy?” asked Rachel, holding her hand over the receiver.

  Molly nodded. “He’s pretty, too, and he talks,” she said.

  Rachel talked to her grandma some more.

  “Okay,” she said, and hung up.

  “She wants him,” said Rachel. “I can take him and give him to my grandma.”

  Molly couldn’t believe her luck. She ran up to Rachel and did something she had never thought she’d do. She threw her arms around her neck and hugged her.

  Rachel even hugged her back!

  “Now you have to do the puppy yourself,” she said, straightening her blouse and looking embarrassed.

  Molly went home and got the cage and the bird and the bird food. She put the cover over the cage so the bird would not get a chill.

  By the time Molly’s mother got home, she’d only have one temporary pet left to place!

  A Permanent Pet

  After Rachel took the bird, Molly ran home and swept up birdseed. She made everything look like there had never been a bird in the house.

  Then she ran to her room and fed the puppy. She gave him a big hug. He put his front paws on her shoulders. He gave her a kiss.

  “I wish I could keep you!” she said. The puppy cocked his head to one side as if he understood her.

  Molly cleaned her room really well and then took the puppy out in the backyard to play.

  She brushed his soft hair and threw a little ball for him to chase.

  “You should have a name,” she told him. “Even if you are only temporary.”

  Molly thought and thought about a good name. She remembered a puppy in her reader at school was called Skippy.

  “That’s a good name for you!” she said.

  The puppy dropped his ball in Molly’s lap. He put his head there too. He felt warm and soft, and she could feel his little heart beat.

  When her mother came home, Molly dashed to her room with Skippy. But Skippy wanted to play ball. He began to bark.

  “Arf! Arf!”

  “Hush,” whispered Molly, with her fingers on her lips. But it was too late. Her mother had heard the barks.

  “Who is this?” she asked. “This is not the temporary frog!” she said. “Or am I seeing things?”

  Molly decided it was time to tell her mother the truth.

  “I wanted to have a home for animals,” she said. “To get my badge.”

  When her dad came home, she told them about the pets she’d taken in.

  “We figured that out,” said Mr. Duff.

  So they had known all along!

  “But I found homes for all of them,” said Molly. “Except Skippy.”

  “Good for you,” said her dad. “But the next time you decide to open a home for wayward pigeons,” said Mr. Duff, “you’d better ask first.”

  “Daddy! I’m not opening a pigeon home!”

  Mr. Duff winked. He liked to be funny.

  “Animals could have a disease,” Mr. Duff went on, “and need medical help. They need the right food. And lots of attention. They could be very scared and bite you. They could even be dangerous.”

  “Skippy wouldn’t bite me,” said Molly, hugging the puppy.

  “Still,” said her father, “it’s best to let us know when you have ideas for earning a badge.”

  Molly agreed she’d let him know before she opened a home for anything else.

  “Now I think we should take our le
ftover pet to the vet for a checkup and some shots,” said Mr. Duff.

  At the vet there were all kinds of pets with their owners. A beagle was with a tall man who had droopy ears like his pet.

  There was a small boy with freckles who was with his cocker spaniel that had freckles.

  “Skippy Duff!” called the nurse.

  Molly and her father went in. The veterinarian examined Skippy and said he was in good health. Then he gave him his shots.

  “You have a fine pet there!” said the doctor.

  “He isn’t mine,” said Molly. “But I wish he was.”

  When they got home, Molly took Skippy for a walk. His fur was golden in the sunlight. Molly didn’t want to think about finding him a home. Her feet dragged as she turned toward home.

  At supper Mrs. Duff said, “Now Skippy is all ready to be adopted.”

  “I’ll ask around the office,” said Mr. Duff. “Maybe someone there would like a dog.”

  “I’ll ask at work too,” said Molly’s mother.

  Molly hoped no one would want a pet, so Skippy could stay with her longer.

  Every day she fed Skippy. Every day she raced home from school to play with him. And every day she took him for a walk on his red leash, and washed his dirty food bowl. She’d made sure he had fresh water always available.

  On Tuesday she took Skippy to the Pee Wee Scout meeting. He played with Lucky and Tiny in Mrs. Peters’s fenced yard.

  The Scouts worked on the giant scrapbook of pets. All the pictures Molly brought were of dogs.

  “You’re supposed to find unusual animals,” said Tracy. “Those aren’t unusual.”

  “They are too,” said Molly. “No two dogs look alike.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “They all do,” she said. “He’s just an ordinary puppy.”

  How could Rachel call Skippy ordinary? He wagged his little tail when Molly came home from school. He fetched his ball for her. He was learning to sit up and beg. He was softer and cleaner and shinier and smarter than any puppy Molly had ever met! He was far from ordinary!

  After they said their good deeds, Mrs. Stone came up to Molly. “I think I have found a home for Skippy,” she said. “My brother, Sonny’s uncle Rick, has a hobby farm and could use a good dog.”