The Snow Puppy and Other Christmas Stories
Page 20
Neil hesitated before he replied. He was still secretly hoping that Alex would change her mind. But he knew that they’d run out of time – Holly needed a home now. “I’m the person you need to speak to about the puppy,” Neil told the couple eventually. “My name’s Neil Parker and I live at King Street Kennels. Holly’s a great little dog – really friendly. Do you want to meet her?”
“Yes, we’ll go straight away, if that’s OK,” the man said enthusiastically. “It’ll be nice to have a puppy in the house again at Christmas.” Neil gave them directions to the kennels and they hurried out of the hall, with Topsy trailing behind them.
As soon as they had gone, Neil raced over to Emily. “That couple are going to have a look at Holl—” He broke off quickly as Alex came out from behind the screen.
She stared at him in shock. “Do you mean they’re going to adopt her?” she said in a wobbly voice.
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” said Neil, looking at his feet.
Alex’s eyes filled with tears. “No! We’ve got to stop them! Holly’s my dog. I want her to live with me.”
“But why didn’t you say something before?” asked Neil, exasperated. “We gave you so many chances to change your mind! It’s too late now.”
“I didn’t feel like this before,” sobbed Alex. “I mean, I liked Holly but it seemed wrong to want another dog – after Daisy.”
Emily smiled sadly at Alex. “There’ll be other dogs at the rescue centre. You can always have one of those.”
Alex sobbed harder than ever. “I don’t want any other dog. I only want Holly.” She gripped Neil’s arm. “We’ve got to stop those people. We’ve got to tell them Holly’s already got an owner.”
Neil shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, Alex,” he said, “but it’s too late. There’s nothing we can do now. If they want her, then she’s theirs.”
Neil stared gloomily out of the window of the Range Rover as Bob drove back to King Street Kennels. Compton was ablaze with coloured lights but Neil hardly noticed them. He was too upset about what had happened.
Beside him, Alex and Emily sat in miserable silence. Even Sarah was subdued.
As Bob reached the kennels, a car turned out of the drive. Neil recognized the young couple inside it – the people he’d spoken to at the grotto. He peered into the car and caught a glimpse of Holly sitting next to the red setter on the back seat.
Alex had seen the puppy too. “It’s Holly!” she cried, and burst into tears again.
As Bob parked the car, Carole came out to meet them, smiling. “Holly’s gone,” she said cheerfully. “Mr and Mrs Biggs have taken her. They seem really nice. Apparently their other dog—” She stopped when she saw Alex’s miserable face. “What on earth’s wrong?” she asked.
“Alex has realized that she wants Holly, after all,” explained Emily.
“Oh dear, you poor thing,” sighed Carole. “Let’s go inside and talk about it.” She led Alex into the kitchen.
Neil and Emily followed a few moments later, and found Alex sitting at the kitchen table with a box of tissues and a glass of Coke in front of her. They decided that it was best to leave her with their mum, and went through into the sitting room. The Christmas tree stood in the window, glittering brightly.
“It doesn’t feel like Christmas any more,” Emily said gloomily.
“This whole thing is my fault,” said Neil, slumping into a chair beside the fire.
“No, it isn’t,” Emily said. “You tried to get Alex to take Holly. We both did.”
“But I told those people how great Holly is too.” Neil seized a cushion and thumped it angrily. “Why didn’t I say she’d already got a home? Then Alex could have had her.”
Emily sat on the arm of his chair. “Alex insisted she didn’t want her,” she pointed out. “And we could hardly have kept Holly in the rescue centre for ever, while we waited for Alex to change her mind. Especially not at Christmas.”
Sarah came into the room and stood by the Christmas tree, touching the baubles and setting them swinging so that they shone in the firelight. “Why’s everybody so grumpy?” she demanded. “It’s nearly Christmas.”
Neil shrugged. All the excitement he’d been feeling about Christmas had evaporated. Holly and Alex would never be together now and there was nothing Neil could do about it.
Neil woke early on Christmas Eve. He lay staring up at his bedroom ceiling, trying to recapture the Christmas spirit he’d felt at the grotto, but images of Holly and of Alex’s tear-streaked face kept crowding into his head.
He decided to get up and take Jake for a run. As usual, the Border collie was eager to go out, so the two of them set off for the ridgeway.
The ground was still thick with snow and the rising sun set it sparkling as though it were scattered with diamonds. It was a fantastic morning, but Neil couldn’t really enjoy it – not while his head ached with the misery of knowing Holly and Alex were parted for good.
Neil let Jake off the lead and watched him racing back and forth, throwing up clouds of loose snow at every step.
They climbed steadily. By the time they reached the top of the hill, the sun was up and Compton lay below them, the snowy roofs and gardens looking strangely out of place against the brilliant blue sky behind.
A figure appeared on a path a little way away. Neil recognized her and his heart sank. He’d come here to try to forget about Alex for a while and here she was, walking slowly towards him.
Alex glanced up and saw him. She looked pale and miserable. “Sorry about yesterday,” she said.
“How are you feeling?” Neil asked.
She shrugged. “Pretty awful, actually. But I know it was my own stupid fault . . . Look, I really can’t stop and talk – Mum and Dad will be wondering where I am.” She turned away. “Have a good Christmas.”
Neil watched her walk away from him, head down and shoulders drooping. He wished there was something he could do or say that would cheer her up. But he knew it was hopeless.
“Neil!” Emily was dashing up the hill towards him.
“What’s wrong?” Neil called.
“Nothing. Well . . . I don’t know. Mum and Dad sent me to fetch Alex,” Emily panted.
“Why?” asked Neil.
“They wouldn’t say,” said Emily. “But they looked pretty pleased.”
Neil shook his head. “I can’t imagine what they could do to cheer her up. I’ve just seen her and she looks really upset.”
“Well, you never know. Go and get her – and hurry up!”
“OK,” Neil agreed reluctantly. He caught up with Alex near the path that led into her road. “Wait!” he called.
Alex turned.
“You’ve got to come to the kennels with me. Mum and Dad need to see you.”
“I expect they want me to look at another dog.” Alex shook her head. “It’s kind of them but I’m not interested.” She turned to go.
“Please,” Neil said, catching her arm. “They wouldn’t have sent Emily to find you if it wasn’t important.”
Alex shrugged. “OK. But it’s a waste of time.”
They hurried down to the kennels. Carole and Bob were waiting for them in the kitchen. “What’s going on?” Neil asked. He fetched a towel and rubbed Jake’s fur dry.
“You’ll see.” Bob winked at him, then placed a plate of hot, buttered toast on the table. “Tuck into this while you’re waiting.”
Just then Neil heard a car driving into the yard. Carole ran to the front door and opened it. “They’re here!” she cried.
“Who’s here?” Neil demanded, standing up.
“Just wait and see,” said Bob.
Neil glanced at Emily, hoping that she could explain what was going on, but she looked just as mystified as he felt. They heard Carole inviting somebody to come inside, then a dog’s claws clicking along the hall. A moment later, Holly scampered into the kitchen, her tail wagging wildly. She spotted Alex and darted straight to her. Alex stared at the Labrador, her face cloude
d with uncertainty.
Holly jumped up and Alex bent down to stroke her.
“What’s going on?” Neil asked. “Why’s Holly here?”
Carole came into the room with Mr and Mrs Biggs, the couple who had adopted Holly. “Mrs Biggs rang earlier,” said Carole, “while you were out with Jake.”
“That’s right,” Mr Biggs said. “We took Topsy to the vet last night and it turns out that she’s pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” Neil repeated. “Of course! That’s why she was looking a bit low.”
“Yes, I suppose we should have thought of it before, really,” said Mr Biggs rather sheepishly.
Suddenly Neil understood what this meant. “So, I suppose you can’t really keep Holly now?” he asked tentatively, glancing across at Alex’s hopeful face.
“Not really, no. We felt terrible about having to bring Holly back,” Mrs Biggs went on. “But we just won’t be able to manage her when we’ve got a litter of pups to see to. And when we rang to explain what had happened, your mum told us that somebody else wanted Holly anyway.” She beamed at Alex. “I can see you’re already very fond of her. And she obviously loves you.”
Alex’s eyes shone with joy. She swept the puppy into her arms and hugged her tightly. “Oh Holly, I can hardly believe it,” she cried. “Thank you for bringing her back. This is going to be the best Christmas ever!”
The Morgans and Holly came to King Street Kennels for Christmas dinner. As everyone sat down at the table, Neil looked round happily. It had turned out to be a perfect day.
He looked across the kitchen to where Bob was carving the turkey. Jake and Holly were sitting at his feet, watching hopefully in case he dropped a piece of meat. Mr and Mrs Morgan and Alex seemed happy and relaxed. Through the kitchen window, Neil could see snow falling gently.
“I’m glad you could all come today,” Carole said. She filled everyone’s glass. “As soon as Bob brings the turkey over, I think we should drink a toast.”
They waited expectantly as Bob carried the turkey carefully to the table, stepping over the eager dogs.
Carole raised her glass. “To Alex and Holly. It’s great to see them back together again. And here’s to a merry Christmas for all of us.”
Neil grinned as they chinked glasses. He looked down at Holly, who was leaning contentedly against Alex’s leg, and his smile broadened. For a while it had looked as though this Christmas would be terrible, but in the end it was turning out to be one of the best he’d ever had.
Look out for
Coming soon!
Special thanks to Cherith Baldry and Liss Norton
‘A Winter’s Tale’ first published 1998, ‘The Snow Puppy’ first published 1999 as The Snow Dog, and ‘Holly’s Wish’ first published 2000, in three separate volumes by Macmillan Children’s Books
This edition first published 2001 by Macmillan Children’s Books
This edition reissued 2017 by Macmillan Children’s Books
This electronic edition published 2017 by Macmillan Children’s Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
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Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
Created by Working Partners Limited
London WC2B 6XF
ISBN 978-1-5098-6045-6
Copyright © Working Partners Limited 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
Illustrations copyright © Mick Reid 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
Cover illustration by Alison Edgson
Puppy Patrol is a registered trademark of Working Partners Limited
The right of Mick Reid to be identified as the illustrator of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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Typeset by Nigel Hazle
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