Copyright © 2019 Gillian Young
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Matador
9 Priory Business Park,
Wistow Road, Kibworth Beauchamp,
Leicestershire. LE8 0RX
Tel: 0116 279 2299
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.troubador.co.uk/matador
Twitter: @matadorbooks
ISBN 978 1838596 927
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd
For my husband, Mark; my children, Nathan and Becki;
and my parents – thank you.
Contents
Chapter 1
A Family Treat
Chapter 2
The Unexpected
Chapter 3
The Kennels
Chapter 4
The Escape
Chapter 5
Free!
Chapter 6
Furry Friends
Chapter 7
Oh So Tempting…
Chapter 8
A Much-Needed Rest
Chapter 9
Keeping Calm
Chapter 10
A Golden Flash
Chapter 11
Bad Manners
Chapter 12
Unexpected Friends
Chapter 13
It Takes All Sorts
Chapter 14
Sky High
Chapter 15
Ruffled Feathers
Chapter 16
Family Values
Chapter 17
The Perfect View
Chapter 18
The Lonely Hound
Chapter 19
Face to Face
Chapter 20
Heading Back
Chapter 21
End of the Road
Chapter 22
A Familiar Face
Chapter 23
The Wanderer Returns
Chapter 24
A Fresh Start
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
A Family Treat
Poppy, the crazy cream retriever, trotted down the hall, her tail wagging, nose twitching and stomach grumbling. What was that smell? It was delicious! By the time she reached the living room she had recognised the tantalising sweet smell of one of her many favourite things – strawberry ice cream.
She stopped in the doorway and looked around. She lifted her chin and sniffed the air. She licked her lips, lapping up the drool that was already forming around her jowls. No one was about, even though she could hear them. Her family were busy getting their things together. Something was going on. Mum and Dad were filling bags with food, gathering their mobile phones, camera and keys. They were going somewhere, and judging by the hustle and bustle, it was somewhere exciting. Poppy intended to find out, but not yet. Right now there was a dish of ice cream on the coffee table just waiting to be eaten.
Mum called out. Poppy looked over her shoulder to see Dad hurrying into the kitchen. Still, no one was claiming the ice cream, so maybe it was meant for her. Without wasting any more time, Poppy walked over to the table. She pushed the dish with her nose, then licked the deliciously cool scoops of ice cream. She felt the pieces of strawberry against her tongue. Then she pounced. In three bites, the dish was empty.
That was delicious, she thought, while licking the ice cream from around her mouth. She sat down and snorted, something she always did when she felt contented.
‘Poppy!’
She spun around. Dad stood in the doorway frowning at her. For a moment they stared at each other. Poppy gulped. She glanced awkwardly from side to side.
After a few uncomfortable seconds, she decided to try and cheer him up. With a growl and howl she launched herself at him, tail wagging, tongue lolling from the side of her mouth, and big white paws lifted ready for a cuddle. But Dad didn’t catch her in his arms this time. He stepped back, leaving her standing in front of him. He marched past her and snatched the empty bowl from the table.
‘Naughty girl,’ he said.
He walked away without so much as a glance in her direction. Poppy heard him mutter, ‘I was looking forward to that.’
Then, Poppy heard her little sister, Evie, giggling. This filled her with joy. Little Evie and her big brother Jack were not only her human sister and brother but also her favourite playmates. Quickly forgetting Dad’s grumpy mood, Poppy leapt up the stairs and bounded into Jack’s room.
She found her brother standing on his bed pointing to his posters of wild and wonderful animals. But it wasn’t Jack’s speech about these amazing creatures that interested her. It was seeing Evie sitting on the floor eating a banana. Poppy sat in front of Evie, blocking her sister’s view of Jack.
‘Poppy! How’s my beautiful girl?’ Evie cried, wrapping her arm around Poppy’s neck. But Poppy ignored her. She was too interested in the banana to care about anything else.
She lifted her paw. She shuffled closer. She leaned over, drool falling slowly from her jowls. Drip. Drip. Splat.
‘Urgh, Poppy!’ Evie squealed, using her sleeve to rub the drool from her leg.
Poppy grew impatient. She barked. She pushed her nose against Evie’s hand. She looked from the banana to Evie, then back to the delicious fruit again.
‘Oh, come on!’ she barked.
Evie broke the banana in two. In an instant, Poppy swooped down and swallowed it whole. She belched loudly then settled down beside her sister.
Jack paced up and down his bed, pointing to his posters. ‘So, what’s this then?’ he asked, smiling down at Evie.
‘Easy!’ she giggled. ‘An elephant.’
Jack nodded. Poppy saw the proud smile curl across her sister’s lips.
‘I can’t wait to see these, Evie.’ He waved his hands with excitement as he told them yet again about his favouri
te animal. ‘They hug each other by wrapping their trunks together. And, they’re one of the cleverest animals on the planet.’
Poppy stared at the poster. Whilst Jack told them other amazing facts, all she could think about was how much fun they must have playing tug-of-war with their long trunks.
‘Jack, tell me about giraffes.’
Poppy looked at the picture of an animal with the longest neck she had ever seen.
‘They’re beautiful,’ Evie sighed.
‘Can you believe their legs are about six feet long? That’s taller than Dad!’ said Jack.
‘I hope when I’m eight years old I’ll be as clever as you. How do you know all this stuff?’
Jack jumped off his bed, then knelt down and pulled out a book from a large box. On the cover was a photo of a stripy cat. Poppy glared at the picture; she didn’t like cats much. They wandered into her garden as though they owned the place.
‘Aww. So cute.’
‘You wouldn’t say that if you were up close to one,’ Jack said. ‘Tigers are one of the fiercest creatures in the world. They can kill animals twice their size.’
Poppy had heard enough. She jumped on to Jack’s bed and began digging, trying to take her mind off man and dog-eating cats.
‘Come on, you two!’ Mum called from downstairs.
Poppy stopped wriggling beneath the tunnel she had made from Jack’s quilt. She stayed perfectly still, listening to Jack and Evie get to their feet. She pushed her nose from under the quilt and sneezed.
‘Come on, you,’ Evie said, tapping Poppy’s nose gently.
‘Now, remember what I told you about zebras, camels and buffaloes,’ said Jack.
‘Zebras have stripes, camels have humps and buffaloes…’ Evie replied.
‘Buffaloes are so strong they can tip over a car,’ Jack said, finishing the sentence for her. ‘I can’t believe we’re going to the safari park at last!’
Poppy leapt off the bed. She was excited and curious about meeting these animals, not only to find out if they wanted to play, but also to discover what delicious food they ate. She charged down the stairs, pushing past Jack and Evie.
Mum stood in the hall, waiting. ‘Ready, are we?’ she said.
Jack and Evie raced to the door. Poppy, sensing their excitement, sprinted up and down the hall, growling, barking, tail swinging, paws skidding across the tiled floor. She hoped this would convince them to take her too. A trip to the safari park was too exciting to miss out on.
‘All right, all right. Calm down, Poppy,’ Mum said, laughing.
Poppy barked with triumph seeing her lead swinging from Mum’s hand.
‘With Gran and Grandad on holiday, there’s no one to look after you,’ Mum said, as she fastened the lead to Poppy’s collar. ‘Besides, we can’t keep you home alone all day. So, there’s nothing for it but to take you with us.’
Poppy threw her head back and howled, then jumped up and licked Mum’s face.
Chapter 2
The Unexpected
‘Here we are,’ Mum said, as Dad stopped the car beside one of the kiosks at the safari park. He wound the window down and spoke to the lady behind the counter.
Meanwhile, Poppy sat between Jack and Evie. She stared ahead, her nose twitching. The air was filled with so many new and exciting smells – strong, wild, sweet, gentle and fierce. All these smells sent her tingling with curiosity. She couldn’t wait to jump out of the car and investigate.
‘This is going to be great,’ she howled, making Jack and Evie laugh.
The lady at the kiosk leaned over the counter and looked at Poppy. She spoke to Dad and pointed down the road.
Evie wrapped her arm around Poppy.
‘So are we taking Poppy to the field after?’ Jack asked, his fingers playing with the silky fur around Poppy’s ears.
‘Yes,’ Mum said, turning around and smiling. ‘The football is in the boot.’
This was too much. Poppy loved football. She trembled and barked. Could this day get any better?
‘OK then, gang?’ Dad said, then slowly drove the car through the safari park’s giant gates.
Poppy couldn’t stop trembling with excitement, wondering what animal they would meet first. She watched the other cars moving slowly down the road, around the bend and out of sight. Soon they were the only ones driving down a tree-lined track. Then she realised they were going the wrong way…
Poppy trembled. ‘What’s going on?’ she whined.
They stopped outside a long brick building. Dad climbed out of the car. When he opened the back door, Jack and Evie flung their arms around Poppy.
Evie kissed her silky ears.
‘I’m going to miss you,’ she said.
Poppy’s ears twitched catching the tremble in her voice.
‘Be good,’ Jack said, gazing into Poppy’s eyes and gently stroking the top of her head.
Poppy whined. She watched him press his lips together and blink. He sighed. His lips trembled. Was Jack trying to smile? If he was, she wondered, then why was it so hard?
Mum turned around and smiled. ‘Come on you two,’ she said, and reaching over, she cupped her hand under Poppy’s chin. ‘Hey, Cutie.’
Poppy had a bad feeling. The air was suddenly filled with the familiar smell of dogs. Now she knew what was going on. She was being left behind in that strange building.
‘Take me with you!’ she barked. ‘I want to see the animals too.’
‘Now, now,’ Dad said, taking hold of her lead.
‘But I want to see the giraffes,’ she grumbled as she was led out of the car, ‘and the elephants… and camels… and zebras.’
Dad closed the door behind her and they made their way towards the building. Poppy pressed her nose into the ground, snorting and sniffing. Was that rabbit she could smell? She found some rabbit droppings. Delicious.
After her unexpected snack, she looked up to find Dad talking to one of the park’s attendants. She sniffed the air. Despite the strong smell of dogs, she could still detect the wild and strange scent of all the other animals around the park.
Dad handed her lead over to the attendant. Poppy’s stomach felt as though it was twisting into knots. This wasn’t right. She should be going around the safari with her family. Jack had told her all about the animals, and Mum said they would be playing football afterwards. Why tell her all this if she was being left behind?
Poppy pulled back against her lead. She barked at Dad, hoping that seeing she was cross would make him change his mind.
Dad bent down and ruffled Poppy’s ears and rubbed her chin.
‘Sssh, calm down,’ he said gently. Then he stepped back and said to the attendant, ‘She will soon settle, especially when she sees the food.’
As he walked back to the car, Poppy barked. She was angry, disappointed and confused. She tried to follow him. She pulled and twisted against her lead, but the attendant had too good a hold.
‘Come on, Poppy,’ he said. His voice was friendly, kind and gentle. But all Poppy cared about was the fact that Dad was walking back to the car without her.
She barked again and again. ‘Take me with you!’
Dad stopped and turned around. With his hand on the door handle, he smiled at her and said, ‘Remember, Poppy, be a good girl.’
She whimpered, watching him climb into the car and start the engine. ‘But I want to see the animals too,’ she whined.
Jack and Evie watched her from out of the back window. They waved as the car drove further and further away.
Chapter 3
The Kennels
Poppy felt a gentle tug on her lead. She turned and followed the friendly attendant towards the building.
Inside, it was light and airy and, to Poppy’s delight, it also smelt of biscuits. Poppy licked her lips wondering where these delicious treats were
. The smell cheered her up and she began wagging her tail.
She was led down a long corridor lined with rooms. As Poppy walked past, she found other dogs inside. Some shared a room, but most were by themselves. She glanced at them as she was led onwards. Many stood with their noses squeezed between the bars of the gate that kept them safe and secure. Wet noses twitched, tails wagged. Some whined and howled, ears pulled back, eager to know who she was and if she wanted to play. But a few older dogs simply lay in their beds snoozing, too relaxed and tired to care about the newcomer.
To Poppy’s relief, none of them seemed unfriendly. She just wished that instead of being locked up, they could all run around and play.
The attendant stopped outside an empty room. Poppy watched him step inside, but she refused to follow. She stood in the corridor, watching suspiciously. She narrowed her eyes and tried stepping back. She watched the attendant stop in the middle of the square room, her lead now pulled taut.
‘Come on, Poppy,’ he said, smiling.
He tugged her lead gently, but she would not budge. She didn’t want to do as she was told. This day was not turning out as she had planned. Why on earth would she want to stay here when her family were out there having a fabulous time without her?
Poppy stared at the attendant who was staring back at her. He dug his hand inside his pocket. Poppy’s nose twitched. She watched him hold something out to her.
A biscuit? Well, that made all the difference!
Poppy on Safari Page 1
