by Sarah Lean
May Days first told Tiger how impressed she was with the way she and Tom had respected the foxes, and how they had abandoned the idea of a detective’s office in the shed while the space underneath was occupied. Tiger truly was a friend to the foxes. Because of this, May Days would show Tiger something she had never shown anyone in England.
It was a surprise to find that the last special keepsake was a small, smooth, soapstone carving of a rhinoceros.
“Why is this special?” Weren’t tigers May Days’ favourite animal as well as Tiger’s?
“A long time ago, while I was in Africa,” May Days began, “I found a young injured rhinoceros, all alone …”
In pain, afraid and hungry, it wasn’t easy to help such a large baby. Rhinoceroses, like many wild animals, were uneasy around people. With the help of friends who cared about wild animals, May Days had managed to look after the poor rhino released back into the wild, he was one of only a few of his kind left in the world.
“I called him Wilfred,” May Days said. “And although he was rough-skinned and terrifyingly big when he was fully grown, I loved him like a friend.”
Tiger blinked, amazed.
“That’s when I met a young lady called Grace. She was courageous and that made her clever,” May Days continued. “You remind me very much of her. Grace became one of the rangers in the reserve helping to protect Wilfred in the wild from people who don’t understand how beautiful rhinos are.”
“Beautiful?” Tiger said, unsure, thinking of their tiny eyes and clumpy legs, rectangle heads and thin twitchy tufts of tails.
“Once you make friends with a rhinoceros, you find they are very beautiful indeed,” said May Days. “Remember when Henry said he thought foxes were a nuisance?”
Tiger nodded.
“Well, he told me before he left that you have helped him to change his mind and see how lovely foxes are. That’s a wonderful thing.”
Tiger blushed quietly as May Days continued her story.
Occasionally over the years May Days had spotted Wilfred in the wild. She was happiest when she saw her dear friend doing the things that rhinos do, even if he was charging and bellowing and stamping his foot. Grace was keeping an eye on Wilfred now, and May Days felt confident that he was safe.
“I’ve been lucky to watch Wilfred, from a distance, being a wild rhino,” May Days said.
“I feel the same about the foxes,” Tiger smiled.
“And I feel the same about you,” May Days chuckled.
The scaffolding had gone, and although the chimney stacks and pots were tall and straight now, Willowgate House once again looked slightly skewwhiff and somehow, the house also seemed like an old friend that Tiger hadn’t seen for a while.
Before Tiger returned Grumps’s tricycle she had one more visit she wanted to make. She set off down the lane with Holly running alongside.
Mr and Mrs Cox were pleased to see them both.
Tiger told them about Holly and the cubs and that she and the cat were friends to the foxes. Mr and Mrs Cox agreed to leave a spare egg out now and again, just in case the foxes needed them.
“And please would you still keep an eye on Holly when I’m not here?” Tiger asked.
Of course they would.
“I think I prefer Holly as her name,” said Mr Cox. “Twinkle doesn’t quite suit such a clever, independent cat.”
Tiger said goodbye then cycled over to Grumps’s to return the tricycle and ask him if he would also keep an eye out for Holly while Tiger wasn’t there.
“Holly needs friends when I’m not around,” said Tiger.
Of course he would, and Tiger was happy that Holly would have lots of friends to visit.
When Mr Days arrived, Tiger took him down into the overgrown garden to show him where the fox den was. They were delighted when six shining eyes and three pointed noses poked out. It was so nice to share seeing the fox and cubs with her dad. Even that small moment seemed incredibly big and special.
“The treehouse was here,” said Tiger, pointing at the oak tree, “and the scaffolding on the house was over there.” But everything had gone now.
“It all looks the same as it did when I dropped you off,” said Mr Days. He held Tiger’s hands and said, “Except for two small bright things.”
“I know – aren’t we lucky to have seen fox cubs!”
“I meant my daughter’s eyes,” said Mr Days. “They seem to be shining with something brave and clever and beautiful.”
May Days waved and blew kisses from the porch and Holly followed the car down to the gate where Tiger jumped out to open and then close it behind them after Mr Days drove through. Holly jumped up on the gatepost.
“Have a lovely time until I next visit,” said Tiger to Holly.
Please be here when I come back, wished Tiger, wondering what other unexpected things she might find at Willowgate next time. Holly watched Tiger being driven away, her tail unfurling and curling over the sign Tiger had made for the gate …
Read an extract from Tiger Days’ first adventure at Willowgate House.
Tiger Days didn’t know anyone who loved tigers as much as she did.
She wore tiger pyjamas, socks and slippers, and spent a lot of time in her bedroom reading about tigers and drawing tiger pictures. Her parents would often suggest bike rides and trips to the swimming pool on Saturday afternoons, but Tiger would much rather be in her bedroom doing tiger things.
One Saturday afternoon, her parents appeared at her door.
“You’ll never guess who that was on the phone …” said Mum.
“Hmmmm?” said Tiger, not really listening.
Dad rolled his eyes as Tiger’s nose stayed firmly buried in her wildlife book. “It was May Days!” he said.
Tiger looked up, surprised. May Days was her grandmother and had been living in Africa on a wildlife reserve since Tiger was a baby. Whenever May Days phoned, Tiger asked when she was coming to visit, but May Days said it was hard to know because the giraffes or rhinos always needed her more. This time, May Days had phoned with wonderful news. She had finally come back to England and bought a place called Willowgate House.
“She wants you to go and stay,” said Dad. “You can have your first adventure together at the new house.”
Tiger wrinkled her nose. She was sometimes nervous about doing new things and the idea of a real-life adventure with May Days was a little scary. She had a feeling May Days wasn’t going to be like everyone else’s grandmother.
“Won’t you be worried about me?” she asked her parents.
“While you’re with May Days? Not even for a second,” said Mum, although it was obvious that somebody was worried.
But Tiger put on a brave smile for her parents. An adventure with May Days would be great, wouldn’t it?
“Are you sure this is the right house?” said Tiger.
She stood close to her dad by the gate, beneath a large drooping willow tree.
Willowgate House was unexpectedly huge, and it stood at the end of a long driveway. It had wide windows and tall chimney pots, and a conservatory that leaned slightly to the left.
Tiger tilted her head to the side to see if it looked any straighter. But it didn’t. The lopsided building made her feel wobbly.
Tiger waited on the doorstep behind Dad while he pulled the bell on the wall beside the door.
The next surprise was May Days.
Weren’t grandmothers supposed to be old and grey and worn?
Instead she had curls that were wild and alive. Her sleeves were pushed up, as if she’d done a hard day’s work, and she bounded out like the kind of person who didn’t sit down very often.
“You’re here, at last!” May Days beamed, throwing her arms around Dad first, and then around Tiger. Tiger peered behind her grandmother at the bare floorboards and curved staircase in the hall. It looked as if nobody had lived here for a very long time.
“You were no bigger than a koala the last time I saw you,” May Days said,
holding Tiger by the cheeks.Tiger blinked in surprise, and her tummy did a flip.
“You’ve got a big house,” said Tiger, not sure what else to say.
“Too big for one person,” May Days said, chuckling like a barrel full of chickens. “Come in! Come in!”
Mr Days had also not seen his mother for a very long time and he had lots to tell her over gallons of tea. They laughed and talked while Tiger sat on a chair, still clinging to her tiger-striped suitcase. The faded lino flooring curled up in the corners of the kitchen, and there wasn’t a lot more to see than an old cooking range and a long pine table that had worn into a curve in the middle. Where were the proper kitchen cupboards and worktops? Tiger hoped that the rest of the house had been decorated.
“Thank you for bringing me my granddaughter,” May Days said, squeezing Mr Days’ cheeks when he had to leave.
Tiger clung to her dad for an extra-long hug.
“Are you sure you don’t need me at home?” Tiger whispered.
“We’ll miss you terribly,” said Mr Days, “but you and your grandmother have a lot of catching up to do.”
“It’s just you and me,” said May Days, after they’d waved the car into the distance.
“Shall I put my things in my room?” said Tiger.
“Your room?” said May Days, smiling. “You’d better come with me.”
May Days showed Tiger the outside bathroom first. Although the walls and floor were bare brick, there were soft towels, a cup for toothbrushes, a mirror and a light bulb with a long pull cord, all sparkling clean. Tiger tried to smile brightly.
“I’m afraid we haven’t got a shower or bath yet,” said May Days. “But I have spare flannels if you need one.”
She turned Tiger’s shoulders to face the back garden. “We’re going to share a room.”
Tiger would have her own room one day, May Days assured her, but all of Willowgate needed a lot of work first. For now, they were going to be staying in the garden in an old green tent.
A tent? thought Tiger, her eyes wide. Outside?!
About the Author
SARAH LEAN’S fascination with animals began when she was aged eight and a stray cat walked in the back door and decided to adopt her. As a child she wanted to be a writer and used to dictate stories to her mother, until she bought a laptop of her own several years ago and decided to type them herself. She loves her garden, art, calligraphy and spending time outdoors. She lives in Dorset and shares the space around her desk with her dogs, Harry and Coco.
www.sarahlean.co.uk
Also by Sarah Lean
Tiger Days and the Secret Cat
For older readers:
A Dog Called Homeless
A Horse for Angel
The Forever Whale
Jack Pepper
Hero
Harry and Hope
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