Oscar's Lonely Christmas

by Holly Webb

  Zak clambered on to the sofa and hung perilously over the back, looking for Oscar.

  Oscar whimpered miserably. He wanted to be left alone until Hannah came back. He started to creep along behind the sofa, meaning to nip out of the living-room door. Hannah’s mum was preparing dinner in the kitchen, so she could let him out into the garden, and then he’d be safely away from Zak fussing him and pulling at his ears.

  But Zak could move surprisingly fast. He wriggled down from the back of the sofa, and trotted round to meet Oscar as he emerged from behind it.

  “Ossa!” The little boy flung his arms around the puppy’s neck, squeezing him lovingly.

  Oscar moaned. Zak was cuddling him far too tightly, and it hurt. He tried to pull back out of Zak’s arms, but that only made Zak hold him tighter. Oscar wriggled and struggled, and Zak giggled, thinking it was all just a funny game.

  Oscar was starting to feel desperate. He wanted to snap, but he knew he shouldn’t. Instead, he growled. A low Rrrrrrrrrrrr! deep in his chest, his lips drawing back from his teeth in a snarl.

  Zak let go of Oscar, stumbling away, his eyes wide with fright.

  Oscar shot out into the hallway, looking for a place to hide in case Zak followed him. There was a little alcove under the stairs where everyone kept their coats and bags, and Oscar scurried into it, hiding behind Hannah’s ballet bag. His heart was racing and he felt grumpy and scared at the same time. He hadn’t wanted to upset the little boy, but why wouldn’t Zak just leave him alone?

  His ears pricked up as he heard Hannah coming up the front path, followed by her dad, who’d gone to pick her up from the rehearsal. He longed to leap out and run to her – but Zak might grab him again. Better to stay hidden. He crouched down behind the bag, still shivering.

  “Oscar?” Hannah sounded surprised. Usually he was there, dancing around her as soon as she came in the door, but today he was nowhere to be seen.

  “I wonder if he’s got shut in somewhere,” Dad suggested, as Hannah went to put her school bag away under the stairs.

  As soon as he saw her, Oscar wriggled out on his tummy, making a little whining noise.

  “Oh! He’s here! Oscar, what’s the matter? Dad, he’s shaking.” Hannah knelt down to cuddle him, and Oscar snuggled against her gratefully.

  “Ossa growled,” a small voice said behind Hannah, and she turned round to find Zak standing in the living-room doorway, looking half-guilty, half-scared.

  Dad frowned. “What happened, Zak?” he asked.

  Mum rushed out into the hall. “Oh no! What’s the matter? I was just putting the pasta on and I couldn’t hear anything over the sound of the kettle.”

  “Zak’s been bothering Oscar again, I bet!” Hannah burst out. She had felt Oscar tense up as soon as Zak appeared.

  “Don’t always blame Zak, Hannah. He’s only little,” Mum said gently.

  Hannah sighed.

  “Zak, were you chasing Oscar?” Dad asked, looking into Zak’s eyes.

  Zak wriggled away from him. “No. Jus’ stroking.”

  “You have to be gentle, Zak,” Dad explained. “He’s only a puppy.”

  Hannah glared at Zak. He’d got away with it, again! It just wasn’t fair! As she cuddled Oscar closer she could feel how upset he was. She only wished she could have been there to protect him.

  “I have to make some wings as part of my costume,” Hannah told everyone at the dinner table later on. “Mr Byford’s going to give me some tissue paper to bring home.” She smiled to herself, but it wasn’t because of her excitement about her beautiful angel costume. Under the table, a small, warm muzzle was resting lovingly on her foot. Hannah lifted a piece of meat on her fork, and “accidentally” dropped it down the side of her chair. Oscar deserved a treat. A little black and white blur raced to snap it up.

  “What else are you wearing, do you know?” Mum asked.

  “A gold tunic thing and a halo,” Hannah told her. “Mrs Garner’s making the halo, she’s the lady who comes in to help with art. She’s brilliant at making things.”

  “Sounds good.” Dad smiled. “I’m really looking forward to seeing this show next week. We’ve heard so much about it, I feel like I could join in!”

  Hannah grinned. She had gone on about the play a bit, she supposed.

  She brought home all the bits for the wings that Friday. They were quite complicated to make, and Dad had to help her over the weekend. Hannah cut out all the tissue paper feathers, and Dad made her a wire frame to stick them on, and helped her tie ribbons on to fasten the wings around her shoulders. They worked on them for two whole evenings, dabbing on gold paint here and there, and making them look really special.

  So it was a total disaster when Hannah came home from school on Monday, the day before the dress rehearsal, and found her wings lying on the living-room floor, with half the feathers ripped off.

  “Mum!” Hannah called out, horrified. Mum rushed in from the hallway, where she’d been taking off Zak’s coat.

  “What is it?”

  “Why weren’t you watching him?” Hannah wailed. “How could you let him tear them up like that? I hate you, Zak!” she added angrily, as she saw Zak peeping round the door.

  “Oh, Hannah, I don’t think this was Zak,” Mum said, shaking her head. “And don’t say that, please. It’s mean.”

  Hannah blinked. “Who was it then?”

  “Oscar! Look, they’re all chewed. I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have left them to dry on that low shelf, but I just didn’t think about it.” She sighed. “We need to be a bit more careful.” She looked down at Oscar, who’d just emerged from behind the sofa. “No, Oscar! Look at this mess!”

  “It wasn’t Oscar,” Hannah said stubbornly, sweeping him up in her arms. But she could see the white tissue paper sticking out of the corner of his mouth, and she knew that Mum was right. Cuddling Oscar tight, she marched out of the living room. There was no way she was saying sorry to Zak.

  Dad had helped Hannah remake her wings in time for the dress rehearsal, but they weren’t quite as good as they’d been before. Hannah wriggled her shoulders nervously, fussing with the ribbons that held the wings on. She couldn’t believe it was the night of the performance at last.

  “Can you see them?” Lucy asked, as Hannah peeped round the side of the curtain.

  Hannah shook her head. “No. Oh, but your mum and dad are over there!” She frowned as she stared around the hall again. “They’re going to have to sit at the back,” she murmured. “It’s really filling up.”

  Mum had promised Hannah that she and Dad would be there in good time – they were going to leave Zak with Gran. So where were they?

  Somebody giggled loudly behind Hannah, making her jump. Everyone was chatting excitedly backstage. They’d brought a packed tea to school, so they could fit in one last run-through before that night’s performance. The nerves had been building ever since the bell went for the end of school. Hannah glanced down at the little photo in her hand, a favourite one of Oscar that she’d glued on to card to keep in her school bag. She was feeling a bit jittery about her part, and looking at Oscar’s gorgeous face made her feel better.

  There was a little flurry at the hall doors, and Hannah’s eyes widened. There was Gran! She seemed to be explaining something to Mrs Garner, who was taking the tickets.

  But Gran was supposed to be babysitting Zak. Hannah wished she could go and ask Gran what was going on. But she had her costume on ready, and the play was due to start in a few minutes. Hannah stroked Oscar’s photo with one finger, her tummy twisting. Why hadn’t Mum and Dad come?

  Chapter Six

  Oscar padded into the hallway, and went to sniff at the front door. Then he sat down for a couple of minutes, before trailing back into the kitchen for a drink from his water bowl.

  Where was everyone? Hannah’s mum had taken Zak out as usual, and come back on her own to make a cup of tea. But then the phone had rung, startling Oscar out of a sleep. He’d got up from his cushion, feelin
g sure it was close to food time, and hoping that if he stood next to Hannah’s mum and wagged his tail she might feed him.

  But she had crashed the phone down so fast it fell out of its holder – and she hadn’t even bothered to pick it up again! And then she ran out of the kitchen, so fast that she fell over Oscar. She didn’t stop to say sorry, or stroke him, or even tell him off for being in her way. She simply dashed out of the house, without even a coat, and drove off in the car.

  She still hadn’t come back. Hannah should have been home from school by now, Oscar was sure. And Zak? Surely he should be home now, too? It felt close to the time that their dad should be back from work as well. Oscar didn’t like being left on his own for so long, and he was getting really hungry now. He pattered up the hallway again, his tail hanging low, and then suddenly brightened as he heard footsteps.

  Slow, frightened footsteps, not Hannah’s usual happy run. He backed away from the door, feeling anxious.

  The door opened and Gran came in, followed by Hannah, her angel wings trailing from her hand.

  Hannah looked upset, and even though she hugged him, she felt different. She was holding him so tight and he could feel her heart thudding a fast, anxious beat. Oscar nuzzled her worriedly, wondering what was wrong.

  “Oh, Oscar, didn’t Mum feed you?” Hannah held him in front of her, looking into his eyes. “Poor Oscar, you must be starving. Come on.” Hannah went to get his special dog biscuits.

  Oscar waited by his bowl gratefully, but he didn’t feel as hungry as he had before. He knew that something was wrong, and he hated seeing Hannah so unhappy. It made him feel jittery and nervous, and somehow all wrong.

  After he’d eaten, he went to sit on the sofa between Hannah and Gran. They had the television on, but they weren’t really paying attention to it. It got later and later, and Oscar finally fell asleep on the sofa, curled up against Hannah.

  Oscar woke as he heard a car door slam, and he barked sharply to wake Hannah and Gran, who were dozing too. It felt very late.

  “Dad!” Hannah ran into the hallway. “What happened? Is Zak OK? Where is he? Where’s Mum?”

  Dad looked exhausted. “Gran told you he fell off the climbing frame at nursery?”

  Hannah nodded. Gran had broken the news after the play.

  “He hit his head. Six stitches, would you believe? He’s got to stay at the hospital tonight because it was a head injury, and your mum’s staying with him.” He sat down wearily on the stairs to take off his shoes. “Hannah, sweetheart, I’m so sorry we missed your play. I was really looking forward to it. We didn’t know how seriously Zak had been hurt. Mum got a call saying he’d gone to hospital in an ambulance.”

  Hannah sucked in a breath. That made it sound really serious. “Will he be OK?” she asked again, worriedly.

  “They think he’ll be fine.” Dad was trying to sound reassuring, but he mostly just sounded tired. “Come on. Let’s have some hot chocolate and all go to bed.”

  Gran stayed the night, and breakfast the next morning was strange with her there, but no Mum and Zak. She dropped Hannah at school, but Dad promised that Mum and Zak would be home from the hospital later that day.

  Mum met Hannah from school, but without Zak. She grabbed Hannah in a massive hug.

  “Where’s Zak? He isn’t still in hospital, is he?” Hannah looked up at Mum anxiously.

  Mum shook her head. “It’s all right, sweetie, he’s at home with Gran. He’s miserable, but in a couple of days he’ll be fine – he’ll probably have a scar, though. Hannah, I’ve been to see Mrs James in the office, and she said we can get a copy of the DVD of the play. I’m just so sorry we weren’t there for the real thing. Did it go all right? Did you enjoy it?”

  Hannah nodded. It felt mean to say that actually, she hadn’t enjoyed the play all that much, because she’d known something must be wrong. “I remembered all my words.”

  Mum hugged her again, and Hannah was pretty sure that her mum knew what she wasn’t saying. “You couldn’t help it, Mum. It’s OK, honest.”

  Her mum sighed. “I still can’t help feeling we let you down.”

  “I really didn’t mind.” Hannah nodded firmly. Deep inside, she did wish that they’d been there, of course. But when they got home and she saw Zak lying on the sofa, with a huge bandage on his head, she couldn’t feel annoyed with him at all. She sat next to Zak all evening, letting him watch the racing car programme she couldn’t stand, and stroking Oscar’s ears with him.

  At least now the play was over and the Christmas holidays had started, Hannah would have loads more time to spend with Oscar. She wanted to make sure his first Christmas was extra special. She was planning lots of lovely long walks, perhaps with Lucy too, and plenty of afternoons curled up on the sofa watching all the good films that were on over the holidays. She was even planning to show Oscar 101 Dalmatians for the first time!

  What made it even more thrilling was that it had snowed. The very first morning of the holidays, Hannah had woken up to find a light powdering over the street, as though someone had shaken icing sugar over a cake. It had snowed again that night, just a little more, and the weather forecasters were promising a white Christmas.

  Oscar loved it, although he wasn’t sure about getting chilly wet paws. He liked to watch the snow too, sitting on the back of the sofa with his nose pressed up against the window, snapping his teeth at the flakes twirling down outside.

  In all the excitement, Hannah had forgotten that her aunt was coming to stay for Christmas. She lived in Scotland, so she and Zak didn’t get to see her very often, and this was the first time she’d met Oscar.

  Unfortunately, Auntie Jess wasn’t very keen on dogs. She didn’t want Oscar in the living room all the time, and she kept brushing at her clothes, as though Oscar’s hair had got on them. She was always very smartly dressed, and she wore a lot of black, so the white hairs really showed up. Hannah took Oscar out in the garden for an extra good grooming session, but it didn’t seem to make any difference.

  Oscar had never met anyone who didn’t like him before. When Auntie Jess first arrived, he tried to say hello in his normal way, wagging his tail and nuzzling at her legs, and looking up at her with his funny Dalmatian smile. But she stepped back nervously.

  “Oh! Why is it showing its teeth like that? Does it bite?” Auntie Jess looked horrified.

  “Of course not!” Hannah cried. “He’s just being friendly. And he’s called Oscar.”

  “Put him in the kitchen, Hannah,” Mum said quickly. Hannah scowled, but did as she was told. Oscar hadn’t done anything wrong! She hoped Auntie Jess would get used to him.

  Oscar was confused. The house was full of strange things, like that big flashy tree that wobbled and jingled. And that strange lady kept pushing him away, and Hannah seemed to be with her all the time. So he stayed on his own in the kitchen on his cushion, feeling miserable.

  Hannah did her best to cheer him up, and she did manage to take Oscar for a couple of proper walks, but Mum kept saying that Auntie Jess wasn’t here for long, and it was rude to go off without her. Hannah thought about suggesting that Auntie Jess came too, but she didn’t think that would go down very well. She did love Auntie Jess – she just wished that her aunt liked dogs too.

  Oscar curled up on his cushion, feeling lonely. He tucked his nose under his tail, and imagined a long run in the woods, with Hannah laughing and jumping beside him. She’d played with him in the garden that morning, but it just wasn’t the same. And now they’d all gone out. Hannah had promised they would be back soon, but they had been gone for ages. Oscar turned round grumpily. He was sick of his cushion, and the kitchen.

  Perhaps now would be a good time to go and look at that strange tree again. He trotted into the living room, and gazed up at it. He didn’t trust it, and he wasn’t sure why it was in his house.

  Sniffing suspiciously, Oscar walked all round the tree, which was surrounded by rustly parcels. The twirly ribbon on one of them caught around his
paw, and he shook it. It sprang back. Oscar patted the ribbon with his paw. It was trying to escape!

  He seized the parcel in his teeth, shaking it to and fro fiercely – he loved the feel of the paper tearing. Then he settled down happily to chew the long, pink woolly thing that was inside.

  When Hannah, Zak and their parents and Auntie Jess walked in from their Christmas shopping trip a little while later, Oscar was fast asleep on the living-room floor. He was surrounded by shreds of silver wrapping paper and twirly ribbon, and the ruins of the pretty, fluffy pink scarf that had been Auntie Jess’s Christmas present for Hannah.

  “Oh! Look what that naughty dog’s done!” Auntie Jess cried. “You really need to get him to behave. He’s ruined Hannah’s present!”

  Oscar woke up and slunk guiltily over to Hannah, trailing pink ribbons. “Bad dog, Oscar!” Mum said crossly.

  “You aren’t!” Hannah whispered, cuddling him. She looked up at Mum. “It isn’t really his fault. We left him alone all day. I know he was naughty, but it’s because he’s bored!” Then she added very quietly, “And I didn’t like that scarf anyway, Oscar…”

  Chapter Seven

  Everyone woke early on Christmas Day. Hannah and Zak were desperate to open their stockings, and Mum and Dad had to start cooking the Christmas lunch. Gran was coming, and their other grandma and grandad, and Uncle Mark and his family – Hannah and Zak’s three little cousins. Dad had bought an enormous turkey. Oscar was sitting by the oven looking hopeful – it smelled so good!

  Hannah was really looking forward to seeing her cousins again, but she was worried about Oscar. Jamie, Tara and Phoebe were all quite young – Phoebe was only two like Zak – and they weren’t really used to dogs. Hannah had a horrible feeling they would be chasing round trying to hug Oscar all day, and he wasn’t going to like it.