Celebrate the Season--The Twelve Pets of Christmas

by Taylor Garland

  “That’s actually genius,” Eliza said. “I wonder if they’ll go for it.”

  “Doesn’t hurt to try,” Quinn replied.

  “I mean, I get why my mom doesn’t exactly want to add ‘scooping a litter box’ to her daily to-do list,” Eliza said. “She’s crazy busy with work and stuff already. But I don’t think I’d mind it that much.”

  “It’s really not that bad when you get used to it,” Quinn told her. Then she had an idea. “Why don’t you visit me at the shelter some afternoon?”

  Immediately after she said it, Quinn felt weird. Had she really just invited the most popular girl in seventh grade to hang out with her at the animal shelter?

  “Not, like, for litter box cleaning lessons or anything,” Quinn plowed on, feeling dumber with every word. “Just to play with some kitties. Oh! We have a mama cat and two kittens right now. They are so cute! You will love them. I mean, if you want to stop by sometime. Or not.”

  “Yeah,” Eliza said, nodding. “That sounds cool. I’ve never been to the animal shelter before, actually. I’d like to check it out. When do you volunteer?”

  “It kind of depends on how much homework I have,” Quinn replied. “But I’m probably going tomorrow afternoon. And maybe again on Friday.”

  “Cool,” Eliza said. “I’ll try to come by.”

  “Seems like you two are enjoying your new workstations,” Mr. Spaulding said lightly. That was another clue that Quinn and Eliza were chatting a little too much.

  “Sorry,” Quinn replied before turning all her attention to the ornament she was painting, a turtle on a metallic green globe. She knew that Mr. Spaulding had given her a special opportunity to work on her ornaments during class time… and she didn’t want to blow it!

  The next afternoon, Quinn looked up every time she heard the jingle bells on the door ring, certain that the next person who came into the shelter would be Eliza. But each time, she was wrong. It was getting a little silly—it seemed like those bells were ringing every few minutes, yet each time she heard them, Quinn jumped. After she’d been volunteering for almost two hours, though, Quinn had to face the truth: Eliza wasn’t going to show up.

  Maybe she forgot, Quinn thought. Maybe she’s cramming for a big test. But the one thought Quinn didn’t want in her mind—that Eliza had blown her off—kept creeping in uninvited. Quinn tried to shrug it off. If Eliza didn’t want to visit the cats—or hang out with her—there was nothing Quinn could do about it.

  Even if it did make her feel kind of lousy.

  The bells jingled again. Again, Quinn looked up. It still wasn’t Eliza—but it was someone else she knew.

  “Hey, Charlie!” Quinn exclaimed. “What’s up?”

  “Today’s the big day,” Ms. Ferrino announced as she walked in behind her son. “Mrs. Alvarez called this morning to tell us that Nana’s adoption has been approved!”

  “Yay!” Quinn cheered gleefully. Adoption days were the best! “Let me get Nana’s going-home bag together.”

  Charlie tugged on his mom’s sleeve. “Can I see Buddy real quick?” he asked. “To give him the… surprise?”

  Ms. Ferrino glanced at her watch.

  “Please?” Charlie begged. “I just want to say hi. He’s my new best friend!”

  Mrs. Alvarez walked behind the counter. “Quinn, you can take Charlie back to see Buddy. I’ll take care of everything up here,” she said.

  “You got it,” Quinn replied. “Come on, Charlie! Let’s go see Buddy B!”

  “Why do you call him Buddy B?” Charlie asked as Quinn brought him back to Buddy’s pen. “Does his last name start with B?”

  Quinn shook her head. “Buddy doesn’t have a last name,” she said. “It’s just a silly nickname I made up.”

  “If Buddy came to my house, his last name would be Ferrino. Like me,” Charlie said.

  Quinn chose her next words very carefully. “Do you think that’s something that might happen?” she asked.

  Charlie, his eyes gleaming, nodded. “I hope so,” he confided. “I wrote a letter to Santa Claus and told him all about Buddy. So maybe…”

  “Maybe!” Quinn replied.

  Thump-thump-thump!

  Buddy’s wild wagging tail was at it again.

  “Okay, you two,” Quinn said as she opened up the pen. “Have a nice visit!”

  “Buddy!” Charlie exclaimed gleefully. He burst into the pen and threw his arms around Buddy’s neck. “I missed you, boy! Did you miss me? I brought you a present! It’s a squeaky Santa!”

  Quinn stepped back, keeping an eye on Buddy and Charlie through the glass windows of the pen. They were having a great time playing with the chew toy Charlie had brought—when he tossed it into the air, Buddy grabbed it and shook his head back and forth, making the rubber Santa go sqqqqquuuueak-sqqquuuueak!

  Watching them play, Quinn had that funny feeling again that maybe, just maybe, Buddy had found his family after all.

  Even if they didn’t know it yet.

  Quinn was so busy with homework and ornament-painting that she didn’t volunteer at the shelter again until Friday afternoon. When she walked inside, it felt like she had stepped into a big party! Mrs. Alvarez and Tommy were wearing shiny party hats and laughing happily with two people Quinn didn’t know.

  “Hey, what did I miss?” Quinn joked as she hung up her coat.

  “Rufus is being adopted today!” Mrs. Alvarez announced. “Meet Juniper and James. They just opened the new bookstore on Grove Street.”

  “Rufus? That’s awesome!” Quinn exclaimed. “Congratulations! He is so funny.”

  “Rufus definitely has a big personality,” Mrs. Alvarez told his new owners.

  “We can tell,” James replied, rubbing his stubbly chin. “When we came yesterday, he locked eyes with us and started yowling and yowling. It was like he was trying to say, Hey, you guys, I’m right here!”

  Everyone laughed, especially Quinn. James had described Rufus perfectly—which gave her a good feeling that this adoption would work out just fine.

  “Even before we opened our bookstore, we agreed that it would need a cat,” Juniper said. “Bookstore cats are pretty fantastic.”

  “When people see a cat in a bookstore, they get so excited,” James said.

  “Rufus is going to love hanging out at your store,” Quinn said. “He adores people. Spending all day with customers is going to be a dream come true for him.”

  James and Juniper exchanged a grin. “I knew we had a lot in common,” James joked.

  “We’re both pretty loud and opinionated, too,” Juniper added. “So we thought Rufus would fit right in.”

  “And we love parties,” James continued. “Rufus’s adoption seemed to call for a celebration, so we brought the hats.”

  “And cupcakes!” Tommy said as he offered one to Quinn.

  “You want a hat?” James asked Quinn.

  “Sure!” she replied, plucking a metallic fuchsia hat from the stack on the desk.

  “I’ll get Rufus,” Mrs. Alvarez said. “This party needs its guest of honor!”

  A couple of minutes later she returned, her arms full of a giant orange cat. Rufus’s long, fluffy tail flicked back and forth. He opened his mouth to meow, but a big yawn escaped instead, making everyone laugh.

  “You want a party hat, Rufus?” James said.

  “No, he’s way too dignified for that,” Juniper protested. She took Rufus from Mrs. Alvarez. “Aren’t you, Sir Rufus von Ruffington?”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s really dignified,” James teased his wife.

  The jingle bells rang again.

  “Welcome to the party!” James called out.

  “Uh—hi—sorry, are we interrupting?” a tall man asked.

  “Not at all! The more the merrier,” Juniper said. “We’re having an adoption party for my new friend, Roo-foo.”

  “Roo-foo?” James groaned. “That’s even worse.”

  “Roo-foo disagrees,” Juniper said in a serious voice. “Can’t
you hear how loudly he’s purring?”

  “How can I help you?” Quinn asked as she hurried over to the man.

  “I’m here for an adoption, too,” he said. “A puppy? Lobo?”

  “Oh!” Quinn cried. “I love Lobo! I’m so happy for you! He’s the cutest!”

  The man grinned. “Thanks! I can’t wait to take him home.”

  “Hey, would you mind taking a picture of us?” Juniper asked the man. “We want to get this all over social media and introduce Roofy-poofy to our customers.”

  “Sure,” the man replied. “Everybody squeeze together.”

  Quinn ducked out of the picture just in time. “Mrs. Alvarez will finish processing your forms—I’ll go get Lobo,” she said.

  Quinn couldn’t help humming some Christmas carols as she went back to the dog pens. Two adoptions in one day? It was incredible! And proof that the Twelve Pets of Christmas promotion was working!

  Nana, Rufus, and Lobo—three pets since the gala, Quinn thought. At this rate, all the animals would be adopted before Christmas for sure!

  Just as that thought crossed her mind, though, Quinn saw Buddy, all curled up in the corner of his cage. He lifted his head a tiny bit as she walked past. His tail went thump—but just one time.

  A pang of sadness hit Quinn hard. “Poor Buddy,” she whispered to herself. She wondered if he was missing Charlie. Had Buddy given up hope that Charlie would come back? The squeaky Santa toy was tucked under one of Buddy’s legs, almost like he was holding on to a stuffed animal.

  Quinn glanced over her shoulder. The sound of laughter drifted down the hallway from the lobby, where the adoption party was still in full swing. She knew that nice man was waiting for Lobo… but maybe he could wait for just a few more minutes.

  She slipped into Buddy’s pin and knelt beside him. “Don’t worry, Buddy,” she said. “I promise somebody’s going to adopt you. It’s only a matter of time, and then you’ll have a family of your very own again! And it will be incredible!”

  Thump. Thump.

  Two tail wags—a slight improvement.

  “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen,” Quinn vowed.

  Ting-a-ting-a-ting!

  The bells on the door were jangling again!

  Oh, boy. Here we go, Quinn thought as she hurried out of Buddy’s pen. She rushed over to Lobo’s pen, scooped him up, and then hurried back to the lobby to greet the newcomer. Quinn was in such a rush that she skidded across the shiny polished floor and would have collided right into Lobo’s new owner if she hadn’t grabbed the counter just in time!

  “Whoa! Sorry!” Quinn cried as she placed Lobo into his new owner’s arms. Lobo recognized the man at once and covered his face with slobbery doggy kisses.

  “Congratulations on your new puppy!” Quinn told him. Then she turned to the door… and saw Eliza standing there!

  “Oh! Hey!” Quinn exclaimed.

  “Hey,” Eliza replied with a little wave. “Sorry I didn’t make it earlier this week. My ice-skating practice ran long every day.”

  “Ice-skating? That’s cool,” Quinn said. “I didn’t know you were into that.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been skating for a while now—since third grade,” Eliza said. “Most of the competitions are out of town, though, so people don’t really know about them.”

  “That’s too bad,” Quinn said. There was a pause while she tried to figure out what to say next.

  “Well, my mom’s just finishing a phone call in the car,” Eliza finally said. “But she said I could go ahead and start looking at the pets.”

  “You mean she said yes?” Quinn cried in excitement.

  Eliza, her eyes shining, nodded. “Not only that, but she filled out an adoption application last week!” she said. “Mom says we’re already approved!”

  Quinn gasped. “That’s amazing!” she said.

  “It was supposed to be a Christmas surprise,” Eliza said sheepishly. “But I kept bugging Mom and Dad… and Mom finally told me everything and said I could help pick out our new pet!”

  “I’m so excited for you!” Quinn exclaimed. The image of Buddy curled up in a corner of his pen flashed through her mind, and she remembered the promise she’d made to him.

  “I have the perfect pet for you,” Quinn continued. “His name is Buddy, and he’s the most amazing dog. Everyone here adores him!”

  But Eliza shook her head. “Cat, remember?” she said. “We’re going to get a cat.”

  “Oops, I forgot,” Quinn said. “Would you like to meet Buddy anyway?”

  Again, Eliza shook her head. “I wish I could,” she said. “I’d actually love to have a pet dog. But I’m allergic.”

  “I’m sorry,” Quinn told her. “I didn’t know. The good news is we have tons of cats! And I can show you the kittens, too, even though they’re not quite big enough for adoption… and Mrs. Alvarez likes to send kitten siblings home in pairs, if she can.…”

  Eliza laughed. “I can ask my mom if she’ll let me adopt two kittens—but I’m pretty sure she’d say, ‘Don’t push your luck.’”

  “Don’t worry, we have plenty of other cats,” Quinn assured her. “The kitty section is this way. Follow—whoa!”

  At that moment, Lobo wriggled to the ground—and ran right for Eliza! Quinn tried to block the eager puppy, but he was too fast. The next thing she knew, he was jumping and prancing around Eliza, placing his little paws on her knees and yipping excitedly.

  “Aww!” Eliza cooed. “What a cute little sweetie!” She knelt down, partly to pet Lobo and partly to gently move him away.

  “Here—let me—Lobo! Down!” Quinn said, using the firm voice that Mrs. Alvarez had taught her. As Rufus started yowling loudly, Lobo only got more riled up.

  At last, Quinn managed to scoop up Lobo. “Sorry about that,” she apologized to Eliza as she handed Lobo back to his new owner.

  But it was too late. Eliza’s eyes were already watering, and before she could reply to Quinn, she sneezed!

  “Uh-oh,” Eliza said between sneezes.

  Quinn’s hands flew up to her mouth. “Are you okay?” she cried.

  “I’ll—ah-choo!—be—ah-choo!—fine—ah-choo!” Eliza sneezed.

  “Do you—do you need to leave?” Quinn asked, worried.

  Eliza shook her head and stifled another sneeze. “I’ll probably be okay when we see the cats,” she answered, rubbing her itchy eyes. “There aren’t any dogs in the cat section, right?”

  “No, none at all,” Quinn assured her. “The cats would never allow it.”

  “Then I’m sure I’ll be fine in a minute or two,” Eliza said.

  Just to be on the safe side, Quinn grabbed a handful of tissues from the counter as she hurried Eliza over to the cat wing. Eliza’s sneezing slowed down once they were away from the dogs, but she kept rubbing her eyes.

  “They’re so beautiful,” Eliza said as she peeked in each cat cage. “How can anyone pick just one?”

  “It’s not easy,” Quinn told her. “But I’ve seen it happen so many times: All of a sudden, there’s, like, this spark… this connection… between a person and a pet, and that’s it—an adoption about to happen. If you see a cat you’d like to pet or play with, just let me know. We have a visiting room where you can hang out.”

  “I guess ‘all of them’ isn’t really helpful, is it?” Eliza asked with a laugh.

  Quinn just smiled as her classmate wandered down the hall. Suddenly, Eliza stopped. “Oh! The kittens!” she said in a loud whisper.

  “The mom is called Paisley, and the kittens are Polka and Dot,” Quinn told her. “The kittens are so funny! They get crazy, jumping and pouncing all over for like thirty minutes… and then they flop over and fall asleep at the same time.”

  Eliza looked a little disappointed. “I must have just missed their playtime,” she said.

  “Don’t worry, you can come back anytime to play with them!” Quinn replied.

  The girls continued down the hall, pa
using every few steps so Eliza could peek into one of the cages. She paused at Snowdrop’s cage. “Wow, she’s beautiful,” Eliza breathed. “Can I pet her?”

  “Of course,” Quinn said. She opened the cage and reached in for Snowdrop. The fluffy, long-haired cat was easy to handle, and she started purring almost the moment Quinn placed her in Eliza’s arms.

  A smile of pure happiness spread across Eliza’s face. Quinn smiled, too. She recognized that look. She’d seen it just about every time someone decided to adopt a pet.

  “The visiting room is at the end of the hall,” Quinn told Eliza. “You and Snowdrop can hang out for a while and get to know each other. It’s got some toys, too—a feather on a string and a catnip mouse and—”

  “Ah-choo!” Eliza suddenly sneezed. “Sorry! I think I must still have some dog fur on my clothes. I should probably get home and change… and take a shower.…”

  “Of course,” Quinn replied. She was a little surprised by the sudden turn of events. Quinn had felt so sure that Eliza would want to adopt Snowdrop. “Here—let me help you put Snowdrop back in her cage.”

  “Actually,” Eliza began, “I was hoping I could take her home with me.”

  “Yes! I knew it!” Quinn cheered. “A perfect match!”

  “Really?” Eliza asked. “How did you guess?”

  “You got that special look on your face,” Quinn explained. “That’s when I knew!”

  Eliza started to say something, but a sneeze cut her off. A worried expression crossed Quinn’s face.

  “Let’s get you out of the shelter,” Quinn told her. “I’ll put Snowdrop back in her cage until your mom can come in and finish the adoption.”

  “Thanks,” Eliza said, wiping her watery eyes with a tissue. “I can still take Snowdrop home today, right?”

  “Sure,” Quinn told her. “After all, your parents’ application has already been approved. We even have a spare cat carrier you can borrow to take her home.”

  After Snowdrop was back in her cage, Quinn and Eliza returned to the lobby. Lobo and his new owner were still there, which made Eliza sneeze even harder! Someone else was in the lobby, too—Eliza’s mom.