A Duckling Called Button
Page 6
“Wow,” said Mum. “That’s a pretty special duck you’ve got there, Jasmine.”
“I know,” said Jasmine, stroking his silky feathers.
“But I thought you said something about them running into the burning barn?”
“They did,” said Tom. “Betty must have panicked or something and she ran back into the barn, and then Button ran in after her.”
“I’m sure he was trying to tell her to get out,” said Jasmine.
“And then Jake ran in and brought them both out,” said Tom.
“What a hero,” said Mum, stroking Jake. “Thank goodness they all got out safely. And well done, you two, for having the sense not to run in after them.”
Jasmine and Tom’s eyes met briefly over Mum’s head.
“I’m going to give Button a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory through the inhaler,” said Mum. “You hold him on your lap, Jasmine, while I administer it. This will help keep his airways clear.” She puffed the inhaler into the air around Button’s face. “I’ll give some to Betty and Jake, too. And I’m going to give them all a broad-spectrum antibiotic, to prevent secondary infections. We’ll need to keep a close eye on them for a couple of weeks, to check for delayed reactions.”
“Shall we keep Betty and Button in here together?” asked Jasmine.
“Yes, that would be ideal,” said Mum. “It’s nice and peaceful, and they won’t be disturbed. Button will need a bath to wash the toxins from his feathers. You can bring the baby bath out here. They’ll need a lot of fresh drinking water, and we must be alert for any signs of breathing problems. But I think they’ll be OK.”
She stroked the duck’s feathers. “Well done, Button, for warning Jasmine about the fire so quickly.”
When Dad came in twenty minutes later, Button was already waddling around the cowshed, exploring his new surroundings.
“Here they are,” said Dad, smiling at Jasmine and Tom. “The heroes of the hour. The firefighters couldn’t stop singing your praises. Massively impressed, they were, that you had the presence of mind to hose the walls.”
“You hosed the walls?” said Mum, frowning. “You didn’t go into the barn, did you?”
“Didn’t they tell you?” said Dad. “They brought all the sheep and lambs out.”
Mum’s face went white and rigid as she stared at Jasmine. “You did what?”
“Well, who did you think got the sheep out?” said Dad.
“I thought you did, of course.”
“I was down in the Sixteen Acres. By the time I got here, these two had already done it. I just rounded them up and put them in the field.”
Seeing the look on Mum’s face, Jasmine changed the subject. “Have they put the fire out now?” she asked Dad.
Dad nodded. “All done, thank goodness. And all the animals saved, thanks to you two.”
“I can’t believe you ran into a burning barn,” said Mum. “You could have been killed.”
“But if we hadn’t done it,” said Jasmine, “the sheep would have been killed. And we’re fine, aren’t we?”
Mum shook her head in despair, as they heard a car coming up the track. “That will be Ben’s mum with Manu,” she said, and went into the yard.
“Do they know how the fire started?” Tom asked Dad.
“They think the heat lamp in Button’s pen set fire to the straw. They found the lamp on the ground. Probably a rat chewed through the cable.”
Jasmine shivered. “Thank goodness Button got out. He’d have been burned to death.”
Ella appeared in the doorway, a book in her hand. “Why are there fire engines here?” she asked. “Has something happened?”
Running footsteps sounded outside and Manu pushed past Ella into the cowshed.
“I can’t believe I missed it. It’s so unfair. The one exciting thing that’s happened in my whole life and I wasn’t here. And now they’ve put the fire out and ruined it all. Ben’s really angry, too.”
“The fire engines are still here,” said Dad. “If you’re lucky, they might let you have a look inside.”
Manu’s face lit up. “Cool!” He rushed out of the door. “Ben! Come and see the fire engines!”
Button flapped up on to Jasmine’s lap. She laid her cheek against his silky feathers. They smelled of smoke.
“I reckon he’s cleverer than the average duck, that mallard,” said Dad.
“He’s the real hero,” said Jasmine. “If he hadn’t escaped and warned me and Tom, we wouldn’t have known about the fire until it was too late.” She shuddered. “Imagine, those poor, poor sheep.”
“He’s had a lot of adventures,” said Tom, “considering he’s not even fully grown yet.”
Jasmine counted on her fingers. “Orphaned on the nest, the only survivor out of nine eggs, made friends with a lamb, got thrown on the floor by Bella Bradley, saved the sheep from a fire and ran into a burning barn to rescue his friend.”
“I think that’s quite enough excitement for one young duck,” said Dad. “A quiet life for you from now on, eh, Button?”
Jasmine smiled at Button. He looked at her and gently nibbled her hair.
“Oh, I think Button will have plenty more adventures in the future,” Jasmine said. “I can’t wait to see what he does next.”
Also by
HELEN PETERS
LOOK OUT FOR:
A Piglet Called Truffle
A Sheepdog Called Sky
A Kitten Called Holly
FOR OLDER READERS:
The Secret Hen House Theatre
The Farm Beneath the Water
Evie’s Ghost
Copyright
First published in the UK in 2017 by Nosy Crow Ltd
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Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd
Text copyright © Helen Peters, 2017
Cover and illustrations copyright © Ellie Snowdon, 2017
The right of Helen Peters and Ellie Snowdon to be identified as the author and illustrator respectively of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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