by Sam Hay
“He’s amazing!” said Joe, peering at the tiny creature in his hand. “How do you know so much about all these animals?”
Spiker put the terrapin back in the tank. “Harley works at the Reptile Rescue Group in town. They rehome reptiles and amphibians.”
“What do you mean?” Joe asked.
Spiker looked at Joe as if he was a moron. “They save abandoned pets! Some people don’t want them when they get bigger. Or they don’t look after them properly. So Reptile Rescue finds them new homes. Most of Harley’s creatures come from there. He’s just looking after them till they find permanent homes.”
Joe looked around. It was strange to think these cool creatures were all unwanted pets.
“I’m gonna help the rescue group, too, when I’m old enough,” Spiker said proudly.
“So what happened to Thor?” Joe asked.
Spiker looked embarrassed. “Harley’s away for a few days on a training course. Me and Dad are looking after the animals for him. It’s pretty easy. I can manage most of them myself. But I’m not allowed to touch the snakes without Dad.”
“Then how did Thor escape?”
Spiker shrugged. “Thor’s my favourite. I only had him out for five minutes. I must have forgotten to put the brick on the lid of his vivarium when I put him back.”
“And he pushed his way out?” asked Joe.
“Don’t tell my parents! They’ll never let me get a snake of my own if they find out!”
“Haven’t they noticed?”
“No. Mum doesn’t like the reptiles so she never comes in here and Dad trusts me. The snakes don’t need to be fed every day…”
Joe nodded. He remembered reading that on the internet.
“Most of the time Dad just pops his head in and checks the sheet.” Spiker pointed to a clipboard lying on the bed. “Harley makes me tick a feeding and care sheet for them all.” Spiker frowned. “Anyway, we’re gonna find Thor, aren’t we! We’ve got to,” growled Spiker, “or Harley will kill me!”
“Joe, Joe!”
Flash had appeared in Harley’s bedroom. “You’ve got to come and look for the snake. I can smell it, but I can’t see it!”
Suddenly Flash froze. He glanced round at all the strange creatures in the room then threw himself at Joe’s feet, shaking like a jelly. “What is this place? It’s horrible!” Perfumed bubbles exploded out of Flash’s nose.
Spiker sniffed the air and looked at Joe suspiciously.
Joe coughed. “Should we start searching for Thor now?” he said to Spiker. “I bet there are loads of places a snake could hide in here.”
Flash gave an indignant snort. “The snake’s not in here!” He head-butted Joe’s ankle angrily. “The snake’s next door!”
“Let’s wash our hands again, then we’ll start looking,” said Spiker.
“What?” Joe frowned. “But we just washed them!”
“But we touched the terrapin. They can spread salmonella,” Spiker replied.
Spiker is never this sensible at school! Joe thought.
“You go first,” said Spiker. “I’ve got to check the terrapins’ tank to make sure the lid is on properly.”
Flash followed Joe into the bathroom. “You’ve got to come and find that snake! Now!”
Joe turned on the tap then scooped Flash up. “Listen, Flash,” he whispered. “Thor might have come back here again – he could be in Spiker’s house now. We’re going to look for him!”
“The snake is not here,” Flash snorted. “It’s next door!”
“Well, maybe I can find out how he got next door and then put some food down to tempt him back. That’s what the pet- shop man told Spiker to do. It’s worth a try!”
For the next hour they looked everywhere. Luckily Spiker’s mum was too busy gardening to notice.
“Check the bin!” said Joe as they peered inside the kitchen cupboards. “And round the back of the fridge, too. The motor makes it warm.”
“It’s not there!” grumbled Flash from Joe’s pocket. “I’ve told you – the snake’s next door!”
“Where did you find your cousin’s snake?” asked Spiker.
Joe blushed. He hated fibbing. “It was inside the airing cupboard,” he said, remembering where the girl in the shop had found her boa constrictor.
“Right, we’ll look there, too!”
Ten minutes later they were back upstairs in Harley’s room.
“Nothing,” groaned Spiker. “Harley’s going to go ballistic!”
Joe didn’t reply. He was on his hands and knees, peering behind Thor’s vivarium. He could see a large crack in the skirting board. He stood up and patted the wall. “This leads through to next door, doesn’t it?”
Spiker nodded.
“What if Thor crawled through the gap behind the tank? Maybe he got through to the house next door.”
“Ha!” scoffed Spiker. “I think I’d have heard if a snake had appeared in the Crawfords’ house!”
“It has, it has!” squealed Flash.
“Yeah,” said Joe. “But what if he’s found somewhere cosy to hide? Maybe they don’t know.”
“Mum would go crazy!” Spiker replied.
“Fetch some snake food,” said Joe, “and leave it by this crack. Maybe the smell will make Thor come back. When did you last feed him?”
“A few days ago. So he’ll be getting hungry,” said Spiker. “I’ll go and fetch some dead mice to put out for him.”
“Dead mice!” squeaked Flash. Joe’s pocket began to quake.
“AHHHHH!” Joe sat bolt upright in the darkness.
“What is it, Joe?” Flash poked his head out from under the bedsheet.
“SNAKES!” spluttered Joe. “EVERYWHERE!”
Flash gave a squeal and dived back under the covers.
“Joe?” His bedroom light went on. Dad stood in the doorway.
Joe blinked a few times, then realized he’d been dreaming.
After spending the afternoon at Spiker’s house, all he’d been able to think about was snakes! Now he was dreaming about them, too.
“Snakes,” Joe said, suddenly feeling a bit silly.
“They were everywhere! Under the floorboards, popping out of the taps, in the toilet…”
“I think you’ve been spending too much time with Spiker and his scary pets!” said Dad.
“They’re not scary – they’re amazing, really…”
“I’ll take your word for it, Joe! Goodnight!” Dad turned off the light and shut the door.
“You can come out now!” whispered Joe.
Flash gave a squeak. “Not until the snakes have gone!”
“There weren’t any snakes. I was just dreaming.”
Flash scrabbled up. “Are you sure? Poor Bolt and Lightning – I wonder if they’ve seen the snake. They’ll be terrified! And what if it’s already eaten them?” grumbled Flash.
“Thor’s probably back in Harley’s room by now,” said Joe. “You’ll be gone by the morning!”
“What?”
“Well,” mumbled Joe sleepily. “If Thor goes home, your problems will be solved.” And I’ll get my bed back to myself, he thought with a smile.
But when morning came, Flash was still there.
“I don’t want to go to the dentist today!” wailed Toby, who was sitting at the kitchen table, squishing the last bits of his breakfast cereal with the back of his spoon. “Why do we have to go? It’s the holidays!”
Mum ignored him. “Hurry up with your breakfast, Joe,” she said, picking up Toby’s bowl and putting it in the sink. “And Toby, go and brush your teeth.” Then she turned to Dad. “Don’t forget you’re dropping Toby at George’s party this afternoon – I’ve got clients until five o’clock. Are you sure you don’t want to go, Joe?”
“What?” Joe was thinking about snakes again.
“The party – at George and Erin’s house?”
Joe frowned. Maybe he should go. To see if he could spot the snake…
“Don’
t you want to see Doctor Franken-Bubble?” asked Toby, prodding Joe’s arm. “The monster party’s going to be so exciting!”
Yeah, thought Joe, especially if an enormous snake shows up!
The dentist’s waiting room was large and airy with huge squishy sofas. Joe recognized a few kids from school waiting with their parents. Toby and a girl from his class were peering at a cabinet full of toothbrushes for sale.
“I want that one!” Toby said, pointing to a green brush with a monster’s head on the end. “Or the troll one. It’s really cool!”
“Maybe afterwards,” said Mum, wiping her nose with a tissue. Her allergies were bothering her again, thanks to Flash’s fur. She blew her nose noisily. “It’s us next!”
At that moment the dental nurse appeared. “Joe and Toby Edmunds. Follow me.”
Joe slipped off his coat with Flash inside the pocket. “Wait here!” he whispered, laying it on the back of the sofa next to Toby’s fleece.
Flash gave an impatient snort.
The nurse led them into the consulting room.
“Who’s going first?” asked Mr Ridge, the dentist.
“Joe!” squeaked Toby, who’d spotted the dentist’s shiny instruments lined up on a stand next to the big black chair. “Can I go for a wee?”
Mum sighed. “Can’t you wait?”
Toby made a face. “I’m desperate!”
“Come on then.” Mum took his hand. “I’ll show you where it is.”
Joe climbed into the chair.
“If you could just put these glasses on, then sit back,” said the nurse.
Joe blinked under the bright lights.
“Open wide,” said Mr Ridge.
As he began working through Joe’s teeth, tapping, prodding and checking each in turn, Joe heard a noise by the door. It was the sound of small scratchy footsteps.
“Joe?” squeaked Flash. “JOE! What’s that man doing to you? Is he the vet?”
Joe groaned. He was helpless – he couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak, there was no way he could tell Flash what was happening. He wriggled anxiously.
Mr Ridge stopped for a moment. “Everything OK, Joe? Does it hurt there?”
Joe shook his head.
“What’s he doing?” squeaked Flash.
Joe gripped the chair with frustration. Why hadn’t Flash stayed in the waiting room!
“Is he hurting you?” Flash squealed.
Joe turned his head slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of Flash and show him he was fine.
“It’s OK, Joe,” soothed the dentist. “We’re nearly finished. Nothing to worry about…”
“Joe? Joe? Speak to me!” Flash was jumping up and down, flowery bubbles erupting from his nose.
At that moment, Mum and Toby came back. Mum let out a sudden sneeze!
Joe jumped and Mr Ridge stepped back, bumping into the stand holding his equipment.
It wobbled and then…
“Look out!” called the nurse, as the instruments clattered down to the floor.
“Oops!” giggled Toby. “Does that mean I miss my turn?”
“I’m so, so sorry,” Mum kept saying as she made their next appointment.
The receptionist smiled patiently. “It wasn’t your fault, Mrs Edmunds.”
Mum blew her nose. “My allergies have been terrible lately!”
Joe felt his face turn red. He shoved Flash even deeper into his coat pocket.
“Hey!” the guinea pig squeaked. “I can’t breathe!”
You don’t need to! thought Joe. You’re already dead!
“Look!” Toby nudged Joe. “It’s Spiker!”
Joe glanced up. It was Spiker.
“All right, Joe!” Spiker said.
“What are you doing here?” Joe asked.
“Same as you!” Spiker grinned.
“I’ll just tell them we’re here,” Mrs Piker said. “Hello again, Joe. We seem to be seeing rather a lot of you!” She smiled and headed to the reception desk.
Toby had spotted the toothbrushes again. “Mum! Can I have the troll one?”
“Any sign of Thor?” Joe whispered to Spiker.
Spiker glanced over at Toby. “Nah,” he muttered.
“There’s still time,” Joe said hopefully.
Spiker nodded. “He’ll be starving by now!”
“What?” Flash poked his head out of Joe’s pocket. “Did you hear that?” he squeaked. “The snake’s starving and I know what he’ll want for dinner – fresh guinea pig, that’s what!”
“I’m going to a party today,” said Toby, coming over to Joe and Spiker.
“Great!” said Spiker.
“There’s going to be loads of awesome food. Pizza, sausages, hot dogs… I love hot dogs!”
Joe was just about to tell Toby to put a sock in it when a horrible thought wriggled into his brain. What if Thor was attracted to the party food instead of his snake grub? Did snakes eat sausages?
“It’s at George’s house,” went on Toby. “Next door to you! And there’s going to be loads of kids and games and prizes. And Doctor Franken-Bubble!”
“What?” Spiker was listening now. “George is having a party? A big one?”
Toby nodded. “Do you want to go?”
“No, thanks!” Spiker said. Then he turned to Joe and dropped his voice to a whisper, so only Joe could hear. “If Thor is in the Crawfords’ house, he’ll be terrified of the noise. Snakes get stressed!”
“What?” Joe looked at Spiker.
“Snakes are sensitive creatures!” Spiker hissed.
“Ha!” snorted Flash. “Sensitive creatures – as if! More like guinea-pig gobbling slithery slime balls!”
“And we’re gonna play pass-the-parcel and have a treasure hunt,” Toby added.
Spiker’s eyes narrowed. “Little kids are terrible round snakes.” He scowled at Toby. “They’re too rough and noisy!”
Joe hadn’t really thought about the snake’s feelings in all this. After all, it was a pet, too. “We’ve got to find Thor!” he said quietly.
“How?” Spiker demanded.
“I’ll go to the party,” said Joe.
“Oh, what a dreadful thing to have happened…”
Mum was on the phone to Mrs Crawford. She was asking if it would be all right for Joe to go to the party. When he’d told her he’d changed his mind, she’d nearly crashed the car on to the pavement! He’d said that he would actually like to see the bubble man.
“Oh, yes,” Mum was saying to Mrs Crawford. “I can imagine Erin and George must have been devastated.”
“What is it?” Toby looked at Joe across the lunch table.
Joe shrugged.
“Yes,” Mum went on. “He was so cute. That lovely squeaking noise he made… Such a shame you’ve lost him.”
Joe gulped. It sounded like another guinea pig had died!
“Oh dear,” Mum added, nodding. She was quiet for a while, then after a few moments, she said, “Thanks so much, the boys can’t wait!”
Mum ended the phone call and looked at Joe and Toby with a glum expression on her face. “I’m really sorry, boys, but I’m afraid I’ve got some sad news.”
“What?” Toby looked terrified. “The party’s not cancelled, is it?”
“No, Carol’s looking forward to seeing you both this afternoon. But I’m afraid one of Erin and George’s guinea pigs has died.”
“NO!” squealed Flash, who was snuffling about under the table next to Joe’s feet. “The snake’s got them!”
Joe felt his throat go tight. He’d failed in his mission. One of the guinea pigs had been gobbled up!
“Which one?” asked Toby, his voice a bit quivery.
“Flash!” said Mum. “I’m really sorry.”
“Who? What? Me?” From under the table, Flash gave a shocked squeak.
Of course! Joe sighed with relief. Mrs Crawford was telling Mum about Flash’s tragic end in the washing machine. Joe had forgotten that no one else knew what had happened to Fla
sh after they’d left the Crawfords’ house.
He tried not to smile. If only Mum and Toby knew that, at that very moment, Flash was sitting on the floor nibbling Toby’s lunch crumbs!
“That’s so sad,” said Toby. His lip was trembling. “I liked Flash best!”
Flash puffed up his chest proudly.
“What are you going to wear to the party, Joe?” asked Mum, trying to change the subject.
“It’s a monster party,” said Toby, still looking tearful. “I’m going as a troll.”
Joe looked desperately at Mum. “I don’t have to dress up, do I?”
Mum smiled and shook her head. “Don’t worry, Joe. You can wear what you like!”
A few hours later, Dad, Joe and Toby were on the Crawfords’ doorstep. There were balloons tied to the letterbox and a big “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” banner taped across the front door. Flash had already scrambled out of Joe’s rucksack and vanished into the house.
Through the front window they could see a crowd of kids dancing round the living room. The sound of laughter and shrieking and loud music boomed out.
“Do you think the present will be OK?” asked Dad, ringing the bell again. “Maybe guinea-pig toys aren’t the best thing to give a boy whose pet has just died!”
Toby hugged the brightly wrapped box tightly. “He’s still got Bolt and Lightning!”
Not for much longer if I don’t find that snake, thought Joe.
“Toby! Joe!” The door burst open and George stood there, wearing a Frankenstein costume. He had a pretend bolt through his neck and scars painted on his face. “We’re playing musical statues!”
“Hi, Joe,” said Erin, appearing behind Toby. She was dressed as a zombie – her hair messy, her raggedy dress covered in red paint. “Want to come through to the kitchen – away from the little kids?”
“Hey!” George made a cross face, then darted off. “Quick, Toby!” he yelled. “In the living room.”
