I tore out again. After a quick look around it was obvious that Blossom wasn't with Shani. I ran into Matthew's bedroom, then into Mr and Mrs Bailey's. No Blossom. Then I ran back downstairs, with Matthew, Shani and Mr Bailey chasing behind me. Still no Blossom. Mrs Bailey came out of the kitchen.
"What on earth is going on?"
"It's Jack. He's upset about something," said Shani.
Mrs Bailey stood in front of the kitchen, her hands on her hips, her legs apart.
"Jackson, behave yourself. Ben Clarkson and his family came back from their holiday yesterday, so if you're looking for Blossom, that's where she is," said Mrs Bailey.
I came skidding to a halt, followed by Matthew, Shani and Mr Bailey.
Blossom had gone. And I hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye.
The Family Is Worried
Matthew picked me up and put me back in my cage. I lay down, staring at my paws, feeling worse than before Blossom had arrived. For the rest of the day I didn't even twitch a whisker, I didn't make a single squeak. Blossom was my very best mouse friend – she was my wife – and she'd gone away. Would I ever see her again?
Mr and Mrs Bailey and Shani and Matthew tiptoed around me all day. I
didn't care. I hardly noticed them. All I could think about was Blossom de Blo Blossom and how much I missed her. And how lonely I was. And it was much worse than before, because now I knew how lonely I was. Mr Bailey was on the phone for most of the morning. He kept giving me strange looks as he spoke to the person at the other end. I didn't care. I didn't care about anything.
Take It In Turns
The doorbell rang. I still didn't bother to move. But then I saw Ben walk in carrying a mouse cage. And in the cage – yes! – it was Blossom. I stood up and squeaked my head off. So did she!
"I'm sorry, Jack, but they took me away whilst I was still asleep," said
Blossom. "I lay in my cage all day and decided I wasn't going to bat an eyelid until I saw you again."
"I'd decided the same thing," I told her happily.
"That's the first peep we've heard out of her all day," said Mr Clarkson, Ben's dad.
"It's the same with Jack," said Mrs Bailey. "It is good to hear him back to normal."
"So now, we'd better decide what we're going to do to keep them that way," said Mr Clarkson. And he and Mr and Mrs Bailey disappeared out of the room after putting down our cages.
Blossom and I nudged and snooked each other through the cage bars after they'd put her cage next to mine.
"We mustn't let them separate us again," said Blossom.
"Absolutely not,' I agreed.
But what could we do to stop them?
"We could run away," said Blossom.
"We have to be practical, dear," I said. "If Beau, the cat from next door, doesn't get us, then the first hungry owl flying around at night will."
Being a mouse means keeping a constant lookout!
"At least we'd be together," said Blossom.
Which was true!
But just then, Mr Clarkson and Mr and Mrs Bailey came back into the room.
"Jack, Blossom, we think we've reached a compromise," said Mr Bailey.
"That means they've come to an agreement that we'll all be able to settle for," Matthew whispered to me.
"During the week, Jack will stay with the Baileys and Blossom will stay with us," said Mr Clarkson.
"But we'll take it in turns to keep both of you at the weekends," said Mr Bailey.
"So for the first weekend, Ben will keep both Blossom and Jack," explained Mrs Bailey. "And the following weekend, it will be our turn to keep both the mice, and so on."
"So we'll only see each other at the weekends," said Blossom.
"Well, that's better than never seeing each other at all," I pointed out.
So we quickly discussed it. Then Blossom nodded her head and so did I.
"I'm glad that's settled," said Mrs Bailey. "Now, perhaps things can get back to normal around here."
"But things are never normal around here," said Shani and Matthew.
"You can't argue with that, dear," said Mr Bailey.
I looked at Blossom and she looked at me. We'd be together – every single weekend, we'd be together. Now that was more like it.
We twiddled and mingled whiskers! Until I realized that everyone was watching.
They all started laughing. And do you know something? I didn't even mind!
SNOW DOG
Malorie Blackman
"It's going to be woof-onderfull"
There's nothing Nicky wants more in the
world than a dog to play with. But Mum and
Dad don't want a dog. Then Grandad has an
idea – he and Nicky can make a dog:
a snow-dome dog.
Even better, he has some special clay,
found at the end of a rainbow, so that the
dog will be extra-special.
Maybe even magic . . .
CORGI PUPS
978 0 552 54703 1
SPACE RACE
Malorie Blackman
Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one. Lift off!
What can Lizzie do when big-headed Jake
challenges her to a race in space?
She's got to beat him.
But Jake has a super-duper, deluxe
new spaceship that runs on special fuel. . .
Zoom to Pluto and back with this fantastic
space story from award-winning author,
Malorie Blackman.
CORGI PUPS
978 0 552 54542 6
THE MONSTER
CRISP-GUZZLER
Malorie Blackman
At her new school, Mira discovers she has
a very unusual teacher – a teacher who turns
into a real-life dragon when she eats crisps!
This comes in very handy when the class run
into trouble on a school trip to the seaside . . .
A hilarious tale from award-winning
author Malorie Blackman.
CORGI PUPS
978 0 552 54783 3
ZEUS ON THE
LOOSE!
John Dougherty
"I am the great and mighty Zeus, mortal. . .
give me one good reason why I shouldn't smite
you here and now!"
Alex's class are learning about the Ancient Greeks.
That's why Alex makes a temple (out of loo rolls
and a cornflakes box) for the Greek god Zeus.
But he doesn't expect the god himself to turn up,
borrow his mum's nightie and demand a sacrifice
at half-past five in the morning. Even worse,
Zeus reckons it's time for another Trojan
War – in the school playground!
YOUNG CORGI
978 0 552 55081 9
Jack Slater
MONSTER
INVESTIGATOR
John Dougherty
Jack Slater is the world's greatest
Monster Investigator.
He'd like to see a monster get the better of him.
But something BIG is afoot.
Which means only one thing . . .
Jack must arm himself with his penlight
torch and Freddy the Teddy and go down to
the monster underworld before it's too late.
The question is: do the monsters feel lucky . . .?
Well, DO they . . .?
CORGI PUPS
978 0 552 55372 8
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