by Helen Peters
“Imagine if people did that,” said Jasmine. “Imagine if when we met a new person we sniffed them and licked them to see if we liked them.”
“Ugh,” said Tom. “I’m glad we don’t.” Jasmine’s eye fell on a chewed-up tennis ball lying in the long grass. Suddenly she had an idea. She unclipped Dotty’s lead.
“Bramble! Dotty!” she called. She held up the ball. Both animals fixed their eyes on it.
“Fetch!” called Jasmine.
She hurled the ball past where Truffle was lying, down towards the far end of the orchard. Bramble immediately raced after it. The little deer followed her new friend, bounding through the grass on her three legs.
“Look at that!” exclaimed Jasmine in delight. “She’s running!”
Bramble snuffled about in the grass for a bit, found the ball and came running back with it in her mouth. Dotty followed her, but as she passed Truffle, she stopped. She stood completely still, staring at the enormous pig lying in the sun.
“She’s never seen a pig before,” said Jasmine. “She has no idea what it is.”
She took the ball from Bramble and threw it again. As Bramble chased after it, Jasmine walked towards Dotty, ready to grab the fawn if Truffle decided she didn’t like the look of her.
Dotty stayed frozen to the spot for a while. Then she bent her head down and sniffed Truffle’s face. Truffle flapped her huge floppy ear. Startled, Dotty backed away. But after a minute she bent her head and sniffed Truffle’s face again.
The pig gave a loud grunt and raised her head. Dotty froze in shock. Truffle got to her feet. Jasmine stood poised and tense.
The massive sow and the tiny fawn stood face to face. Then Dotty leaned forward and sniffed Truffle’s snout. Truffle grunted again. Dotty nuzzled the side of her face. Then she licked the back of Truffle’s ear.
Truffle gave the low, contented grunt that Jasmine recognised so well. It was the same grunt she made when Jasmine scratched her behind the ears.
Dotty seemed to sense that Truffle was enjoying herself. She moved closer to the huge sow, licking and nuzzling her face as Truffle grunted happily.
And then, to Jasmine’s amazement and delight, Truffle did what she always did when she was completely happy. She flopped down on her side and lay, blissfully relaxed, in the lush green grass. Dotty backed away as the pig moved, but as soon as she was lying down again Dotty returned to her side and continued to lick her face.
Bramble trotted back and dropped the ball at Jasmine’s feet. But instead of waiting for Jasmine to throw it again, she ambled over to Dotty and sat beside her.
From the house came the sound of a window being opened, and then Ella’s voice.
“Jasmine! Tom! Dinner’s ready!”
Jasmine hesitated for a second. Then she said, “Wait here, Tom.”
She ran into the garden and called to Ella. “Can you all come here for a minute?”
“It’s dinner time,” said Ella.
“Just for a minute,” said Jasmine. “I need to show you something. All of you. It’s important.”
“OK,” said Ella wearily. “I’ll get them.”
Jasmine waited in the garden until Ella, Manu, Mum and Dad appeared.
“Couldn’t this wait?” asked Nadia.
“No,” said Jasmine. “Come on. It will only take a minute, I promise.”
She led them into the orchard. And there was Dotty, curled up under the apple tree, with Truffle lying on one side of her and Bramble sitting on the other, grooming the little fawn’s face with her tongue.
“Oh, my goodness!” exclaimed Nadia. “What an amazing sight!” She stared at Jasmine and Tom. “How on earth did you manage that?”
“We didn’t do anything,” said Jasmine. “We just brought Dotty in here and they introduced themselves and decided they liked each other.”
“Is this a plot?” said Dad. “You’re hoping that Mum and I will look at the three of them all cuddled up together and decide that Dotty can stay here instead of going to a rescue centre, yes?”
“Of course,” said Jasmine. “Has it worked?”
Mum and Dad looked at each other. Ella, Manu, Tom and Jasmine all looked at Nadia and Michael.
“Please?” said Ella. “They look so happy together. And Dotty would have a lovely life here.”
“I can take her to school for show and tell,” said Manu. “No one’s ever brought in a three-legged deer before.”
Jasmine gave her parents her most pleading look. “Please?” she asked. “You know I’ll look after her. And she won’t be any trouble living in the orchard. You can see how settled she is already.”
Mum bent down and stroked the little fawn. Dotty licked her hand.
“I don’t really see how we can say no,” she said. “She’s clearly part of the family now.”
Jasmine threw her arms around her mother. “Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! You’re the best mother ever.”
“That’s true,” said Nadia, as Jasmine hugged her dad and thanked him too. “I am.”
Jasmine gathered the little fawn in her arms and kissed her soft furry neck. “You’re staying here, Dotty. This is your home now. What do you think of that?”
Dotty lifted her beautiful head and licked Jasmine’s face.
“I think that means she’s pleased,” said Jasmine. “Welcome to the family, Dotty.”
Acknowledgements
I am hugely grateful to Chris and Sylvia Collinson, two awe-inspiring people who have been rescuing and rehabilitating injured and orphaned deer in the Ashdown Forest for many years. Thank you so much for welcoming me into your home, introducing me to your rescued fawns and patiently answering all my questions. Any errors in the book are, of course, entirely my own.
LOOK OUT FOR:
A Piglet Called Truffle
A Duckling Called Button
A Sheepdog Called Sky
A Kitten Called Holly
A Lamb Called Lucky
A Goat Called Willow
An Otter Called Pebble
An Owl Called Star
FOR OLDER READERS:
The Secret Hen House Theatre
The Farm Beneath the Water
Evie’s Ghost
Anna at War
Copyright
First published in the UK in 2020 by Nosy Crow Ltd
The Crow’s Nest, 14 Baden Place, Crosby Row
London SE1 1YW, UK
Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd
Text copyright © Helen Peters, 2020
Cover and illustrations copyright © Ellie Snowdon, 2020
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.
All rights reserved
ISBN: 978 1 78800 832 7
eISBN: 978 1 78800 833 4
A CIP catalogue record for this book will be available from the British Library.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of Nosy Crow Ltd.
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, Elcograf S.p.A.
Papers used by Nosy Crow are made from wood grown in sustainable forests.
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