by Cynthia Lord
If there’s a picture, maybe it will give you a clue.
I looked at the table of contents. Chapter 6 was called “Fun with Your Ferret.” That sounded like it might talk about toys, and all those words were easy.
Fun. With. Your. Ferret. I didn’t even have to sound those out.
Chapter 6 started on page 57. I lifted the bottom corners of the pages until I found it. On that page was a super-cute photo of a ferret playing with a ball. He had a fur mask around his eyes, just like Merlin.
I smiled wider as I turned the pages. Some ferrets were tan-and-brown. Some were white. A few were almost all black. They were playing with balls, climbing through big tubes, crawling in and out of piles of blankets, and carrying little stuffed animals in their mouths.
“Don’t worry, Whiskers,” I said, patting his tiny ears. “You’ll never be a ferret toy.”
I hopped off my bed and found some paper and a pencil. I needed to write down the important things.
Ferrets like lots of toys to play with. They like balls, tubes and tunnels, little animals (stuffed, not real), and blanket piles to climb in.
My writing looked messy, but this was just my first draft. I could write it again neater before I brought my notes to the shelter.
Returning to my bed, I put Bentley in my lap again. On the next page of the book, one ferret was digging in a garden. Another was digging in the snow. Under the photos, it said that sometimes they dig in plant pots, too. I picked up my pencil.
Ferrets love to dig! So watch out for your plants!
A brown ferret had his paws in a tub of water. In the water, a toy boat bobbed beside a rubber duckie.
Ferrets like tub toys, too!
My favorite photo showed ferrets playing with a cardboard box. Someone had cut a hole in the side of a box, and a little white ferret face was peeking out.
Ferrets enjoy boxes.
In other photos, ferrets played with paper bags and baby rattles. One caption said that ferrets love to play chase.
They also love bags, rattles, and chasing things — or other ferrets.
Just looking at the photos and reading the captions was giving me lots of facts about ferret toys. I couldn’t wait to tell the other kids the cool things I’d found out. They would be amazed that the youngest kid had read the hardest book! They didn’t need to know that I had mostly looked at the pictures.
I told Mom and Dad about the Make-A-Match-A-Thon and how we were going to find the right home for Merlin. “We’re making a quiz, and anyone who wants to adopt him will have to know the answers. I read all about toys,” I explained.
When Saturday finally came, I was so excited that I didn’t even care that I was the last kid there. I skipped through the shelter parking lot, carrying the book about ferrets with my notes.
But when I stepped inside, Ms. Kim was waiting with a sad look on her face.
“I’m sorry, Suzannah,” she said.
That’s how I knew something was wrong.
Ms. Kim put her arm around me. “Suzannah, I called the organizers of the Make-A-Match-A-Thon. I explained that you were an important member of our Shelter Pet Squad and you were almost eight years old but not quite. They said the age rule was important to their insurance company. Everyone at our booth has to be at least eight years old.”
She looked at Mom. “Is there any chance you could come? The organizers said Suzannah could participate if you’re with us.”
That wouldn’t be the same at all. Everything in me slumped. My hands let go of the heavy ferret book, and it fell right on my big toe. Tears hopped into my eyes.
“Are you okay, Suzannah?” Jada looked sorry for me.
Everyone thought my tears were from toe pain. My foot did hurt, but being left out hurt worse. I looked down at a box full of leashes and cat toys ready to go to the Make-A-Match-A-Thon.
“I did have some more errands I was going to run today,” Mom said to me. “But I could try to rearrange those while you’re in your meeting. Do you still want to go?”
The angry part of me wanted to say, No! and Never mind! But I also wanted to see Merlin get adopted. “I don’t know,” I finally said. “I’ll think about it.”
“Okay, I’ll be back at the regular time to get you,” Mom said. “You can tell me then.”
Carrying the ferret book to the workroom, I felt like an ant — one minute I was running around being happy and suddenly a big foot came and stomped me flat.
“It’s a dumb rule,” Levi said, sitting beside me at the worktable. “You’re very mature for your age.”
I think he was trying to make me feel better, but he just sounded like a grown-up, too.
Ms. Kim took out a stack of small posters. Each one had the logo for Maplewood Animal Shelter and a slogan.
IT’S COOL TO ADOPT!
MY FOREVER HOME.
IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.
I’M HEADING HOME!
MY NEW FAMILY.
NEW BEST FRIENDS.
“Today’s project will be to decorate these signs,” Ms. Kim said. “We’d like to take a photo of everyone who adopts an animal today. I thought they could hold one of these signs. You can make it look special with some drawings or a colorful border or whatever you’d like.”
I reached into the pile and picked the sign that said, IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. I’m not great at drawing animals, but I’m good at drawing hearts.
Jada picked I’M HEADING HOME! “What are you going to draw?” she asked me.
I chose a red marker. “I’m drawing a border of hearts all around the edges.”
“Nice!” Jada said. “Do you mind if I put a border of little houses around mine, too?”
“Sure.” I felt a little better that Jada liked my idea so much that she asked to copy it.
“I’m going to imagine that an animal lives in every one of these,” Jada said, drawing little blue houses. “This one is for Gizmo the hamster. This one is for Peter the cat. Here’s one for Merlin.”
“Hey, guys, while we’re working on our signs, why don’t we make the ferret quiz?” Levi said, pulling out his notebook. “You can tell me your facts and I’ll write them into questions.”
I plopped the big ferret book on the table next to my sign. My notes were sticking out of the top. I wanted everyone to see I was ready for my turn.
“Maybe the first question should be ‘Have you had a ferret before?’ ” Ms. Kim said, coloring the puppy face she had drawn on NEW BEST FRIENDS. “An experienced owner would be wonderful for Merlin.”
Levi nodded. “That owner would know what he was getting into.”
“And he wouldn’t get mad when Merlin acted like a ferret,” Matt said, drawing a cat face on IT’S COOL TO ADOPT!
“I think the next questions should be about food,” Jada said, taking out her notes. “Ferrets are obligate carnivores.”
I was glad I hadn’t picked food. Those were really big words. I nodded and drew more hearts, pretending I knew what obli-something meant.
“I had to look that up,” Jada said. “It means that ferrets need meat in their diets to be healthy. They can eat other things, but meat is how they get most of their nutrients. They also need fresh water every day. Ferrets can have occasional treats, like eggs or bites of raw chicken, beef, pork, or fish.”
I fingered the edge of my notes. I was excited for my turn.
“Are there any foods that ferrets can’t have?” Allie asked.
“Ferrets can get sick if you feed them chocolate or drinks with caffeine, like coffee,” Jada explained. “It also said to avoid sugary treats.”
“Those are good facts, but a quiz needs questions,” said Levi. “How about ‘What are some good foods and good drinks for ferrets?’ and ‘What would you give Merlin for a treat?’ ”
“Be sure you put the answers next to the questions,” said Matt. “So we can check the person’s answers when we give them the quiz.”
When Levi finished writing, I hoped he’d ask about to
ys, but he took out his own notes. “I read about behavior. Ferrets are smart and playful. Someone needs to be watching a ferret when he’s out of his cage. Otherwise he could get hurt or make a mess. Sometimes ferrets nip.”
Ms. Kim nodded. “Just like when puppies or kittens put their teeth on you. It’s playful, not trying to hurt.”
“Ferrets love to take things and hide them, as we all know,” Levi said. “They also like to dig.”
“There’s a photo in my book of a ferret digging in a plant pot!” I found the photo and showed everyone.
“What a mess!” Matt said.
“Maybe we should ask people if they have houseplants?” suggested Jada. “If they say yes, we can warn them about the digging.”
Most of the questions we came up with about behavior began with “Will you get mad if …” For example: “Will you get mad if your ferret tips over his food bowl or water dish?” and “Will you get mad if your ferret nips you?”
Then Allie told us about housing. I tried hard to be patient for my turn.
“A ferret cage or habitat shouldn’t be in direct sunlight or anywhere that the ferret could feel cold,” Allie said. “They need a large habitat with different levels to climb on with a hammock, a hiding place, a litter box, and toys. There should be bedding material like shredded paper or wood shavings, but cedar shavings are harmful to ferrets.”
“Wow, there’s a lot to learn,” said Levi, writing quickly.
“Yes,” Ms. Kim said. “And it’s really important to know as much as you can before you bring an animal home. As you can see, an animal could get sick or hurt if you make a mistake. We were very lucky on the day that Merlin escaped.”
For health, Ms. Kim told us how a sick ferret might lose weight or lose his fur. “A healthy ferret sleeps a lot — up to eighteen to twenty hours every day,” she said. “When he’s awake, he should be playful and alert. He’ll eat and drink regularly and have bright eyes and a shiny coat.”
“I can tell you how to keep that coat shiny!” said Matt. “Because I wrote facts about how to keep your ferret looking fit, fine, and fabulous!”
“Wait until I turn those into questions!” Levi said, writing quickly. “Okay, go!”
I sighed as Matt told us ferrets needed a bath at least once a month and how often to clean their ears and cut their nails and brush their fur.
Finally, it was my turn! I tingled with excitement to be the expert. “Ferrets like lots of toys to play with,” I read from my notes. “They like balls, tubes and tunnels, little animals (stuffed, not real), and blanket piles to climb in. Ferrets love to dig! So watch out for your plants! Ferrets like tub toys, too! Ferrets enjoy boxes. They also love bags, rattles, and chasing things — or other ferrets.”
“Wonderful job!” Ms. Kim said.
“Yes, that’s great information,” Levi said.
I beamed and handed Levi my notes. As he wrote questions for toys, I finished the last few hearts on my border. They were all red, but some were a little lopsided. It didn’t look as perfect as I had imagined it.
Ms. Flores poked her head in the workroom. “Our volunteers have loaded up the van. We’re taking as many cages and animals as we can safely fit in there,” she said. “Ms. Kim, I’m going to the mall with them. Can you bring the kids with you when you’re ready?”
No one said, “Except Suzannah,” but I was thinking it.
“We just need to finish our signs and then pack up the activities that we’re bringing to show the visitors.” Ms. Kim looked at me kindly. “Suzannah, I hope you’ll come with your mom.”
“Yes, please come! It won’t be the same without you,” Jada said.
I shrugged. I wanted to go, but I also wanted to stay mad. I still didn’t think it was fair.
“Suzannah, maybe you could go down to the cat room and choose some toys for Merlin?” Ms. Kim suggested. “He’ll enjoy having some things to play with while he’s in his pen at the mall.”
That felt like one more thing I was doing by myself. But I wanted Merlin to have toys. “How many should I pick?”
“How about five little ones? That sounds about right,” Ms. Kim said.
In the cat room, seven older cats were staying behind. Buster, a gray striped cat, rubbed the side of his face against my pant leg. I ran my hand down his back. “I’m sorry you didn’t get picked to go today,” I told him.
Buster purred beside me as I opened the toy box and chose two balls and three little stuffed toys for Merlin. Then I chose toys for the cats staying behind.
“Even though you aren’t going to the Make-A-Match-A-Thon, you can still have some fun,” I said to Buster. “Right?”
I put the cats’ toys in funny places for them to find and play with. I squeezed Catnip Critters into the stacks of blankets, just peeking out. I hung a rope toy on the doorknob. I put balls on the different platforms of the cat towers.
Buster went to the Catnip Critter I had made. He pulled on it with his teeth until it popped out of the blankets. Then he rolled onto his back, clutching it with his claws. Seeing the little ferret face I had drawn made me smile a little. It looked like Merlin was playing with Buster.
Buster was having fun, even though he wasn’t going to the mall with the younger cats. He wasn’t moping around feeling sorry for himself.
And right then, I knew my decision.
The middle of the mall looked like a big animal fair. Many animal organizations and businesses were there: shelters, companies that make pet toys and treats, dog trainers, and groomers. There were lots of tables and banners and balloons. Dogs and cats peeked out of cages. There were pens with puppies and kittens for people to hold. All around us, there were people talking and dogs barking.
“The Make-A-Match-A-Thon is a Make-A-Noise-A-Thon,” I told Mom as we walked past other organizations.
“There’s our group!” Mom said.
Ms. Flores was standing behind a long table covered with a tablecloth that said, MAPLEWOOD ANIMAL SHELTER. On our table were leashes and collars for sale, brochures, and clipboards with adoption forms. Beside Ms. Flores, a woman was writing on a form, and a boy held Coco, a fuzzy little brown dog that had been at the shelter ever since I started volunteering two months ago. The boy held Coco against his shoulder, and she licked his ear.
I was so happy for Coco that I smiled my first one-hundred-percent-happy smile since Ms. Kim told me seven was too young to come to the Make-A-Match-A-Thon by myself.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Suzannah!” she said, coming over to me. “It wouldn’t be Shelter Pet Squad without you.” She handed me my Shelter Pet Squad name tag.
“Is Coco getting adopted?” I asked, putting on my name tag. The boy looked like he loved Coco already.
Ms. Kim grinned. “Yes! Let’s show her new family our signs.”
Mom and I followed Ms. Kim. On the way, I waved to Jada and Allie showing some kids how to make Catnip Critters at another table.
“Thank you for adopting!” Ms. Kim said to the woman and the boy. “When you’re done with the paperwork, we’d like to take your photo with Coco, if that’s okay? Suzannah will show you some signs you can choose from.”
I flipped through the signs so the boy could pick. “I made this one,” I said when I got to mine.
“I’ll choose that one,” the boy said. “It really was love at first sight for us.”
“Just take the sign over to the boy in the blue T-shirt. His name is Matt,” Ms. Kim said. “He’ll take your photo.”
As Matt took their photo, the boy rested his cheek on Coco’s head. Her tail was wagging and she looked so happy. I wished someone would love Merlin like that, too.
“Has anyone taken the ferret quiz?” I asked Ms. Kim.
“Not yet,” she said. “Lots of people have been interested in Merlin, but no one has been ready to adopt him. Would you like to see him? He’s in a pen down at the end. And the ferret quiz is tucked in back.”
As Mom and I walked past the cages, I told her a
bout the animals. “This big dog is named Texas. He likes to bark. The yellow cat that’s sleeping is Marmalade. This white cat is Peter. One time, he sat on my lap so long that my leg fell asleep. And here’s Merlin.”
His pen was a tall circular fence. Inside the pen was a litter box, a pet bed, food, water, a plastic igloo to hide in, and the toys I’d chosen. A lady with short hair was standing outside the pen, reaching down to scratch Merlin’s back. He swung his head around and grabbed the edge of the lady’s coat sleeve in his teeth, ready to wrestle.
“Hi,” I said to the lady. “Just to warn you — sometimes ferrets nip, but it’s just their way of playing.”
“Oh, I know,” she said, gently wrestling with him. “I’ve had a ferret before.”
“You have?” My eyes flew wide open. Here was Merlin’s chance! “He’s a great ferret! His name is Merlin. His first owner bought him at a pet store but then got mad when he chewed a hole in her couch and dropped her watch down a heating vent, and —”
I swallowed the rest of what I was going to say. I didn’t want her to think he was a troublemaker.
But the lady smiled. “My ferret, Mitzi, once emptied an entire bag of flour all over my kitchen floor. She had a great time rolling in it. She was such a funny little rascal.”
Merlin jumped onto the woman’s coat sleeve. She scooped him up, one hand under his hind legs and one around his back. She smiled at him, but her eyes were sad. “Mitzi died a few months ago.”
“I’m so sorry,” Mom said, and the lady smiled. I was glad Mom knew what to say.
“Thank you,” the lady said. “Mitzi was more than a pet. She was a member of my family.” She set Merlin gently back in his pen. “I was just at the mall shopping, but when I saw him, I had to come over.”
“He’s a fun ferret.” I reached down to pick up the ferret quiz from behind Merlin’s pen. I was pretty sure the lady would know all the answers, but I was still going to ask the questions. “And he already likes you.”
She sighed. “He’s wonderful, but I can’t imagine having another ferret. No other ferret would be Mitzi.”