Gerbil on a Mission

by Michael Delaney

  “How about the name Lucky?” asked Susie—or was it Betsy? Obi could never tell which twin was which.

  “I like the name Fluffy,” said the other twin.

  “Well, it’s Rachel’s puppy,” said Mrs. Armstrong. “She gets to name him.”

  “So, Rach, what his name?” asked Mr. Armstrong again.

  Rachel held the puppy up in the air and faced him toward her so that his nose and her nose practically touched.

  Obi, seeing this, felt a sharp pang of envy. Rachel had never held her nose-to-nose like that!

  “I’m going to name him …” Rachel paused for a moment as she tried to think of a name. Then a big smile spread across her face. “I’m going to name him Kenobi!” she declared.

  Obi blinked, frowned. Kenobi?! But … but … but that was Obi’s name! She had been named after the great Jedi knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

  “I like that name!” said Mrs. Armstrong.

  “The puppy likes it, too!” said Betsy—or was it Susie? “Look, he’s so happy, he’s wagging his tail!”

  Obi gazed at the puppy. He was indeed wagging his tail. Then Obi realized the puppy wasn’t wagging his tail because he was happy about his new name. He was wagging it because three humans—Rachel, Betsy, and Susie—were all petting him at the same time. Hey, if three humans petted Obi all at the same time, she, too, would wag her tail.

  Mrs. Armstrong leaned down and scratched one of the puppy’s ears. Mrs. Armstrong had never scratched one of Obi’s ears! “Hey there, Kenobi!” she said.

  “Well, guys,” said Mr. Armstrong, moving toward the doorway, “some of us have errands to do. Anyone care to join me?” He peered at Craig, who still stood in the doorway, and said, “How about it, Craig?”

  “I don’t think so,” replied Craig, and disappeared from the room.

  Mr. Armstrong chuckled at Craig’s response. Then he said, “How about it, Betsy and Susie? Want to come with Daddy?”

  “I want to stay here with Kenobi!” said Betsy—or was it Susie?

  “I think we should leave Rachel and Kenobi alone for a while,” said Mrs. Armstrong. “They need to bond.”

  Obi’s mouth fell open. She gaped at Mrs. Armstrong. Bond?! BOND??!! Rachel was already giving Kenobi the Special Pet Treatment! How much more bonding did they need to do?

  “I think that’s an excellent idea!” said Mr. Armstrong. “C’mon, girls, I’ll get you both a doughnut on our way to the grocery store.”

  Each girl gave the puppy one final pat on the head, and then they got up and left the room with Mr. Armstrong.

  “So you like your new puppy?” Mrs. Armstrong asked Rachel.

  “Oh, I love him!”

  There it was again, the “love” word!

  “Daddy and I got Kenobi for you because we know you’ve always wanted a puppy.”

  Obi stared at Mrs. Armstrong. This was news to her! She’d never heard Rachel say anything about wanting a puppy!

  “Thank you so much for Kenobi!” said Rachel. The girl sprang to her feet and gave her mother a big, heartfelt hug.

  After Mrs. Armstrong left the room, Rachel picked the puppy off the floor. “C’mon, Kenobi,” she said. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  Obi was so frazzled by all that had just happened, it took her a moment to realize she was that someone. Rachel brought Kenobi over to the dresser and held the puppy close to Obi’s cage. She held Kenobi high enough so he’d be able to see above the postcards that lined the bottom of the outside of Obi’s cage. Rachel had gotten the postcards when she and her family had gone on vacation. She had brought the postcards back to decorate Obi’s cage. They faced inward, toward Obi’s living room, giving her pretty scenes of faraway places to look at.

  “Hey, Obi, I’d like you to meet Kenobi,” said Rachel.

  Being the polite gerbil she was, Obi pretended to be perfectly delighted to meet the puppy.

  “Hawo!” said Obi.

  Kenobi let out a loud bark. Although Kenobi was a dog, he was also an animal—so Obi was able to understand him. And Kenobi was able to understand her, too. “Hey, what’s this?” he asked excitedly, squirming about in Rachel’s hands.

  Kenobi’s bark frightened Obi. The little gerbil leaped back, startled. Suddenly, as if scaring the daylights out of Obi wasn’t bad enough, the puppy snatched one of Obi’s postcards in his mouth! It was her favorite postcard—the one that said Greetings from Cape Cod.

  Obi was appalled. “Mom!” she cried. “He’s got my postcard!”

  “Kenobi, don’t eat that!” exclaimed Rachel as she quickly pulled the postcard out of the puppy’s mouth. She stuck the postcard back where it had been.

  Obi stared at the postcard in dismay. It had only been in Kenobi’s mouth a few seconds. Yet, in that short time, Kenobi had not only mangled one scalloped corner, but he had slobbered all over the wonderful photo of the humans in their swimsuits. It was totally ruined! Obi, furious, glared at the puppy.

  Obi expected Rachel to really give it to Kenobi. But to Obi’s astonishment, she didn’t. In fact, Rachel didn’t say one harsh word to the puppy!

  Not one!

  Instead, Rachel placed Kenobi down on her bedroom carpet. Then she, too, plopped down and—as unbelievable as this may sound, considering what Kenobi had just done—began to play with the puppy!

  Obi, watching, groaned. She was beginning to see how things were going to be from here on out. This puppy, this Kenobi, had been in Obi’s life for less than a half hour, and already Obi hated him.

  Chapter Four Dog Tricks

  “Okay, Kenobi, I’m going to teach you some tricks now,” said Rachel. “First, I’m going to teach you how to stay. Now, when I say ‘stay,’ you stay right where you are, okay?”

  Rachel got to her feet. She looked down at Kenobi and said, “Staaaaay!” She held up her left hand, palm out, and stepped back toward her bunk bed.

  Apparently, Kenobi thought “stay” meant “come” be-cause he instantly hurried over to Rachel.

  “No, Kenobi, you’re supposed to stay!” said Rachel. “Let’s try it again. Stay!” she commanded. Holding up both hands this time, palms out, she stepped over to her dresser.

  Just like before, though, Kenobi rushed over.

  Obi rolled her eyes in disdain. If only Rachel would ask her to stay, she’d stay!

  Rachel tried several more times to get Kenobi to stay, but the puppy just couldn’t seem to grasp the meaning of the word. Finally, visibly frustrated, Rachel let out a big sigh and gave up on that trick.

  “Let’s try ‘sit,’” said Rachel. “Now, when I say ‘sit,’ you sit, okay?” The girl pushed Kenobi’s little bum-bum down on the carpeted floor so he’d know what “sit” meant.

  “Now sit!” she commanded.

  Kenobi bounced right back up.

  Obi, watching with disgust, slapped a front paw against her forehead.

  Rachel tried several more times to get Kenobi to sit, but the dog just wouldn’t—or couldn’t—sit. Hoping Rachel might glance over in her direction, Obi sat.

  Rachel tried other dog tricks. She tried to teach Kenobi how to: (a) come to her; (b) hold out his front paw; (c) roll over; and (d) lie down. In each case, Kenobi was unable to get it through his thick puppy skull what Rachel wanted him to do.

  The puppy simply seemed too wired and distracted to learn a trick. At one point, Kenobi spotted a blue elastic hair tie lying on the carpet by Rachel’s dresser. To Obi’s horror, the puppy grabbed the hair tie in his mouth and began chewing on it!

  Rachel pulled the hair tie out of Kenobi’s mouth. “Kenobi!” she said sternly. “Don’t chew that!”

  Obi was glad to see Rachel getting annoyed at Kenobi. “Well, it’s about time!” she muttered.

  Shaking her head in disgust, Obi took a step back and nearly tripped on something. It was the birthday present Rachel had given her—the piece of cheddar cheese. Obi had completely forgotten about the cheese.

  Obi’s birthday present made Ob
i realize something. She hadn’t given Rachel anything for her birthday! Well, Obi would just have to fix that, wouldn’t she?

  But what could Obi possibly give to Rachel? As far as Obi could see, the girl seemed to have everything—including a new puppy. Obi glanced about her cage, hoping something might give her an idea. Her gaze fell upon the multicolored yogurt puffballs in her round food dish.

  A yogurt puffball! That’s what Obi could give Rachel! Yogurt puffballs were the most delightful snack! And they came in a variety of pretty colors: red, yellow, green, pink, blue. A yogurt puffball would make a perfect birthday present!

  Just then, Obi heard Rachel let out a loud, frustrated “UGH!”

  Obi turned and saw Rachel standing with her hands on her hips, looking absolutely furious at Kenobi. Obi couldn’t help but smile. It had taken long enough, but Rachel had finally had it with Kenobi. Feeling much better all of a sudden, Obi picked up the piece of cheddar cheese and took a bite of it. She must have been nibbling rather loudly, for Rachel glanced over in her direction. Rachel stared at Obi inside her cage for a long moment. Then, suddenly, her face brightened. Evidently, without realizing it, Obi had given the girl an idea.

  “I know how to get you to learn a trick!” Rachel said to Kenobi. “I’ll be right back. You be a good puppy, okay, Kenobi?” Then, lifting her eyes to Obi, Rachel said, “Keep an eye on him, will you, Obi?”

  Obi, startled, stopped nibbling on her cheese and stared at Rachel.

  Me?!

  Obi felt honored that her adoptive mother thought she was responsible enough to keep an eye on Kenobi. She immediately rose to the challenge.

  “I’m on it, Mom!” she cried. Obi watched as Rachel hurried out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her so Kenobi wouldn’t wander out of the room.

  Obi glanced about for Kenobi. The puppy had vanished.

  “Kenobi?” she called out. “Where are you?”

  Obi heard a growling noise from under Rachel’s bunk bed.

  “What are you doing?” asked Obi.

  No answer. Just more growling.

  “Come out where I can see you!”

  Obi saw the dog’s fluffy tail and bum-bum emerge from beneath the bunk bed. Then the rest of the puppy appeared. Obi gasped in horror. Kenobi had one of Rachel’s pink slippers in his mouth!

  “No, no, no!” exclaimed Obi. “That’s Mom’s slipper! Don’t chew on that!”

  But Kenobi didn’t listen. He tossed the slipper across the floor and then pounced on it and then began chewing on it again.

  “Do I have to come down there?” demanded Obi.

  Apparently, she did! The little puppy kept right on chewing Rachel’s slipper.

  Obi threw her two front paws up into the air in exasperation. “Ugh!” she groaned—just the way Rachel had moments ago.

  Then Obi did something that none of the Armstrongs, including Rachel, knew Obi could do. She rose up onto her hind legs and, with her two front paws, pushed open the little square door that was in the middle of the front of her cage. Obi was about to head out when she remembered her birthday present to Rachel. She ran over to her food dish, grabbed a blue yogurt puffball—Obi’s favorite flavor—and placed it in her mouth. “Mmm, yummy!” murmured Obi as she hurried back to the front of her cage.

  With the yogurt puffball in her mouth, Obi pulled herself up into the square opening and hopped out onto Rachel’s dresser. She set the yogurt puffball carefully down on top of the dresser, so Rachel would be sure to discover it. Then Obi hurried across the dresser to the lamp cord that belonged to the lamp on the dresser. Obi grabbed hold of the cord with her two front paws and, like a human firefighter descending a firehouse pole, slid down to the carpet and rushed to the rescue of Rachel’s pink slipper.

  Chapter Five Tug-of-War

  Obi dashed over to where Kenobi was tussling with the slipper. He was chewing on the toe. “Stop chewing Mom’s slipper!” Obi ordered.

  Kenobi paid no attention to her, though!

  Obi gave the puppy her fiercest, most disapproving glare. “Did you hear me?” she cried.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll save you!”

  Obi frowned. “Excuse me?”

  “I’ll save you from this wild beast!”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I won’t let him eat you!”

  Obi rolled her eyes. “Give me that slipper!” She grabbed the heel end of the slipper in her small front paws.

  Kenobi, however, did not let go of the toe end of the slipper. In fact, he pulled. Obi pulled. It was a tug-of-war.

  “Grrrr!” growled Kenobi, without letting go of the slipper. Kenobi, being quite a bit bigger in size, had a distinct advantage over Obi. But Obi was a very determined gerbil. This was her adoptive mother’s slipper, after all. Plus, Rachel had put Obi in charge. Obi held on to the slipper as best she could. But Kenobi was just too big and too strong. Obi could feel the slipper slipping from her front paws, and she finally had no choice but to let go. This caught Kenobi by surprise. He tumbled backward across the room, with the slipper in his mouth.

  “That was fun!” cried Kenobi. “Do it again!”

  “Absolutely not!” said Obi. “In case you didn’t know, this is Mom’s slipper you’re chewing!”

  Suddenly, something across the room caught Kenobi’s eye. “Hey, what’s that?” he cried.

  Obi turned to look. She didn’t see anything, though. Just Rachel’s bookcase. “What’s what?”

  “That!” exclaimed Kenobi. He raced past Obi to the bookcase. He began sniffing around the bottom of the bookcase.

  “Those are Rachel’s books!” said Obi. “Don’t you dare chew any of those!”

  Kenobi turned and peered at Obi. He had a very alarmed expression on his puppy face. “Oh, my gosh!” he blurted, his eyes wide. He began to race about the bedroom in a frenzy. “Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!”

  “Oh, my gosh what?” asked Obi as her eyes tried to follow the orbiting dog.

  “Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!” he cried, with a frantic look on his face. “Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!”

  “Will you stand still for just a moment and tell me why you keep saying oh, my gosh?” said Obi.

  “I’m going to—I’m going to—I’m going to—”

  “You’re going to what?” Obi demanded.

  Kenobi never finished his sentence. He didn’t need to—he did what he was going to do. He raised his leg and went to the bathroom on Rachel’s yellow shag carpet!

  Yes, that’s right, he went pee!

  Obi was stunned, incredulous, horrified. For a moment, all she could do was stare at the big wet spot that Kenobi had left on the carpet. Kenobi appeared to be just as shocked as Obi at what he had done. The two of them stood there, frozen, staring at the pee stain. Then they both looked at each other.

  “Uh-oh!” said Kenobi.

  Yeah, uh-oh is right, thought Obi. This was perfect! Just perfect! Rachel was going to be just furious when she returned and saw what Kenobi had done. And to think she had put Obi in charge! She’d never put Obi in charge of anything again!

  And then another thought occurred to Obi. Yeah, Obi said to herself, Rachel is going to be furious. But it wouldn’t be at Obi. She would be furious at Kenobi! Who knows, maybe Rachel would get so mad she’d want to get rid of the darn puppy. Then it would be just Rachel and Obi again—like old times.

  Yes, this was perfect!

  Outside the bedroom, Obi heard footsteps. Quick, excited footsteps. Rachel was coming back up the stairs.

  Obi knew she couldn’t be seen outside her cage when Rachel returned to her bedroom. And Obi certainly didn’t want to be seen anywhere near this big wet spot on the carpet. Obi spun about and scurried over to the side of Rachel’s dresser. She grasped the lamp cord in her front paws and was about to pull herself up when, on the other side of the room by the doorway, she heard Rachel’s horrified voice cry out:

  “Kenobi! What have you done?!”

  C
hapter Six Mr. Durkins

  Obi was not the kind of gerbil who took glee in another creature’s misfortune. She really wasn’t. Yet it was hard not to feel a little glee in knowing that Kenobi was about to be scolded.

  Obi let go of the lamp cord. Being careful to stay out of sight, she crept over to the front corner of the dresser. She peered around the corner just in time to see Rachel rush out into the bedroom hallway.

  “Mom! Mom!” the girl shouted.

  “What is it?” Mrs. Armstrong’s voice called up from downstairs.

  “Kenobi went pee all over my floor!”

  There was a moment of silence in which Obi imagined Mrs. Armstrong sighing to herself. Then Mrs. Armstrong’s voice said, “I’ll be up.”

  Mrs. Armstrong was coming upstairs? This was even better than Obi could have hoped for! Mrs. Armstrong was going to be absolutely livid at Kenobi! After all, Rachel’s mother got angry at Rachel when she left a sock or a shirt on her bedroom floor. Wait until she saw the big wet splotch Kenobi left in the middle of Rachel’s carpet!

  Obi’s gaze fell upon Kenobi. The puppy was over by the bookcase, cowering in the corner, with a terrified look in his eyes. He knew he was in big trouble. As much as she disliked him, Obi couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the puppy. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t hold it in. He was just a puppy, after all. Still, a few angry words never hurt anyone. Besides, the wet spot might cause Rachel to remember that Obi—her other pet—had never gone to the bathroom on her yellow shag carpet.

  Mrs. Armstrong came into the bedroom carrying a roll of paper towels, a large green sponge, and a bottle of seltzer water.

  “Oh, dear,” Mrs. Armstrong murmured as she walked into the room.

  Mrs. Armstrong dropped down onto her knees beside the wet spot. Rachel did the same. Together, the two of them cleaned up the spot.