by Tina Nolan
“Who was it, Grandad?” Karl jumped in.
“Let’s see.” He checked a notebook by the side of the till. “I remember now – I used three identical boxes for the laurels, just like this one. Yes, here it is – her name is Mrs R. Penny, of 16 Beech Grove, Clifford!”
“I think you should keep her!” Annie murmured.
It was Saturday afternoon, and she and Eva were playing with Honey in the yard at Animal Magic.
“I wish!” Eva sighed. There were only two strict rules at the rescue centre that her mum and dad never broke. One was that no healthy animal was ever put to sleep. The other was that Eva and Karl were not allowed to keep any of the rescue pets.
“Otherwise, within a week our house would be overflowing with every furry creature that crossed our doorstep!” Mark had pointed out when Animal Magic had first opened its doors.
It was a hard rule, especially when Eva fell for a pup like Honey.
“But she’s so-o-o cute!” Annie lay on a bench, letting Honey crawl all over her.
The furry pup pushed her nose under Annie’s shirt collar, slipped sideways and was quickly caught by Eva.
“Why don’t you give her a home?” Eva asked.
Annie sat up and pulled her dark hair out of Honey’s reach. “Are you joking? My mum would never let a dog in the house – not in a million years!”
Eva nodded. “Yeah, how could I forget?” The Brookses thought pets of any kind were noisy and messy. That was partly why they hated having Animal Magic next door. Yet the idea of finding Honey a new home nearby was definitely tempting. “You couldn’t kind of … er … work on your mum, could you? Y’know, persuade her that she’d soon grow to love Honey if she gave her a chance!”
Annie shook her head. She took the puppy from Eva and cuddled her tightly. “You don’t know how strict my mum can be!”
Just then Linda Brooks came out into her garden and from behind the tall hedge her high voice called Annie’s name.
“Oops, better go!” Annie said, giving the puppy back to Eva. “Mum doesn’t know where I am, and you know she doesn’t like me hanging out with you at Animal Magic.”
“See you later!” Eva called as her friend sped away.
“Number 16 Beech Grove, Clifford!” Karl had made a biro note on the palm of his hand. He was in the surgery, showing his mum the evidence they’d gathered.
“Nice work,” Heidi told him. She was busy combing through a grey cat’s tangled coat. Izzie the long-haired Persian had been found footsore and filthy on an allotment in town.
Karl sat on the edge of the table and swung his legs. “Tell Eva that,” he mumbled. “She’s making up all kinds of excuses to stop us finding Honey’s owner.”
Heidi looked up, a slight frown line between her clear grey eyes. “Don’t tell me – she’s fallen in love again!”
Karl nodded. “I’ve been trying to tell her that there might have been some mistake – maybe this Mrs Penny woman didn’t want to get rid of the puppy, or maybe she did but now she’s changed her mind and is really sorry…”
“There’s no need to tell me,” his mum interrupted, stroking Izzie before she placed her back in her basket. She went to the window and looked out into the yard, where Eva was playing with Honey. “It’s Eva you need to convince.”
“Or not!” Karl said, abruptly jumping down and heading for the kennels. The door opened to a chorus of yelps and barks. “What’s it to me if Eva’s gone loopy over the pup. So what’s new?”
Heidi shook her head and sighed.
Karl grabbed a lead, opened Jess’s kennel door and strode back into the surgery. “Tell her, will you, Mum? See if you can get it into her soppy head!”
“Tell her what?” his mum asked, still gazing thoughtfully out of the window.
Karl headed out into the yard, looking grown-up and serious. “That Dad and I are going to drive into Clifford tomorrow morning to find Mrs Penny whether Eva likes it or not!”
“I don’t care what Karl says,” Eva told Honey early next morning. She crept close and pointed a camera at the golden-haired pup. “I’m taking your picture and putting you on our cool new website!” She and Karl really wanted the website to work. Whenever a rescue animal arrived at Animal Magic, the first thing they did was take a picture and upload it on to the site.
Honey cocked her head to one side and blinked as the camera flashed.
“Sweet!” Eva grinned, popping Honey into her kennel, and then dashing back to the house. She raced upstairs to Karl’s room where he sat at his computer. “Quick – we have to upload this photo!” she exclaimed.
Karl clicked on to the Animal Magic homepage. “Working Our Magic to Match the Perfect Pet with the Perfect Owner!” it said. “Who’s the picture of?” he muttered.
“Honey!” Eva replied. “And it’s so-o-o cute!”
“Hmm.” Karl clicked on the Facebook link to check for any new messages singing the centre’s praises. “I can’t put her on yet. We still have to check out her history, remember.”
“Yes, but!” Eva ignored her grumpy brother and hooked up the cable to upload the image. Whatever he said about trying to find the puppy’s owner, she was dead set on getting Honey’s details up there as soon as possible.
“Listen,” said Karl, “Honey might not need a new home – not if we link her back up with Mrs Penny and everything works out OK.”
“Yeah, but Sunday’s a good day for people to log on and find a new pet!”Eva protested. “What’s wrong with getting started today?”
She turned to her dad, who had just come into the room. “Dad, Karl’s being bossy!”
Mark took a long look at his lively, brown-eyed daughter. He guessed what was on her mind and he knew she wouldn’t want to hear what he was about to say. “I’ve phoned Mrs Penny and didn’t get an answer,” he told her quietly. “But I still think it’s worth a drive into town to see what’s been going on.”
Eva frowned. “Mrs Penny doesn’t want Honey!” she protested.
“Maybe. But, Dad, tell Eva we have to check it out just in case,” Karl objected. He could think of half a dozen reasons why Honey had ended up at Animal Magic.
Their dad nodded. “Come on,” he said with a sigh. “Let’s get this over with!”
“Don’t forget to stop off at Mrs Armitage’s house to collect her cat!” Heidi reminded them as they climbed into Mark’s van. So far there hadn’t been enough money to buy a special van for Animal Magic and so they had to make do. She stooped to pick up an envelope from the mat.
Eva sat with Honey curled up on her lap. “Don’t worry, we won’t make you go back to Mrs Penny if you don’t want to,” she murmured.
“Ready?” Mark asked.
“Let’s go!” Karl said, map in hand. “Beech Grove is on this side of Clifford, as we go in on Castle Road.”
“I know it,” his dad said. “It’s in a nice part of town.”
Heidi closed the door and studied the white envelope. It had been delivered by hand, addressed to Animal Magic Rescue Centre.
She opened it and glanced down atthe signature. It was signed by their next-door neighbours. Uh-oh!
Heidi’s hand shook as she read the letter. “No way!” she murmured. “This place is our life. The animals need us. I will not let them close us down!”
“OK, we have to turn left here,” Karl told his dad, looking up from his map at the rows of houses. “St James Street leads on to Castle Road.”
Instead, Mark drove straight on. “I promised your mum I’d call on Mrs Armitage and pick up her cat,” he reminded Karl and Eva. “She lives just down here.”
Feeling tense, Eva stroked Honey and stared out of the window. “Why doesn’t Mrs Armitage want her cat?” she asked, as they drew up outside a small terraced house with neat lace curtains.
“Oh, she does want to keep Patience, but the old people’s home she’s moving into doesn’t allow cats,” her dad explained.
Eva nodded. “What a shame,” she said. She s
aw the curtains twitch, then, a few moments later, the front door opened and a frail old lady appeared.
“I’ll wait here with Honey,” Karl said, as Eva and her dad climbed out of the van.
“Patience is ready for you!” Mrs Armitage said, putting on a brave face, though her eyes looked red. “We’ve said our goodbyes!”
Inside the dim house, Eva made out a sturdy pet travel basket, and inside it a sleek ginger cat with a white face and one white paw. As her dad picked up the basket, Patience let out a loud miaow.
The sound brought fresh tears to the old lady’s eyes.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of her,” Mark promised. “We’re not called Animal Magic for nothing!”
“And we’ll find her a lovely new home,” Eva added.
Mrs Armitage dabbed at her cheeks. “I know you will,” she said softly. She stood on her doorstep and watched as they carried her beloved pet out into the sunshine. “Goodbye, Patience!”
The cat meowed as Mark lifted her into the back of the van and swiftly drove off.
“That was so sad!” Eva sighed, taking Honey back on to her lap. The puppy wriggled and strained to see the cat in the back of the van. “This is so not a good day!”
Eva stared out of the window again as her dad pulled out into the traffic. Soon the streets grew wider, with the houses set further back from the road. They passed a park with a duck pond and came to some even grander houses behind high stone walls.
“Beech Grove!” Karl announced.
“Number 10 … number 12 … 14…” Mark slowed the van and pulled up outside the wide gates of number 16.
Honey began to whine and struggled to see out of the window.
“She recognizes the house!” Eva gasped. “I think she’s scared!”
“Eva, calm down,” her dad said. He took in the closed iron gates and curved drive leading between tall trees to a porch with stone pillars and a stained-glass door.
But Eva didn’t listen. “I bet Mrs Penny is a dragon-lady!” she cried. “I bet she was cruel to Honey and told her off and smacked her if she made a mess in her posh house! That’s why she kicked her out and dumped her on our doorstep. And that’s why Honey is shaking now!”
Even Karl seemed to have second thoughts. “What do you think, Dad?” he asked quietly.
Mark paused. He tapped the steering wheel and clicked his tongue. “We go ahead and do what we planned,” he decided at last. “You two wait here with Honey.”
“Please let no one be in!” Eva breathed.
Crunch-crunch-crunch! Mark trod quickly up the gravel drive. He rang the bell and waited for the door to open.
Mark rang once, twice, three times. There was no reply.
Eva and Karl watched from the van.
After a while a short, stocky figure appeared round the side of the house. The man marched right up to Mark and stood with his arms folded, his legs wide apart.
“Who’s he?” Eva muttered. “He doesn’t look very friendly.”
“Dunno. Might be Mr Penny.” Karl shrugged. “I wish we could hear what they were saying.”
They waited impatiently for their dad to come back.
At last he crunched back down the drive and climbed into the van. “That was Mrs Penny’s lodger,” he told them. “Not a very friendly type – he didn’t even give me a chance to explain why we were here. But he says Mrs Penny has gone away for the weekend. They should be back later today.”
Eva breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn’t have to part with Honey just yet. She hugged the puppy closer to her.
“What do we do now?” Karl asked.
“Nothing we can do for now,” his dad replied, turning the van and heading for home. “I guess we take Honey back to Animal Magic.”
Eva’s first job when they got home was to carry Patience into the cattery and have her admitted.
Heidi examined the ginger cat and nodded. “She’s in lovely condition,” she told Eva. “Well fed, with a nice glossy coat. Mrs Armitage has taken good care of her.”
Eva took a photo. “We can put her on the website straight away. We’ll say she’d be perfect for a family with young children – I think she’d like that!”
Heidi nodded. “No luck with finding Honey’s owner, I hear?”
Eva shook her head and quickly changed the subject. “Karl says that two people want to come and see Nipper and Titch later today. And someone from the village has phoned in to say she likes the look of Izzie from her photo on the website.”
“That’s good,” Heidi said, as if she had something on her mind. “Listen, Eva, find your dad and ask him to come and have a word with me, would you? Maybe you and Karl could fix your own lunch?”
Eva set off with the message but forgot to deliver it when she spied her friend, Annie, through a gap in the hedge. “Hi, Annie! Do you fancy taking Honey for a walk?”
Annie was round in a flash, dressed in a new pink top and bright white trainers.
Eva looked down at her own faded shorts and muddy boots. “How come you’re always so neat?” she grinned.
Annie batted her eyelids. “Blame my super-tidy mum!” she groaned. “Come on, where’s Honey’s lead?”
They set off with Honey and Jess and headed for the river, where Annie muckied her trainers and Jess went swimming.
“Go on, you try too!” Eva urged Honey. “It’s lovely!”
The golden retriever crouched on the smooth white pebbles, reaching out one tiny paw to test the water.
“Aah!” Annie cried.
“Swim!” Eva encouraged.
Boldly, Honey waded into the shallow water. But it was cold and she soon turned and scampered back.
“Wimp!” Eva laughed, watching Annie pick up the dripping puppy. Then she spotted Jess, swimming strongly towards the far bank. Which meant only one thing! The runaway was up to her old tricks.
“Jess, come here!” Eva called.
Jess reached the bank and shook herself. She cocked her head towards Eva, decided to ignore her and looked towards the golf course.
“Uh-oh, Jess is going to get us into a heap of trouble again!” Eva groaned. What should she do? Run to the bridge or wade in after Jess? She decided to plunge in, gasping as the cold water reached her knees and then her thighs. But soon she reached the far bank and threw herself at the surprised collie. “Gotcha!” she cried, quickly putting her on the lead.
She turned to Annie and Honey. “Take the bridge!” she shouted. “I’ll meet you on Main Street.”
“No need to wait!” Annie said, putting Honey on the lead and heading downstream. “Go home and get dry. I’ll see you later!”
“Heel!” Eva told Jess over and over.
They’d skirted round the golf courseand made it to Main Street, but nowJess was pulling at the lead, eager to reach home.
Suddenly, she heard a cycle bell and Karl and his best mate, George, pulled up alongside her. “What happened to you?” Karl asked, spotting her soggy tights and boots.
“Hey, Karl, I’ll see you later,” George said, pedalling on.
“Don’t ask!” she muttered. “Listen, I’ve got a picture of Patience for us to upload. Plus, we’d better get moving with the website profile for Honey, after what we found out this morning.”
“Maybe,” Karl shrugged.
“What do you mean, ‘maybe’? The Pennys don’t care about Honey. They dumped her because they had no oneto look after her when they went away!”
For once Karl didn’t argue back. “I gotta go and see what George wants,” he mumbled, as his mate reappeared waving frantically. “Just don’t do anything till I get back, OK!”
“OK.” In any case, Eva was cold and wet. So, without waiting for Annie and Honey, she decided to head for home.
When she got there, she was surprised to see that the front yard was full of cars. Joel’s Beetle was there, even though it was his weekend off. And amongst the group of people standing outside the surgery door, Eva recognized Pete
Knight and Debbie Fielding, two of the volunteers who helped out at the centre. “What’s up?” she asked Joel, as Jess pulled her towards the kennels.
“We’ve been told not to say anything. You’d better ask your mum,” Joel answered with a worried look.
“Heel, Jess!” Eva pleaded. She went inside to find her mum and dad deep in conversation. “What’s up?” she said again.
“Nothing,” Mark said quickly, obviously covering something up.
Heidi sighed and shook her head. “Eva and Karl will find out soon enough,” she argued. “It’s going to be all over the village before the end of the day.”
Eva swallowed hard. “What is?” she asked quietly, sensing that she was about to hear something very bad.
Her mum held out a letter. “It’s the Brookses,” she explained. “You know they don’t like having Animal Magic next door to them?”
Eva nodded. She crouched and put her arm around Jess’s neck.
“The bad news is, they’ve started a campaign,” Heidi said. “It’s official. Linda and Jason Brooks want to get Animal Magic closed down!”
“They can’t close us down. We’re a charity!” Joel said firmly, as Eva walked into the yard with her mum and dad. “We don’t run Animal Magic to make money. We do it for the love of animals!”
“Of course they can’t,” Debbie agreed. “We’ve been here for over a year now, and the Brookses are the only people in Okeham who are against us!”
Eva listened anxiously. Whatever the grown-ups said, she couldn’t help picturing what it would be like if the Brookses won. What would happen to Ollie and Patience, and the dozens of other unwanted pets who needed new homes? What would happen to Jess? She looked down at the mischievous collie who nuzzled close, demanding to be stroked. What would happen to little Honey?