by Cynthia Lord
“I don’t know.” I felt my eyebrows come down. I didn’t like that he thought Jelly Bean should cost less money. “He’s worth twenty dollars.”
“Twenty dollars is a lot for snake food,” he said.
Snake food! He wanted Jelly Bean so a snake could eat him? This would not be a good match at all! This would be the worst match ever!
“Oh, wait,” I said quickly. “Are you talking about this guinea pig? I’m sorry. I didn’t understand. This guinea pig is not for sale. He’s, um, sick.”
The man gave me a funny look. “Sick?”
“Yes.” I tried to remember the “health” section in the guinea pig book I had borrowed from the library. I couldn’t remember any names of real diseases. So I made one up. “This guinea pig has sneezy flu. That’s why he’s all by himself in here. We don’t want any other animals to catch it.”
The man bit his lower lip. He looked like he was trying to decide if I was telling the truth.
“It’s very catching.” I stuck my nose out bravely, just like Whiskers. “Your snake will definitely get sick if he eats him. Some snakes die from it.”
“Twenty dollars is more than I wanted to pay, anyway.” He turned away and left the room.
I breathed out a long breath. Whew. That was a close call.
“There you are, Suzannah!” Ms. Kim said as I came out of the small-animal room. Levi, Allie Pink Girl, Jada, and Matt were in the waiting room. “We’re ready to get to work,” Ms. Kim said. “How’s Jelly Bean this morning? Did he like his apple pieces?”
I felt ill — like I had sneezy flu, too. I pointed out the window to the man crossing the parking lot. “I told that man he couldn’t adopt Jelly Bean,” I said.
“Suzannah!” Ms. Kim said. “Why did you do that? Jelly Bean needs a home.”
“That man wasn’t going to give him a home,” I said. “He wanted Jelly Bean for his snake’s lunch!”
“Oh! I’m glad you talked him out of it,” Levi said.
“Snakes need to eat, but we don’t want one to eat Jelly Bean,” Matt said.
Ms. Kim nodded. “I’m sorry, Suzannah. You’re right. That would not have been a good match for Jelly Bean.”
I stood up taller. I had saved Jelly Bean.
But Ms. Flores smiled sadly. “I do wish the right person would adopt him. I worry he’s sad being alone so much. Not all animals do well with noise and different hands holding them, but Jelly Bean likes people. He seems happy when he’s in the middle of everything.”
“He wouldn’t be happy in the middle of a snake, though!” said Jada.
“No, you’re right. We’ll keep hoping for him,” Ms. Kim said. “But now Ms. Flores and I have a special surprise. I need you all to wait right here while we go see if they’re ready for us.”
I looked down at my sneakers. I had saved Jelly Bean from a bad home, but he still didn’t have a good one.
“The waiting room is the right place for waiting!” Allie Pink Girl said, flopping down in one of the chairs. “Maybe the surprise is a new dog?”
“Or maybe it’s an animal we don’t see very much, like a llama!” Matt said.
“That would really be a surprise,” Levi said. “Suzannah, are you okay?”
I glanced up. They were all staring at me. My mouth was dry, and I felt like crying. “I’m worried Jelly Bean won’t get a home,” I said. “And I told his first family I’d find him one.”
“You met them?” Jada asked.
“I was here when his family brought him to the shelter. The girl was crying. I promised her —” I stopped because I didn’t want to cry, too.
“Don’t worry,” Levi said. “Lots of people like guinea pigs.”
“That’s true,” Matt said. “My cousin had one in his preschool. I was really jealous. My teachers only ever bought fish.”
“Wouldn’t it be great if a teacher took him?” Jada said. “Ms. Flores said he likes to be in the middle of things. There’s a lot of action in a school.”
“I tried asking my teacher,” I said. “But she can’t have pets.”
“There are lots of other teachers, though,” said Levi.
“And we only need one teacher to want him,” Allie Pink Girl said.
“Not just any teacher,” Matt said. “A teacher without a snake.”
“Most teachers don’t even know about him,” Levi said. “We have to tell them!”
I wiped my eyes with my hand. They wanted to help! “Maybe we could write a letter,” I said. “And give it to all the teachers at our schools?”
“That’s a great idea!” Levi said. “Operation Jelly Bean!”
When Ms. Kim came back, we told her our plan. She smiled and said, “That’s wonderful! First, I have a surprise, remember? After that, let’s brainstorm a letter. When we’re done, I’ll make copies for you all to take to school.”
Ms. Kim’s special surprise was five black puppies! “Their names are Charlie, Casey, Checkers, Clover, and Cody,” she said.
We all squealed when we saw them. “And this time you can go inside the cages with them,” Ms. Kim said.
We each had one puppy to play with. Ms. Kim had dog toys and a whole stack of picture books for us to read to our puppy. “They won’t understand the story,” Ms. Kim said. “But they’ll love hearing your voice and being close with you.”
My puppy’s name was Charlie. He tried to chew the pages of Go, Dog. Go! He also chewed the toys, my pants legs, and his bed. He even chewed my hair when I picked him up. But I didn’t mind. Along with the chewing came lots of happy wiggling and tail wagging and licky kisses.
When Ms. Kim told us it was time for us to go, Jada said, “It’s so hard to leave them!”
“They probably won’t be here very long,” Ms. Kim said. “Lots of people come into the shelter hoping for a puppy. Do you still want to write a letter about Jelly Bean? We’ll have to hurry to get it done before your parents get here.”
As we left the kennel, the puppies put their paws up against the sides of their cages. They gave little yappy barks and wagged their tails.
It was really hard to go, but I was excited, too. In Ms. Kim’s office, we crowded around her computer. “Operation Jelly Bean gets under way!” Matt said.
“Do you want me to type the letter?” Levi asked.
I felt warm with happiness. I didn’t have to find Jelly Bean a home by myself anymore — we were doing this together. “Let’s put a photo of Jelly Bean in the letter,” I said.
“Good idea!” Jada said. “His cuteness is hard to resist!”
“We have some great photos of him on our website,” Ms. Kim said. “We can put one at the bottom of the letter.”
Levi sat down at the computer. “We need a catchy opening for the letter. Maybe something funny to get the teachers’ attention.” He started typing.
Dear Teachers,
A new student wants to join your class! He’s smart and sweet and doesn’t even need a desk! The Maplewood Animal Shelter has a wonderful guinea pig named Jelly Bean who needs a home. We think Jelly Bean would make a great pet for a classroom. Maybe yours!
“Let’s say why he’d be a good pet for a class,” Jada added.
“He likes to be petted,” I said. “And he wants to be in the middle of the action.”
He’s friendly, likes to be petted and held, and is happy in the middle of lots of activity. He doesn’t bite anything — except carrots!
“We should tell them how much he costs,” Allie Pink Girl said. “So they’ll see he’s not too expensive.”
“And they can get the cage for ten dollars,” Matt added. “Because a new cage costs a lot more than that.”
He costs $20.
“Put only costs,” Jada said. “And an exclamation point.”
He only costs $20! For $10 more, you can get his cage, water bottle, food dishes, and little wooden hidey house, too. What a deal!
“That sounds good,” Jada said.
“Can we say he’s educational?”
Matt asked. “Teachers like that.”
“And pets teach responsibility,” added Ms. Kim.
Having a pet is fun and educational. It helps teach responsibility!
Come in TODAY and get him. Just imagine how excited your students will be and how happy Jelly Bean will be to have a home at last — with you.
Sincerely,
The Shelter Pet Squad
“Can I put one of these letters into every teacher’s mailbox?” I asked Mr. Lightfoot, our school secretary, on Monday morning.
“What’s your letter about?” he asked.
“A guinea pig,” I said.
“Let me see.” Mr. Lightfoot held out his hand, so I gave him a copy. He smiled as he read it. “My children had a guinea pig when they were little.”
“Would they like another one?” I asked quickly.
He laughed, handing me back my letter. “No. My children are grown-ups now. But good luck! I hope you find Jelly Bean a new family.”
“Me, too,” I said.
Mr. Lightfoot gave me a step stool so I could reach the mailboxes on the top row. I put one letter in every box.
With each one, I made a wish. Find Jelly Bean a home.
All week, I waited for Saturday to come. I imagined the shelter opening and a line of teachers waiting at the door. They would be pushing and shoving to be first inside to adopt Jelly Bean. If more than one teacher wanted him, maybe the shelter would have to draw names!
When I arrived at the shelter on Saturday, I felt excited but also a little sad that Jelly Bean wouldn’t be there. “Hi,” I said to Ms. Flores, and hurried to the small-animal room. Maybe there were some new small pets?
When I stepped inside, Jelly Bean stood up on his hind legs. “Wheeek!” My heart hurt. I hadn’t brought him a carrot or an apple or anything. I had been so sure he’d be gone.
“You can give him some timothy hay,” Ms. Flores said behind me. “There’s some in the bag under his cage.”
Jelly Bean made happy little guinea pig chuckles as I put a handful of hay in his dish. I wanted to cry.
“Suzannah, be sure you close the door when you leave,” Ms. Flores said. “We need to keep the door to the small-animal room closed now.”
“Why? Jelly Bean likes people,” I said.
“Yes, but he doesn’t like cats,” Ms. Flores said. “We’ve discovered that Jelly Bean gets very upset if Hattie or Shadow comes in there. He didn’t seem to mind the cats when he first came, but the longer he’s with us, the less happy he seems to be.”
“But he’ll be sad in here all by himself,” I said.
“I know. But Hattie and Shadow need to be in the waiting room. They do such a good job greeting our visitors. To be honest, I’ve been thinking that maybe a different shelter could find Jelly Bean a home faster. Or maybe they’d have other guinea pigs to keep him company. I sent an email to some other shelters, asking if one of them can take him.”
“Oh, please don’t do that!” I had promised that I’d find him a home. If he went to another shelter, I might never know what happened to him.
“We have to do what’s best for him, Suzannah,” she said.
When I got to the workroom for Shelter Pet Squad, I felt as low as a worm underground. “I can’t believe Jelly Bean is still here.”
“We all tried,” Levi said. “I guess no one is looking for a guinea pig right now.”
“Did anyone come to look at Jelly Bean?” Jada asked Ms. Kim.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. We can’t always make things work out as quickly as we’d like. So when it finally does happen, it’s something to celebrate. Wonderful families came in this week. All five puppies were adopted.”
“Wow! That was fast!” Matt said.
“Bella and Sweetie also went to new homes this week,” Ms. Kim said. “Bella had been at the shelter a long time. She had to wait months and months for her second chance, but it finally happened. All of our animals deserve a second chance, and sometimes it takes a while to come.”
There was a pile of empty plastic juice bottles on the worktable, along with some dog kibble. We put a handful of kibble in each empty bottle to make fun, new toys for the dogs.
“We’ll leave the caps off the bottles,” Ms. Kim said. “As the dog rolls the bottle around, kibble will fall out, giving treats. We need to be careful with plastic, but these juice bottles are tough. They won’t crack when the dogs bite them.”
In the kennel, it was fun watching the dogs play. They chased the bottles all over their pens. They worked hard to get the kibble out. I couldn’t feel happy, though. I hadn’t kept my promise. I hadn’t found Jelly Bean a home. And maybe now he’d be going to another shelter.
After we’d visited the dogs, the other kids went to play with the cats. But I asked Ms. Kim if I could visit Jelly Bean.
“Of course,” she said.
In the waiting room, I asked Ms. Flores if I could give him another treat. “Let’s see if he’s eaten all his hay,” she said. When we opened the door to the small-animal room, Jelly Bean stood up on his hind legs. “Wheeek!”
But then he clacked his teeth together. He darted into his wooden hidey house. All I could see was the side of his face in the doorway. “What’s the matter with him?” I asked.
“Oh, Hattie, get out of here!” Ms. Flores said, shooing the cat out of the room. “I didn’t notice she’d snuck in with us.”
After Hattie was gone, Jelly Bean still didn’t come out of his hidey house. I reached into my pocket. I didn’t really need to bring Whiskers anymore, but I liked having him with me.
“Ms. Flores, may I leave my mouse here to watch over Jelly Bean?” I asked. “He always makes me feel better.”
“Are you sure you want to leave him for a whole week?” she asked.
I nodded.
“All right,” she said.
I sat Whiskers on the windowsill near Jelly Bean’s cage. My pocket felt empty, but I liked seeing Whiskers’s brave smile. When I turned around, Jelly Bean was munching and crunching his hay.
“He seems much happier now,” Ms. Flores said.
I smiled. Maybe Whiskers’s bravery was catching, like the sneezy flu.
The bell over the front door rang. “I’ll be right back,” Ms. Flores said. As the door to the small-animal room closed, I whispered to Jelly Bean, “I tried everything I could think of to get you a home. I don’t know what else to do.”
I wondered if the girl who had to give up Jelly Bean still missed him. Or if she thought he’d already found a new home by now.
From the waiting room, I heard Ms. Flores yell, “Shelter Pet Squad, come quick!”
Ms. Flores was smiling at a lady standing at the counter. Between them was our letter about Jelly Bean.
“Ms. Taylor, the kids can answer your questions,” Ms. Flores said. “This is our Shelter Pet Squad. They wrote the letter about Jelly Bean.”
“Hello,” the lady said. “I loved your letter. I was wondering if Jelly Bean is still here?”
“Yes, he is!” I said. “He’s in the small-animal room! Do you want to meet him?”
“But wait! First we need to know something,” Matt said. “Do you have a snake?”
Ms. Taylor looked surprised. “A snake? No. I have a kindergarten class. I think my students would love to have Jelly Bean join our room.”
I grinned. Just what we hoped!
“Hooray!” Jada said. “He’ll like being in a classroom full of kids.”
“The letter says I can buy his cage and water bottle and dishes, too?” Ms. Taylor asked. “I thought he might feel more comfortable if some things stayed the same.”
I grinned. I liked that she cared if Jelly Bean felt at home.
“Yes,” Ms. Flores said. “We’re glad to send you home with everything he came with.”
“He loves attention,” Levi said. “And carrots.”
“My students will give him lots of attention,” Ms. Taylor said. “And I like carrots, too. So that won’t be
a problem.”
“Be careful not to hang your kids’ art projects near his cage,” Matt said. “He likes to chew things.”
She laughed. “I’ll remember that.”
“Have you thought about school vacations?” Ms. Flores said. “He’ll need a place to go when school is closed.”
“He can come home with me during vacations and in the summer,” Ms. Taylor said. “I’d like having his company.”
“Do you have a cat?” I asked. “He gets scared by cats.”
“I don’t have any other pets,” Ms. Taylor said. “So I can give him plenty of attention.”
“I think this sounds perfect for Jelly Bean,” Ms. Flores said. “Shelter Pet Squad, what do you think?”
We all agreed.
I was sure that Jelly Bean’s first family would have thought so, too.
Ms. Flores explained the paperwork. Ms. Taylor signed it and paid the adoption fee.
“We’ll help you carry everything to the car,” Ms. Kim said.
Jada picked up Jelly Bean’s hay.
“I’ll get his food,” said Allie Pink Girl.
“Matt and I can carry the cage,” Levi said.
While everyone was busy, I took Whiskers off the windowsill and put him back in my pocket. Now I might need some help being brave.
“The cage is a bit heavy,” Ms. Flores said. “We don’t want Jelly Bean to get bounced around. Let’s carry him.” She took him out of his cage.
“Can I carry him?” I asked.
I had never held a guinea pig before, so Ms. Flores showed me how. “Cup one hand here under his back feet, so he feels safe,” she said. “And then hold him snugly against your chest. Ready?”
I nodded. Jelly Bean nuzzled my shoulder as I carried him to Ms. Taylor’s car. “It’s going to be okay,” I whispered toward his tiny ear. “Ms. Taylor is a good match for you. You’ll have kids to play with and plenty of treats. And if you ever feel scared, you can go into your hidey house.”
Levi and Matt set up the big cage on the backseat of Ms. Taylor’s car. Allie Pink Girl put the guinea pig food on the floor. Jada added the hay. Ms. Taylor put her copy of the adoption papers on the front seat.