Marion and the Girls' Getaway

by Callie Barkley

  Marion rushed outside, cradling Ollie in her arms. “Look, everyone! Look who came out—”

  Ellie turned toward Marion. She had her finger to her lips. “Shhhh . . .”

  Amy pointed at something to Marion’s left. Liz and Mrs. Ballard were looking at it too.

  Marion turned.

  In the front yard were two white bunnies. No! Marion blinked. There were three. Four! Five white bunnies! They were hard to see at first. Their fur blended so well with the snow.

  Marion tried to stay absolutely still. She didn’t want to scare them away.

  The bunnies’ ears stood straight up. They sniffed the air, on alert for danger.

  In Marion’s arms, Ollie twitched. Suddenly he sprang to the ground.

  “Ollie!” Marion called. “No!”

  Chapter 7

  Walking in a Winter Wonderland

  In a flash the bunnies scattered. They made five trails of footprints in the snow as they ran for the woods.

  “Ollie!” Marion snapped. She quickly scooped him up. She took him back inside. “You scared them away!”

  Ollie was wriggling. So Marion gently put him down. Ollie darted into the kitchen and disappeared into his carrier.

  “Oh, Ollie,” Marion said softly. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.” She sat down in front of the carrier. “Please come back out.”

  Marion looked at her cat’s food dish. It looked like he had eaten some food while they were gone. But not much.

  Marion wished she hadn’t yelled. She knew Ollie wouldn’t hurt the bunnies. He was just curious.

  “Ollie?” Marion tried again.

  But Ollie looked away and put his head down on his front paws.

  Marion sighed. I guess he wants to be left alone, she thought. She hoped he would feel better in the morning.

  Marion hopped out of her bunk bed. Sunlight streamed in the window. She squinted as she looked outside. Wow! It had snowed overnight. The trees looked like they’d been dipped in icing. And the back deck of the cabin was covered. It looked like a winter wonderland.

  “You guys!” she whispered to her friends. Amy, Liz, and Ellie were still sound asleep. Gabby, too. “It snowed! Let’s get dressed and go see how deep it is!”

  Ellie groaned and rolled over. She pulled her quilt over her head.

  Amy sat up and rubbed her eyes.

  “What time is it?” Liz asked.

  Marion checked. “Seven o’clock,” she replied. “Rise and shine!”

  It took several tries. Eventually, Marion convinced the girls to get up. They sleepily pulled on long underwear. Then socks. And snow pants, coats, hats, and mittens. As they pulled on their boots, the girls’ eyelids were still heavy.

  But outside, the frosty air woke them up.

  “Whoa!” cried Amy. “It must have snowed a foot!” The snow on the front step was up to her knees.

  “Look at the van!” Marion exclaimed. It was a mound of snow—completely buried.

  Liz went over to the van. She scraped snow off a side window. She pressed it into a ball. “It’s good snow for making a snowman!”

  They worked together to roll a big snowball for the bottom. Then Amy and Ellie made the middle ball while Marion and Liz rolled the head.

  Ellie stepped back to look at their work. “Hmm,” she said. “Let’s make it a snow queen.” She found a long stick to be the queen’s staff. Liz made a crown out of twigs. Amy packed extra snow around the bottom of the snow queen. It looked like she was wearing a long robe. Marion added icicle earrings.

  “Nice!” said Mr. Ballard. He and Gabby had come outside with the camera. “Let’s get a photo of all of you together.”

  The girls posed around their snow queen. Mr. Ballard snapped a bunch of photos of them.

  “Everybody say ‘snowball fight’!” Gabby called.

  “Snowball fight?” the girls said together.

  A snowball came flying at them. It hit Marion in the arm.

  “Gabby!” Marion shouted with a giggle. “You want a snowball fight? You got it!”

  The snow started flying in all directions.

  Chapter 8

  Snow Worries

  The girls came back inside covered in snow. They peeled off their layers. Clumps of snow splatted onto the mudroom floor.

  “Brrr!” said Marion. “It’s cold out there.”

  Ellie went to warm up by the fire. “It’s really cold,” she agreed. “You think the bunnies are okay?”

  The bunnies! thought Marion. They hadn’t seen any sign of them outside. Their prints from last night had been erased by the fresh snow.

  “They must be used to the cold,” Liz said. “Right? I mean, they do live here.”

  Marion spotted Amy’s wildlife guide on the coffee table.

  “Amy,” Marion said, “does your book say what kind of bunnies they could be?”

  Amy flipped through her book. “There is a section in the back. . . .” She found the page she was looking for. “Here! Mammals of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.”

  Ellie was reading over her shoulder. “There!” Ellie pointed out. “That looks like the bunnies we saw.” Ellie looked more closely, then laughed. “But guess what? They’re not bunnies!”

  Marion frowned. “What?” she said. Liz looked confused too.

  Amy turned the book around to show them.

  “They’re snowshoe hares,” Amy said. She read some info: “ ‘Hares are a bit larger than rabbits, with longer hind legs and longer ears. They have especially large feet that help them move on top of the snow. Their brown fur turns snow-white in the winter.’ ”

  Liz nodded. “So they’re definitely fine,” she said. “They’re actually built for the snow.”

  Marion felt relieved. They didn’t have to worry about the bunnies—er, hares. They were right at home in the mountains.

  Now if only we could say the same for Ollie. Poor Ollie still wasn’t feeling well. As Marion sat by the fire, an idea was dawning on her. Home, she thought. Maybe Ollie doesn’t feel at home here.

  Marion went into the kitchen to check on her cat. The girls followed. Ollie was still in his carrier. But he was resting closer to the front now.

  “Maybe he’s not sick at all,” Marion said to her friends. “Maybe he’s just homesick. He isn’t used to the cabin.”

  “That could be it,” Amy agreed.

  Ellie spoke up. “Think of all the pets we’ve watched at The Critter Club,” she said. “Sometimes they don’t eat as well as they do at home.”

  “Yeah,” said Liz. “Sometimes they’re not as playful.”

  Marion looked at the clock. It was nearly lunchtime. Tomorrow they would be driving home. Marion had planned to pack their last afternoon with activities. Sledding. Ice-skating. Maybe even some downhill skiing.

  They were big and exciting plans for her and her friends.

  But it didn’t feel right.

  “Guys,” said Marion, “do you mind if we have a quiet afternoon? Here with Ollie?” She reached out and petted his head gently. Ollie let her. “I think he could use the company.”

  Amy smiled and nodded.

  “Of course,” said Liz.

  “That sounds like a good plan,” added Ellie.

  Chapter 9

  Taking Care of Ollie

  The girls had a quiet, cozy afternoon in the cabin. Marion gently moved Ollie’s carrier into the living room so he could enjoy the fire too. The girls sat around the coffee table. They did a big jigsaw puzzle. Then they played cards.

  Through it all, the girls took turns sitting by Ollie. They showered him with attention. They spoke to him softly and petted his head and front paws.

  The sun was getting low outside. Marion was next to Ollie’s carrier. She tried patting her lap, inviting Ollie to come out.

  Marion was surprised as Ollie stood up. He stepped out and rubbed his head against Marion’s knee. Then he climbed into her lap and sat down.

  No one said a word. Ellie did a silent happy dan
ce. Amy smiled a huge smile. Liz gave Marion a thumbs-up.

  A little while later, Ollie got up. He slinked slowly around the coffee table. He stopped to say hello to each of the girls with a soft mew.

  “Now he’s starting to seem like his old self,” Marion said.

  The true test was at dinnertime.

  Mr. Ballard put out dinner for everyone. The kids sat down at the table. Meanwhile, Mrs. Ballard filled Ollie’s dish with fresh food. Then she and Mr. Ballard sat down too.

  Ollie sat in the kitchen doorway. He looked at them. He looked at his food dish. He looked at them again.

  Then he scampered over to the dish. He buried his face in his cat food.

  “Yay!” Marion and the girls cheered.

  Chapter 10

  Home Is Where the Heart Is

  The next morning, the girls helped pack up the van. Then they all climbed inside.

  “Do we have everyone?” Mrs. Ballard asked. “Let’s make sure we have as many as we came with.”

  Marion laughed. They usually only did that on class field trips. She knew she got her planning and organization skills from her mom!

  Just then, Mr. Ballard pointed out the front windshield. “Girls! Look!”

  Five snowshoe hares were scampering across the snowy driveway.

  The leader stopped. The others did too. The hares turned and stared at the van.

  Then they hurried on. They hopped up and over a snowdrift.

  The girls watched as they disappeared into the backyard.

  “Aww,” said Amy. “It’s like they came to say good-bye.”

  “Good-bye, snowshoe hares!” Ellie called as the van pulled out of the driveway.

  “Good-bye, cabin!” Liz added.

  Marion laughed. “See you again soon!”

  Back in Santa Vista, the van made stops at each of the girls’ houses. Finally, the Ballards pulled into their own driveway.

  Marion took Ollie’s carrier inside. She put it down and opened the door.

  Ollie scampered right out. He jumped up on the sofa by the sunny window. He curled up on the arm—his favorite spot.

  Minutes later, Ollie was taking a cat nap.

  Marion flopped onto the sofa. It was bittersweet to be home. She was happy she and her friends had had such a fun weekend—and that Ollie was feeling better. But she was sad it was over.

  Then her face lit up when she saw the family photo album on the side table.

  The photo Dad took!

  She was going to need a copy.

  About the Author and Illustrator

  Callie Barkley loves animals. As a young girl, she dreamed of getting a cat or dog of her own until she discovered she was allergic to most of them. It was around this time that she realized the world was full of all kinds of critters that could use some love. She now lives with her husband and two kids in Connecticut. They share their home with exactly ten fish and a very active ant farm.

  Tracy Bishop has loved drawing since she was a little girl in Japan. She spends her time illustrating books, reading, and collecting pens. She lives with her husband, son, and hairy dog, named Harry, in San Jose, California.

  Visit us at

  simonandschuster.com/kids

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Callie-Barkley

  Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Tracy-Bishop

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster • New York

  CritterClubBooks.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division · 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 · www.SimonandSchuster.com ·First Little Simon paperback edition September 2019 · Copyright © 2019 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Designed by Laura Roode.

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this title is available from the Library of Congress.

  ISBN 978-1-5344-4870-4 (hc)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-4869-8 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-5344-4871-1 (eBook)