A Home for Shimmer Read online

  Mum got up from the table. She looked upset. So did Dad and Josh.

  I sat back down. ‘I hate it here. It’s muddy and rainy and boring and miserable. I wish we’d never moved!’

  Chapter Six

  Sneaking Out

  ‘Who wants crisps, elderflower cordial and a DVD, maybe a good comedy?’ asked Mum later that evening. I knew she was trying to cheer us all up, but I was not in the mood for a jolly family evening – my heart was over in the stable with Shimmer.

  I went up to my room and checked my emails. Caitlin had sent me one with a photo of her sitting in their living room with Cola and Pepsi on her lap. She looked so happy, and I couldn’t help feeling a little bit jealous. She’d been allowed pets and I hadn’t. So unfair. I emailed Natalia. I poured everything about the day out to her – the deserted beach, the Trump Town boys, the miserable café, nowhere to go to hang out, the endless rain, the mud everywhere, feeling lonely despite meeting Caitlin, Mum and Dad arguing, Mum not wanting lost or stray animals brought here, and lastly about Shimmer. An email came back a minute later:

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  My darlink chumbuttie,

  I am so sorry. I wish I was there with you and I wish you could keep Shimmer. Send me a photo of her. My gran always says never give up. Isn’t there some way you could make it work? I will have a think. Hey, I don’t need to. Pingalata. My brain’s just pinged me a brilliant idea. I know what you can do. Ohmigod. I’m going to call you. No I’m not. Mum’s calling me. Got to go. Call you soon. I think I know what you can do. Call you later. I am a genius. Natalia XXXXXXXX

  Maybe she’s going to suggest I run away, I thought. Not a bad idea. Although if anyone could come up with a solution to our problems, it was Natalia. She was fantastic at coming up with plans. She wanted to be a businesswoman when she grew up and was forever watching programs on TV about how to run your own empire. I used to tease her about it but she always said, ‘You won’t be teasing me when I’m a multimillionaire, you loser.’ She probably would be too. Just before I left Bristol, she started a babysitting agency with her elder sister. They took a small commission and were soon raking in the money – and I don’t think she or her sister had to actually babysit once themselves. She was always on the committee organising the school fêtes or Christmas jumble sales.

  I switched on my mobile ready for her call, then got into my pyjamas and dressing gown. I wanted to look out at the stable and opened the window a little. A blast of cold air hit me. Brrr. It was like opening a fridge door. I hated to think of Shimmer on her own in the dark, freezing stable. She’d be bewildered and wondering where her owner was and what had happened. Poor thing. Then I heard her crying. It got louder and sounded so sad I couldn’t bear to listen.

  I closed the window and went out into the corridor. I could hear Mum and Dad getting ready for bed, so I went back into my room and waited a bit longer. When the house was quiet, I put on an extra pair of socks, my shoes and a fleece under my dressing gown then scooped up my duvet from the bed.

  I found a torch from my bedside cabinet then crept down the stairs, creak, creak, creak. Had anyone heard me? Nothing. I carried on down and into the kitchen, got some ham out of the fridge, grabbed a torch from the kitchen drawer then let myself into the boot room and out into the yard. It was so dark, even though the navy-black sky above was full of stars. I switched on the torch and tiptoed across the yard to the stable. I could still hear Shimmer crying, poor baby. I glanced up at Mum and Dad’s window and saw that the lights were off. They were probably fast asleep. Hearts of stone, I thought. How can anyone sleep when a creature nearby is frightened and lonely?

  I let myself into the stable and shone the torch. Shimmer was curled up in the corner. At least someone had been in to let her out of the basket, probably Dad. As soon as she saw me, she ran towards me. I knelt down and she jumped on to my knees, paws up on my shoulders, and rested her head on my chest. She soon sniffed out that I had something in my hand for her to eat so I gave her the ham. She ate it so fast, she got the hiccups.

  ‘You have to learn to eat slower,’ I said to her, chuckling. She wagged her tail in reply. ‘You could knock someone over with that tail of yours, Shim!’ After a while she settled on my knee, but kept looking up at me with big, scared eyes.

  ‘You don’t have to worry now, Shimmy Shim,’ I said. ‘I don’t care what happens, but you’re not going to be on your own any longer.’

  I pushed her off for a moment and laid my duvet down on some hay in the corner, then wrapped myself up. I was glad I’d cleaned the place out earlier and tried not to think of scary spiders. Shimmer soon got the idea and came and snuggled under the duvet with me. Again, she laid her head on my shoulder. I looked down at her and felt a burst of love. ‘I know exactly how it feels to land in a strange place and be alone and scared, Shimmer,’ I said. In coming to Silverbrook Farm, I had been taken away from all that was familiar and I’d felt lonely and isolated. I felt tears come to my eyes. Shimmer put a paw up to my cheek and I cuddled her closer. ‘You and me, Shim. We can make it through together and nobody is going to say otherwise.’

  It was cold in the stable but the heat from Shimmer’s soft body kept me warm and I started to doze off. Shimmer relaxed too – no longer crying now that someone was with her.

  I woke to hear the sound of the door opening. Someone was coming into the stable! A torch flashed into my eyes. ‘Amy!’

  It was Mum. Uh-oh.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ I replied.

  She looked sheepish. ‘I . . . er . . . couldn’t sleep. I wanted to check that Shimmer was OK.’

  Hmm, maybe she hasn’t got a heart of stone after all, I thought, but I kept my arms around the puppy, who had also woken up and was looking around to see what was going on. ‘She’s OK now,’ I said. ‘But she was crying. I could hear her from my bedroom.’ I looked at Mum accusingly.

  Footsteps told us someone else was up and a moment later, Dad appeared at the stable door. He took in the situation in front of him. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘Everyone back in the house. It’s freezing out here and you’ll catch your deaths of cold.’

  ‘I’m not leaving Shimmer,’ I said. ‘She was frightened and lonely.’

  Dad glanced at Mum. ‘Shimmer can come too – but just this once,’ he said. ‘I’ll go in first and make sure Ginger is in with Josh, then you can take her up to your room. Make sure you keep the door shut.’

  I looked over at Mum. For once, she didn’t object.

  Chapter Seven

  A Plan Is Hatched

  ‘Breakfast!’ Mum called.

  The smell of bacon and sausages wafted up the stairs. Yum. Shimmer got down from the bottom of my bed where she’d spent the night. She wagged her tail happily, went to the door and scrabbled to get out.

  I laughed. ‘So you know what the word “breakfast” means, hey? Or is it the smell you like? But I’ll have to bring yours up here, Shimmer. We have to keep you away from our mad cat, Ginger, who thinks he owns the place.’

  I went down and walked in on Mum and Dad, who were in the middle of an argument. They went quiet when they saw me, but the atmosphere was frosty. Ginger was up on top of the fridge and gave me a disdainful look when I went to sit at the table. He continued staring at me while I ate the plate of scrambled eggs that Mum put in front of me. She sat down and looked at Dad in much the same manner as the cat had looked at me. I hated to think that they’d been arguing and I just had to break the silence: ‘I, er, think Ginger knows we have someone else in the house.’

  Dad glanced up at the cat, who was still looking down his nose at us. ‘He can probably hear and smell Shimmer,’ he said. ‘And look how he’s positioned himself in the highest place in the room as if to show superiority.’

  I got up and did a curtsey to Ginger. ‘All hail, King of the House, the magnificent and wondrous Ginger.’
/>   Ginger continued to regard me through half-closed eyes. He was not amused. He blinked and looked away as if I was the most boring person on the planet. I shrugged and sat back down at the table. ‘Shimmer spent the night curled up at the end of my bed. She is so gorgeous. Have you decided what’s going to happen to her? Can we keep her? Pleeeeeeease?’

  Dad cleared his throat. ‘We were just talking about that . . .’ He glanced at Mum. ‘We’re not sure it’s the right time to have a dog yet. Having a puppy is a big commitment.’

  ‘But what will happen to her?’ I asked. ‘We can’t just leave her.’

  ‘She can stay until we find her a home,’ said Mum. ‘And until then you have to promise to walk her every day, and we have to see how she gets on with Ginger. It is his home after all and he was here first. In the meantime, I’ll ask around to see if we can find a suitable place for her to go.’

  I almost blurted out, ‘But this is a suitable home,’ but I decided not to push it. So far, so good, I thought. At least Shimmer’s out of the stable and in the house, and maybe Mum and Dad will change their minds. Shimmer’s so adorable, the more they see her, they’re bound to fall in love with her, just as I have.

  ‘Thank you, thank you. I promise I’ll look after her and . . . if you don’t find her a home and decide that we can keep her, that would be so great because I wouldn’t feel so lonely any more.’

  Mum looked surprised. ‘Oh Amy, have you felt lonely?’

  ‘I did when we first got here, but not so much any more because I have Caitlin as a friend now, but some days, I still feel like an outsider. That’s why I felt for Shimmer being out there in the stable on her own. I really understood how she must have felt finding herself in a strange place. That’s why I wanted to be her friend.’

  ‘Why didn’t you say how you felt when we arrived here?’ asked Dad.

  ‘What difference would that have made? Everyone was so busy unpacking and talking about chickens or curtains. Anyway, it doesn’t matter any more. I have Caitlin and Shimmer.’ Ginger made a squeaky meow. ‘Oh and you too, Ginger, but everyone knows you’re Josh’s cat.’

  ‘Don’t get too attached to Shimmer,’ Mum warned, ‘we haven’t said you can keep her permanently. You do understand that, don’t you?’

  I nodded, although I knew that I was already attached. And I had a plan to keep her. I was sure that Shimmer was meant to stay with us and, if I behaved, didn’t argue with Mum and looked after Shimmer really well, Mum and Dad were sure to come round. Shimmer was irresistible.

  After breakfast, I went to check on Shimmer and take her some food, then went to the bathroom. I must have left my bedroom door ajar because by the time I got back to my room, Ginger had got in. Oh no, I thought, not a great start to showing how well I can look after the new puppy. Josh ran in after Ginger, but we were both too slow. The two animals were already checking each other out like cowboys getting ready for a shootout. Ginger had crouched low and was watching Shimmer, who was wagging her tail. I think she thought it was a game because she also crouched low and crawled on her belly slowly towards Ginger then went back to her first position, where she rolled on her back. Dad told me once that when an animal does that, it is showing that it is no threat because it’s showing its tummy, its most vulnerable part. Shimmer rolled back up then advanced forward again on her front paws, all the time wagging her tail.

  ‘She wants to be friends, doesn’t she?’ I said to Josh.

  He nodded.

  Suddenly Ginger sprang forward and biffed Shimmer on the nose with his right paw and with that, he turned and walked out of the room. Shimmer didn’t seem to mind at all. She came over to me and leaned against my legs, her tail wagging as it always was.

  Josh and I laughed. ‘Ginger was letting her know who’s the boss,’ said Josh.

  We went downstairs followed by Shimmer, who seemed very at home already. Ginger was at his bowl eating and at the smell of food, Shimmer went to join him. Ginger promptly biffed her on the nose again so she retreated under the table.

  I glanced at Mum and Dad to see if they were going to be cross that Shimmer had got out, but Dad grinned. ‘Hey, I think they’re going to be all right. Shimmer’s caught on fast not to bother Ginger when he’s eating, and there was no spitting or hissing. They’re just establishing a few ground rules.’

  He got up and put out some more food in a second bowl for Shimmer, though was careful to put it at a distance from Ginger, who glanced over at the puppy for a moment then carried on eating his Whiskas. When he’d finished, he went towards the stairs.

  ‘Look,’ said Dad. ‘Ginger’s tail is up, that means he’s OK with things. If he wasn’t, his tail would be down.’

  Excellent, I thought. That’s one hurdle over. If things carry on like this, Mum and Dad’ll have no reason not to let Shimmer stay.

  After breakfast, Shimmer and I went back up to my bedroom, where she got busy chewing the shoelace on one of my trainers.

  ‘I think we’re going to have to buy you some toys,’ I said to her, pulling it out of her mouth. ‘Shoes aren’t for chewing, and you have to be on your best behaviour for the next few weeks so that I can keep you.’

  Shimmer gazed up at me and put her paw on my knee. She was so sweet, I just had to kneel down and give her a cuddle. ‘I won’t let them send you away,’ I said as I nuzzled into her furry neck. ‘I won’t.’

  Shimmer replied with a woof.

  ‘Exactly,’ I said. ‘Woof, woof.’

  I took a quick photo of her with my phone and sent it to Caitlin. She texted back immediately: Adorable.

  It was then that I saw that there was also a text from Natalia. In all the excitement over Shimmer, I’d forgotten about her saying that she’d call me with her brilliant idea. Check ur emails, she’d texted. I went to my desk and opened my laptop. I soon saw her message.

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Hello darlink. Check out the link below. Take a look at this place and explorez vous their site. I went there yesterday with Mum and Dad and that’s what gave me the idea. Totes fabnostic. You have the perfect location for something similar. In the meantime, I will think up fundraising ideas. L8rs.

  Natalia XXXXXXXXXX

  At the bottom, she’d added a web address.

  I pressed the link, looked at the home page and scrolled down. At first it didn’t make any sense to me, though I did what she had instructed and explored the site. As I clicked through the pages, the penny dropped. I got exactly why she’d sent it. I knew that Caitlin would get it too, so I quickly sent her the link.

  I picked up my laptop, went out into the corridor and called, ‘Family conference. In the kitchen. Now.’

  Haha, I thought as I went down the stairs and almost fell over Shimmer, who ran in front of me on the way. Mum’s not the only one who can call everyone together!

  Soon we were all seated around the table. Ginger had positioned himself at one end, in a position of superiority again, from where he regarded Shimmer. Every now and again, Shimmer would approach the table and try and put her paws up. Each time, she was met with a biff on the nose from Ginger. Shimmer didn’t mind at all. She kept going back for more and every time Ginger biffed her, her tail wagged even more. Even Mum had to laugh. ‘They seem to be getting along well, don’t they?’ she commented. ‘Probably because Ginger knows Shimmer is a pup and not a threat.’

  ‘Or more likely, even Ginger can’t resist Shimmer’s cuteness,’ I said.

  ‘Hmm, maybe, but cats often establish themselves as the boss in a household,’ said Dad. ‘So, Amy. What’s so important?’

  I opened my laptop and clicked on the link that Natalia had sent me then turned the computer around so that everyone could see. ‘Natalia sent me this brill idea. Check it out.’

  ‘What are we meant to be looking at?’ asked Josh as he squinted at the home page.

  ‘Just explore and use your brain, you dingbat,’ I said. ‘Take your time.
’

  I let them have a few minutes looking at the site then Mum leaned back and actually smiled. She’d got it. I grinned back at her.

  ‘Not a bad idea . . .’ said Mum. ‘Not bad at all. Better than the horse stables idea.’

  The website that Natalia had sent me was for a farm shop and café just outside Bath. The shop was bright and clean with baskets full of gorgeous-looking local produce, fruit, vegetables, herbs, a meat counter, shelves laden with chutney, jam, marmalade, a counter with scrummy-looking homemade cakes. Another page showed a café which was located in a barn, but not like our shabby-looking barns – this one had been decorated and looked authentic, but was spotless and bright with smiling teenagers in green aprons behind the counter.

  ‘And there’s more,’ I said and pressed through to another page which showed an area with goats and chickens. ‘We’ve got it all here,’ I said. ‘We have the barns, the stables, the land.’

  ‘Amy, love, this sort of venture costs a lot of money.’ Mum had her worried face on again.

  I wasn’t going to be put off. ‘No problem. We’ll put together a business plan. Get a loan,’ I said. All that watching Entrepreneur Challenge with Natalia hadn’t gone to waste.

  Mum laughed. ‘Get Amy – businesswoman of the year.’

  ‘There might even be grants for this sort of thing,’ said Josh. He’d sat through endless episodes of Entrepreneur Challenge when Natalia had stayed for sleepovers.

  ‘What do you think?’ I asked. ‘We’ve already got a tea shop of sorts but imagine if we made it nice and decorated it so that people would actually want to come here.’

  ‘Well, I could make cakes,’ said Mum. ‘And jams and chutneys. Start our own business . . .’ She had a dreamy look in her eyes, but then looked round and put her ‘we’ve got to be practical’ face on again. ‘Maybe . . .’

  ‘Mr O’Neill could bring his vegetables,’ said Josh.

  ‘Good idea, Josh,’ I said. ‘I don’t think there’s anything like it around here, Mum.’