Ellie the Homesick Puppy

Chapter Five

Megan stood in her bedroom, surrounded by boxes. It felt so strange that she had been doing just the same thing a couple of hours ago, but in her old house. There her room had looked really sad, like the end of something, but here it was a new start. It was so exciting! She just wished she had Ellie here to see everything too. She peered out of her window at the big garden, sloping down to a stream, and the woods on the other side. Tomorrow she could go and explore it all with Ellie!

Megan was suddenly desperate to talk to Gran and find out if Ellie was OK. She hurried downstairs.

“Dad, can I borrow your mobile?” Megan asked, bursting into the kitchen.

But Dad was already on the phone, looking anxious.

Megan made a “sorry!” face, but Dad only smiled at her distractedly.

“What’s the matter?” Megan asked. Even the air in the kitchen felt full of worry.

“It’s Gran on the phone,” Mum said quietly, putting her arm around Megan. “She called to say that she thinks Ellie slipped out of the door this morning. But she’s sure Ellie can’t have got far.”

“But, but – where can she have gone?” Megan asked, in a frightened whisper. “She hardly knows anywhere round there. She’ll get lost!”

Megan sat down at the table, feeling sick. She would never have let Ellie go if she’d thought this might happen. How could Gran have let her get out?

Dad ended the call, then sat down next to her and covered her hand with his. “Gran’s going to come round and pick you up so you can go and look for Ellie with her.”

Megan nodded, feeling a little bit better. But it was so hard to think of Ellie, lost and lonely and scared. She had to try very hard not to cry.

Gran hugged her when she arrived, and she looked so upset that Megan forgot to be cross and just hugged her back.

“We’ll find her, Megan,” she promised. “I’m so sorry. She must have slipped out when the postman came. I just didn’t see. She’s probably gone off exploring in the woods. The moment she hears your voice, she’s sure to come running.”

They drove back to Gran’s, and then set off into the woods that ran behind the cottages, calling and calling.

But Ellie didn’t come running, as Megan had so hoped she would. The daffodils were flowering and it was so beautiful – Megan had been looking forward to walking here with her dog so much. But all she could think about now was how scared Ellie would be out here on her own. She was still so little, and most of their walks were in the park. Ellie could get trapped in a rabbit hole, or fall in a stream! Megan sniffed hard, and rubbed her sleeve across her eyes.

“Let’s go and try down the lane,” Gran suggested, looking around one last time. “I just don’t think she can be here, she would have heard us calling.”

They found no sign of Ellie in the lane either. They went all the way down to the road, and Megan watched the cars speeding by. What if Ellie had been run over? She had tried so hard to teach her to be careful, but she was only a puppy, and she might easily have run into the road.

“I don’t think she’d come along here,” Gran said, hugging her. “Don’t worry, Megan. Look, Ellie would be frightened of those cars if she was on her own. She wouldn’t try to cross. Come on, we’ll go back home. I’ve already asked my neighbours, but we’ll go and ask round the village if anyone’s seen her. Someone’s sure to have done.”

But Gran looked worried. It was as though Ellie had simply disappeared.

Ellie made a big leap and shot into the hedge, the cow snorting angrily behind her. It lowered its horns, as Ellie fought and scrambled her way through the twigs. She gave a yelp of relief as she struggled out into tufts of long grass on the other side of the hedge.

The cow snorted grumpily and lumbered away, and Ellie collapsed panting on the soft grass. She’d left her collar in the last hedge, but it felt like she’d left half her fur in this one.

Now that she was safely away from the cows, Ellie realized how hungry she was, and thirsty too. She hadn’t had lunch, and it felt a long way past lunchtime now. But although the sun was sinking, it was still warm. The air felt sticky, and black clouds were gathering behind the trees.

The quiet lane was leading to houses, just a few, but there might be some food around, Ellie thought hopefully. And somewhere to rest. She didn’t want to stay out in the open all night. She didn’t like that strange close feeling in the air. It made her fur feel prickly.

“Mum rang the police just now and reported her missing.” Megan gulped. “She’s been gone all day, Bella! The policeman said it’s good that she’s microchipped, because if someone brings her in, they can check. Mum gave them the new address. Gran and I searched and searched, and then we made posters on her computer. We’ve stuck them up everywhere, but no one’s called. I wish you were here to help us look.” Megan was sitting in her new bedroom, borrowing Dad’s mobile to call Bella. She hated having to tell her that Ellie was missing. It made it seem even more real.

“Oh, Megan!” Bella sounded almost as upset as she was. “Have you been all through those woods you told me about?”

“We’ve searched the woods twice, and Mum says I can’t go again now, it’s getting dark,” Megan said sadly. “I just want her back. She’ll be so scared, Bella. I hate thinking of her all on her own.”

The first house Ellie came to kept its bins tightly closed. She headed on past. There was a good smell coming from somewhere close. Bread, she thought, sneaking carefully down the side of a house and squirming under an iron gate. Yes! Bread crusts, scattered all over a patio around a bird table. Ellie gobbled them greedily. She was so glad to find some food that she didn’t notice she was being watched. The slam of a door made her jump back in fright. An elderly lady came out, looking cross and waving a broom. She poked it at Ellie, who skittered back in horror.

“Shoo! Out of here, bad dog! Don’t you scare away my birds! Shoo! Go home!” And she banged the brush on the paving stones, making Ellie squeak with fright. The puppy shot across the garden towards the gap under the gate, wriggling out and away as quickly as she could.

Once she was safely a few houses away, she hid under a car, shivering. She hadn’t known the bread was special; she was only hungry. Ellie whimpered. She wanted Megan back. Then she shook her ears determinedly. She was on her way to Megan. She had a feeling that she had walked along this lane before, with Megan and Gran when they were out together. It was definitely on the way home. She poked out her nose from under the car, checking for the old lady, but there was no one around.

It was getting dark, though. She wanted to keep going, but the stormy feeling in the air was getting stronger, and she could hear low growls of thunder. It made the fur stand up on her back. She would have to find somewhere to stop for the night. All of a sudden, the greyish sky split with a bright flash of lightning, and a heartbeat later thunder crashed down. Ellie howled, and dived through a garden gate.

She raced into the garden, looking round desperately for somewhere to hide from those horrible noises. A house! A little wooden house, just here in the corner, just the right size for a dog. There were spotted curtains blowing in the window, and the door was open the tiniest crack. Ellie nosed at it, pushing it wider, and sneaked inside. There was even a cushion on the floor, along with a scatter of crayons. Ellie collapsed on to it gratefully and closed her eyes. It seemed a very long time since she’d run away that morning.

Soon Ellie was fast asleep.

A few miles away, Megan was lying awake. She wasn’t really scared of thunder, not when she was safe inside. But tonight it was terrifying. She kept imagining Ellie outside, frightened by the growling thunder. What if she was hurt? What if she was hiding under a tree to get out of the rain, and the tree was struck by lightning?

Megan watched the rain beating against the windows, and shivered. It was a long time before she finally huddled under her bedclothes and drifted off into a troubled sleep.

The creak of the wooden door opening woke Ellie with a start. She shot upright, backing nervously into the corner of the playhouse.

A little boy was staring at her. He looked just as amazed as she did.

“A dog!” he breathed delightedly. “A dog’s come!”

He sounded friendly, and Ellie relaxed a little, but she didn’t go closer. Most children she met with Megan loved her and wanted to stroke her, but Megan wouldn’t let her jump up at children, or even sniff them. One little girl had seen her walking past, and then Ellie had gone to sniff her hand, and she’d squealed. Ellie had felt quite hurt. So now she watched this little boy carefully.

“Hello, dog…” He was crouching down now, staring into her eyes, and Ellie was sure that this one wasn’t going to cry. “I’m William. Have you come to stay? Are you going to live in my house?” He sounded very excited. “I know! You’re hungry! Grandad’s dog is always hungry.” He leaned closer, and whispered, “Mummy’s on the phone. I was having breakfast, but I came out when she wasn’t looking. You can have my breakfast.” He scrambled out of the little house and dashed away.

Ellie stood there blinking, not quite sure what was going on. She pattered over to the door, and peered out. William was coming back, more slowly now, his dark head bent earnestly over a bowl, with something balanced on the edge of it.

“There! My Weetabix. I’ve already had two, so you can have that one. And this is a bacon sandwich. I don’t like bacon anyway.”

Ellie could smell the bacon. After nothing but stale bread crusts since yesterday, it smelt like heaven. She trotted over to him and took it delicately from his hand as he held it out to her. It disappeared in about three bites.

“Wow, you are hungry.” William sounded impressed.

Ellie sighed with pleasure, licking the bacon from round her whiskers, and looked hopefully at the bowl.

“Oh! Do you like Weetabix too?” He put the bowl down on the ground for her and watched hopefully.

Ellie sniffed at it with interest. Oh, yes, she recognized this. She had proper dog food at home now, but when she’d been very small she’d had this too, for breakfast. She liked it. She gulped it down, licking the bowl out thoroughly, then sat down, scratching her ear with one hind paw. She always did that after meals. It felt good.

William laughed. “Funny dog,” he said, crouching down to stroke her gently.

Ellie closed her eyes, and leaned against him happily. He reminded her of Megan, even though he was so little. She would see Megan soon, she thought excitedly.

“Oh!” William straightened up. “Mum’s calling me. I have to go. I’m going to ask her if you can stay! Mum! Mum!” He dashed back to the house, and Ellie watched the kitchen door swing shut behind him. She would have liked to stay with him for longer, but she was sure she wasn’t that far from home now.

She crept past the playhouse and back under the garden gate. She paused for a moment outside William’s house, to give him one last grateful bark, then she went on her way.