The Rescued Puppy

Chapter Five

The next couple of days were sunny again, and the family spent them on the beach. Lucky and the children were in and out of the sea most of the time, as it was so hot that it was the only way to cool down.

The group of boys who’d been on the beach before were back again on the Wednesday, playing football, and Adam watched them hopefully for a while, before the ball happened to come past him. He kicked it back expertly, and they invited him to come and join in. Georgia didn’t mind being left on her own with Lucky, and Mum and Dad. It was far too hot for football, and it was fun reading her book with Lucky snoozing next to her in the sun.

“Mum! Dad! Josh and Liam’s dad’s taking them to Woolbridge Beach this afternoon, and they’ve asked if I want to go too. Can I? And can I take my holiday money for the rides?”

Dad got up, and went to talk to Josh and Liam’s dad.

“What about you, Georgia?” Mum asked. “Dad and I could take you, if you wanted to go over to Woolbridge?”

Georgia looked thoughtful, but then she shook her head. “Actually, I’d rather stay here, Mum.” She wasn’t that keen on rides and things, and she was really enjoying spending her holiday time with Lucky.

Adam went off with the other boys after their picnic lunch, and Georgia set off on a long walk up the beach with Lucky. She hunted for shells and sea glass, and Lucky found a dead fish. He was quite cross when Georgia threw it back into the sea and wouldn’t let him fetch it. It had smelled delicious.

On the Thursday morning, Georgia and Adam were hoping to go to the beach again, but Mum pointed out that they really needed to go and do some food shopping.

“Do we have to come?” Adam groaned.

“Well, you can’t go to the beach by yourselves.” Mum shook her head. “Dad or I need to be there if you’re going in the water.”

“We could just stay out of the sea,” Georgia suggested. But then she shook her head. “Actually, I don’t see how we’d explain to Lucky that he couldn’t go swimming. It probably isn’t a very good idea.”

“What about a walk though?” Adam asked. “You did say before we came that we’d be allowed to go out on our own and we haven’t yet.”

“Yes, and Lucky really needs a walk too,” Georgia added, exchanging an excited glance with Adam.

Mum and Dad looked thoughtfully at each other. “I suppose you could,” Dad said slowly. “We won’t be more than a couple of hours. As long as you take one of our mobiles, and you promise not to do anything silly.”

“Brilliant!” Adam cheered, and Georgia reached under the table to stroke Lucky. She could hardly wait for them to take their puppy out on their own for the first time ever.

After breakfast, Adam tucked Mum’s mobile phone safely away in the pocket of his shorts, and he and Georgia filled a little bag with suncream, snacks, dog treats, water and Lucky’s special folding dog bowl. It was so hot he was bound to need a drink.

It felt like a real adventure, setting off on their own with Lucky, and they were determined to make it a really long walk.

“We could go all the way round the top of the bay,” Adam suggested, as he hurried along holding Lucky’s lead. “The cliffs further round towards Woolbridge looked really interesting from the beach. There might be caves and things in them. And we could look for fossils!”

But by the time they’d fought their way through the brambles as far as they’d gone on that first cliff-top walk, Georgia and Adam were so hot they decided to stop for a break. Georgia filled up Lucky’s bowl, and he drank greedily. He’d walked more than twice as far as Georgia and Adam, as he kept running backwards and forwards. He lay there in the cool shade of the bracken, occasionally snapping lazily at hoverflies as they buzzed past. Adam sat on the lead, just in case, but it didn’t look as though Lucky wanted to run off anyway.

“My turn to take Lucky now,” Georgia said, as she packed his bowl away in the bag and got up. “You can carry the bag.”

Adam scowled. “Why should you always get to hold his lead? I’m having him for this walk. You had him all yesterday afternoon!”

“What? For the whole walk? That isn’t fair!” Georgia yelled. “I only had him yesterday because you wanted to go off to Woolbridge! You didn’t care about Lucky then, did you?”

Lucky looked up and whined worriedly.

“Oh, it’s OK, Lucky … don’t be scared.” She turned to her brother. “Now look!” she hissed. “You’re upsetting Lucky!”

“I’m not the one arguing!” Adam spat back in a whisper. “Just let me hold him! This walk was my idea, remember!”

“No! It’s my turn!”

Lucky whined again, but they weren’t listening. He backed away, the lead pulling out behind him, and his tail held close against his legs. He didn’t want to be near them when they shouted at each other. It frightened him. He’d go and find somewhere safe to hide until they’d stopped, he decided. He headed a little further down the path. His extending lead was quite long, so he could get a good distance away from the loud voices. The delicious smells in the undergrowth soon distracted him from the squabble he’d left behind, and he pottered around the bushes, sure he could smell a rabbit somewhere near.

There was no rabbit to be found, however there was a huge butterfly, a brown one that swooped temptingly right in front of his nose. He barked happily, and chased after it as it fluttered away. He’d never actually caught one before, but he was so close to this one, surely it couldn’t get away this time. He ran on, barking excitedly and snapping at the butterfly, sure that Georgia and Adam would be pleased if he finally caught one.

Just then, Georgia grabbed at the lead, yanking it away from Adam. As she reached for the lead’s bulky plastic handle, she overbalanced and it slipped out of her hands. She dived after it, and so did Adam – but it was too late. They watched the lead sliding away as Lucky raced after the butterfly.

“Lucky!” Georgia yelled, scrabbling after the lead as it disappeared down the path. She could just see Lucky’s golden tail, wagging excitedly as he chased after something up ahead. Georgia set off to catch him – just as Lucky made one last desperate lunge after the butterfly, and tumbled over the side of the cliff, his lead bouncing uselessly behind him.