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
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
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