and Andy was going to take me to the cinema next Saturday and that won’t happen now. Mum will probably refuse to take me shopping on Saturday morning, too. Oh, how I wish we’d never laid eyes on that stupid pig!”
We stopped laughing pretty quickly when everyone’s parents arrived. Fliss’s mum wrung her hands a lot, although you could tell that her step-dad Andy thought it was pretty funny. Kenny’s parents didn’t look very surprised – with a daughter like Kenny, not much surprises them any more, I guess. Rosie’s mum was very solemn and quietly spoken, but there was no doubt that she was pretty cross. And Lyndz’s parents just talked quietly to each other, and shook their heads whenever they looked at us.
The questions poured over us like a tidal wave. Who had stolen the pig? Why? When? What had we been thinking of? What had we planned to do with it? But still no one said a word. I’m well proud of my mates, because it must have taken major guts. I think Lyndz was pretty grateful.
“Well, there’s only one thing for it,” said Dad in the end, shrugging his shoulders. “We’ll all have to go back to Animal World this afternoon. You’ll have to explain it to them there instead. If you persist in this silence, they’ll probably call the police.”
The police! I stared round at my mates. What would happen? Would we go to jail?
“Honestly, I’ll never be able to look my clients in the eye again after this,” Dad went on. “The papers will probably get hold of it, and I’ll be a laughing stock!”
Dad takes his reputation very seriously. He is a lawyer after all, so I guess his reputation is pretty important.
“Come on, Gwyn, there’s no harm done,” said Mr Collins. “Let’s just get these little criminals and that piglet back down to Animal World. Everyone will forget about this whole business soon enough.”
“What if they press charges?” wailed Fliss’s mum. “I don’t want my darling Felicity to have a criminal record!”
Fliss burst into tears.
“Don’t cry, Fliss!” said Lyndz, practically in tears herself.
“Yeah, it’ll be all right, honest,” said Rosie, though she didn’t seem too convinced.
“Will I have a criminal record too?” said Kenny, looking really interested.
“You be quiet, young lady,” snapped Mrs McKenzie. “You’re in quite enough trouble as it is.”
We got out Pepsi’s travelling box for Sausage’s trip back to Animal World. It looks a bit like a picnic hamper, except with more breathing holes in it. Pepsi took one look at it and slunk off under the sofa. She knows it usually means a trip to the vet – so I guess she was pretty relieved when we put Sausage in it instead. Lyndz fussed around with a blanket and some carrots, and then Dad closed the box and stowed it in the back of the car.
“You’d better do the lid up tightly, Dad,” I said in a small voice. “He’s a real escape artist.”
And twenty minutes later, we were all on the road, heading for our doom.
I was in Dad’s car with Kenny and Dr McKenzie. Somehow, the journey took forever. I remembered how quick it had seemed when we’d all gone to Animal World for my birthday the day before. I could hardly believe it was only yesterday – it felt like a lifetime. I kept wanting to talk to Kenny, but every time I opened my mouth, Dad just glared at me in the car mirror. It was a deadly boring journey.
My heart jumped into my mouth when we finally swung through the gates of Animal World. Visions of gloomy police cells and clanging metal doors loomed in my mind. I’ve got an over-active imagination, Mum always says – and man, it was really working overtime.
“Enquiry Room?” said the guard on the gate. “Just park over there, sir, and follow the signs. You can’t miss it. Hope you’ve got some good news about that little swine, if you’ll pardon the joke!”
Dad muttered something, and swung away from the gate pretty quickly.
The others had got to the car park
We stopped laughing pretty quickly when everyone’s parents arrived. Fliss’s mum wrung her hands a lot, although you could tell that her step-dad Andy thought it was pretty funny. Kenny’s parents didn’t look very surprised – with a daughter like Kenny, not much surprises them any more, I guess. Rosie’s mum was very solemn and quietly spoken, but there was no doubt that she was pretty cross. And Lyndz’s parents just talked quietly to each other, and shook their heads whenever they looked at us.
The questions poured over us like a tidal wave. Who had stolen the pig? Why? When? What had we been thinking of? What had we planned to do with it? But still no one said a word. I’m well proud of my mates, because it must have taken major guts. I think Lyndz was pretty grateful.
“Well, there’s only one thing for it,” said Dad in the end, shrugging his shoulders. “We’ll all have to go back to Animal World this afternoon. You’ll have to explain it to them there instead. If you persist in this silence, they’ll probably call the police.”
The police! I stared round at my mates. What would happen? Would we go to jail?
“Honestly, I’ll never be able to look my clients in the eye again after this,” Dad went on. “The papers will probably get hold of it, and I’ll be a laughing stock!”
Dad takes his reputation very seriously. He is a lawyer after all, so I guess his reputation is pretty important.
“Come on, Gwyn, there’s no harm done,” said Mr Collins. “Let’s just get these little criminals and that piglet back down to Animal World. Everyone will forget about this whole business soon enough.”
“What if they press charges?” wailed Fliss’s mum. “I don’t want my darling Felicity to have a criminal record!”
Fliss burst into tears.
“Don’t cry, Fliss!” said Lyndz, practically in tears herself.
“Yeah, it’ll be all right, honest,” said Rosie, though she didn’t seem too convinced.
“Will I have a criminal record too?” said Kenny, looking really interested.
“You be quiet, young lady,” snapped Mrs McKenzie. “You’re in quite enough trouble as it is.”
We got out Pepsi’s travelling box for Sausage’s trip back to Animal World. It looks a bit like a picnic hamper, except with more breathing holes in it. Pepsi took one look at it and slunk off under the sofa. She knows it usually means a trip to the vet – so I guess she was pretty relieved when we put Sausage in it instead. Lyndz fussed around with a blanket and some carrots, and then Dad closed the box and stowed it in the back of the car.
“You’d better do the lid up tightly, Dad,” I said in a small voice. “He’s a real escape artist.”
And twenty minutes later, we were all on the road, heading for our doom.
I was in Dad’s car with Kenny and Dr McKenzie. Somehow, the journey took forever. I remembered how quick it had seemed when we’d all gone to Animal World for my birthday the day before. I could hardly believe it was only yesterday – it felt like a lifetime. I kept wanting to talk to Kenny, but every time I opened my mouth, Dad just glared at me in the car mirror. It was a deadly boring journey.
My heart jumped into my mouth when we finally swung through the gates of Animal World. Visions of gloomy police cells and clanging metal doors loomed in my mind. I’ve got an over-active imagination, Mum always says – and man, it was really working overtime.
“Enquiry Room?” said the guard on the gate. “Just park over there, sir, and follow the signs. You can’t miss it. Hope you’ve got some good news about that little swine, if you’ll pardon the joke!”
Dad muttered something, and swung away from the gate pretty quickly.
The others had got to the car park
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