trying to figure out which way we’d turned when we left the school playground. I couldn’t remember, so we just started walking.
Luckily, as we reached the next corner, the school came into sight. We had made a full circle. It was easy to find our way from there.
Passing the playground, I stared at the spot on the fence where Petey had been tied. That troublemaking dog. He’d been acting so badly ever since we came to Dark Falls.
Would he be home when we got there? I hoped so.
A few minutes later, Josh and I were running up the gravel driveway, calling the dog’s name at the top of our lungs. The front door burst open and Mom, her hair tied in a red bandanna, the knees of her jeans covered with dust, leaned out. She and Dad had been painting the back porch. “Where have you two been? Lunchtime was two hours ago!”
Josh and I both answered at the same time. “Is Petey here?”
“We’ve been looking for Petey!”
“Is he here?”
Mom’s face filled with confusion. “Petey? I thought he was with you.”
My heart sank. Josh slumped to the driveway with a loud sigh, sprawling flat on his back in the gravel and leaves.
“You haven’t seen him?” I asked, my trembling voice showing my disappointment. “He
was
with us. But he ran away.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Mom said, motioning for Josh to get up from the driveway. “He ran away? I thought you’ve been keeping him on a leash.”
“You’ve got to help us find him,” Josh pleaded, not budging from the ground. “Get the car. We’ve got to find him — right now!”
“I’m sure he hasn’t gotten far,” Mom said. “You must be starving. Come in and have some lunch and then we’ll —”
“No. Right
now
!” Josh screamed.
“What’s going on?” Dad, his face and hair covered with tiny flecks of white paint, joined Mom on the front porch. “Josh — what’s all the yelling?”
We explained to Dad what had happened. He said he was too busy to drive around looking for Petey. Mom said she’d do it, but only after we had some lunch. I pulled Josh up by both arms and dragged him into the house.
We washed up and gulped down some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then Mom tookthe car out of the garage, and we drove around and around the neighborhood searching for our lost pet.
With no luck.
No sign of him.
Josh and I were miserable. Heartbroken. Mom and Dad called the local police. Dad kept saying that Petey had a good sense of direction, that he’d show up any minute.
But we didn’t really believe it.
Where was he?
The four of us ate dinner in silence. It was the longest, most horrible evening of my life. “I tied him up really good,” Josh repeated, close to tears, his dinner plate still full.
“Dogs are great escape artists,” Dad said. “Don’t worry. He’ll show up.”
“Some night for a party,” Mom said glumly.
I’d completely forgotten that they were going out. Some neighbors on the next block had invited them to a big party.
“I sure don’t feel like partying, either,” Dad said with a sigh. “I’m beat from painting all day. But I guess we have to be neighborly. Sure you kids will be okay here?”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said, thinking about Petey. I kept listening for his bark, listening for scratching at the door.
But no. The hours dragged by. Petey still hadn’t shown up by bedtime.
Josh and I both slinked upstairs. I felt really tired, weary from all the worrying, and the running around and searching for Petey, I guess. But I knew I’d never be able to get to sleep.
In the hall outside my bedroom door, I heard whispering from inside my room and quiet footsteps. The usual sounds my room made. I wasn’t at all scared of them or surprised by them anymore.
Without hesitating, I stepped into my room and clicked on the light. The room was empty, as I knew it would be. The mysterious sounds disappeared. I glanced at the curtains, which lay straight and still.
Then I saw the clothes strewn all over
Luckily, as we reached the next corner, the school came into sight. We had made a full circle. It was easy to find our way from there.
Passing the playground, I stared at the spot on the fence where Petey had been tied. That troublemaking dog. He’d been acting so badly ever since we came to Dark Falls.
Would he be home when we got there? I hoped so.
A few minutes later, Josh and I were running up the gravel driveway, calling the dog’s name at the top of our lungs. The front door burst open and Mom, her hair tied in a red bandanna, the knees of her jeans covered with dust, leaned out. She and Dad had been painting the back porch. “Where have you two been? Lunchtime was two hours ago!”
Josh and I both answered at the same time. “Is Petey here?”
“We’ve been looking for Petey!”
“Is he here?”
Mom’s face filled with confusion. “Petey? I thought he was with you.”
My heart sank. Josh slumped to the driveway with a loud sigh, sprawling flat on his back in the gravel and leaves.
“You haven’t seen him?” I asked, my trembling voice showing my disappointment. “He
was
with us. But he ran away.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Mom said, motioning for Josh to get up from the driveway. “He ran away? I thought you’ve been keeping him on a leash.”
“You’ve got to help us find him,” Josh pleaded, not budging from the ground. “Get the car. We’ve got to find him — right now!”
“I’m sure he hasn’t gotten far,” Mom said. “You must be starving. Come in and have some lunch and then we’ll —”
“No. Right
now
!” Josh screamed.
“What’s going on?” Dad, his face and hair covered with tiny flecks of white paint, joined Mom on the front porch. “Josh — what’s all the yelling?”
We explained to Dad what had happened. He said he was too busy to drive around looking for Petey. Mom said she’d do it, but only after we had some lunch. I pulled Josh up by both arms and dragged him into the house.
We washed up and gulped down some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then Mom tookthe car out of the garage, and we drove around and around the neighborhood searching for our lost pet.
With no luck.
No sign of him.
Josh and I were miserable. Heartbroken. Mom and Dad called the local police. Dad kept saying that Petey had a good sense of direction, that he’d show up any minute.
But we didn’t really believe it.
Where was he?
The four of us ate dinner in silence. It was the longest, most horrible evening of my life. “I tied him up really good,” Josh repeated, close to tears, his dinner plate still full.
“Dogs are great escape artists,” Dad said. “Don’t worry. He’ll show up.”
“Some night for a party,” Mom said glumly.
I’d completely forgotten that they were going out. Some neighbors on the next block had invited them to a big party.
“I sure don’t feel like partying, either,” Dad said with a sigh. “I’m beat from painting all day. But I guess we have to be neighborly. Sure you kids will be okay here?”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said, thinking about Petey. I kept listening for his bark, listening for scratching at the door.
But no. The hours dragged by. Petey still hadn’t shown up by bedtime.
Josh and I both slinked upstairs. I felt really tired, weary from all the worrying, and the running around and searching for Petey, I guess. But I knew I’d never be able to get to sleep.
In the hall outside my bedroom door, I heard whispering from inside my room and quiet footsteps. The usual sounds my room made. I wasn’t at all scared of them or surprised by them anymore.
Without hesitating, I stepped into my room and clicked on the light. The room was empty, as I knew it would be. The mysterious sounds disappeared. I glanced at the curtains, which lay straight and still.
Then I saw the clothes strewn all over
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