as he disappeared inside.
We spent another half an hour searching the streets. We got some very odd looks because I was still in my chicken outfit and Caitlin was still dressed as a tiger. At first people laughed when we said we were looking for a dog, but they stopped when they saw we were genuinely worried. No one had seen her.
I stopped a lady at the bus stop. ‘You haven’t seen a dog on its own, have you?’ I asked.
‘Yes, I have. About fifteen minutes ago. Ran by here.’
‘Where? Which way did she go? Was she on her own?’ I could have wept with relief – I’d been imagining someone stealing her and driving her away from the area.
‘Oh it wasn’t a she,’ said the lady.
‘How do you know?’ asked Caitlin.
‘It was a boy. A teenager.’
‘With the dog?’ I asked. I felt confused.
‘No.
Dressed
as a dog. He had on a costume.’
‘Josh,’ said Caitlin, exasperatedly. ‘She saw Josh. Sorry, we’re not looking for someone dressed as a dog, we’re looking for an actual dog. A white-golden retriever. We’ve lost her.’
The bus came round the corner and the lady put her hand out. ‘In that case, I can’t help. Sorry.’ As the bus opened its door, she stepped on. Everyone on the bus was staring and pointing at us. I felt close to tears again. My imagination was running wild. What if Shimmer had run into traffic? What if she was hurt?
At that moment, my phone rang. It was Mum.
‘Amy, come back. Dad and Mr O’Neill said that they can cover more ground in the car.’
‘So they haven’t found her?’
‘Not yet.’
I felt my heart sink further. ‘Can I go with Dad?’
‘Why don’t you come back to the hall and we’ll go home and wait for news there.’
‘Please let me go with Dad,’ I pleaded. ‘I’ll go mad waiting at home. Please let me do something, Mum.’
I knew I couldn’t rest until we found her.
When it got dark, Dad gave up the search and drove home, though I begged him to stay out looking for Shimmer. ‘We can use our energy other ways,’ he said. ‘Posters, phone calls – we’re not giving up by going home, Amy, just changing the way we search.’
When we got back to the house, we saw that Josh had already been busy and was printing out posters to put on lampposts and trees. ‘I wanted to go straight out and put them up, but Mum wouldn’t let me,’ he said.
‘No one’s going to see them in the dark,’ Mum said gently. ‘Have some supper, get a good night’s sleep and we’ll start again in the morning. She can’t have got far and tomorrow we can go door to door asking if anyone has seen her. It’s a small village. News travels fast.’
Caitlin had said something similar, but it didn’t make me feel any better. I couldn’t eat a thing, didn’t sleep a wink and had a horrible night. How could I sleep or eat when Shimmer might be somewhere strange, hungry and wondering where I was – or, even worse, hurt by a roadside?
We should have stayed out looking
, I thought as I tossed and turned in my bed.
I was up early on Sunday morning and once again Mum tried to get me to eat something, but I couldn’t. I felt sick with worry and my stomach churned again as my imagination played images in my mind of what might have happened to Shimmer.
Dad drove Josh and me into the village where we got busy putting up posters on trees and walls. Mum stayed at home at ‘base camp’ again, to be there if anyone phoned with news.
A few villagers stopped and asked about the posters, but no one had seen or heard of Shimmer. I felt so empty and sad, like a part of me was missing. In the weeks I’d had Shimmer, I’d grown to love her and her funny ways – her enthusiasm (Mum would say greed) for food and how she’d eat like she’d never had a meal before. Two gulps and it was gone, then she’d get the hiccups and, all the time, she’d look as if she was smiling. If any of us forgot her suppertime, she’d come and stand next to one of us and nudge us until we
We spent another half an hour searching the streets. We got some very odd looks because I was still in my chicken outfit and Caitlin was still dressed as a tiger. At first people laughed when we said we were looking for a dog, but they stopped when they saw we were genuinely worried. No one had seen her.
I stopped a lady at the bus stop. ‘You haven’t seen a dog on its own, have you?’ I asked.
‘Yes, I have. About fifteen minutes ago. Ran by here.’
‘Where? Which way did she go? Was she on her own?’ I could have wept with relief – I’d been imagining someone stealing her and driving her away from the area.
‘Oh it wasn’t a she,’ said the lady.
‘How do you know?’ asked Caitlin.
‘It was a boy. A teenager.’
‘With the dog?’ I asked. I felt confused.
‘No.
Dressed
as a dog. He had on a costume.’
‘Josh,’ said Caitlin, exasperatedly. ‘She saw Josh. Sorry, we’re not looking for someone dressed as a dog, we’re looking for an actual dog. A white-golden retriever. We’ve lost her.’
The bus came round the corner and the lady put her hand out. ‘In that case, I can’t help. Sorry.’ As the bus opened its door, she stepped on. Everyone on the bus was staring and pointing at us. I felt close to tears again. My imagination was running wild. What if Shimmer had run into traffic? What if she was hurt?
At that moment, my phone rang. It was Mum.
‘Amy, come back. Dad and Mr O’Neill said that they can cover more ground in the car.’
‘So they haven’t found her?’
‘Not yet.’
I felt my heart sink further. ‘Can I go with Dad?’
‘Why don’t you come back to the hall and we’ll go home and wait for news there.’
‘Please let me go with Dad,’ I pleaded. ‘I’ll go mad waiting at home. Please let me do something, Mum.’
I knew I couldn’t rest until we found her.
When it got dark, Dad gave up the search and drove home, though I begged him to stay out looking for Shimmer. ‘We can use our energy other ways,’ he said. ‘Posters, phone calls – we’re not giving up by going home, Amy, just changing the way we search.’
When we got back to the house, we saw that Josh had already been busy and was printing out posters to put on lampposts and trees. ‘I wanted to go straight out and put them up, but Mum wouldn’t let me,’ he said.
‘No one’s going to see them in the dark,’ Mum said gently. ‘Have some supper, get a good night’s sleep and we’ll start again in the morning. She can’t have got far and tomorrow we can go door to door asking if anyone has seen her. It’s a small village. News travels fast.’
Caitlin had said something similar, but it didn’t make me feel any better. I couldn’t eat a thing, didn’t sleep a wink and had a horrible night. How could I sleep or eat when Shimmer might be somewhere strange, hungry and wondering where I was – or, even worse, hurt by a roadside?
We should have stayed out looking
, I thought as I tossed and turned in my bed.
I was up early on Sunday morning and once again Mum tried to get me to eat something, but I couldn’t. I felt sick with worry and my stomach churned again as my imagination played images in my mind of what might have happened to Shimmer.
Dad drove Josh and me into the village where we got busy putting up posters on trees and walls. Mum stayed at home at ‘base camp’ again, to be there if anyone phoned with news.
A few villagers stopped and asked about the posters, but no one had seen or heard of Shimmer. I felt so empty and sad, like a part of me was missing. In the weeks I’d had Shimmer, I’d grown to love her and her funny ways – her enthusiasm (Mum would say greed) for food and how she’d eat like she’d never had a meal before. Two gulps and it was gone, then she’d get the hiccups and, all the time, she’d look as if she was smiling. If any of us forgot her suppertime, she’d come and stand next to one of us and nudge us until we
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