Moose by Ellen Miles Page A

of puppies. They were a foster family, which meant they took in puppies who needed homes. Some puppies stayed a few days, others stayed a couple of weeks. But every single puppy went to the forever family that was just right for him or her. Buddy started out as a foster puppy. Then it turned out that Charles and his mom anddad, his older sister, Lizzie, and his younger brother, the Bean, were the perfect forever family for Buddy. So the little brown puppy with a heart-shaped white patch on his chest had come to stay.
    Thinking about Buddy almost made Charles feel a little warmer, even though it did not make the rain stop. Charles sighed. He was only a few blocks from home, but it might as well have been miles.
    Then he heard a rumble of thunder.
    “Yikes,” said Charles. He looked up at the sky. The tower of dark clouds had doubled in size. Now it looked like the giant’s castle in “Jack and the Beanstalk,” high above the earth.
    Getting caught in the rain was one thing. Getting caught in a thunderstorm was another. Charles stood up on the pedals again and began to pump hard.
    A car honked at him. Charles ignored it. He was biking way over on the side of the road, exactly where he should be. He concentrated on riding as fast as he could.
    The car honked again. “Charles!” someone yelled.
    Charles turned his head and saw his family’s silver van rolling slowly along behind him. The passenger-side window was down and Mom was leaning over to call to him.
    “Mom!” Charles was so glad to see her. He put on the brakes and got off his bike.
    Mom pulled the van over and jumped out. “Oh, honey,” she said. “You’re soaked. Come on, let’s get your bike in the back. I was on my way to take Lizzie to Aunt Amanda’s place and I realized you must be riding home in this pouring rain.”
    Some days after school, Lizzie helped out at their aunt Amanda’s doggy day-care center.Bowser’s Backyard could be a busy place sometimes. People who worked all day and didn’t want to leave their dogs alone brought them there, and sometimes Aunt Amanda had thirty dogs to care for. Her place was just like preschool for dogs, with nap time, snack time, and plenty of playtime. Because of the rain, Charles knew the dogs would be having indoor fun this afternoon in the big bright playroom filled with balls and other toys.
    After they’d wrestled Charles’s bike into the back of the van, Mom helped Charles get his wet T-shirt off and pull on the dry sweatshirt she’d brought for him. He kicked off his sneakers and put his feet under Buddy’s ratty old car blanket. The smell of dog made him feel instantly better, and Mom cranked the heat as they took off to pick up Lizzie from school.
    “You’re late,” Lizzie said as she climbed into the backseat. “Wow, what happened to you?” Shestared at Charles. “You look like a drowned rat.” Lizzie, who had waited inside the school’s front doors, was dry as a bone.
    “It’s raining, for your information,” Charles said. A roll of thunder grumbled overhead. “And there’s a thunderstorm coming, too.”
    “I hope Buddy’s not scared, at home all alone,” Lizzie said.
    “He’s not alone,” said Mom. “Dad and the Bean are there with him. Anyway, we’re lucky. Buddy doesn’t seem to be afraid of thunder.” She pulled up in front of Aunt Amanda’s. “I’ll pick you up a little earlier than usual, at five-thirty,” she told Lizzie. “Don’t forget, you have to pack your things tonight.”
    Charles and Lizzie had a four-day weekend coming up. Charles didn’t have any special plans, but Lizzie’s class — in fact, the whole fourth grade — was going on a special trip to Boston. Lizzie had been talking about it for weeks.
    Lizzie got out of the van and ran for the entrance of the doggy day care, yanking the door open just as a loud clap of thunder boomed overhead.
    A streak of gray bolted past her, heading straight for the parking lot.
    “Hey!” yelled Charles.