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- Herausgeber: Little Tiger Press
- Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
- Serie: Holly Webb Animal Stories
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
Avery is excited to be on holiday with her family. They're staying in a gorgeous cottage right by the river and have lots of fun activities planned. The only thing that would make the trip even better is if she had a dog to enjoy it with.So when she finds Hazel, a frightened puppy all alone on the riverbank, she knows she has to help her. But where has Hazel come from and how can Avery make the little puppy trust her?A new story from best-selling author Holly Webb, perfect for animal-loving children, and fans of ZOE'S RESCUE ZOO and MAGIC ANIMAL FRIENDS.
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For Sarah and Buddy
Contents
Chapter One
Avery peered excitedly out of the window as Mum parked the car at the side of their holiday cottage. “I can see the river!”
Avery’s older brother, Noah, leaned over her shoulder to look too. “Wow. It really is just at the bottom of the garden!”
“Let’s go and take a quick look at it 6before we unpack,” Mum suggested.
Dad undid his seat belt and got out of the car, stretching and sighing after their long drive. “Come on then. This place is amazing…”
The cottage garden was enormous – nothing like their garden back at home. It seemed to stretch out forever, and there was a field on one side and a patch of woodland on the other. There was just a little low fence with a gate at the end – and then the river. The water looked dark and greenish, and the banks were full of reeds and rushes and ferns. There were tiny plops and splashes here and there which made Avery think of fish – maybe even otters!
“Oh goodness, it looks deep,” Mum 7murmured. “Avery, I don’t want you out here by the river on your own – it’s not safe.”
“Mum!” Avery turned an outraged look on her. “I’m not a baby – I’m nine! I’m not going to fall in the river!”
8“Don’t worry, Avery,” Dad said soothingly. “We’re going to be too busy for anyone to go falling in rivers. Your mum has booked for us to go mountain biking in the hills tomorrow, remember! And we’ve got lots of other fun trips planned too.”
“But today’s just for settling in,” Mum said. “Why don’t we go and make a start on unpacking, then we can bring those sandwiches I made this morning out here? We can put a rug down and have a picnic by the river.”
“Yes!” Avery nodded eagerly. She’d been for walks by the river that ran through their town, and she loved feeding the ducks and looking at the huge swans, but that river was wide and slow. It ran between concrete paths and 9tall buildings for most of its way, and it wasn’t nearly as interesting as this wild river at the bottom of the garden. Further up, Avery could see trees leaning over and trailing in the water. She imagined that out on the river it would be like sailing through a tunnel of green.
Still – there was the cottage to explore too. “Let’s go and look at the bedrooms,” Avery suggested, starting to race back up the garden. If she got there first, she could choose the nicest room…
The cottage was quite small but it had an attic bedroom tucked away at the top, which Avery loved – if she leaned out of the tiny window in the thatched roof she could just see the river through the trees. She could hear birds twittering and rustling in the thatch, and the air smelled sweet from all the flowers in the garden. 10She hadn’t been that excited when Mum and Dad had told them they were going on holiday to a cottage in the country for two whole weeks. She’d wanted to go somewhere hot, or maybe a theme park, but now she was so glad they’d come.
11She quickly put her clothes in the chest of drawers by her bed and then hurried downstairs to have a good look at the other rooms. There was an open fireplace in the living room, with a pile of wood next to it. Perhaps if there was a cold wet day they could have a fire? Maybe even toast marshmallows?
“Is it lunchtime yet?” Avery asked Mum hopefully as she went into the kitchen. “Can we go down to the river?”
Mum laughed and handed Avery a cool bag that she’d brought from home. “Here you go. Take that out, and I’ll bring the rug and some drinks.” She went to the door and called up the stairs for Noah and Dad 12while Avery went out into the sunny garden. Mum and the others were following her, of course, but she had a moment or two where it was just her, standing by the river, listening to the water moving over the stones.
Then Noah came stomping noisily down the garden with his arms full of cushions. “Dad found these in a box outside,” he explained, spilling them on to the grass.
“Is your room nice?” Avery asked him and Noah shrugged.
“It’s OK. No WiFi here, though.” He slumped down against the cushions and pulled his phone out of his pocket as Mum and Dad arrived with the rug and a tray of drinks.
Mum passed around the rolls – 13she had made everyone’s favourites. Avery’s was just plain butter because that meant she could put her crisps inside. She wasn’t allowed to do that for packed lunches at school, so it felt like a holiday treat. She was crunching and licking crumbs off her lips and watching the river when she heard a new sound echoing above the birdsong – a splashing sound, and voices.
“Oh, is it a boat?” Dad said, sitting up to look.
Even Noah put down his phone for a minute to see what was happening as round the bend of the river came two long, open canoes. A family with four children was paddling along and they waved at Avery and the others 14on the bank. Avery waved back, a bit shyly – and then she realized that in the front of the first canoe was a beautiful chocolate Labrador.
“Look at the dog!” Avery whispered, nudging Dad, and Dad laughed.
“He’s having the time of his life! Lucky dog, he doesn’t have to paddle.”
“He’s got a life jacket on,” Noah pointed out. “Maybe he likes jumping in.”
Just as Noah said it, the chocolate Lab seemed to spot them and their picnic for the first time. He stood up, eyeing the cake that Mum had just started slicing, and then flung himself into the water. 15
16“Freddy! Get back here!”
“NO!”
“Freddy, don’t you dare!”
The whole family started shouting at once, but Avery watched delightedly as Freddy paddled across to the bank and scrambled out on to the muddy, pebbly edge of the river. He gave himself a huge shake and trotted hopefully up to the rug.
“Er, I don’t think you’re supposed to be doing this,” Dad told him, smiling. He put out a hand and let Freddy sniff him and lick his fingers. He was still looking at the cake, though.
The oldest boy, who’d been sitting just behind Freddy in the canoe, was now splashing hurriedly through the river, looking apologetic. The water only came up to his knees – Avery hadn’t realized it 17was so shallow. That was good – maybe Mum wouldn’t be so worried about her being down by the river now.
“Freddy, come here!” The boy grabbed hold of the dog’s life jacket and pulled him back gently. “I’m really sorry, I should have caught him before he jumped. He didn’t eat anything, did he?”
“No, don’t worry.” Mum was laughing. “He was hoping for cake, I think. He’s lovely.”
“He’s a greedy monster. Sorry to have disturbed you.”
