The petshop around the corner E-Book

Katleen Nielsen

• Herausgeber: BoD - Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Melissa, a woman in her mid-twenties , decides to purchase a pet in the pet shop around the corner. She takes home a rabbit, but is very surprised when she finds out it has magical qualities. When she goes back to the shop in order to ask where it originally came from, she realizes that it´s not easy to find out its true origins. When she leaves the shop, her box with the rabbit disappears and she sees a strange man walking away with it. She decides to follow him and ends up at the backdoor of the pet shop. When she knocks on the door, she becomes part of a string of unexpected events with a trip to a fairy-tale island filled with mind-boggling animals. A book for every age to enjoy.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Chapter One : Acquiring a pet

Chapter Two : The Flemish Giant

Chapter Three : The Big Break-Up

Chapter Four : The Back Door

Chapter Five : The Black Swan

Chapter Six : Paradise Island

Chapter Seven : The Arrival

Chapter Eight : The Sanctuary

Chapter Nine : Furball's change

Chapter Ten : Zelda the Zippo

Chapter Eleven : The Golden Tooth

Chapter Twelve : The Visit

Chapter Thirteen : Back Home

Chapter One :

Acquiring a pet

I walked into a pet shop today, looking for something soft and cuddly. After spending some time with the chinchilla's, hamsters, guinea pigs and squirrels, my attention got caught by a huge aquarium with dozens of tiny little mice. They looked like loads of fun, seeing as they were tumbling all over each other, nibbling each other's ears and chasing each other's tails. They uplifted me in such a way that I cheerfully turned to the shopkeeper and asked her if I could have a few for my domestic enjoyment.

The shopkeeper, however, raised a mournful eyebrow and informed me of the fact that these mice were not for sale.

When I asked her why not, she paused for a bit, then drew closer, all the while checking that we were not being overheard by some innocent bystanders.

« These are for the snakes... », she almost whispered in my ear.

« What do you mean by that? » I innocently replied, trying to imagine a playful scene where the snakes dashed around a bit, watching the mice for their utter amusement.

The shopkeeper gave me a surprised look.

« They eat them, you see » she whispered even more inaudibly.

In shock, I stared back at her. Surely not! These joyful little creaures, full of life and merriment, were not just a sunday snack for those big, dozing snakes at the far end of the shop?

The shopkeeper, registering my alarm, pulled a carefully practised sad face at me. She stayed silent.

« So...I can't even have a few? » I trailed off.

Maybe I could save some of them from a cruel fate.

« Oh yes, you can. » the shopkeeper said reassuringly. « If you buy a snake. »

How absolutely terrible. I had to pause and think. Maybe I should get a snake and train it to be good friends with the mice. Or, even better, I would make it a vegetarian. Yes, that's what I would do. Excellent plan. I'd feed the snake some lettuce and give it plenty of fresh fruit for vitamins. Because, seriously, would a snake know the difference between a mouse and an apple? Snakes don't taste their food anyway, they just swallow it whole. I think.

I was rather happy with my own ingenuity, and so, with my most comforting smile, I asked the shopkeeper to show me the snakes.

We headed off to the back of the shop. There were three different kinds of snakes available.

The first one was curled up in a bundle, completely unaware of the outside world. It had probably just been fed. It looked sleepy, grey, and utterly uninteresting.

Number two was all black, with big yellow stripes along its sides. It jerked up its head at me right away and looked at me in a ravenous fashion. It made me feel like a freshly served leg of lamb. Too hungry, this one. And definitely not a veggie.

Over to number three. Ah, that was better. Overall green, with dots of the most lively colours. A rainbow snake. I tapped on its window. It lifted its head gently and gave me an interested look. Not hungry, but curious, as if I were some kind of a soulmate. Yes, I could definitely work with this one. It would easily understand the virtues of letting a fellow creature live.

Reassured, I turned to the shopkeeper.

« This one. » I pointed. « That's the one I want. »

This time, it was the shopkeeper's turn to look at me in shock.

« The Rainforest Snake? » she said. « Are you sure? »

My confidence crumbled a bit.

« Is this your first snake? » she asked.

« Yes... » I trailed off, not too sure as to where this was going.

« Then it would be better if you got another one for starters. That one, for instance », she pointed to the first one. « Much less trouble, eats and sleeps, has a relatively safe bite, stays out of your way as long as you don't touch it. Perfect for beginners. » she added.

« Oh. » I said. « So, what about this Rainforest Snake? » I asked, « It's dangerous, then? »

« Dangerous is an understatement. », the girl said. When you least expect it, it will slowly curl around you, smothering you slowly while you feel happy and comforted like a little baby rabbit. And next thing you know, you´re gone. »

« Oh. », I said, rather disappointed.

« And perhaps it's interesting to know... », she added in a whisper, « ...that most clients return their snakes after a few months. They get bored, or don't know how to feed them properly. We always get them back. But with the Rainforest Snake? » she closes in on my ear. « No-one returns them. » she adds. « No-one. They never come back. Interesting, isn't it? »

I swallow hard. For a moment, neither of us says anything.

Then, I swirl around, go over to the other side of the shop and say :

« So, how about those rabbits? »

Chapter Two :

The Flemish Giant

So, I got a rabbit.

Forget about those mice. They're probably not that interesting, anyway.

And a snake? No, thanks. No cuddle value whatsoever. I'll pass for now.

I look at my rabbit, rather proudly. It took me just a moment to decide which one I'd take with me. It just sat there, waiting for me.

A tiny, white, helpless and utterly cute little critter. It was love at first sight.

I take out the leaflet with specifications the shopkeeper had tucked inside my box.

« Flemish Giant », it reads. It says the little fluffy ball I bought will reach gigantic proportions in no sooner than 6 months. Right.

I did not see that coming. But hey, a big rabbit is still a rabbit. There will just be more of it to cuddle, that's all.

« Food », reads the leaflet. « Lettuce, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, anything green.

Herbs, dried flowers, leaves and grass. »

Good, it's a vegetarian. This can't go wrong.

« Habitat. » I read on. « Although the Flemish Giant can be kept indoors, it will thrive better when let outdoors at regular intervals. With the help of a rabbit shed and a moveable fence, you can keep the rabbit in any part of the garden, where it will take care of your freshly-grown grass. As from now, your lawn-mower days are over. »

Oh dear. I'll need a garden for this thing. I sigh deeply. The rabbit hasn't moved in properly yet, and it's already causing trouble.

But hey, let's wait a little first. It's wintertime anyway, and too cold for being outdoorsey.

And by springtime, who knows, I might have won the lottery and moved to a cozy little shack with a tiny little garden. Yes, that would be nice. There'd be a beautiful fruit tree in the middle and some strawberry bushes to line it off. Do rabbits eat strawberries? I check the leaflet again. Nope, there's no mention of it. I'll teach it to eat strawberries then. I'm sure it will love them. Everyone loves strawberries. I smile contentedly. I'm already looking forward to living there.

For now, however, the rabbit will have to settle for the cage I bought. Looking at it, I realize I might have overdone it a tat. It fills most of my dining room. So much so, that I had to move the table out to the cellar. Which is all right, really. I can just sit on a chair in the corner and eat there. Instead of the telly, I'll just watch my rabbit. Much more interesting.

I feel uplifted already. This rabbit is going to be my Best Friend. I'll watch it eat some carefully chosen carrots, while I munch away at my half frozen, half burnt TV-dinner. It'll be perfect.

The rabbit is sitting a little huddled in the corner, wondering where its Mummy went. It doesn't want to touch the pellets I bought it and is looking perplexed by the magnum-sized water bottle that hangs on the other side of the cage. It is three times bigger than the rabbit itself. Maybe I should have listened to the shopkeeper and gotten the smallest one. Oh well, I'll just hand-feed the rabbit some droplets with my eye-drop counter. That'll do for now.

Good. Now what? Should I take the rabbit up and cuddle it a bit? Probably. What do mummy rabbits usually do? Maybe I'll let it suckle on my finger a little. Yes, good plan, I'll do that. Carefully, I take it out of the cage, whilst making little comforting noises as I imagine a mummy rabbit would. There. It's sitting on my lap. I stroke it for a bit and then gently insert my finger into its mouth.

Ouch! It's got teeth! And darn big ones for such a tiny creature. Of course, it's a rodent, isn't it? What did I expect?

I carefully put the bunny down on my chair while I get up to fetch a plaster from the kitchen. I'm bleeding like a pig. Five pieces of kitchen towel later I start wondering whether I should call an ambulance. Are there main arteries running through my index finger? Could I actually bleed to death here, standing in my own kitchen? While I'm contemplating which pyjama's I should take with me to hospital, the bleeding starts to subside. Phew. Safe again. I wrap a king-size plaster around my finger and return to my dining-room.

But hello? Where's the rabbit? Didn't I just put it on the chair? Thoughtfully,I scan the room. Well, it's not in its cage. Where then? Oh God. It's under the pile of furniture I moved to the other side of the room, isn't it? I reluctantly look under the two cupboards, five lamps and three chairs stacked on top of each other. Nothing. Cautiously, I squat on all fours. It's really dark under there, I can't see a thing. I'll just get a broomstick, then. Maybe I can scoop it out.

I walk over to the broom closet and open it. But just as my hand reaches out for the broom, my eye catches something white and fluffy in the corner. Well, what do you know? It's the rabbit. But... how did it get there? The door to the closet was closed, wasn't it? So how...? There must be a hole somewhere. I carefully check the outside. Not as much as a peephole. This is amazing. How can this be? Unless... my mind is racing at full speed now. Could it be... no, certainly not... and yet... it had to. Could it be... a magic rabbit? One that can fly right through time and space into the broom closet? But why there? I glance around for magic objects. But of course! What can you find in a broom closet? A broom! My brooms don't fly, of course, but the rabbit doesn't know that. It was probably going for the nearest thing to a cab. Thank God I found it in time, or it would have flown right back there.

So, where did this magic rabbit come from? It had probably lived with a magician before, in a circus or something. It must have escaped somehow, and ended up in the pet shop. Maybe I should go back there and ask. But, on the other hand, it is quite tempting to keep the rabbit for myself. It might be able to do some stunning tricks I can baffle my friends with. Maybe I should get a magician's top hat for it, and a pair of white gloves. What else? I sit and think for a while.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings. I quickly close the broom closet with the rabbit still inside. Nervously, I go and open the door. It's Suze, my nextdoor neighbour.

« Hi! », she smiles. « Do you think I could borrow some sugar? I'm flat out and you know how a cuppa tea tastes without... »

« Of course. », I mumble « Be right back. », hoping that Suze will stay in the doorway. But, of course, Suze being Suze, she follows me into the kitchen.

« So... », she starts, giving me a curious look, « What's up, then? Anything I should know?

Got some new furniture or something? » she winks. « You know you can tell me. »

And there you have it. You can't hoist a bloody rabbit cage up the stairs without half the neighbourhood knowing. And Suze is the worst of them all. I think she sits by her door all day, waiting for innocent bypassers to do the Unexpected, which ranges from glueing chewing gum to the wall to being robbed in broad daylight by two Mexicans pretending to be plumbers (yes, I've tried both). And should she miss out on anything at all during the twenty-minute grocery shopping she indulges in every day, she will sniff out everything and ring at everyone's doorbell in order to find out What Happened. So, there she was. In my kitchen. Pining for details of what had caused the racket on the stairs earlier this morning.

A little miffed, I remain silent. This is no easy game. I don't want her to know about the rabbit yet, what with it being magical and all. Plus, Suze knows I'm terrible with pets. I had to babysit her cat once and, suffice it to say, there was not much left of the poor creature after that. So, there is no way I am going to tell her about my new acquisition. No way at all.

Suze, being rather thrown by the fact that I refuse to comment, stops dead in her tracks. Then, as if the sun itself had come to shine upon a brandnew world, she lights up and says : « It's Vian, isn't it? He's moving in!»

Again, I remain silent, this time for an altogether different reason. I'm dreading what follows next.