Daisy Dawson at the Beach
Read Daisy Dawson at the Beach Online
Authors: Steve Voake
Chapter 7
Raindrops and Rainbows
It was the last day of school, and Daisy was saying good-bye to the class gerbils, Burble and Furball.
“Can we stay with you for the summer?” asked Furball. “We could invite the squirrels over for a sleepover and watch movies about gerbils who save the world.”
“Sorry,” said Daisy. “I’m going on vacation tomorrow, so Abigail’s going to look after you.”
“Does she have any movies about gerbils saving the world?” asked Burble.
“I don’t think so,” said Daisy, “but she does have popcorn.”
“Ooh,” said Furball. “I like her already.”
“It doesn’t take much to make him happy,” said Burble. She waved at Daisy through the bars. “Have a great summer, Daisy D!”
“You, too!” said Daisy.
As she walked home, she noticed Trixie the cat sneaking through the long grass toward Flapperton, a sparrow. Daisy had made friends with Flapperton only that morning when she had given him some of her pancake.
“Hey, Trixie!” she called as loudly as she could. “What are you up to?”
As Flapperton squawked and flew up into the trees, Trixie stared at Daisy with cool green eyes.
“Thanks a bunch, Daisy,” she said. “How would you like it if I scared your dinner away?”
Daisy smiled sweetly. “You’re welcome to try,” she said, “but I don’t think peanut-butter sandwiches scare easily.”
“You didn’t upset her, did you?” chuckled Boom the dog as Trixie slunk away again into the long grass. “I really hate it when cats get upset.” He put his paws on the fence and rested his chin on the warm wood. “How was school?”
“Finished for the summer,” said Daisy. “Which means now I can go swimming every day!”
“Swimming!” echoed a voice from somewhere in the old oak tree.
There was a loud splash, and Daisy turned to see a small squirrel climb out of the water trough. As he shook himself and waved, another squirrel belly flopped into the water behind him.
“Splashdown!” shouted the first squirrel, clapping his paws together. “The squirrel has landed!”
“Hazel and Conker!” cried Daisy as Hazel swam to the side and tumbled out onto the grass.
“Hello, Daisy,” said Conker, squeezing the water out of his tail. “Want to go for a swim?”
“Thanks for the offer,” said Daisy, “but I think I’ll wait until I get to the seashore.”
“Seashore?” said Hazel, drying herself with a leaf. “What’s a seashore?”
“You know,” said Conker. “That thing in the park that goes up and down.”
“The sun?” said Hazel.
“I think he means a see
saw,
” said Daisy.
“That’s it,” said Conker. “I’ve always wanted to go on one.”
“I’m talking about the sea
shore,
” explained Daisy patiently. Conker looked confused. “It’s also called a beach,” she added helpfully. “It’s a place with water and boats and ice cream.”
“Is it very scary at the beach?” asked Hazel.
“No, it’s great,” said Daisy. “Why?”
“Because you said it makes you scream.”
“Huh?” said Conker.
“You said ‘It’s a place with lots of boats and water and I scream.’”
“No, not ‘I scream,’” said Daisy. “Ice cream.”
“I know. That’s what I said.”
Daisy shook her head. “No,
ice cream.
You know when the water trough freezes over in winter?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, it’s a little like that.”
“Can you skate on it?”
“Not really. You sort of . . . eat it.”
“Wow,” said Conker. “This beach place is
nuts.
” He stared at Daisy for a moment and then asked, “Where’s that funny thing you put all your stuff in?”
Daisy glanced over her shoulder and realized that Conker was talking about her backpack.
“I put it down over there,” she said, pointing, “but I won’t need it now since school is out for the summer.”
At that moment, Meadowsweet the mare trotted out from beneath the oak tree and leaned over the fence to nuzzle Daisy’s hair.
“Hello, Meadowsweet,” said Daisy. “I was just telling everyone that I’m going to the beach tomorrow.”
“How lovely,” said Meadowsweet. “I knew a donkey who went there once. He wore a straw hat to keep the sun off his head, and he used to let the children ride around on his back.”
“That sounds like fun,” said Conker, looking up at Meadowsweet.
“Don’t get any ideas, young squirrel,” said Meadowsweet. “It’s too hot for that kind of thing.”
“Is the water there as big as the river?” asked Boom.
“It’s called the ocean, and it’s bigger than the river,” said Daisy. “Sometimes you can see the whole sky in it.”
“The whole sky,” whispered Hazel. “Imagine that.”
Daisy saw that Boom was looking worried and remembered Meadowsweet telling her that he had once fallen into deep water as a puppy.
“Don’t worry, Boom,” she said. “I’m a really good swimmer.”
