Ellie the Homesick Puppy (7 page)

“I’m sure she won’t have,” Mum said firmly. “Ellie won’t give up. She made it this far, didn’t she? She’ll be around here somewhere, probably just a bit confused. Let’s go and try the park.”

But Ellie wasn’t in the park, or in any of the streets around their old house. They called, Megan’s dad whistled, and they stopped to ask everyone they saw. But there was no trace of her.

“She’s gone.” Megan had stopped crying now. She was almost too upset to cry. “We had our chance and now we’ve lost her for ever.”

“Megan!” Her mum crouched down and hugged her. “I never thought I’d hear you giving up. You have to keep going – Ellie needs you to find her.”

Megan nodded, biting her lip. Her mum was right. Ellie wouldn’t give up on her, would she? “Can we go and see Bella? Get her to look out for Ellie? She won’t know Ellie’s back here, and she could ask people from school if she sees them.”

“Good idea,” her mum said. “Let’s go back to the car – we’ll drive round.”

Megan rang Bella’s doorbell, thinking back to the last time she’d done that – on the final day of school, when Bella had been running so late she hadn’t come out of the house when Ellie barked.
She’d been pulling on her coat when she opened the door, and she’d had a piece of toast sticking out of her mouth. She’d fed a little bit of it to Ellie.

Megan blinked. Why was there barking coming from inside Bella’s house? She didn’t have a dog…

Just then, the door flew open. “I knew it! Did you get my message? I’ve called about six times! Why didn’t you call me back?” Bella’s words were falling over each other in excitement, but Megan hardly heard her.

She was hugging Ellie – Ellie who’d leaped into her arms as soon as Bella opened the door. The puppy’s paws were on Megan’s shoulders in a golden furry hug, and she was licking Megan’s face all over.

Megan’s parents laughed delightedly, and Bella’s mum started telling them about Ellie’s sudden appearance.

Megan beamed at Bella. “We didn’t get any message, we weren’t at home, you see. The people from the new house had found Ellie, but she slipped out of the shed. They had to put her in there because they had a dog too, so – urrgh, Ellie, don’t lick my mouth!

Outside Bella’s front gate, Ellie dropped the rope toy, and sat down neatly, just like she always used to. Then she barked loudly, three times.

She waited. She was just about to bark again, when Bella’s front door opened, and Bella rushed out on to the path.

“Ellie! I thought it was you barking, but Mum said it couldn’t possibly be!
So they shut Ellie in, but there’s a hole in the shed wall, so she got out. She must have decided to come to you, she knows you really love her. Bella, you found her!” And she hugged Bella too, squidging Ellie in between them.

“No, she found me,” Bella giggled. “She turned up and barked outside the gate. I thought I was dreaming!”

“Oh, Ellie, I’m never letting you go anywhere again,” Megan gasped in between licks. “You’re such a clever, brilliant dog – how did you find your way back here?”

Ellie sighed deeply, and laid her chin on Megan’s shoulder. All of a sudden, she felt very, very tired.

It had been a long journey, but now, at last, she was back home with Megan.

Lost in the Snow

Lost in the Storm

Alfie all Alone

Sam the Stolen Puppy

Max the Missing Puppy

Sky the Unwanted Kitten

Timmy in Trouble

Ginger the Stray Kitten

Harry the Homeless Puppy

Buttons the Runaway Puppy

Alone in the Night

Ellie the Homesick Puppy

Jess the Lonely Puppy

Misty the Abandoned Kitten

Oscar’s Lonely Christmas

Lucy the Poorly Puppy

Smudge the Stolen Kitten

The Rescued Puppy

The Kitten Nobody Wanted

The Lost Puppy

The Frightened Kitten