Gerbil on a Mission Read online

  OBI,

  Gerbil ON A Mission!

  OBI,

  Gerbil ON A Mission!

  M. C. Delaney

  Dial Books for Young Readers

  An imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  DIAL BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

  A division of Penguin Young Readers Group

  Published by The Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014, U.S.A. * Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) * Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England * Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) * Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) * Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India * Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) * Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa * Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Copyright © 2012 by Michael Delaney

  All rights reserved

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Delaney, M. C. (Michael Clark)

  Obi, gerbil on a mission!/by Michael Delaney. — 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  Summary: When pet gerbil Obi’s owner Rachel gets a new puppy, Obi is jealous, but when the puppy runs away it is up to Obi to brave the dangers of the outside world and bring the new pet home.

  ISBN: 978-1-101-57524-6

  [1. Gerbils—Fiction. 2. Dogs—Fiction. 3. Pets—Fiction. 4. Animals—Fiction. 5. Lost and found possessions—Fiction. 6. Adventures and adventurers—Fiction.] I. Title. II. Title: Gerbil on a mission!

  PZ7.D37319Oag 2012

  [Fic]—dc23 2011021636

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Text set in Century Schoolbook * Printed in the U.S.A.

  1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

  For Emma,

  a girl on a mission

  Acknowledgments

  My thanks to Haley Ott, Wendy Schmalz, Lucia Monfried, Irene Vandervoort, Jason Henry, Christine Hauck, Molly Delaney, Sue Glashow and Richard Rothstein.

  Many thanks, too, to everyone who read Obi, Gerbil on the Loose! and then adopted Obi as if she were your own pet. Without you, Obi would never have gone on a mission.

  Contents

  1. A Real Mystery

  2. An Uneasy Feeling

  3. But … But … That’s My Name!

  4. Dog Tricks

  5. Tug-of-War

  6. Mr. Durkins

  7. A Startling Revelation

  8. Advice

  9. Craig’s Bedroom

  10. Discovered!

  11. The Last Straw!

  12. The Broken Secret Door

  13. Immunity

  14. Gerbil on a Mission!

  15. A Strange, Rustling Sound

  16. The Woodpile

  17. Jailbreak!

  18. Mookie

  19. The Really Mean Dog

  20. The Owl

  21. Lions and Tigers and What’s That?!

  22. The Rubber Ball

  23. A Big Favor

  24. Trapped!

  25. Look Who’s Back!

  Sometimes things in life don’t always work out the way you’d like. When your life is that of a gerbil in a cage and things don’t go as you had hoped, there isn’t, really, a whole lot you can do about it. Basically, you have about three options:

  1. You can bury yourself in a big mound of cedar shavings and sulk;

  2. You can hop on your squeaky exercise wheel and sprint furiously so that the wheel squeaks like crazy, causing everyone in the house to hear it and become as miserable as you; or

  3. You can go on a mission to try and make the best of the situation.

  This last option, Number 3, was the one that Obi chose—well, more or less. May be less than more. Okay, maybe quite a bit less. All right, all right, maybe quite a lot less!

  Look, how about you just read the story and decide for yourself!

  Chapter One A Real Mystery

  Rachel was acting so weird. Right from the moment she had woken up, in fact, the weirdness began.

  Obi had been sound asleep in her cage, which sat atop Rachel’s dresser, when she heard a loud THUMP!

  “What was that?” cried Obi in alarm, suddenly wide awake. She popped her head up out of the big mound of cedar shavings she was nestled under and glanced about the bedroom.

  Obi stared in astonishment. Rachel had just leaped down from her bunk bed! Rachel, who was in fourth grade and slept on the top bed of a bunk bed, had bounced out of bed! Rachel was not a bouncer-out-of-bedder! Usually when Rachel got out of bed, she took the much quieter (and as far as Obi was concerned, far more civilized) method of climbing down the bunk bed ladder.

  “Good morning, Obi!” said Rachel with a bright, cheerful smile.

  Obi, blinking, glanced at the iPod alarm clock that sat on Rachel’s desk. It was still silent. Usually, Rachel didn’t wake up until her iPod began to play music. What was Rachel doing up when her iPod had yet to go off? Didn’t she know it was summer and she had no school today? Rachel could still be sleeping! Obi could still be sleeping!

  Then Rachel did another startling thing. Still in her pajamas, she left her bedroom, then returned a few minutes later with a pair of scissors, a dispenser of Scotch tape, a roll of wrapping paper, and a little object that Obi was unable to make out. Rachel went to the corner of her bedroom, plopped down on the floor, and, with her back to Obi, unrolled a section of the wrapping paper. Obi could hear snip, snip, snip as Rachel sliced off a piece of wrapping paper with the scissors. Why was Rachel being so secretive? How could she possibly keep a secret from Obi, her beloved gerbil? They didn’t keep secrets from each other! Well, maybe Obi had a few secrets that Rachel didn’t know about—for instance, Obi knew how to slip out of her cage all on her own—but, hey, that was different!

  Dying of curiosity, Obi rose up onto her hind legs to try and see what Rachel was doing. No sooner had Obi done this, though, than Rachel glanced over her shoulder and exclaimed, “No peeking!”

  Obi was shocked. How did Rachel know Obi had been trying to peek? Did she have eyes in the back of her head? Obi quickly dropped back down on all four legs.

  Obi heard the sound of Scotch tape being ripped from its dispenser. Then Rachel stood and, holding one hand behind her back, came over to her dresser and Obi’s cage. Obi, who was up in her bedroom tower, scampered down the tube that connected her bedroom tower to the living-room part of her cage. (Obi’s living room was also her kitchen, dining room, exercise room, and front hallway.)

  Using her hand that wasn’t hiding anything, Rachel took Obi out of her cage and set the gerbil down on top of the dresser.

  Then Rachel said, “Guess what today is, Obi?”

  So that was it! It was some special day! That was why Rachel was acting so strangely! But what special day could it be? So far as Obi knew, it was just a hot, steamy morning in early July.

  “IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY, SILLY!” cried Rachel.

  It was?! Obi had no idea! Well! This was a special day! A very special day!

  “You thought I forgot your birthday, didn’t you?”

  If Obi only knew how to speak Human, she would have replied, “No, Mom, it’s me who forgot!” But, alas, Obi could not speak Human; nor, for that matter, could Rachel speak Gerbil. As a result, communication
between the two of them could be rather trying at times.

  “Look what I got for you, you lucky gerbil!”

  Rachel pulled her hand out from behind her back. She opened her fist in front of Obi’s face. There, in her palm, was a little wrapped present that was about the size of a rubber eraser. Obi stared at the present, thrilled, wondering what it could possibly be. (She hoped it wasn’t a rubber eraser.) Obi stepped closer to investigate. She sniffed. She could smell Scotch tape, which wasn’t surprising considering Rachel had used so much of it to wrap the present. Then, suddenly, Obi smelled something else—something delicious!

  Oh, my gosh! thought Obi, sniffing excitedly. Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! It’s–it’s–it’s—

  “It’s cheddar cheese, Obi!” exclaimed Rachel as if she could read Obi’s thoughts. She ripped off the wrapping paper and placed the small chunk of cheese on the dresser in front of Obi.

  Obi was so touched. Tears filled her eyes. Cheddar was Obi’s favorite kind of cheese. What a wonderful mother she had! Obi had to be the luckiest gerbil in the world to be Rachel’s pet. Tilting her head back, Obi gazed lovingly up at her adoptive mother’s beaming face.

  Just then, over in the doorway, Obi heard a voice, a man’s voice, Mr. Armstrong’s voice.

  “Well, well, well! Look who’s up! How’s the birthday girl today?”

  Obi, startled, peered over at the doorway and saw Mr. Armstrong enter the room, followed by Mrs. Armstrong. They both had big smiles on their faces. Mr. Armstrong had a small, handheld video camcorder; Mrs. Armstrong had a small, digital still camera.

  Obi couldn’t believe it. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong had come to wish Obi a happy birthday, too! Wow, this really was a special day! But then Obi realized something odd. Mr. Armstrong had said “birthday girl,” not “birthday boy.” Mr. Armstrong was under the impression—the mistaken impression—that Obi was a male gerbil. So why had he said, “How’s the birthday girl today?” Shouldn’t he have said, “How’s the birthday boy today?”

  Rachel turned to her father and mother and, smiling, said, “I’m fantastic! How could I not be? It’s my birthday!”

  It was Rachel’s birthday, too? Then Obi realized that, yes, of course it was Rachel’s birthday, too! After all, Obi had once been Rachel’s birthday present. Mr. Armstrong and Rachel had gone to the pet store together and picked out Obi. At the time, Obi was only a few days old. (So, technically, today really wasn’t Obi’s birthday, but the day Rachel chose to observe it.) Nobody knew whether Obi was a male or a female gerbil. Not even Rachel. Everyone had just assumed that Obi was a male gerbil. Which was why Rachel had given Obi a boy’s name. She had named Obi after her favorite character in Star Wars: the great Jedi knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

  “We have something for you,” said Mrs. Armstrong.

  “You do?” said Rachel, all excited. “What?”

  Obi couldn’t wait to see what Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong had gotten Rachel for her birthday. But then, to Obi’s great dismay, Rachel whisked Obi up in her hand and put the little gerbil and her piece of birthday cheese into her cage and closed the door. Obi, frantic, dashed to the front of her cage and pressed her face between the bars and peered out. She didn’t want to miss any of this.

  Mr. Armstrong turned to face the doorway. He called out, “Betsy! Susie!”

  Out in the hallway came a burst of loud, uncontrollable giggles. A moment later, Rachel’s two younger sisters, the identical twins Betsy and Susie, entered the bedroom, giggling like mad, each holding one end of a large box that was festively wrapped in colorful polka-dotted paper. On top of the box was an enormous blue bow. The girls set the present down on the floor in the middle of Rachel’s bedroom.

  “What’s this?” asked Rachel, her eyes wide with excitement.

  “Just open it and find out!” a boy’s cranky voice snapped from the bedroom doorway. Obi shifted her gaze from the big present on the floor to the doorway. Rachel’s older brother, Craig, was now in the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb. He looked like he had just woken up: he was dressed in black gym shorts, a T-shirt, and his hair was all mussed up. What was Craig doing here? Craig never came into Rachel’s bedroom—well, not unless he thought Rachel had taken something of his that he wanted back.

  Then Obi noticed that more company had arrived. The three cats, Sugar Smacks, Sweetie Smoochkins, and Honey Buns, had joined the party as well.

  Obi stared at the present. What was in this large, mysterious present that had drawn all of the Armstrongs, plus the three cats, to Rachel’s bedroom?

  Rachel dropped down onto the carpeted floor to open her present. As she went to remove the big, blue bow, the present suddenly began to quake! Loud scratching sounds erupted from within the box!

  Rachel let out a startled scream and sprang back. This caused the rest of her family to roar with laughter. Even that sourpuss Craig couldn’t resist a chuckle. Then Rachel, too, laughed at her own frightened reaction.

  But Obi wasn’t laughing. There was a living, breathing, furiously scratching thing inside that box. Whatever it was, it sounded terribly desperate to get out and enter their lives.

  Chapter Two An Uneasy Feeling

  What’s in there?” Rachel asked as she eyed the present warily.

  “You’ll have to open it and find out,” said Mr. Armstrong, smiling in amusement at how apprehensive Rachel had suddenly become about opening her birthday present.

  “C’mon, just open it, will ya!” said Craig, being his usual jolly self.

  Rachel tore off a piece of the wrapping paper, revealing a cardboard box. Then she ripped off another piece, a bigger piece, of the wrapping paper. More of the brown box showed. The scratching inside the box grew louder, more frantic. So did Obi’s heartbeat! She had an uneasy feeling about this present. A very uneasy feeling!

  Rachel pulled off the last piece of wrapping paper. The side of the box had the word FRAGILE printed across it, in big letters. Rachel was about to lift the box flaps when Mr. Armstrong did a very unexpected and, to Obi, annoying thing. To get a better view of Rachel’s face on his video camera, Mr. Armstrong stepped in front of Rachel’s dresser, blocking Obi’s view of Rachel and the present.

  “Hey!” cried Obi.

  Just as Obi said this, she heard Rachel blurt out, “Ohhhhhhh! Wow! He’s soooooo cuuuuuutttte!”

  Obi frowned. Who was so cute? Anxious to find out, Obi got on her hind legs and stretched her neck to try and see past Mr. Armstrong. No luck. She tried jumping from side to side.

  “Oh, Mom! Dad! Thank you so, so much!” gushed Rachel. “I just love him!”

  Obi froze. Love?! What did Rachel just love? Obi peered curiously about the room. Mrs. Armstrong was smiling as she aimed her small camera at Rachel and took photo after photo. Betsy and Susie were seated on the floor, with the most enraptured, gooey-eyed looks on their faces. Even crabby, cranky Craig was grinning! What was causing this magical effect on the Armstrongs?

  Then Obi realized that not everyone in the room was smitten by Rachel’s birthday present. The three cats, Sugar Smacks, Sweetie Smoochkins, and Honey Buns, looked positively disgusted. Indeed, they spun about and fled from the room.

  “We thought you’d like a pet,” said Mr. Armstrong as he filmed Rachel on his video camera.

  Obi stared at Mr. Armstrong—well, at the back of his big, hairy, scruffy neck. A pet?! Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong had gotten Rachel another pet?! What about Obi? Wasn’t she Rachel’s pet? Of course she was! Why had the Armstrongs gotten Rachel another pet? She didn’t need another pet! She had Obi!

  “This is the best present ever!” exclaimed Rachel.

  Obi was stunned. The best present ever!? How could Rachel say such a thing? Hadn’t Obi been the best present ever? Obi told herself that Rachel was just excited and not thinking clearly. Either that, or she meant this was the best present ever for this particular birthday. Yes, that was it! It had to be!

  Obi was about to lose it, she was so fraught with anxiety and so desperate to fin
d out who this new pet was. She had to get Mr. Armstrong to move so she could see. Whirling about, Obi leaped onto her exercise wheel. She began to sprint like mad. This, in turn, caused her exercise wheel to squeak like mad. Obi glanced over, hoping Mr. Armstrong would hear all the squeaking and get the hint.

  “C’mon, Mr. Armstrong, you big oaf, move!” Obi exclaimed, running even faster.

  And then, to Obi’s horror, Mr. Armstrong, still filming, turned and frowned at Obi. Oh, my gosh, he hadn’t heard her call him a big oaf, had he?! Terrified, Obi stopped. Then, as if Mr. Armstrong all of a sudden understood, he stepped out of the way. As he did so, Obi got a spectacular view of Rachel seated on her bedroom floor beside the opened box and heaps of crumpled wrapping paper. Seated on either side of her, like two matching bookends, were Betsy and Susie. Obi’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened at the sight of what Rachel was holding in her lap.

  It was a dog—a cute, fluffy, golden retriever puppy. The little thing was licking Rachel’s hand and wagging its small tail and looking absolutely delighted to be Rachel’s new pet!

  Chapter Three But … But … That’s My Name!

  Obi was horrified at what she was seeing. Rachel was giving the puppy the Special Pet Treatment: she was hugging and petting him and nuzzling her nose into his soft, furry head—all the things a pet dreams about! It was not easy seeing your adoptive mother being so affectionate to another pet.

  “What are you going to name him?” Mr. Armstrong asked.

  “I don’t know,” replied Rachel, scratching the puppy under his chin.

  Rachel never scratched Obi under her chin!

  “I think you should name him Dog,” said Craig.

  Obi frowned at Craig. What kind of name was that? Actually, it was the kind of name you’d expect from someone who had named his pet corn snake “Boa.” Craig had two pets: a snake named Boa and a tarantula named Jose. Neither one ever left Craig’s bedroom.