“Jealous of what?”
“You didn’t get to go in the pond with Peanuts.”
“Did you hit your head or something?”
He smiled. “It was like being on a ride at an amusement park. You know, like Mr. Elephant’s Wild Ride, except for real. It was so cool.”
I turned to Vladimir. “Why did Peanuts do that?”
“Peanuts smelled water and needed to drink more and get cool,” Vladimir said. “It was too hot in the trailer for Peanuts. Poor elephant.”
“Everybody okay?” Mr. McCurdy asked as he finally reached us.
“Nicki good, Peanuts good,” Vladimir said.
Mr. McCurdy reached down and patted Nick on the head. “Take more than an elephant to crack a coconut as thick as this one.”
Peanuts certainly looked good. And happy. I didn’t know if elephants could smile, but it appeared as if he were smiling. He kept dipping his trunk into the water and spraying it into the air.
“Do you know what I’d like to do now?” Nick asked.
“Take a bath to get rid of the slime, change clothes and eat?” I asked.
“That would be good, but I’d like to do one thing first.” He paused, and a big grin split his face. “I’d like to try that ride one more time, but this time I’d try to stay on top of the elephant when he hit the water.”
Vladimir and Mr. McCurdy burst into laughter — one a deep, booming laugh, the other a raspy, cackling chuckle. The terrible thing was I was pretty sure Nick was just joking around, but I wasn’t one hundred percent certain.
Chapter 5
I looked up from my book to see a car coming up the driveway. It was a sleek, sporty, red number with tinted windows. I closed the book and put it on the chair as I got up. I’d been feeling guilty, anyway, reading while everybody else was busy working, but somebody had to watch Peanuts. He’d shown no willingness to leave the pond, and until he was out and put away in the barn, somebody had to be there. My two deer, who had been lying on the grass beside me, got up and trailed after me.
The car stopped right behind the second of the big trucks. I wondered who it could be. The door opened, and Mom stepped out. She’d mentioned she’d have to rent a car while ours was being fixed. Pretty snazzy. I waved to her, and she started walking in my direction. I decided to meet her partway. I’d still be able to keep an eye on Peanuts from there.
“So these are your girls,” she said.
“These are them. The big one — this one — is Sarah, and the other is Samantha.”
“They’re beautiful, and a lot bigger than I expected them to be.”
“They’re a lot bigger than I thought they were going to be. They’ve really grown over the past couple of weeks.”
“They seem pretty attached to you,” Mom said.
“Shouldn’t babies be attached to their mother?” I asked.
“I always thought that was the way it should be,” she said with a smile. “I assume Mr. McCurdy must be here. Did he come with those trucks?”
“They held the animals. Mr. McCurdy drove one and Vladimir the other.”
“It’s nice he’s home earlier than expected. Does that mean you and Nick will be coming home tonight?”
“We’ll be home for the night, but we’ll have to be right back here tomorrow. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
She crinkled her face. “It didn’t look like you were working too hard.”
“I wasn’t working hard, but I was working,” I assured her.
“And just what were you doing that would qualify as work?”
“I was watching — I am watching — Peanuts.”
“Peanuts … Peanuts the elephant?” She’d heard Nick talking about the elephant enough to know it by name.
I nodded. “He’s right over there in the pond.”
Mom walked with me to the edge of the water. Peanuts was still almost completely submerged. All that was sticking out of the water was the very tip of his trunk. He was using it like a snorkel, to breathe while staying underwater.
“There’s an elephant under there?” Mom asked.
“A
“You didn’t get to go in the pond with Peanuts.”
“Did you hit your head or something?”
He smiled. “It was like being on a ride at an amusement park. You know, like Mr. Elephant’s Wild Ride, except for real. It was so cool.”
I turned to Vladimir. “Why did Peanuts do that?”
“Peanuts smelled water and needed to drink more and get cool,” Vladimir said. “It was too hot in the trailer for Peanuts. Poor elephant.”
“Everybody okay?” Mr. McCurdy asked as he finally reached us.
“Nicki good, Peanuts good,” Vladimir said.
Mr. McCurdy reached down and patted Nick on the head. “Take more than an elephant to crack a coconut as thick as this one.”
Peanuts certainly looked good. And happy. I didn’t know if elephants could smile, but it appeared as if he were smiling. He kept dipping his trunk into the water and spraying it into the air.
“Do you know what I’d like to do now?” Nick asked.
“Take a bath to get rid of the slime, change clothes and eat?” I asked.
“That would be good, but I’d like to do one thing first.” He paused, and a big grin split his face. “I’d like to try that ride one more time, but this time I’d try to stay on top of the elephant when he hit the water.”
Vladimir and Mr. McCurdy burst into laughter — one a deep, booming laugh, the other a raspy, cackling chuckle. The terrible thing was I was pretty sure Nick was just joking around, but I wasn’t one hundred percent certain.
Chapter 5
I looked up from my book to see a car coming up the driveway. It was a sleek, sporty, red number with tinted windows. I closed the book and put it on the chair as I got up. I’d been feeling guilty, anyway, reading while everybody else was busy working, but somebody had to watch Peanuts. He’d shown no willingness to leave the pond, and until he was out and put away in the barn, somebody had to be there. My two deer, who had been lying on the grass beside me, got up and trailed after me.
The car stopped right behind the second of the big trucks. I wondered who it could be. The door opened, and Mom stepped out. She’d mentioned she’d have to rent a car while ours was being fixed. Pretty snazzy. I waved to her, and she started walking in my direction. I decided to meet her partway. I’d still be able to keep an eye on Peanuts from there.
“So these are your girls,” she said.
“These are them. The big one — this one — is Sarah, and the other is Samantha.”
“They’re beautiful, and a lot bigger than I expected them to be.”
“They’re a lot bigger than I thought they were going to be. They’ve really grown over the past couple of weeks.”
“They seem pretty attached to you,” Mom said.
“Shouldn’t babies be attached to their mother?” I asked.
“I always thought that was the way it should be,” she said with a smile. “I assume Mr. McCurdy must be here. Did he come with those trucks?”
“They held the animals. Mr. McCurdy drove one and Vladimir the other.”
“It’s nice he’s home earlier than expected. Does that mean you and Nick will be coming home tonight?”
“We’ll be home for the night, but we’ll have to be right back here tomorrow. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
She crinkled her face. “It didn’t look like you were working too hard.”
“I wasn’t working hard, but I was working,” I assured her.
“And just what were you doing that would qualify as work?”
“I was watching — I am watching — Peanuts.”
“Peanuts … Peanuts the elephant?” She’d heard Nick talking about the elephant enough to know it by name.
I nodded. “He’s right over there in the pond.”
Mom walked with me to the edge of the water. Peanuts was still almost completely submerged. All that was sticking out of the water was the very tip of his trunk. He was using it like a snorkel, to breathe while staying underwater.
“There’s an elephant under there?” Mom asked.
“A
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