February Friend Page 3

  “May I?” Mr. Neater got down on his knees. He took Douglas from Mrs. Pinto. He held the rabbit and whispered into his ears. Suddenly Douglas opened his eyes. His ears shot straight up. He began rubbing his nose against Mr. Neater’s coat.

  “He recognizes you!” Lucy cried.

  Mr. Neater smiled. “Of course he does,” the man said. “I’ve had Douglas for nine years, since he was no bigger than a hamster.”

  Bradley’s mother handed Mr. Neater the baby bottle. He touched Douglas’s nose with the nipple, and the rabbit began to suck water into his mouth.

  “Awesome!” Nate cried.

  After Douglas was finished drinking, everyone moved to the living room. The kids sat on the floor with Douglas. They took turns rolling a tennis ball across the rug. Douglas hopped after the ball. Each time he caught up with the ball, he batted it with one of his feet.

  “He seems to be very happy now,” Bradley’s mother said.

  “Why did you leave him at the school?” Bradley asked. “Why not just take him with you when you move?”

  “When I retire, I’ll be living at elderly housing on Main Street,” Mr. Neater said. “They don’t allow pets, so I had to find him a new home. I saw what good care your class takes of your hamster and turtle, so I brought Douglas there.”

  “Mr. Vooray said our class might be able to keep him,” Brian said. “But Douglas needs you!”

  Mr. Neater looked sad. “It seems that Douglas and I have a problem,” he said. “I can’t take him, and I can’t leave him.”

  11

  Bradley’s Dream

  Bradley’s mom offered Mr. Neater a ride home in her car.

  Douglas’s ears stood straight up when they put him back in his cage. His nose was twitching, and his eyes were bright.

  “Look how happy he is,” Bradley said.

  “I can keep him for two more weeks,” Mr. Neater said. “But I don’t know what I’m going to do when I move.”

  Bradley remembered the boy with the bike basket Ellie had mentioned. “Do you have a grandson?” he asked Mr. Neater.

  “Yes, his name is Myron,” Mr. Neater said. “He lives in Vermont.”

  “Could he take Douglas?” Bradley asked.

  Mr. Neater shook his head. “I already thought of that. But Myron’s mom is allergic,” he said.

  After Mr. Neater and Douglas left, the kids sat in a circle. They rolled the ball back and forth between them.

  “We have to think of something,” Bradley said.

  “I have an idea,” Brian said. “We can hypnotize Douglas into thinking Mr. Vooray is Mr. Neater.”

  The other three kids just looked at Brian.

  “You can’t hypnotize animals,” Nate said.

  “Who says?” Brian asked. “I saw on TV where these people put an alligator to sleep by rubbing its belly.”

  “But that’s not hypnotizing,” Lucy said. “Besides, rabbits are smarter than alligators. Douglas would know that Mr. Vooray isn’t Mr. Neater!”

  “Guys, we need a plan here,” Bradley said.

  No one could think of one.

  That night, Bradley had a dream. In his dream, Douglas was playing in a big meadow of wildflowers. Hundreds of other rabbits were in the field with him. The rabbits chased each other and tumbled in the tall grass and flowers.

  Bradley woke up the next morning with a plan. He woke his brother, then called Lucy and Nate.

  After breakfast, Bradley and Brian walked down Main Street. They cut between the town hall and the Shangri-la Hotel. Lucy and Nate were waiting for them at the town petting zoo.

  “This is a great idea!” Lucy said. “Douglas can live here with the other animals. And Mr. Neater can visit him anytime!”

  “That’s what I thought,” Bradley said. “They have other rabbits here, too.”

  The kids walked into the petting zoo office. A man with a friendly face was sitting at a desk. He wore a dark green shirt with a PETTING ZOO patch on the sleeve. “Can I help you?” he asked.

  The kids walked over to the man’s desk. Suddenly a little furry face peeked out of one of the desk drawers.

  “Don’t mind Slinky,” the man said. “He’s a ferret. Very sweet, very friendly.”

  The kids all petted Slinky.

  “And my name is Barney,” the man went on. “How can I help you?”

  “We have a friend who has a pet rabbit,” Bradley said. He told Barney about the problem Mr. Neater was having with Douglas. “Can Douglas come and live here?”

  Barney shook his head. “I’m afraid we have a problem, too,” he said. “We may have to shut down the petting zoo.”

  12

  A Perfect Plan

  “Why?” all four kids asked at once.

  “There are three of us working here,” Barney told the kids. “Brenda, Tom, and me. We feed the animals, make sure they get exercise, clean their cages, do just about everything. But I’m going back to college, and Brenda is getting married and moving away. That leaves just Tom, and he can’t do everything by himself.”

  Barney picked up Slinky and set him on his shoulder. “We’ll have to find homes for all the animals if we close,” he said. “I’m taking Slinky with me to college.”

  Bradley thought about all the other animals at the petting zoo. He’d been coming here since he was a baby.

  “So you see why we can’t take your friend’s rabbit,” Barney said. “We can’t even keep our own rabbits.”

  Just then Barney’s telephone rang. He waved good-bye to the kids and answered the phone.

  The kids walked outside. They cut between the town hall and the library to West Green Street.

  “Is this where Mr. Neater will be living?” Lucy asked. She pointed to the building next to the police station.

  “Yeah, and it’s a nice place,” Bradley said.

  “Our mom volunteers there once a week,” Brian added. “She helps the people do art projects and stuff.”

  “Oh my gosh, I’ve got it!” Bradley cried.

  “Got what?” his brother asked.

  “A new plan, but first we have to go see Mr. Neater again.”

  Bradley explained his idea on the way.

  Five minutes later, they knocked on Mr. Neater’s front door.

  Mr. Neater answered. He was holding Douglas in his arms.

  “Well, hello again,” the man said. “Come in out of the cold.”

  The kids piled their coats on a chair.

  “We have an idea about Douglas,” Bradley said.

  Mr. Neater was stroking Douglas’s long, silky ears. “Please tell us. We’re all ears,” he said with a grin.

  The kids told Mr. Neater about their visit to the petting zoo. They explained what Barney told them about the place maybe having to close down.

  “Douglas might love living there,” Mr. Neater said. “But if they’re going to shut down …”

  “They wouldn’t have to shut down if they had more people to take care of the animals,” Lucy put in.

  “We thought you could volunteer there after you retire from the school,” Bradley said.

  “That way you could see Douglas every day, and he wouldn’t feel lonely!” Nate added.

  Mr. Neater stared at the four kids. “Volunteering at the petting zoo might be fun,” he said after a minute. “And it’s only a few minutes’ walk from elderly housing.”

  “You’ll do it?” Bradley cried.

  Mr. Neater smiled. “If it’s okay with Douglas, it’s okay with me!”

  • • •

  Douglas went to live at the petting zoo. Mr. Neater moved into elderly housing and began volunteering at the zoo. He saw his rabbit every day.

  One Saturday the kids decided to pay Mr. Neater a visit at the zoo. What a surprise they got when they walked into the warm animal building.

  Bradley saw at least ten elderly people wearing dark green shirts. One man was brushing a small goat. A woman was placing fresh straw in cages. Two men were washing the floor with a garden
hose.

  Mr. Neater walked over to the kids. He was holding Douglas. “Hey, kids,” he said.

  “Hi, Mr. Neater!” the kids said.

  “Who are all these people?” Bradley asked.

  “They’re all volunteers from elderly housing,” Mr. Neater said. “I got them to agree to help out here at the zoo. They love the animals, and the animals get a lot more care and attention.”

  A woman with white hair walked by with a bag of corn in her hand. A white duck followed her, quacking loudly.

  Bradley smiled. His plan had worked. “Can I hold Douglas?” he asked.

  Mr. Neater placed Douglas in Bradley’s arms. The rabbit sniffed Bradley’s sweater. Then he closed his eyes and snuggled into the soft wool.