Birdie For Now Read Online Free PDF

returned to her spot. The whistle blew another sharp blast.
    Dickon set the heavy binoculars down on the windowsill and shook his fingers.
    â€œToday we won’t have time for a whole class,” Leslie said. “I just want to meet you all and check that you have choke chain collars for your dogs.”
    â€œI don’t want to choke Hercules,” Kristin protested. “He’s so little and he shouldn’t be hurt.”
    â€œMe neither,” murmured Maria.
    Leslie went over and put a choke collar on Kristin’s arm.
    â€œIf you put it on properly, it won’t really choke your dog. It’ll just get his attention. Then you loosen your tug. Like this.”
    She jerked the leash. Kristin’s mouth opened. Before she could speak, the leash fell slack.
    â€œOh,” she said, looking down at her arm. There was no mark.
    Dickon especially liked Kristin and Jody. Kristin looked calm and friendly, and Jody seemed exciting. Friendly too, but differently. He liked Jenny too. He could tell she was feeling shy. He saw Jody speak to her. She must have made a joke. Jenny glanced nervously at Leslie and then smiled back.
    Dickon’s throat ached with his yearning to run out and leap into the ring of kids with a dog of his very own. He would instantly belong. It wouldn’t matter that the others were older and taller. Everybody in the world was bigger than Birdie Fielding. Except Jenny maybe.
    A shriek made Dickon snap to attention.
    Taffy had pulled loose and wasrunning away. Dickon looked to where she was heading and saw the hole in the fence. It was low and not huge, but a dog could wriggle through it. And it led right into Dickon’s yard.
    â€œGotcha!” Trevor caught hold of his dog’s tail. Taffy sat down and allowed him to pick up her leash.
    Twenty minutes later, all the children were handed juice boxes and the dogs were given water. Then, in no time at all, it was over. Everyone left. Dickon, watching them go, was making a plan.
    Tomorrow, before the kids came, he would wiggle through the hole in the fence. He was sure that he would fit. Then he would hang around, at the edge, quiet and interested. He would not fidget or yell. He would take his pill last thing. He’d be a shadow of a boy. If he did it just right, Leslie Hawkin had to let him stay. Jody would take his part for sure. He curled up and began a daydream in which he got a dog, a beautiful big one with brown eyes filled with love. His dog was obedient right away.

“I’m Dickon Bird”

    The slam of a car door woke him. He leaped up and zoomed into the hall.
    â€œHi, Mum,” he said, suddenly pleased to see her.
    â€œHi yourself, my sweet Birdie,” she said, dumping groceries onto the kitchen table and hugging him. “Did you think I was never coming?”
    â€œNo,” he said, surprised. Then hestole a look at his watch. Five-forty-five. She had said she would be home by five at the latest.
    â€œI knew you’d call if something was wrong,” he said.
    He was in luck. She was so taken up with her first full day at her new job that she forgot to quiz him about what he’d done all day.
    â€œSo what’s new, Chickabid?” she asked finally through a yawn.
    He told her he’d watched TV and had lunch and worked on his Lego.
    â€œKids came to a dog class at the Humane Society,” he threw in, casually.
    â€œOh, baby, they want me to work late for the first two weeks,” she burst out, not hearing what he said. She launched into the story of her day. It sounded dull to him, but clearly she had found it a great challenge.
    â€œWow,” he murmured, realizing she had paused for him to react. “Wow” should be safe.
    At last she got up and started making their supper.
    They had almost finished eating before Dickon realized that his mother was feeling guilty because she was going to be late coming home for a while.
    â€œDon’t worry,”