Birdie For Now Read Online Free PDF Page B

he said, keeping his voice steady, hiding his relief.
    â€œBut I hate leaving you alone,” she began.
    â€œI’ll be fine,” he said, slugging down the milk she had poured. “I was okay today, wasn’t I?”
    â€œIt might be against the law,” she said. “I’ll ask Mrs. Nelson to watch out for you. And I’ll check in at noon. You’re pretty sensible.”
    â€œI’m TOTALLY sensible,” he said.
    A dog barked shrilly. Another answered. His mother frowned.
    â€œI wish we were not so close to that place,” she said. “If one of those strays got loose and attacked you …”
    â€œReally, Mum, you’ve been watching too much violent TV,” he teased.
    His voice must have sounded funny. She stared at him. He shifted his feet and balled his hands into fists. If only something would distract her!
    The phone rang.
    What a relief! She was soon chattering with someone from work. He parked himself in front of the TV. Although she always said he watched too much television, he knew she relaxed when she heard it go on. After all, her darling was safe in front of the tube. Ha!
    Wednesday morning crawled by. He visited Mrs. Nelson and Charlie. She was giving the tiny hedgehog a bath in the basin. Dickon watched in fascination.
    Charlie kept trying to escape. As she scrambled up the enamel sides of the basin and slipped back, her under-side grew beautifully clean. Mrs. Nelson laughed gently at her, but Dickon could see she was sympathetic.
    By noon, he was at home waiting for his mother’s check-up call. But she did not phone until after twelve-thirty. Then she chatted.
    So he was later than he planned.
    He slipped across the patch of grass that was his own yard and inspectedthe hole under the fence. The gap was big enough. Without taking time to look around, Dickon flung himself flat, prized up the wire and rolled under as far as he could. The left leg of his jeans snagged on a bit of metal. He pulled the denim loose and tried again. Wow! He had done it. Then feet thudded across the grass.
    â€œWell, well, Kris, what have we here?” Jody’s voice said from right above him.
    Dickon blushed scarlet. Where had she come from? A dog’s nose poked against his cheek. He rolled over and sat up.
    Kristin giggled. “No, Hercules. Don’t eat him alive.”
    â€œIt’s an alien,” Jody said. “Hey, kid, what’s your name?”
    He was rattled.
    â€œBirdie …” he started. Then, trying to fix it, he got out, “I mean, Dickon.”
    â€œWhy did you say ‘Bird’?” Jody asked.
    Dickon thought fast. “It’s my last name. I’m Dickon Bird,” he said.
    Nobody would believe that. His ears burned.
    â€œDickon Bird. How cute,” Jody said,letting his blush pass.
    Dickon opened his mouth and shut it again. The girls were introducing him to Poppet and Hercules. Other kids were coming over. Somehow the words he meant to say did not come out. Why were they all here early? He looked at his watch. One-thirty. They weren’t early at all.
    Then it dawned on him that if they did not know his real name they couldn’t tell his mother he had been over here. Maybe it was safer to go on being Dickon Bird.
    â€œAll right, class,” Leslie Hawkin called. “Time to start. Who, pray tell, might you be, young man?”
    â€œHis name’s Dickon Bird,” Kristin said with a small snort of laughter.
    â€œCould I watch?” Dickon began, doing his best to appear responsible and quiet.
    â€œI’m sorry but we don’t let anyone watch who isn’t signed up,” the teacher said briskly. “You would be distracting to the dogs.”
    â€œI wouldn’t,” Dickon burst out. “Please, let me. I wouldn’t …”
    â€œRun along home,” she said sharply. No touch of warmth sounded in her voice now. “The class is too large as it is, and