Ellie and the Good-Luck Pig
The New Guest
Ellie checked her sparkly red watch. “Ms. Sullivan,” she said, “what time are they coming again?”
Ms. Sullivan laughed. “Like I said the last time you asked—any minute!”
Ellie sighed. “But that was at least two minutes ago!”
This time Amy, Liz, and Marion laughed, too. The four girls and Ms. Sullivan were in front of The Critter Club, the animal shelter they ran in Ms. Sullivan’s barn. They were waiting to welcome Plum, their newest animal guest.
“Do we have the food ready for her?” Marion asked.
Amy nodded. “My mom says Plum eats all kinds of fruits and vegetables.” Amy’s mom was a veterinarian. She helped out with the animals at The Critter Club. “She also said they are very social animals. We should make sure one of us can come here to play with her every day.”
Liz knelt down to pet Ms. Sullivan’s dog. “I wonder what you’ll think of Plum, Rufus.”
Just then, Rufus started to bark, but not at Liz. He was barking at the road. Everyone looked that way. A pickup truck was pulling in to Ms. Sullivan’s driveway.
“She’s here! She’s here!” Ellie exclaimed. She jumped and clapped. They’d had all kinds of animals at The Critter Club: kittens, bunnies, turtles, even frogs. But never an animal like Plum!
