“They’re here!” Mom called. “Early for once, as well!”
Luma sprang to her feet, just in time to see Mom rushing past her room toward the front door.
“Puppy! Puppy!” Reyansh, Luma’s younger cousin, shouted as he raced down the hallway toward her.
“Where’s the puppy, Luma?” Arjun, Luma’s older cousin, asked, sprinting in front of Reyansh.
“We came early,” Luma heard Auntie tell Mom. “The boys are so excited … Luma Happy birthday!”
Auntie swept Luma up into a big squishy hug.
“The puppy, Luma?” Arjun asked.
And then Nani appeared.
“Hello again.” Nani smiled. “How was your play in the yard, Luma? Did you find anything interesting?”
“The puppy!” Arjun and Reyansh shouted together. “Where is the puppy?”
“Oh … he’s in my room,” Luma said, and then seeing the eager looks on Arjun and Reyansh’s faces, she quickly shut her bedroom door.
“He?” Auntie said. “I thought you wanted a girl?”
“A boy puppy, awesome.” Arjun grinned, reaching for the door handle.
“No!” Luma said, batting his hand away. “We didn’t get him from the rescue center,” Luma explained. “I found him in the yard and he’s very scared.”
“In the yard?” Auntie said. “How odd!”
“I know!” Mom said.
“Please let us see him, Luma, please!” Reyansh wailed.
“They might help to encourage Timir out of hiding,” Mom said.
“I doubt it,” Luma said and then she sighed and opened the door.
“He’s under the bed,” Luma said.
“What’s all this mess?” Auntie asked, eyeing the torn-up bits of monkey toy.
“I thought he might like to play,” Luma said. “But he ripped it up instead.”
“I can’t see him,” Reyansh said, kneeling down in front of Luma’s bed.
“Move over!” Arjun shoved Reyansh aside. “There’s nothing there.”
“There is,” Luma said. “There’s a … err, puppy.”
And then Reyansh spotted Luma’s flashlight and turned it on.
There was a loud hiss.
“I see him!”
“Go away!” Timir roared.
Luma leapt on Reyansh and took the flashlight. “I knew you’d scare him!”
“What was that noise?” Auntie asked. “It sounded like a bird squawking or a cat screeching!”
“That’s what I thought,” Mom said.
“I need to have a look,” Auntie said, kneeling beside the boys, and then she gasped. “What an odd-looking dog!”
“What about this?” Arjun asked, pulling out a light-up yo-yo from his pocket. “I bet the puppy will come out for this.”
“I wouldn’t,” Luma warned.
Arjun rolled the yo-yo under the bed.
“Attack!” Timir cried.
“Ow!” Arjun shouted as the string disappeared. ‘My yo-yo!”
“I told you so,” Luma said, crossing her arms.
“A net!” Arjun scowled. “We could trap him and drag him out.”
“Never!” Luma shouted.
“I can fit underneath,” Reyansh said, dropping to his tummy and wiggling forward.
“No!” Mom grabbed Reyansh’s feet and tugged him backwards.
“Well,” said a voice behind them. “He’s never going to come out with you all crowded around.”
Everyone turned to look at Nani.
