My dad drove home really carefully because Stinky was cradled in my hands, looking tired and happy and relieved. That’s how I felt too.
Stinky obviously couldn’t talk to me in the car, because my dad would have heard him, but I could still tell him stuff.
‘We saw what Edward Eggington did,’ I said. ‘Dad caught it on his camera.’
‘That boy is in a world of trouble,’ my dad muttered. ‘Your mum will see to that all right.’
When Dad had called to tell her we’d found Stinky, she’d hooted with delight. But then he’d told her what our next-door neighbour had done, and she fell completely silent.
When my mum went quiet, it usually meant that someone was in big, big trouble.
Sure enough, by the time our car turned slowly into our street, there was a small crowd of people outside the Eggingtons’ house. Edward was on his doorstep, between his parents, and all three Eggingtons were looking pale. Beverley Best, the lady from the pet show, was there too – my mum must have called her – and some neighbours had gathered, probably wondering what all the noise was about.
The noise was mostly coming from my mum. She was yelling, wagging her finger at Edward and looking as if she might explode with rage.
When my dad parked the car and we got out, everyone turned to look at us.
‘Welcome home, Stinky!’ Lucy squealed, and everyone cheered.
Well, everyone except the Eggingtons.
Beverley Best ordered Edward to bring her the Talented Pet certificate and the cheque she’d presented him with yesterday.
When he came back, she snatched them from him and gave them to my dad, because my hands were full with Stinky.
‘That hamster,’ she said to me, ‘a common pet hamster, survived a night in the wild. If that’s not a talent, I don’t know what is.’
I smiled, thanked Beverley Best and left all the commotion behind – my mum hadn’t finished with Edward Eggington, not by a long way.
In my room, I put Stinky back in his cage and sat on my bed, exhausted but incredibly happy.
Stinky scurried straight over to the carrot in the corner of his cage and started nibbling hungrily.
‘Incredible!’ I said, beaming. ‘You managed to win the contest after all. Even without skateboarding. So, what can I get you with the prize money? A hamster ball?’
He stopped eating carrot for a second and stared at me. ‘Certainly not,’ he said.
‘How about a bigger cage?’ I suggested. ‘With lots of tubes for making a burrow.’
‘I’ve had quite enough of burrows,’ he said.
‘So what would you like?’
‘Carrots,’ he said, ‘of all shapes and sizes. Lots of them. I never, ever want to be hungry again. Why any animal would want to live in the wild is absolutely beyond me. It’s cold. It’s frightening. And, furthermore, there’s absolutely nothing to eat.’
‘I thought hamsters ate bugs.’
‘Not this hamster,’ he snapped. ‘Have you ever eaten a bug?’
‘One time I was running with my mouth open and a fly flew in.’
‘And was it tasty?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘Not a bit.’
‘Well then. Bugs aren’t exactly my food of choice either. I much prefer carrots,’ he said, and had another nibble.
‘Welcome home,’ I said.
He looked up at me.
‘Thank you for not giving up on me,’ he said.
‘You taught me that,’ I told him.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I suppose I did.’ Then he shook his head. ‘A “common pet hamster” indeed,’ he muttered.
I smiled. There was nothing common about Stinky.
THE END