Karen's Little Sister Read online

  Why did we have to quiet down? I wondered. Emily probably couldn’t hear us anyway.

  * * *

  On Sunday, all I wanted was for someone to pay attention to me.

  First, I tried being nice. I fixed Emily’s breakfast for her.

  Nannie said, “Oh, look how well Emily is eating. She must be feeling better.”

  Did anyone say, “Thank you, Karen”? No. They did not.

  Then I tried being naughty. At lunchtime, I put some peas in my spoon. I boinged them across the table. They landed on the tray of Emily’s high chair.

  “Oh, what a mess,” said Elizabeth. “Don’t worry, Emily. I’ll clean it up for you.”

  Later that afternoon, I waited until the food had settled in my stomach. Then I ran into the living room, where Daddy, Elizabeth, and Nannie were sitting. For once, Emily was not with them.

  “Hey, everybody! Look at me!” I cried. I did a handstand, but I fell over.

  “Karen,” said Daddy, “is your knapsack packed? You and Andrew need to be ready to leave when Mommy comes.”

  I sat up slowly.

  “It’s packed,” I said grumpily.

  Then I stalked out of the living room.

  I could not wait to go back to the little house.

  A Pet for Karen

  When Andrew and I were back at the little house that night, I felt sad.

  I sat on my bed for awhile and just looked at Goosie. I did not even talk to him.

  Then I sat on a chair in our den. I swung my feet back and forth. I did not turn on the TV.

  Andrew came into the den and said, “Can I watch Captain Tornado?” He knows I hate Captain Tornado.

  “I don’t care,” I answered.

  I wished Midgie would push his wet nose into my hand, or that Rocky would curl up in my lap. But Rocky and Midgie were fast asleep on the rug in the laundry room.

  When Andrew turned on Captain Tornado I went back up to my bedroom. After awhile, Mommy and Seth came in. They sat down next to me.

  “Karen,” said Mommy, “I don’t think you had a very happy weekend at Daddy’s Is that right?”

  I nodded.

  “Do you want to tell us about it?” asked Seth.

  “All anyone talks about over there is Emily. Emily this. Emily that. Emily, Emily, Emily. Sometimes I was lonely this weekend.”

  “You know Daddy still loves you, though, don’t you?” asked Mommy. “And Elizabeth and Kristy and your brothers and everyone love you, too.”

  “I guess,” I replied. “But I didn’t feel like they loved me.”

  Seth put his arm around me. Mommy kissed my cheek.

  “You know what I wish?” I said.

  “What?” asked Mommy and Seth.

  “I wish I had a pet of my own. I wish I had something that belonged to me, something I could take care of that would love me as much as I loved it. Hannie has Pat, and David Michael has Shannon.”

  Mommy and Seth looked at each other. They raised their eyebrows.

  “Well,” said Mommy after a moment, “I guess you are old enough to have a pet.”

  “Really?!” I cried.

  “Really,” Mommy answered. “If you promise to take care of your pet yourself — except for when you’re at Daddy’s. Then Seth and I will be happy to take care of it for you.”

  “Oh! Oh, goody, goody, goody! I can’t believe it!” I exclaimed. Then I remembered to add, “Thank you. I promise to care for my pet. I’ll never forget.”

  “Just one thing,” spoke up Seth. “You’ll have to get a small pet. No more dogs or cats. We already have Rocky and Midgie. Another dog or cat would be too much trouble. But you may choose whatever kind of small pet you want.”

  “Can I have a pet, too?” asked a voice from the doorway. It was Andrew. He looked pleadingly at Mommy and Seth.

  “When you are six,” Mommy told him gently.

  I was feeling so happy that I said to my brother, “Andrew, you can share my pet sometimes, okay?”

  “Okay!”

  Mommy and Seth and Andrew left me alone then. I began to think. What kind of pet did I want? A hamster or a gerbil? No, they’re too small. A rabbit? Maybe. A snake? Nah. Too yucky. Fish? No, they aren’t any fun. A frog? Not very cuddly. Too bad about no more cats and dogs. What I wanted was a cat of my own like Pat. But at least I was going to get a pet.

  When I fell asleep that night I dreamed of animals.

  The Baby Bird

  On Monday afternoon after school, I was still thinking about pets. I put my jacket on and wandered around the backyard. I sat down on a rock.

  What kind of pet? What kind of pet? I wondered. A mouse? No, much too small. A turtle? No, even less cuddly than a frog, although it would be fun to watch a turtle hide in its shell. A guinea pig? Maybe. But if I were going to get a guinea pig, I might as well get a rabbit. In kindergarten, our class pet was a rabbit named Nibbles, and I liked Nibbles very much.

  A smart animal would be fun. I could teach it tricks or — Hey! I thought. What about a parrot? I could teach it to talk. That would really be great!

  I stood up and began walking around, thinking. I could teach a parrot to say, “Hello, Karen,” or even to sing “You Are My Sunshine.” We could sing together. We could perform. Karen Brewer and her singing parrot. We would be famous.

  I was thinking so hard about being famous that I wasn’t watching where I was going. I nearly stepped on something in the grass. The something was alive.

  “Yikes!” I cried.

  I jumped back.

  Then I bent down to see what it was.

  It was a baby bird. It was flopping around, looking scared. I didn’t think it was hurt, but it seemed awfully small. Maybe it had fallen out of its nest. That happens sometimes.

  Where was the bird’s mother? I wondered. Then I remembered something that Ms. Colman had told our second-grade class. Ms. Colman is our teacher, and she is very, very smart. Nice, too. Ms. Colman had said that if a mother or father animal smells the scent of a human on its baby, it will abandon the baby. It will leave the baby forever.

  I did not want that to happen to this baby, so I backed away. I sat down on the rock again and watched the bird. I waited for its mother or father to come swooping out of the sky and rescue it.

  No big bird came.

  But Rocky appeared. I saw him amble around the corner of the house. Uh-oh! I would have to rescue the bird myself. I ran into the kitchen to get a pair of oven mitts. I hoped I could get back to the bird before Rocky saw him.

  Luckily I did. Rocky was sitting by the porch. I dashed past him and scooped the bird up in the mitts. The bird squawked wildly. It flapped its tiny wings. But I managed to carry it inside.

  “Mommy!” I cried. “Andrew! Come see what I found!”

  Mommy and Andrew ran into the kitchen.

  “What is it?” asked Mommy.

  “A baby bird. I found it in the grass. I think it fell out of its nest. I was waiting for its mother to get it, but then Rocky came into the yard. I had to rescue it. What should we do with it?”

  “For now,” said Mommy, “let’s just make it comfortable. We’ll fix it up in a shoe box. Then we’ll wait for Seth to come home from work. He’ll know what to do. Seth is good with animals.”

  So Andrew and I put some soft rags and a cup of water in the shoe box. We put the bird on the rags. Then we waited for Seth.

  A Big Job

  Seth did not come home for two more hours. The bird squawked and flapped in the little box. It did not look very happy.

  Squawk, squawk, squawk.

  Flap, flap, flap.

  I felt bad for the bird. It looked the way I felt when I did not want to go to the dentist. Or when I was scared or mad.

  “Quiet down, birdie,” I said.

  The bird would not be quiet.

  I started to feel annoyed. I wanted to help the bird, but I did not know how.

  “Mommy?” I asked. “May I pat the bird?”

  “I suppo
se so,” Mommy answered. “Be very gentle.”

  I stroked the bird’s feathers. “It’s all right,” I told the bird. “You’ll feel better soon.”

  I was gigundo happy when Seth finally came home.

  “Seth! Seth! Look what I found in the yard!” I held the box toward him. “What should we do? Mommy said you would know.”

  “Well,” Seth replied slowly, “we can take care of the bird, but it will be a big job. Are you ready to help with a big job?”

  “I’m ready,” I said, feeling important.

  “It’s a good thing the bird is not hurt,” said Seth. “It’s just a little young. Still, it will need lots of care. All the care its mother would have given it.”

  Seth got busy collecting things — an eye-dropper, some water, some grass and leaves and rags, and more.

  “Do you think the bird is a boy or a girl?” I asked Seth.

  Seth scratched his head. “I don’t know,” he replied.

  “Well, I think it’s a boy,” I said, “so we can start calling the bird a ‘him.’ ”

  Seth grinned. Then he made a nest for the bird out of the grass and leaves and rags. Next he showed me the special food that he had fixed for the bird. He sucked it into the eyedropper.

  “Now, Karen,” he said, “baby birds eat very often. We will have to feed your bird every two hours or so. All day and all night for awhile. Just like this.”

  Seth showed me how to feed the bird with the eyedropper. Right away, the bird seemed happier. It settled down. It stopped squawking so much. I thought of Emily. She had stopped crying after Dr. Dellenkamp had given her the medicine for her ear. Emily and the bird were sort of alike. They needed big people to help them with some things.

  I was glad my bird felt better.

  “Karen?” said Mommy. “Do you think you can remember to feed the bird every two hours after school? Seth and I will help you at night and while you’re at school, but the rest of the time, he is your responsibility.”

  I nodded. “I can do it. I want to help the bird grow up. By the way, you don’t have to get me a pet now. The bird will be my pet. You know why? I had just decided that the pet I would ask for was a parrot. And then I almost stepped on the bird. So the bird will be my pet instead. Okay?”

  Mommy and Seth glanced at each other.

  They did not say anything.

  But, “Squawk!” went the bird.

  “Oh, you are so cute, little birdie,” I said, “I will have to name you. Then I can call you something besides ‘him’ and ‘birdie.’ ”

  I looked happily into the bird’s box. At last I had a pet of my own.

  Magic Tastee

  Not long after the bird’s first feeding, Seth said, “Oh, I just remembered! Baby birds are used to warm nests. Their mothers keep the nests warm. So do their brothers and sisters. This little guy must be getting chilly. We’ll have to warm him up.”

  Seth turned on the oven and opened the door.

  “You’re going to cook the birdie?” shrieked Andrew.

  “Oh, no, honey. Of course not,” Mommy answered in a rush.

  Seth looked around at us. I could tell he was trying not to smile.

  “No way,” he replied. “I’m just going to heat the nest for him.”

  “Oh.” Andrew let out a huge sigh of relief.

  Seth gently took the bird out of the nest and set him on a rag in the box. Then he stuck the nest in the oven. He left it there for ten minutes. Then he put it back in the bird’s box.

  I touched it carefully. It wasn’t too hot. Just nice and warm.

  Seth put the bird in the nest. Right away, the bird fell asleep. I guess he needed naps like Emily.

  “Thank you, Seth,” I said.

  “You’re welcome,” he replied. “But remember. Our work has just begun.”

  Why do grown-ups make everything seem like a chore? I wondered. I didn’t mind feeding my bird and warming his nest.

  A little while later, the bird woke up. He began to squawk again.

  “Feeding time!” announced Seth, even though we were in the middle of our own dinner.

  “Okay,” I said. I stood up from the kitchen table. I found the eyedropper and filled it with food. Then I sat on the floor next to the bird’s box and fed him the way Seth had shown me.

  The bird grew quiet. I stroked his soft feathers. I felt just like his mother. I was feeding him and taking care of him and making him happy.

  When the eyedropper was empty, the bird hopped into his nest and went to sleep again.

  “Now I will have to name the bird,” I told Mommy and Seth and Andrew. We were cleaning up the kitchen. “He needs a really good name. I am going to go to my room to think. And I will take the bird with me. That way, I can close my door and Rocky will not be able to get him.”

  So I carried the bird and the box and the eyedropper and the food upstairs. I set the box at the foot of my bed. I closed my door. Then I knelt by the box.

  “What should I name you?” I asked the bird. (He was still asleep.) “I think I should name you after something I like.”

  I made a list of things I like:

  I looked at the list. I couldn’t name the bird Roller Skates. I couldn’t name him Cat or Dog. Then I got a great idea. I could name him after two things I like. I would call him Magic Tastee. That was a very, very special name. I hoped the bird would like it.

  I wrote his name on his box and set the box on the radiator so Magic Tastee could stay warm and toasty during the night.

  The Best Bird in the Whole World

  All that night, whenever Magic Tastee squawked, Mommy or Seth or I would get up and feed him. He squawked six times, so each of us got up twice.

  The next morning, I felt very sleepy. But I was glad to see that Magic Tastee looked fine. He hopped around in his box. He even chirped a couple of times.

  “What kind of bird do you think Magic Tastee is?” I asked Seth as he drove me to school.

  “I think he’s a sparrow,” Seth replied. “He will probably not grow to be a very big bird.”

  “That’s okay,” I said, “because he is the best bird in the whole world…. Seth?”

  “Yes?”

  “Did you notice that I remembered to heat Magic Tastee’s nest before we left? And tonight I will put it on the radiator again.”

  “I’m very proud of you,” said Seth. He smiled at me.

  “And Magic Tastee seemed much happier today. He was hopping all over.”

  “You are doing a good job. You’re being very responsible.”

  Seth let me off in front of school and I ran inside. I ran straight to my classroom. A few other kids were already there. And Ms. Colman was sitting at her desk.

  “Guess what! Guess what!” I shouted.

  “Karen,” said Ms. Colman gently. “Use your indoor voice.”

  “Sorry,” I said. I put my things away in my cubby. Then I joined Hannie and Nancy. They were talking to Natalie Springer and Ricky Torres in the back of the room. Natalie and Ricky wear glasses like I do.

  “Guess what,” I said to them in a quieter voice. “I found a bird yesterday. It was lost from its mother. So I put it in a box, and we made a nest for it and we’re feeding it about every two hours, and I named it Magic Tastee!”

  “Cool,” said Natalie.

  “Awesome,” said Nancy.

  “Neat,” said Hannie.

  “What kind of name is Magic Tastee?” asked Ricky.

  I made a face at him. Ricky is a gigundo pain.

  A few more kids came into the room. Nancy told them about Magic Tastee. They had lots of questions. Everyone gathered around me. I just love being in the middle of things and answering questions.

  As soon as I got home that day, I ran to Magic Tastee’s box. He was fluttering around, chirping happily.

  “Aw, you are so cute, Magic Tastee,” I told him. I stroked his feathers. “I love you. Do you know that?”

  Mommy came into my room then.

  “Ho
w was he today?” I asked.

  “Full of beans,” said Mom. “He seems to love his food.”

  “Well, I’ll take over now,” I said importantly. “Oh, Mommy, I am so glad to have a pet at last.”

  Mommy looked thoughtful. “One day soon he will learn to fly, Karen,” she said.

  But I was not listening. I was gathering up Magic Tastee’s nest so I could warm it for him again.

  Show and Share

  I found Magic Tastee on Monday. All that week, he changed. He got a little bigger. He ate more, but he did not eat as often. He hopped around more. He chirped more and squawked less. I thought I was being a very good mommy to Magic Tastee.

  On Thursday, Seth said to me, “It’s time to move Magic Tastee into a bigger box. And we will have to cover it with a screen. Otherwise, Magic Tastee might escape and fly around the house. Have you noticed that he is trying to learn to fly?”

  “Yes,” I said, even though I had not noticed at all. I had just seen that Magic Tastee was hopping higher and fluttering more.

  So Seth found a bigger box in our garage. Then he went to the hardware store. He bought a piece of screen. He made a top for Magic Tastee’s new box.

  * * *

  Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we have Show and Share time in Ms. Colman’s class. You only have to tell something or bring something to show if you want to. I almost always have something for Show and Share.

  Guess what I brought to school on Friday. Magic Tastee! Actually, Mommy brought him. She brought him just for Show and Share, and she took him home right afterward. I did not tell Hannie or Nancy or anyone except Ms. Colman what I was going to do.

  I was very excited about my surprise.

  At Show and Share time on Friday, Ms. Colman said, “Okay, boys and girls, who has something to show or share?”

  Seven kids raised their hands. I was one of them.

  Then Ms. Colman said, “I know what Karen has to show us, and it will be a surprise. It should be here any minute. While we wait, Ricky, why don’t you share something with us?”