11. Bradley’s Dream

Chapter 11 Bradley's Dream Bradley's mom offered Mr. Neater a ride home in her car. Douglas's ears stood straight up when they put him back in his cage. His nose was twitching, and his eyes were bright. "Look how happy he is," Bradley said. "I can keep him for two more weeks," Mr. Neater said. "But I don't know what I'm going to do when I move." Bradley remembered the boy with the bike basket Ellie had mentioned. "Do you have a grandson?" he asked Mr. Neater. "Yes, his name is Myron," Mr. Neater said. "He lives in Vermont." "Could he take Douglas?" Bradley asked.

Mr. Neater shook his head. "I already thought of that. But Myron's mom is allergic," he said. After Mr. Neater and Douglas left, the kids sat in a circle. They rolled the ball back and forth between them. "We have to think of something," Bradley said. "I have an idea," Brian said. "We can hypnotize Douglas into thinking Mr. Vooray is Mr. Neater." The other three kids just looked at Brian. "You can't hypnotize animals," Nate said. "Who says?" Brian asked. "I saw on TV where these people put an alligator to sleep by rubbing its belly." "But that's not hypnotizing," Lucy said. "Besides, rabbits are smarter than alligators. Douglas would know that Mr. Vooray isn't Mr. Neater!" "Guys, we need a plan here," Bradley said. No one could think of one.

That night, Bradley had a dream. In his dream, Douglas was playing in a big meadow of wildflowers. Hundreds of other rabbits were in the field with him. The rabbits chased each other and tumbled in the tall grass and flowers. Bradley woke up the next morning with a plan. He woke his brother, then called Lucy and Nate. After breakfast, Bradley and Brian walked down Main Street. They cut between the town hall and the Shangri-la Hotel. Lucy and Nate were waiting for them at the town petting zoo. "This is a great idea!" Lucy said. "Douglas can live here with the other animals. And Mr. Neater can visit him anytime!" "That's what I thought," Bradley said. "They have other rabbits here, too." The kids walked into the petting zoo office. A man with a friendly face was sitting at a desk. He wore a dark green shirt with a PETTING ZOO patch on the sleeve. "Can I help you?" he asked. The kids walked over to the man's desk. Suddenly a little furry face peeked out of one of

the desk drawers. "Don't mind Slinky," the man said. "He's a ferret. Very sweet, very friendly." The kids all petted Slinky. "And my name is Barney," the man went on. "How can I help you?" "We have a friend who has a pet rabbit," Bradley said. He told Barney about the problem Mr. Neater was having with Douglas. "Can Douglas come and live here?" Barney shook his head. "I'm afraid we have a problem, too," he said. "We may have to shut down the petting zoo."

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