5 The Guinea Pig Whisperer

The GuineaPig Whisperer

Beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep! Mrs. B. drove like crazy around the parking lot, honking the horn to get people's attention. Then she parked under a big shade tree right next to a busy coffee shop. "Say hello to Squeals on Wheels!" called Mrs. Birdwistle. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Great Guinea Pig Giveaway! Adopt a guinea pig," Stink called. "Or two. Or three. How about four fur balls?" "I hope all one hundred and one guinea pigs get adopted soon," said Webster. "Except for you, Astro," said Stink, whispering to his favorite guinea pig. Kids and parents crowded into the camper. "Who wants to pet a guinea pig?" asked Stink. "Me! Me! Me!" yelled all the kids.

"Okay, Guinea Pigs 101: Never grab a guinea pig by the fur on its neck," said Stink, "or you'll scare it. Hold a piggy from underneath, like this." "Brush your guinea pig every day," said Sophie.

"And feed them fresh fruits and veggies," said Webster, "you know, like parsley and cherry tomatoes." "Tug of war!" said Stink as Snickers and Oreo raced to munch a bunch of parsley Webster tossed into their cage. Two girls wearing ponytails and matching headbands asked, "Do you have any twin guinea pigs? We like everything twins." "We have Fuzzy and Wuzzy!" Sophie showed them two brown-and-white pups with curly ears. Fuzzy and Wuzzy wiggled their fluffy white butts. "They look like they're wearing tutus," said one twin. "We'll take them!" said the other. "Only ninety-nine more to go!" said Sophie. A tall lady with black-and-white hair and red shoes chose a white-crested guinea pig. "That lady looked just like Cruella De Vil," said Stink.

"And the guinea pig she picked looked just like her," said Webster. "At least she wasn't wearing a fur coat," said Sophie. "Take home a guinea pig," yelled Stink. "Take two. Take three. Guinea pigs are happier with a friend!" "We'll take five," said Parker, a kid Stink knew from Virginia Dare School. He was with his little brother, Cody. "Score!" said Stink, scooping up the guinea pigs they picked out. They chose Butterscotch, Blackberry, Hash Brown, Jelly Bean, and... Astro!

"Sorry. You can't have that one," said Stink. "Why not?" asked Parker. "You just can't," Stink said. "Is he yours?" "Not exactly," said Stink. "Well, whose is he?" "Nobody's, but— look, there are ninety-nine million guinea pigs here. Midnight has a black patch over one eye like a pirate. Shredded Wheat has tons of hair. And Snowball's super-friendly." Cody started to cry. He wanted Astro and only Astro. No way did Stink want to give up Astro. But he knew the time would come when he'd have to, and he didn't want to blow his chance to give away FIVE guinea pigs. Stink took a deep breath. "You'll be okay, boy," he whispered into Astro's ear. "I'll come visit you, I promise." Stink handed him over.