6 And Then There Were Five

And Then There Were Five

Nineteen guinea pigs! Stink was feeling pleased as punch all weekend about the Great Guinea Pig Giveaway. Until Monday at school, that is. Parker stopped Stink in the hall. "We have to give back our guinea pigs," Parker said. "Both Hash Brown and Butterscotch chewed holes in the new sofa. Blackberry made a nest out of my sister's doll's hair. And Jelly Bean ate a whole bag of jelly beans and made rainbow poop in my mom's go-to-work shoes." Stink couldn't help laughing. "What about Astro?" "Astro tiptoed across my dad's computer keyboard and e-mailed his boss by mistake." "Good boy!" said Stink. "I mean, too bad. Well, you'll just have to take them back to Mrs.

Birdwistle." "Can't you take them? My mom'll freak if I bring them home again." "My mom will freak, too," said Stink. He peered at the squirming heap of fur balls. Astro looked up at him and made a tiny trumpet sound. Stink's heart melted. "Never mind. I'll take them back for you." Parker handed over the cardboard carrier to Stink. "Astro!" Stink whispered to his furry friend. "You came back!"

The five guinea pigs slept their way through social studies, ran their way through recess, and squeaked up a storm all the way through Mrs. D.'s exciting reading of The Mouse and the Motorcycle. On the way home, Stink told Judy what happened. "Do you think if I ask super-duper nice this time, Mom and Dad might let me keep Astro?" "Yes," said Judy. "When guinea pigs fly." "Hardee-har-har," said Stink. "But I'm serious. I let Astro go and he came back. It's a sign." "A sign that you're cuckoo if you think you can keep him." When Stink got home, he rushed up to his room before his mother could see him and slid the carrier under his bed. Maybe he could hide them for just a little while. How hard could it be to hide a few furry critters? He ran down to the kitchen and piled salad greens and a baby carrot, a strawberry, and a melon cube on a plate. "Good for you, Stink," said

Mom. "A healthy snack for once, instead of all those jawbreakers." "Uh-huh," said Stink. He hurried back upstairs to his room. Judy met him in the hall. "Stink, I wouldn't go in there if I were you," she said, blocking the doorway. Stink tried to see past her. "What do you mean?" "Your underwear, Stink. It's alive!" Stink pushed past her, and Judy followed. A pair of underpants dashed across the floor, up and over his bed, and around the legs of his desk. "Holy underwear!" Judy yelled. She jumped out of the way. "Attack of the Mutant Undies!" said Stink, chasing the runaway underpants around his room. "Helppp!"

Judy helped Stink corner the undies behind his wastebasket. Stink pounced on the undies. "Gotcha!" Up popped Astro's head through a leg hole.