Summer According to Humphrey Read online

  Once the teens had gotten all the dishes out of the dining hall, it was quiet again. In the far-off distance, I could hear voices singing. I couldn’t catch all the words, but “Happy Hollow” kept coming up.

  Then things weren’t so quiet anymore. I heard the patter of soft footsteps running, which soon became the clamor of loud footsteps coming closer and closer. The door to the dining hall slammed open and A.J. rushed over to my cage.

  “We won!” A.J. bellowed. Even though he was slightly out of breath, that guy still had an amazingly loud voice. “You get to stay with the Blue Jays tonight!”

  He didn’t get a chance to explain, because the door slammed again. Miranda rushed over to Og’s cage. “Og, you’re going to be a Robin tonight!” she said. “Our cabin was the neatest girls’ cabin.”

  “Well, ours was the neatest boys’ cabin,” A.J. said. He grabbed my cage and whisked me out of the dining hall.

  “See you soon, Og,” I squeaked back to my friend. “I hope!”

  The Blue Jays’ cabin was just like the Robins’ Nest, except the curtains were blue plaid. Each bed had a pillow and blanket on it, and at the ends of the beds were large trunks. Clothes were hung on hooks around the room, and it was extremely neat.

  There were boys sitting on the beds and trunks. Some of them I recognized, like Richie and Stop-Giggling-Gail’s brother, Simon. Others I didn’t, but they all jumped up when I came in and gathered around when A.J. set my cage on his trunk.

  “Listen up, guys, this is Humphrey. He was our class pet and he’s amazing. So we’ve got to take good care of him. And we’ve got to keep this place neat,” he said. “We want the Blue Jays to rule, right?”

  They all agreed.

  “I’ll go get him some fresh water,” said Richie.

  “Me too! Me too!” Simon shouted, following Richie outside.

  I soon found out the bathrooms, the showers and the water fountain were outside the cabin instead of inside. (I was lucky to have my water and poo corner inside my cage.)

  The other guys in the cabin seemed nice and welcoming.

  Then a face appeared close to my cage. “Why’s it such a big deal to have a hamster in your cabin?” he asked. “I have a dog. A gigantic dog.”

  “Wow,” said Richie, who was putting the fresh water in my cage.

  I was thinking that I NEVER-NEVER-NEVER want to go to this kid’s house. Ever.

  “My dog can do tricks,” the boy continued.

  “Oh, so can Humphrey,” A.J. assured him.

  “Yeah, I saw him. He stayed at my house,” Simon said.

  “My dog is really smart,” the boy added. “And he’s got papers.”

  “He can read?” Richie was clearly impressed, but the thought of a dog reading made Simon giggle just like his sister, Gail.

  The boy frowned and shook his head. “I mean he’s pedigreed. He’s like dog royalty. He has papers to prove it.”

  “His pet has peed!” A.J. burst out laughing and the other Blue Jays got to hooting and hollering. I chuckled, too, even though I knew the guy had said “pedigreed.”

  The laughing annoyed the boy with the dog. He flung himself on his bed and sighed. “How did I end up here?” he asked no one in particular.

  I was beginning to wonder the same thing. I was even beginning to think this Blue Jay was not a very nice kind of person.

  “Blue Jays rule!” I squeaked without even thinking.

  “You tell him, Humphrey,” A.J. said.

  “He’s just making meaningless noise,” the unpleasant boy said.

  A.J. and Richie exchanged looks. “What’s your name again?” A.J. asked.

  “Brad,” the boy answered.

  Things got quieter in the cabin. A.J. came over to my cage and whispered, “Show him what you can do, Humphrey.”

  He didn’t have to ask me twice. I climbed up my ladder and leaped onto my tree branch. I landed pretty hard, so I had to hang on tightly as it swayed back and forth, back and forth. Once I had my bearings, I climbed up to the highest branch and reached up to grab the top bars of my cage. Very carefully, paw over paw, I made my way across the top of my cage while the Blue Jays watched. All except Brad, who was reading a magazine.

  “Look at him go,” A.J. said.

  “Are you watching, Brad?” Richie asked.

  “Hmm?” Brad pretended to be too busy to notice.

  I took a deep breath, dropped down from my ladder and jumped onto my wheel, where I immediately began to spin.

  The cabin-mates all clapped and whistled.

  “Hold it down, guys,” Brad said. “I’m trying to read here.”

  “Admit it, Brad. He knows a lot of tricks,” A.J. told him.

  “Lots and lots and lots,” said Simon, jumping around my cage.

  Brad glanced up from his magazine. “That’s a trick?”

  I could almost feel A.J. getting hot over Brad’s bad attitude. He strolled over to Brad’s bed and said, “You know we’re going to have to compete in the Clash of the Cabins. So what’s your sport?”

  Clash of the Cabins? He had my attention.

  “I don’t know.” Brad looked a little worried. “I guess I’m okay at all of them.”

  “Good!” A.J. smiled. “We’ll need your help.” He swiveled around. “How about you, Simon?”

  Simon wrinkled his nose while he thought. “I’m the best burper in our class,” he said proudly, and then let out an earsplitting but impressive burp.

  Everybody giggled, even me. (Though I know it’s really not polite to burp, it can be funny.)

  “What else?” A.J. asked, still laughing.

  Simon thought for a second. “I never did archery or canoeing before. I’m a good swimmer, though. And I can dive.”

  “Great!” A.J. and Simon exchanged high fives. “And Richie likes volleyball, right?”

  “I’ve got a pretty good serve,” Richie agreed.

  “Well, then it looks as if Blue Jays rule!” A.J. shouted. He said it again and everybody joined in . . . except Brad.

  “My old camp had a high dive. Really high,” he said. “This place is dinky.”

  I saw A.J. clench his fists and I have to admit, I felt my paws tightening up.

  Luckily, just then the door swung open.

  “Never fear ’cause Aldo’s here!” a voice called out.

  I thought Aldo had probably come in to clean the Blue Jays’ cabin, just as he’d cleaned Room 26 every night. But I was wrong.

  He wore his Happy Hollow shirt and shorts and carried a clipboard. “Listen up, guys. It’s almost time for lights-out. That means no more talking, okay? Before you go wash up, I just want to go over tomorrow’s schedule.”

  I kept spinning while he talked about canoeing and swimming and archery. Then the boys got ready for bed.

  Just before Aldo turned off the lights he said, “No more talking until wake-up call tomorrow morning. Sleep well.”

  He reached for the light switch. “You too, Humphrey.”

  Then it was dark in the cabin and quiet. Before long I could hear the boys breathing quietly the way humans do when they’re asleep.

  I was just about to doze off myself when I heard that sound I’d heard before.

  SKITTER-SKITTER-SKITTER.

  SCRITCH-SCRITCH-SCRITCH.

  The same sound I’d heard back in the Robins’ Nest. It wasn’t a human type of sound. It was a different kind of sound than I’d heard in Room 26 and at all the houses I visited. It was a wild sound. And maybe, just maybe, it was following me!

  I was awake for a LONG-LONG-LONG time.

  NOTE TO SELF: Humans who brag are not pleasant to be around (especially one human named Brad).

  7

  Ghosts, Humans and Other Scary Creatures

  That was some wake-up call the next morning, let me tell you. Even from inside my little sleeping hut, the music from a loudspeaker outside made my ears tingle and my whiskers twitch.

  I was still twitching when Aldo stuck his head in the
door and said, “Rise and shine, boys. Breakfast in half an hour.”

  Slowly, the Blue Jays rose. I didn’t see them shine, but they got dressed and when the bell rang, they headed out for breakfast.

  And there I was, all alone and wishing Og was still my neighbor. One thing about camp, people were certainly coming and going all the time. I was considering leaving my cage for a little exploration when I heard the bell, followed by the pounding of footsteps like a herd of elephants coming up the path. The door swung open and the Blue Jays raced into the room.

  “Humphrey! We had pancakes-sausage-juice-milk-bananas-strawberries,” Simon announced in one breath. Then he let out a tremendous burp, which made all the other Blue Jays laugh, except Brad.

  “Food was better at my old camp,” Brad said, slumping on his bed again.

  No one paid much attention to him.

  “Up and at ’em, Brad,” A.J. said. “We’ve got to clean the cabin. Maybe we can earn Humphrey for another night.”

  Brad rolled his eyes. “Big deal.”

  “It’s a big deal if we can collect enough points over the next two weeks to spend a night in Haunted Hollow,” Richie told him. “That’s the prize for winning the Clash of the Cabins.”

  Haunted Hollow? It sounded unsqueakably scary. I was wondering why anyone would want to spend the night in a place with ghosts.

  “We all collect points, see?” A.J. explained. “It’s cabin versus cabin and boys versus girls. You don’t want the girls to get a sleepover in Haunted Hollow, do you? And the chance to see the Howler?”

  Howler? Did he say Howler?

  Just as I was trying to picture what on earth the Howler was, all of the Blue Jays except Brad opened their mouths and let out a horrendous howl!

  “Owoooo!!!”

  My fur stood on end, but the guys just burst out laughing.

  “Who cares about some dumb old ghost?” Brad said. “My old camp had a ghost. We saw him every night.”

  The other Blue Jays just glared at him. So did I.

  “My cousin saw the Howler last year,” Richie continued. “He said he was scarier than Frankenstein, Dracula and the werewolf all put together.”

  Just then Aldo popped his head in the door. “Get those beds made, clothes folded, shoes under beds. Come on, Blue Jays—hustle!”

  Soon, the cabin looked exceptionally neat again. When the bell rang again, the Blue Jays raced out, leaving me all alone again.

  But almost immediately the door burst open again and A.J. raced back in. “I couldn’t forget you, Humphrey Dumpty!” he said, and he carried my cage down to Happy Hollow Hall.

  A.J. was in a hurry. I grabbed onto the side of my cage and hung on tightly as he told me that he was going horseback riding for the very first time. From my bumpy point of view, I got a glimpse of large round things with bull’s-eye targets painted on them. And a whiff of something that just might have been a horse. A.J. dashed through the dining hall, past the kitchen (yum, what was Maria cooking for lunch?) and into the recreation room.

  Whew! I wasn’t sorry to be back in front of those big sunny windows. And guess who was already waiting there for me? Og, of course.

  “Oggy, old boy! How were things in the Robins’ Nest?” I asked. I didn’t expect much of an answer, but he surprised me by doing a watery somersault. If only he would squeak up! (But I did envy his swimming skills.)

  I quickly filled Og in on what I’d learned about Haunted Hollow and the Howler, though I’m afraid my “owoooo” was a little too squeaky to be scary. I’m sure Og got the idea.

  We didn’t get a chance to discuss it any more because Ms. Mac came in with her friend Katie.

  “I hope you two don’t think you’re going to sit around and do nothing all day,” Ms. Mac told us. “We’re putting you to work!”

  I was unsqueakably excited as she picked up my cage and Katie picked up Og’s tank, even though I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing.

  We headed toward a cluster of small buildings at the top of a hill. But unlike the other cabins, the one we went into had big doors that opened all the way so the front of the cabin was completely open. Down the hill, I saw something blue and glistening, like water.

  Inside there were tables and chairs and leafy plants and big charts showing leaves and trees and animal tracks and oh, so many interesting things. Ms. Mac and Katie set Og and me down on a table near the front of the room.

  “Welcome to the Nature Center,” Ms. Mac said. “You’re the nature part. As well as your new friends.” She gestured to a tank and a crate farther down the table. “Meet Jake.”

  I saw a tree branch on the bottom of the tank. Just when I was thinking that Jake was a strange name for a tree branch, it moved!

  “He’s a garter snake. Very harmless,” Kate said.

  “Eek!” I squeaked without thinking first. Sorry, but I don’t think hamsters and snakes should get too close together. And I didn’t like the way his tongue darted about, not one bit.

  “Don’t worry, Humphrey,” Katie said. “We’ll keep him away from you.”

  Ms. Mac pointed to the crate, which was really a large box with openings on the side. “And this is Lovey Dovey. She’s a mourning dove we found in the woods with a broken wing. She’s almost healed now.”

  Lovey made a low sound in her throat. “Woo-oo-oo-oo.” I think she was saying “thank you” for helping her get better.

  “Every day, all the campers have horseback riding and swimming,” Ms. Mac continued. “Then they get to choose their other activities, including classes here.”

  So I was back in a real classroom again!

  “Bring on the students!” I squeaked. Then I jumped on my wheel and began to spin, HAPPY-HAPPY-HAPPY to be going to work again.

  In some ways, camp was like school. A bell rang several times a day. At school, I learned those bells meant the start of school, recess, lunch period, another recess and the end of the day. At camp, the bell was even busier. It announced breakfast, cabin cleaning, first activity, second activity, lunch, rest hour, third activity, fourth activity, free time, dinner and the evening program. Whew!

  Twice a day, groups of campers came in to take care of the animals (that’s us) and learn all kinds of interesting facts about nature. They had a whole class on rodents (that includes me)! A whole class on frogs! Of course, they studied snakes and birds, too, just so Jake and Lovey wouldn’t feel left out. I had to hide in my sleeping hut when I heard some of the things snakes eat. Og and I weren’t safe at all. Harmless, indeed!

  Sometimes the campers went out and took a hike, but they always came back laughing and happy.

  There were differences between camp and school, too. For one thing, I didn’t see the same kids all day every day. Since the kids got to pick their favorite activities, certain nature-loving kids showed up time and time again. Sayeh showed up every single day and so did Garth. A.J.’s brother, Ty, was a regular, too, and Miranda was usually around (but she was also very interested in drama classes).

  Another difference: there were no tests! I thought this was an excellent idea.

  Just like the campers, Og and I got a lot of fresh air and lovely outside sounds and smells. Plus Katie and Ms. Mac got everybody—including me—excited about the wonders of nature.

  Yes, I loved the Nature Center very much. I would have loved it more without the snake. I guess it wasn’t his fault, but he made me very nervous.

  But at least during the day, I didn’t have time to think about the SKITTER-SKITTER-SKITTER, SCRITCH-SCRITCH-SCRITCH sounds.

  And I tried HARD-HARD-HARD not to think about the Howler. But I was always listening for that “owoooooo!!!”

  NOTE TO SELF: Humans are unsqueakably smart, but they have an odd habit of liking scary things like dogs, cats and Howlers.

  8

  Night Owls

  Humphrey, we worked our fingers to the bone to win you for the night.” That’s what Miranda told me as she carried my cage to the Robins’ Nes
t the next night.

  Her golden hair glistened in the moonlight, but I couldn’t see her bony fingers, because it was dark outside. I was also distracted by someone asking, “Who-who? Who-who?” over and over.

  “It’s me—Humphrey!” I finally squeaked back.

  Then the someone asked, “Who-who?” again.

  “We dusted and swept. Lindsey wanted to wash the windows, but we didn’t have a bucket,” Miranda continued. “We were determined to have you here tonight.”

  Inside, the Robins’ Nest was clean as could be. Stop-Giggling-Gail was there along with Miranda and some girls I didn’t know. They all crowded around my cage, squealing with delight.

  “He’s so cute!” said the girl called Lindsey.

  The Robins weren’t there long, though. Ms. Mac came in and said, “Time for our first campfire, ladies.”

  The girls seemed very excited, but Miranda had a question. “Shouldn’t we take Humphrey?”

  Ms. Mac thought for a few seconds. “Maybe not, Miranda. It might be a little hot and scary for him.”

  Miranda seemed to understand and the girls raced out of the cabin, leaving me to wonder why anyone would go to a fire. Weren’t fires hot and dangerous things that humans (and hamsters) should avoid?

  Yet I knew that Ms. Mac wouldn’t let my friends do anything truly dangerous.

  I could smell the faint aroma of smoke in the distance. I jiggled my lock-that-doesn’t-lock to make sure I’d be able to get out in case of danger. And I remembered when a firefighter came to Room 26 and told us if our clothes (even fur coats) caught on fire, we should “Stop, drop and roll.”

  But soon, the girls were back, smelling just a little smoky. Whatever the campfire had been about, they’d certainly enjoyed it.

  “Poor Humphrey,” Miranda said. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to go. You need to get out sometimes.”

  She took out my hamster ball. “Watch this,” she told her friends. She carefully placed me inside, gently set the ball on the floor and there I was, free to roll around the cabin. I hadn’t been in my hamster ball in a while, so it took time to get used to everything being yellow again (from the yellow plastic). And it took a little longer for me to remember how to spin around corners and change directions. Every turn I took seemed to amuse the girls.