Lulu and the Hamster in the Night Read Free

Lulu.
    â€œThen why rain boots?”
    â€œIn case it rains and we have to go out, of course,” said Lulu.
    â€œAnd do you really need all those books and ten thousand felt pens?”
    â€œThey’re for in case it rains and we have to stay in,” explained Mellie.
    â€œWhat if it gets even sunnier?” asked Lulu’s father. “What about fans and sunshades and a camel or two? What if it snows, and you don’t have a sled?”
    Lulu and Mellie said that they didn’t think it would snow and continued adding things to the pile. Roller skates and swimming things. Teddy bears. Clothes and toothbrushes. Nan’s birthday cake in a tin. All the birthday presents: the robe parcel, the matching crown parcel, several other parcels, and the throne, all wrapped up.
    The last thing Lulu and Mellie added was Ratty in his cage. They wrapped the cage in birthday paper and none of the grown-ups noticed. He was just one more package among many others. Lulu held him on her knee, and Mellie held the birthday cake on hers.

    â€œAll aboard?” asked Lulu’s father, looking over his shoulder.
    â€œAll aboard,” said Lulu.
    Lulu’s house was small, and so was Mellie’s, but Nan’s was even smaller. Nan said it had been built in the days when people didn’t own so many things. Upstairs there was a miniature bathroom and two small bedrooms. Downstairs was a bit bigger because an extra bit of kitchen had been added onto the back. Lulu loved it because it was like a toy house. Mellie loved it because every room in it was perfect, bright and fresh as the inside of a shell.
    Nan came running out the moment they arrived, and when she saw all the parcels and other things she said, “Oh my goodness! OH MY GOODNESS! Where are you going to put them all?”
    â€œIn our bedroom,” said Lulu. “Just until tomorrow. And you can’t look in case you guess what they are!”
    Lulu was thinking of the throne when she said this, which still looked like a wrapped-up throne, however much paper she and Mellie taped around it. But it was useful for Ratty too. With Nan’s eyes helpfully shut, he reached the little bedroom that Lulu and Mellie were to share quite easily. Lulu and Mellie dumped him on Lulu’s bed and surrounded him with parcels.
    â€œYou’d never guess he was there!” said Mellie, bouncing a bit.
    â€œShush!” said Lulu.
    When at last the car was unloaded, Lulu’s dad said good-bye and told Nan how good he hoped they would be. And Nan said that she knew they would be as good as gold, because they always had been, right from the moment they were born.
    â€œOh yes,” said Lulu’s dad. “I don’t know why I keep forgetting that.”
    Then he hugged everyone very quickly and hurried away.
    Lulu and Mellie and Nan waved from the gate until he was gone, and then Lulu remembered Ratty upstairs, still in his birthday parcel.
    â€œShall we unpack now?” she asked.
    â€œLater,” said Nan. “First we will have drinks by the pool!”
    â€œWhat pool?” asked Lulu and Mellie together.
    â€œThe one by the orange and lemon tree,” said Nan, and she led them around the corner of her very small house, into her very small garden, and pointed proudly.
    There was Nan’s very small tree and under it was a beautiful blue paddling pool with flowers floating in the water.
    â€œOh, Nan!” exclaimed Lulu and Mellie, their hot shoes already kicked off, their feet already dabbling.
    â€œAnd look at my tree!” said Nan.
    The little tree was transformed. Dangling from its branches were oranges and lemons, grapes and bananas and rainbow-colored candle lanterns, waiting to be lit. Large bright paper butterflies balanced on the branches. Mellie spied a pineapple and Lulu, who all her life had wanted to climb a coconut tree and pick a real coconut, now found that she could.
    â€œIt’s a jungle