Hazel by A. N. Wilson

Author:A. N. Wilson [Wilson, A. N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780857890795
Publisher: Atlantic Books

She stroked him, kissed him and examined his cut.

Then, just in the nick of time, the door of the hutch opened, and Mum’s hand reached inside and picked up Tobacco. He was quivering with fright, and he had a cut on the side of his head.

‘Poor Tobacco,’ said Mum.

She stroked him, and kissed him, and examined his cut. It was not as bad as it looked. Mum put Tobacco in the run with Hazel. Then Mum went to the garden shed once more. She took Fudge out of Tobacco and Hazel’s hutch.

‘Come on, Fudge,’ said Mum. ‘We’ll put you in this spare hutch over here.’

It just happened that Mum had been weeding the flower bed near the garden shed. She had heard the furious squeaking of Fudge and Tobacco and had gone to see what was the matter with them. Mum did not blame either of the guinea pigs for fighting. She was not cross with Fudge for having flown at Tobacco. She realised that it was just nature. She was just a little cross with the children for having gone off leaving the guinea pigs before checking that they were getting along well. A nasty incident had been narrowly avoided.

In the run Tobacco was still shaking with the shock of it all.

‘How have you gone and got that nasty cut?’ asked Hazel, her mouth full of grass.

‘Silly Hat did it,’ said Tobacco.

‘What’s that then?’

‘You’ve been all right, girl, eating grass in here.’

‘Ar,’ agreed Hazel. ‘I’ve been all right.’

‘But they’ve gone and bought this terrible pig with a thing on its head like you’ve never seen.’

‘What kind of a thing?’

‘Well, hat’s the only word for it,’ said Tobacco. ‘And a darned silly one at that.’

‘Watch your language,’ said Hazel.

‘Well, silly, then, and never mind about the darned.’

‘That’s better.’

‘And where do you think they’ve gone and put this Silly Hat creature?’

‘Where?’

‘In our hutch, that’s where.’

‘What, not in our hutch.’

‘That’s right, girl.’

‘Another guinea pig?’

‘Like I says, with this darned – sorry – with this Silly Hat thing on its head.’

‘That wouldn’t be right,’ said Hazel. ‘Not on its head, a hat.’

And then Tobacco felt fonder of Hazel than he had ever felt before, and he went and stood so that his nose was very nearly touching her nose. And then he thought how beautiful she was – so plump and sleek and brown and glossy. And he made a noise that the girl called chirruping – but actually he was saying, ‘That’s my girl.’

They talked for ages about Silly Hat while they munched their grass. Tobacco partly talked so much about it because he couldn’t stop, and partly to remind himself of what had happened in case he forgot it.

‘Then it came at me,’ he said.

‘Oh dear,’ said Hazel.

‘But I gave it what for,’ said Tobacco.

‘I bet you did,’ said Hazel, ‘but you shouldn’t go fighting.’

Although Hazel said this, she was secretly very proud of Tobacco for defending their hutch against an intruder.

Tobacco said, ‘Then I says, “Don’t come a step further,” I says, “or I won’t be actionable for my answers.

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