How to Be a Goldfish by Jane Baird Warren

Author:Jane Baird Warren [Warren, Jane Baird]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Canada Ltd

9.

I called for Harry when I got close to the farmhouse. “Harry, come quick!”

Harry hurried to the railing. He was clutching a white envelope.

“What is it? What’s wrong, Lizzie?”

Before I could answer, David’s mother appeared beside Harry. “Is it David? Is he okay?”

“David’s fine,” I called back. “Harry, it’s one of the ewes. She’s giving birth, but her lamb’s stuck, and in a bad way.”

“How bad?” Harry asked.

“Swollen head, no front legs. Like what happened last year.”

I swear Harry sagged when I told him, like the weight of one more piece of bad news was too heavy to carry. Then he said, “Right. We may need to push the lamb back inside to give the ewe a rest.”

“That’s what I thought. I’ve got David fetching water and washing the lamb’s head. I’ve come for the clean rags and margarine.”

“Good girl. Now go. I’ll meet you there.” He headed for the porch steps, and I ran for the kitchen.

Inside, I washed my hands, then grabbed a tub of margarine from the fridge and the bag of clean rags that Harry kept on the shelf above the washing machine, before racing back outside.

I caught up to him pretty quickly. Harry runs the way old people do, slow and kind of limpy — more like race walking than running. I slowed right down, but Harry said, “Go, Lizzie. Don’t wait for me. Every second counts.”

“But what if I’m wrong?”

“Do you think you’re wrong?”

I hesitated, then shook my head.

“Then go. I’m right behind you.”

“Okay,” I said and started running again.

When I got there, David was washing the lamb’s face.

“She’s still alive, Lizzie.”

“Great job, David. Here.” I handed him some clean rags. “Use these.”

While David wiped the lamb’s head, I loaded my hands with gobs of yellow margarine and began the greasing. David helped.

“What’s next?” he asked.

“I’ll need you to help me push the lamb back inside.”

“Me? Shouldn’t Harry do that?”

“We can’t wait for him,” I said, running my fingers from the snout to the crown. It felt slick. We were ready.

“Lizzie?” David asked. “Have you ever done this before? Pushed a lamb back inside the mother?”

“Once. Last year. Harry’s hands were too big to fit beside the lamb’s head.”

David was owl-eyed. “Beside the head? Like, inside the ewe?”

“I can’t do this without you, David!”

He nodded. “It’s okay, Lizzie. I’m okay. What do you need me to do?”

“Stand up and grab hold of the fleece on either side of Luna’s butt. Really wrap your hands into her fleece. You’re going to have to hold her up while I push the lamb. Luna won’t like what I’m doing. She may try to lie down.”

“Can’t we let her lie down if she wants to? I mean, if it makes her more comfortable … ?”

“I need her standing, David. If she’s standing, there’s more space for me to push the lamb back inside.”

David nodded and I stroked the lamb’s head while I waited for him to get in position.

“Ready!” David said.

“Here I go.” Flattening the lamb’s ears back to make it more streamlined, I slid my hands alongside the lamb’s head and inside Luna.

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