Willodeen by Katherine Applegate

Author:Katherine Applegate
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

I consulted my notebooks and tried to remember everything Pa had ever told me about screechers. Then I made a list of any food I thought they might eat, while Birdie cleaned the scratch on my neck with a cloth soaked in one of her horrible-smelling salves.

It wasn’t a very appetizing list. Worms. Grubs. Dilly bugs. Slugs. Peacock snails. Pink mushrooms. Aspen twigs. Sunferns.

I didn’t know where to start.

“She’s so young,” I said. “I suppose she might still need mother’s milk.”

Birdie sighed. “I’ve not a clue.”

“Nor I,” said Mae.

“I’ve seen screechers rooting near blue willows and berry bushes,” Connor offered. “Come to think of it, I’ve even seen them digging through trash bins in the village.”

“Some animals will only eat a few things,” I said. “Hummingbears are known for being picky. They like aphids, flies, and blue willow leaves, and that’s about it.”

“The one in our home is definitely the exception to that rule,” said Mae, leveling a finger at Duuzuu. “I’m talking to you, cake stealer.”

“I just don’t know where to start,” I said.

“You probably know more about screechers than the rest of the village put together, Willodeen,” Connor said.

I reached out my right index finger toward the baby, hoping to scratch the top of her head. She looked so hopeful, and so helpless.

The baby promptly bit my finger. “Ouch!” I cried. She didn’t break my skin, but I was going to have to be careful of her sharp baby teeth and those twisting tusks.

She looked quite proud of herself. And not nearly so helpless.

“‘And though she be but little, she is fierce,’” said Mae. “Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Birdie sighed. “Remember the production in Somerset? What a superb Titania you were!”

“Bird, you are too kind.” Mae waved a hand. “But we digress. What might we feed our new arrival?”

“You’ve both come up with recipes before,” I said. “Remember the baby hedgehog we found? And that abandoned tiger fox pup? Maybe you could come up with something for a screecher.”

“It couldn’t hurt to try,” said Mae.

Connor shifted uncomfortably. “I really should go. My father will be wondering where I am.”

“Will he be mad?” I asked.

“He doesn’t get mad.” Connor smiled. “He gets disappointed.”

“Don’t you worry, Connor,” said Mae. “We’ll take good care of the wee one.”

“Your puzzlers!” I exclaimed. “You’ll need your basket.”

“Puzzlers?” Birdie repeated.

“We left Connor’s hummingbear sculptures on the side of the road. We needed his basket to capture the baby.”

“You can use that wooden crate in the kitchen for a bed,” said Birdie. “The one with potatoes and turnips in it.”

I emptied the crate, and Mae gave me an old quilt to line it. Connor and I tilted his basket over the crate, and the baby slid out like a sledder on a snowy hill. To my surprise, she didn’t seem at all annoyed.

“I think she actually enjoyed that,” Connor said, laughing.

Birdie tapped her finger on her chin. “You know, she does need a name.”

I looked at Connor. My mind was a blank.

He thought for a moment.

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