Making Friends

MARGARET MAHY

Making Friend

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J^Ab Corner Also by Margaret

Mahy

for younger children

.Nonstop Nonsense illustrated by

'*£*#

Quentin Blake

The Blood-and-Thunder Adventure on Hurricane Peak illustrated by

Wendy Smith

>

(Margaret K. McElderry Books)

L

MARGARET MAHY

Making Friends Illustrated by

Wendy Smith

P-^jaa*^ '$

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Margaret K. McElderry Books

NEW YORK

Mrs. de Vere was a very

little

woman

living in a big

house with a

view of the mermaid fountain in front of the opera house. of

all

she owned, she was often very lonely.

fine

Yet, in spite

Every day she

left

her big apartment, walked past the Ecstasy Dance Studio,

waited for the lights to change by the

Dog Obedience

School, then crossed

the road into the park. She rounded the corner between the orange-juice stall

and the Vitamin

Biscuit Bakery,

and

strolled

down

lined with big, green trees toward the beach, the sea,

the winding road

and the sighing waves.

A

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Mr. Derry was a very big

Sometimes, when the

man

fish

7-

o

living in a very small cottage

were not biting, he

felt

by the

rather lonely.

sea.

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Then he would moodily wander up green

trees,

around the corner by the orange-juice

Biscuit Bakery,

and

Obedience School Studio and

the winding road between the big,

sit

across the park.

stall

and the Vitamin

He would wait opposite

the

Dog

for the lights to change, stroll past the Ecstasy

down by

the

Dance

mermaid fountain outside the opera house.

V-

:•

While Mrs. de Vere

listened to the sighing waves, Mr.

watery song oi the gray, stone mermaid.

Derry listened to the

Every day, going through the park, lonely Mr. Derry and lonely Mrs. de Vere

walked right past each other, too shy to look into one another's eyes and smile.

It

was

as

if

they were quite invisible to one another.

J_

"I

need adventurous company," Mrs. de Vere told the

someone very its

waves

big because

at her.

I

sea.

have a big house." The sea

"But

it

just sighed

has to be

and shook

"I

need someone to walk along the beach with me," Mr. Derry told the

mermaid. "But

it

has to be someone very small because

The mermaid whispered back to him Mr. Derry could not make out the words. house."

I

have a small

in her watery voice, but

One

day, Mrs. de Vere suddenly

had

a

good

idea.

Off she went to the dog

pound. There she saw nothing but shaggy dogs, baggy dogs, soppy dogs, floppy dogs, strong dogs, long dogs, harmonious dogs

out of tune. hairy

dog

It

was very

difficult to

and dogs that sang

choose. In the end she chose a huge,

called Titania. Titania looked like a small haystack

around on lolloping paws.

moving

Had

man standing next to her she might Derry. He had had the same good idea.

Mrs. de Vere looked at the

recognized him.

,

It

was Mr.

have

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Mr. Derry noticed only dumpy dogs, jumpy dogs, scary dogs, hairy dogs, leaping dogs, sleeping dogs,

grandmother. called

It

and

a

dog that reminded him of his

was very hard to choose. In the end he chose

Oberon. Oberon's

staggering around

on

fur

was wispy.

tip-tap paws.

He

looked

a tiny

like a feather

dog

duster

The

following

morning was

lovely. "Let's

go the seashore," Mrs. de Vere

suggested to Titania. Cheerfully they lolloped past the Ecstasy

Dance

Studio.

—

Meanwhile, Mr. Derry and Oberon were tip-tapping up the winding road

between the

big,

green

trees,

the Vitamin Biscuit Bakery.

around the corner by the orange-juice •

stall

and

Mrs. de Vere and Mr. Derry, Oberon and Titania, lolloped and tip-tapped across the park toward one another.

C< '
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#^ "Oh," thought Mrs. de

«_-

Vere.

"Oh," muttered Mr. Derry with a small haystack!"

to

"There

is

a

man

Oberon. "Look

with a feather duster on a leash." at that

woman promenading

But dogs always recognize other dogs.

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Oberon put

his ears forward

Titania barked

Then

and put her

k

'''ft,

*j2\nv% c~€&

and barked.

ears forward.

they ran wildly toward one another.

"Oberon!" called Mr. Derry

sternly.

"Titania!" shouted Mrs. de Vere.

J

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But those two cheerful and determined dogs charged around and barged around,

and bounced around and pounced around, and walked on walked on their hind paws in such excited

circles that

their front

paws and

Mr. Derry and Mrs. de Vere

were suddenly tied together in the terrible tangles oi the two leashes. They were face to face at last, only inches apart, staring into each other's eyes in mild alarm.

"Excuse me! I'm so sorry," said Mrs. de Vere. "Excuse me! But," said Mr. Derry,

have never been tied up

"it

was

like this before."

my

"Do

let

me

dog's fault.

untangle you." I

assure you,

Madam,

I

W^-MiasKi^smam 4i-

mil

"Nor have

I,"

said Mrs.

untangled one another.

%>,)S.-

v^]i

de Vere, sounding rather pleased. Slowly they

me buy you a long drink of orange juice. It is very good in cases of shock," suggested Mrs. De Vere. "There is an orange-juice stall in the park. I pass it "Let

every day."

"So do

I,"

said

the shock, and Bakery.

Mr. Derry, surprised. "We I

Then we

^s

-

will

buy vitamin

will all

will

both have orange

biscuits for the dogs at the

have something."

juice to lessen

Vitamin

Biscuit

So

off the four of

them went through the park

Vitamin Biscuit Bakery, and not one of them

to the orange-juice stall felt

lonely at

and the

all.

:Nyi

0\b

Ever

and

after that

Titania,

Mr. Derry and Mrs. de Vere and their two

went

either fishing together or to the opera,

faithful dogs,

Oberon

depending on the

weather.

While Oberon and Titania went to

classes at the

Dog Obedience

School,

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Mr. Derry and Mrs. de Vere took ballroom dancing particularly

good

at the tango, for

which they won

lessons.

They were

several large medals.

People don't always recognize people they've seen before, but dogs

always recognize dogs. Does this people? Anyway,

mean that dogs

Oberon and Titania thought

are cleverer

so!

than

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