Guinea Pigs Don't Talk (3 page)

Lisa ignored Joe. She didn't trust him. He was almost as bad as Angel.

Lisa looked at the books on the bookshelf. Squeaky was on the table to her right. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was nibbling on some lettuce.

Lisa looked over her shoulder. Mrs. Flowers was busy grading papers. Now was her chance. She slipped quietly over to Squeaky's cage. She peered in.

"What's your name?" she asked softly.

Squeaky looked up from his lettuce. He stared at her, but said nothing. Maybe he hadn't heard her.

"What's your name?" she asked a little louder.

"Lisa."

She jumped.

"Lisa."

It was Mrs. Flowers.

"We only play with the animals during recess or free time."

"Yes ma'am," Lisa said softly.

Everyone in the class turned around and stared at her. Lisa could feel her neck turn red, then her face. She walked slowly down the aisle, and slumped into her desk. She held her book up in front of her face. She silently vowed not to do anything embarrassing for the rest of her life.

As she gazed at the open book a note fell over her shoulder and landed in her lap. Lisa stared at the note, but she didn't touch it. The note from Angel had caused big trouble. This one might too.

Lisa tried to ignore the note. It was probably from Joe. He did sit behind her.

Lisa knew exactly what she should do. She should pick the note up and throw it right back over her shoulder. She
should
do that—but she didn't.

Lisa read the note.

Take this to hear
Squeaky talk.

There was a little arrow pointing to a pink candy taped to the paper. Lisa turned around.

"I know a SweetTart when I see one," she said to Joe. "See, it even has an S on it." She pointed to the S.

Joe leaned forward. He looked Lisa straight in the eye. "This one is special," he whispered. "Trust me."

"I don't take candy from strangers," Lisa said. "And you are pretty strange." She crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it on Joe's desk.

Lisa turned away. She tried to concentrate on her book, but she couldn't stop thinking about Squeaky. She was sure he couldn't talk. But it would be fun to hear him squeak his name, like the TV dogs.

Lisa made a decision. She would talk to Squeaky one more time, so she could hear his name. Only this time it would be during recess, when no one was around. That way, there would be no chance for embarrassment.

Lisa waited patiently. When the bell rang, she leaned over to Traci. "You go on ahead and save me a swing. I'll be out in a minute."

When the last person had left the room, Lisa made her way back to the guinea pigs' table. Squeaky was eating. She stooped down so that her face was close to his. He stopped chewing, and stared at her. His small black eyes were not piercing, but friendly.

Lisa looked at him long and hard. There was no doubt about it. He was a regular guinea pig. He said nothing.

Lisa waited.

Still nothing.

She reached in the cage and scratched his head. He purred, but did not talk.

"What's your name?" Lisa asked.

She waited for that familiar high-pitched guinea-pig squeak.

Silence.

Lisa took a deep breath.

"What is your name?" she asked louder.

In a voice as clear as hers he answered, "My name is Squeaky. What's yours?"

Lisa jumped away from the cage. She stared at Squeaky. He stared back.

"I said, what's your name?" Squeaky asked. There was no squeak in his voice. He spoke as clearly as any person Lisa had heard.

"Uh ... uh ... Lisa," she said.

As soon as she said the words, she regretted answering. She felt silly talking to a guinea pig. She quickly looked over her shoulder to see if anyone had come into the room. She was relieved to find she was still alone.

"This is crazy," she said out loud. "Guinea pigs do not talk."

"I do," Squeaky responded.

Lisa was silent. She looked under the table. No one was hiding underneath. She looked behind her. The room was empty.

"This lettuce they brung me is wilted," he said.

"There's no such word as brung," she said, studying him.

He looked soft and innocent.

"Hey! Will you bring me some new lettuce or not?" He sounded impatient.

Lisa hesitated a moment and then said softly, "Okay."

She turned and hurried to the door. She stopped and looked back. Squeaky was nibbling on his lettuce again. He looked so ... normal. Lisa shook her head as she left. This was crazy. Guinea pigs did not talk!

When Lisa got to the playground, Joe was standing next to the door, as though he had been waiting for her. She ignored him.

"Want a push?" Traci called from the swings.

"Sure," Lisa said. She climbed onto an empty swing.

Traci pushed and Lisa pumped her legs in and out. She pumped harder and harder. Squeaky was

on her mind. It didn't seem possible that he could talk, and yet she had heard him with her own ears.

She pumped her swing higher.

It wasn't a squeaky sound either. It was a regular voice. It even sounded familiar.

She pumped higher.

She should have looked closer at his lips to see if they were moving.

Higher.

"If you get any higher, you might go over the top," Traci yelled.

Lisa looked down and realized how hard she had been swinging. She extended her legs to slow down. Traci stepped back to watch.

Lisa looked at Traci and decided to ask her about Squeaky. Traci had been in the room all year. She would know if he could talk. Lisa tried to think of the best way to ask the question.

She could say...

"Does Squeaky talk?"

No, that was too direct. It should sound more casual. Like...

"Just this morning Squeaky said to me..."

No, that didn't sound right either. Maybe it should be less personal.

"You know those guinea pigs on the table? Well, I thought I heard one of them say..."

No, no, no. Nothing sounded right. Every way she asked the question she sounded dumb. Traci wouldn't want to be friends with someone dumb, and Lisa didn't want to lose the only friend she had.

Lisa swung forward and jumped off her swing. Both feet landed solidly on the ground.

"Perfect landing," Traci said.

"Thanks."

"So, what were you doing in the classroom?" Traci asked.

Lisa studied Traci. After only two days, Traci had become her best friend. It was time for the truth. Lisa took a deep breath.

"Talking to Squeaky," she said.

Traci's eyes narrowed. "Did he talk back?"

Lisa hesitated a moment, then said, "Yes, he did."

"That makes me soooooooo mad," Traci said.

Lisa looked confused. "Squeakv's talking makes you mad?"

"No," Traci said. "Angel and Joe make me mad. Making Squeaky talk is one of their tricks. Angel stands in the coatroom, behind the guinea pigs' table. She talks for Squeaky."

"That explains it," Lisa said. "I knew that voice sounded familiar. Those two are achin' for a breakin'. And tomorrow's the day!"

Traci's face brightened. "What do you have in mind?"

"Tomorrow we'll carry out my plan for double revenge."

"Double revenge?" Traci said.

Lisa stepped closer. "Angel and Joe get to school pretty early in the morning, don't they?"

"Joe's father brings him on the way to work, so he's the first one here."

"Perfect," Lisa said. "What about Angel?"

"She rides the early bus, so she's usually early too."

"Good," Lisa said. "We'll need to get here before either of them, so we can set up."

"This sounds interesting," Traci said.

"It's more than interesting. It's perfect," Lisa said. "If they think Squeaky talked today, just wait until they hear him tomorrow!"

The next morning Lisa and Traci stood in front of the guinea pigs' table.

"Have you got everything?" Traci asked.

"It's all right here," Lisa said, patting her bookbag.

The janitor poked his head into the classroom. "What are you girls doing here so early?"

Lisa and Traci jumped.

"The early bus isn't even here yet," he growled.

Lisa clutched her bookbag and answered truthfully. "We're working on a project."

Traci nodded. She held her breath as he studied them. Then he left.

"Whew," Lisa said. "That was close."

Traci nodded. "Let's hurry. We only have a few minutes before Joe gets here."

Lisa was already unzipping her bookbag. She pulled out a ball of wire. A small speaker was attached to one end of the wire. A microphone was attached to the other end.

"When you talk into the microphone," Lisa explained, "your voice travels down the wire, and comes out the speaker."

"I've never seen a speaker that small," Traci said. "Where did you get it?"

"My father's hobby is electronics," Lisa said. "He has lots of stuff like this."

She handed Traci the speaker.

"Tape this behind Squeaky's cage," she instructed. "And be sure to tape it so that no one will see it."

Traci carefully taped the speaker behind the cage, and then ran the wire down the table leg to the floor. She continued around the edge of the room, unwinding the wire as she went. Lisa followed behind her, taping the wire into place.

When they got to the front of the room Lisa said, "We need to test the speaker."

Lisa switched on the microphone while Traci hurried back to the guinea pigs' table.

"Ready?" Lisa called.

Traci nodded. "Ready!"

Lisa held the microphone close to her mouth. In a high-pitched, squeaky voice she said, "This is Squeaky, the talking guinea pig. Testing one, two, three."

The sound was loud and clear from Squeaky's cage.

"Perfect," Traci giggled. She hurried back to the front of the room.

"Now, where should we hide?" Lisa asked.

They both looked at the only good hiding place—under Mrs. Flowers's desk.

"Do you think we should?" Traci asked.

"It's the only place," Lisa responded. "Besides, Mrs. Flowers will never know. We'll be done by the time she gets here."

Traci hesitated. "Mrs. Flowers is nice, but I don't know how she would feel about us hiding under her desk."

"That's true," Lisa said. "But I'm willing to take a chance."

Traci smiled. "Me too. Hurry. Joe will be here any minute."

They crawled under Mrs. Flowers's desk.

No sooner had they gotten into position than Joe walked in. He was whistling. He headed straight for the coatroom.

"Wait until he comes out," Traci whispered.

Lisa nodded. She held the microphone tightly.

Joe strolled out of the coatroom, past the guinea pigs' table.

"Thanks for the help yesterday," he said with a quick salute toward Squeaky.

Lisa moved the microphone close to her lips. In the high-pitched squeaky voice she answered, "You're welcome."

Joe stopped. He took a small step forward.