Betsey's Birthday Surprise (2 page)

“Sherena . . . Sherena . . .” Betsey hissed at her sister.

Creeee-eeeak! The strange noise sounded again. Betsey slipped her feet into her slippers and crept towards her sister’s bed.

“Sherena . . .”

But Sherena wasn’t there . . . Betsey knew what had happened at once.

“Prince! Prince!” Betsey whispered to the dog lying beside her bed. “Wake up! There are kidnappers in the house. And they’ve got Sherena!”

But Prince refused to budge. He lay beside Betsey’s bed, his head on his front paws and his eyes tight shut. Betsey’s heart pounded like a sledge hammer as she tip-toed to the bedroom door. She was terrified. There were kidnappers in the house. Betsey had to get to Mum and Gran’ma Liz. But how could she do it? She looked back at Prince.

Huh! Some guard dog you are! Betsey thought with disgust.

Guard dog
 . . . That was it! Betsey thought of a way to wake up Mum and Gran’ma Liz without the kidnappers getting to her first. Betsey opened her bedroom door and got down on all fours so that the kidnappers wouldn’t spot her.

“WOOF! WOOF!” Betsey barked at the top of her voice. “ARFF! ARFF! WOOF!”

Then everything happened at once. There was a bang and a crash in the living room, followed by the lights being switched on in Mum’s and Gran’ma Liz’s bedrooms.

“WOOF! ARFF!” Betsey barked even louder. Her throat was getting sore but she wasn’t going to stop now. At long last Prince joined in, but Betsey was louder.

“What on earth is going on?” Gran’ma Liz came out into the living room and switched on the light.

There lay Sherena, sprawled out on the floor. And next to her was a puddle of spilt orange juice, an empty plate and chocolate biscuits scattered here, there and everywhere.

“Sherena, what d’you think you’re doing?” Mum frowned.

“I was hungry so I decided to have a snack.” Sherena sat up. “But when Betsey started making all that noise, it startled me and I tripped over.”

“You wanted a snack at three o’clock in the morning?” Mum said crossly. “Sherena, clean up that mess and go straight back to bed.”

“Betsey, was it you making that racket?” asked Gran’ma Liz.

“I thought Sherena was being kidnapped,” said Betsey. “And I wanted to wake up you and Mum without the kidnappers getting me! So I decided to be a guard dog!”

“Well, you woke us up, all right,” said Gran’ma Liz. “I should think you’ve woken up the whole street as well!”

“I make an excellent guard dog,” Betsey decided. “I know! That’s what I’ll be in class on Monday – the best guard dog in the world.”

“Betsey, I prefer you as a girl,” sniffed Sherena. “Then I wouldn’t have got caught and I could’ve had my snack in peace!”

“Betsey, you can be a guard dog any time you like.” Mum smiled. “I feel very safe knowing that you’re in the house!”

The moment Betsey opened her eyes, she expected wonderful, sun-shiny, brilliant surprises. Well, she got a surprise all right! A nasty surprise. A
horrible
surprise. Everyone had forgotten her birthday!

At first Betsey couldn’t believe it. Botheration! How could everyone have forgotten that today was her birthday?

“Gran’ma Liz, guess what today is?” Betsey asked hopefully.

“Saturday,” said Gran’ma Liz. “Now run along and play, Betsey. I’ve got things to do.”

Betsey decided to give Gran’ma Liz a teeny-tiny clue.

“Gran’ma, haven’t you forgotten something?” Betsey asked. “Something wonderful about the day and
me
.”

If Gran’ma Liz didn’t get it from that then she didn’t deserve to call herself a gran’ma!

“Betsey child, what are you talking about? It’s Saturday. That’s it! End of story! And . . .” Gran’ma Liz slapped her hand against her forehead. “I’d forget my head if it wasn’t glued to my neck! Thanks for reminding me, Betsey. I promised your mum I’d make some of her favourite biscuits for when she comes home from work. I’d better get started.”

“But . . . but . . .” That’s not what Betsey meant at all!

“Do you want to help me?” asked Gran’ma Liz.

No way! Not today of all days. It looked like Gran’ma Liz really
had
forgotten. Betsey wandered out into the back yard. Sherena bowled a cricket ball to Desmond who hit it into the dirt.

“Why the glum face, Betsey?” asked Sherena as she picked up the ball.

“Because today is . . . today is . . .”

“A kind of nothing day,” Sherena said, finishing Betsey’s sentence. “I know exactly what you mean. There’s nothing special going on. There’s nothing to see, nothing to do. And it’s the kind of day when you don’t want to do anything either.”

Betsey really couldn’t believe it. All week she’d reminded everyone that it was her birthday on Saturday and they’d still forgotten. How
could
they? Even May hadn’t sent a card. Betsey felt tears prick at her eyes.

“Sherena, I can’t practise hitting the ball if you don’t throw it to me,” Desmond called out from the other end of the back yard.

“D’you want to stay and play cricket with us?” Sherena asked Betsey. “You can be the wicket keeper if you like.”

“Stuff the wicket keeper!” Betsey snapped.

“Charming!” Sherena raised her eyebrows as Betsey flounced back into the house.

So it was true. They had all forgotten. Maybe Mum hadn’t – but she wasn’t here. But the rest had! There were no cards, no presents. As for a birthday cake? There wasn’t even a birthday sandwich! Betsey would have settled for a birthday biscuit!

“Then I’ll just have to do something on my own!” Betsey muttered.

Yeah! That’s what she’d do. She’d celebrate her own birthday – all by herself. She’d show them all. She needed to do something fun to cheer herself up. Something
different
!

“I know!” Betsey clapped her hands.

She marched into Mum and Dad’s bedroom. She switched on Mum’s radio to listen to some dance music. That would cheer her up for a start. Then Betsey sat at the dressing-table and picked up Mum’s most expensive bottle of perfume. Dad had bought it especially for her the last time he came home.

“I have to smell nice on my birthday,” Betsey mumbled. She squirted some on her wrists . . . and her neck . . . and behind her ears . . . and on her feet and her legs . . . and her arms . . . and reached around to squirt some up and down her back. That was more like it! Hang on! Betsey began to cough. Mum’s perfume sure was strong! Maybe she shouldn’t have put on so much? Perhaps the smell would lessen in a minute or two.

What now? Betsey spotted the very thing. She opened Mum’s jewellery box and put on a pair of Mum’s long dangly earrings and her matching long, dangly necklace.

“I have to sparkle on my birthday!” Betsey smiled at herself in the dressing table mirror.

“Clothes!” Betsey announced. “That’s what I need!”

She definitely needed some birthday clothes. She opened Mum and Dad’s wardrobe. She saw the very thing. Mum’s favourite dress. It was midnight blue with sparkly, silvery sequins around the neck and the hem. Betsey pulled it off the hanger. She slipped off her own clothes and put on Mum’s dress. It only reached to Mum’s knees but on Betsey it trailed onto the floor. It didn’t look too bad though. Betsey reached up on tip-toes to get Mum’s hat – the one with a wide brim that she always wore to weddings. Betsey put it on and tilted it off at an angle, just the way Mum wore it.

“Perfect! Now I really do look like a birthday girl,” Betsey said, admiring herself in the mirror. “Wait until everyone sees me. I’d better turn off the radio. I don’t want anyone to come in until I’ve finished. That would spoil the surprise. Now, what else can I do for my birthday?”

Betsey was just looking around the room, when she heard, “Betsey, could you come here for a second?” Gran’ma Liz was calling her.

“Coming,” Betsey replied. She tried to walk but tripped over the bottom of the dress. Betsey lifted up the hem and tried again. That was better! She opened the bedroom door and stepped out into the living room.

“Gran’ma Liz, how do I loo . . .?” Betsey’s voice trailed off slowly.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BETS—”

The living room was full to overflowing with Betsey’s friends and their parents. May was there – and Josh and Celine and Martin. Everyone was there. They’d all started to wish Betsey a happy birthday, but when they saw what she was wearing, their voices trailed off.