The Famous Five Reunited with Friends

Chapter 4: Surprise

  "We should do this again soon!" Jo said, wiping her hands on her hanky and standing up.

  "Yes, we should." Julian agreed, sounding rather strained.

  "Whereabouts do you live? Are you near me?"

  "Only just down the road. You simply must come to our flat and have some tea! I make the most popular cherry scones you've ever tasted!" Anne told her gushingly.

  George cringed. She really didn't want Jo coming and seeing the pigsty which was, much as Anne tried to clean it, their flat. It would mean that they would all have to participate in a 'spring clean' in the middle of November.

  They parted ways with their old friend and began to walk home. It began to sleet and Richard said bracingly "I do love November, don't you? The autumn leaves and the blustery winds and the...."

  "Richard? Are you insane? Nobody likes November, apart from Anne and that's only because her birthday is the fourth!"

  "Well, it makes for perfectly excellent walks." George said. "Shush, Timothy! You don't have to bark every time I say 'walk', especially because you're on one right now!"

  Ding!

  This time it was Richard who had received a Facebook message.

  "Uncle Quentin says can you unblock him and Auntie from social media, please. He knows that you're upset that they allowed that reporter to shoot his programme from Kirrin Island, but that was six months ago and he has some rather exciting news."

  "Even if he'd won the lottery, I'd never unblock him. He had no right to..."

  "Your pony, your faithful pony from your old pony and trap that you left behind in Kirrin, has adopted a baby dog and they want you to take it off their hands since Auntie has got a case of the flu. He wants to send you pictures."

  Now, if there was one thing George couldn't resist, it was dogs. She was on her phone double-quick, unblocking both her parents. Immediately a series of blurry pictures appeared. Uncle Quentin was not the best photographer but she could distinguish an adorable ball of fluff nestled in the stable of the ancient pony.

  "I'm driving down there tonight to pick him up." George announced after a hurried, if slightly awkward, conversation with her father over a bad connection. Kirrin was extremely behind in terms of phone signal.

  "George, you know that we can't have another dog. Timothy would eat it and the landlord is only just letting us off with him!" Julian protested.

  "Well, I can't very well leave poor Mother and Father with a puppy, can I? They didn't get on with Timmy in the first place. I should be back by suppertime."

  "Make sure you are, else I shall worry." Anne said, frowning.

  "Don't be such a fretter, Anne dear. I shall be perfectly fine and I'll come home with a companion for Timothy and yourself - and if you are all lucky I shall go to the baker in Kirrin - if he's still alive - and get some of those nice loaves of bread that we took to the island when that beastly Mrs Stick took over. You'll all like that, won't you, Richard? And what about some ginger beer for you, Julian? And a nice juicy bone for Timothy and his new friend?"

  The promise of presents was enough to tip everyone in her favour and by three that afternoon, George was in her bright yellow car and on the two-hour drive to Dorset.