Christmas Quest Read online

  First published in Great Britain in 2013 by

  Quercus Editions Ltd

  55 Baker Street

  7th Floor, South Block

  London

  W1U 8EW

  Copyright © Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift 2013

  Illustrations copyright © Sarah Horne 2013

  The moral right of Jennifer Gray, Amanda Swift and Sarah Horne to be identified as the authors and illustrator of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  A CIP catalogue reference for this book is available from the British Library

  eBook ISBN 978 1 78087 846 1

  Print ISBN 978 1 78087 845 4

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  You can find this and many other great books at:

  www.quercusbooks.co.uk

  By Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift

  GUINEA PIGS ONLINE

  GUINEA PIGS ONLINE: FURRY TOWERS

  GUINEA PIGS ONLINE: VIKING VICTORY

  GUINEA PIGS ONLINE: CHRISTMAS QUEST

  To Judy

  J.G.

  To Candy and Debbie

  A.S.

  To Mini Horne

  S.H.

  contents

  1 the christmas cocoa bean

  2 mummy!

  3 off to peru

  4 coco loco

  5 the giant bird

  6 mountain mission

  7 the nestbusters

  8 flight

  9 the lost gold

  10 a snowy christmas

  1

  the christmas cocoa bean

  It was three days before Christmas and at number 7, Middleton Crescent, Strawberry Park, London, the preparations were in full swing.

  The guinea pigs were decorating the hutch with holly and ivy they had brought in from the garden.

  At least, Fuzzy was decorating the hutch. Coco was lying on her back on a pile of soft straw dreaming about all the Christmas presents she was going to get from their owners, Ben and Henrietta.

  ‘I want a new bow,’ she sighed. ‘And a bottle of bubble bath. And a purple hairbrush.’

  ‘You’ve got about five hairbrushes already,’ Fuzzy said. He finished weaving a piece of ivy around the water bottle. ‘Now come and give me a hand with the tree.’ He grabbed a large piece of broccoli from their food bowl and started to heave it into the corner.

  ‘I don’t have a purple hairbrush,’ Coco complained. She rolled over and stared at the tree. Fuzzy had up-ended the broccoli on to its stalk. It sagged against the wire of the hutch.

  Coco frowned. ‘It looks a bit lopsided,’ she said. ‘Can’t you straighten it up?’

  ‘Can’t you?’ Fuzzy chattered crossly. He leaned against the broccoli tree, trying to prop it up. He couldn’t wait for Christmas! A huge lunch of Brussels sprouts with gravy followed by a whole afternoon lying on Ben’s lap watching adventure films – it was Fuzzy’s idea of heaven! But first there was work to be done.

  ‘Come on, Coco,’ he chattered again. ‘Help me with the decorations!’

  ‘Definitely not!’ Coco said. ‘One never had to do things like that when one lived at Buckingham Palace.’

  Fuzzy pulled a face. Coco had once lived with the Queen, which was why she sometimes got all stuck up and talked in a funny way. It only seemed to happen when there was something she didn’t want to do, like now.

  Just then the door to the hutch flew open. A banana-coloured guinea pig with a toffee-coloured tummy scuttled in.

  ‘Cooee!’ It was Banoffee from next door. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but we let ourselves in.’

  Although there was no longer a cat living at number 7, Middleton Crescent, Ben and Henrietta had kept the cat flap in the kitchen door. The guinea pigs used it as a door to the garden. And sometimes their friends used it to come and see them.

  Next came a skinny patchwork of fur with a woolly hat.

  ‘All right, guys?’ It was Banoffee’s oldest son, Terry.

  After that there was a lot of squeaking as in tumbled thirteen little guinea pigs of different shapes and sizes. They were Banoffee’s other children. And they all had lovely braids in their hair. Even the boys!

  ‘They’re very excited!’ Banoffee shouted over the din. ‘They’ve just hung up their stockings, ready for Christmas!’

  The door to the hutch swung open for a fourth time. A handsome black guinea pig with bushy eyebrows and silver speckles in his fur whizzed in on a scooter. He had a satchel round his neck. It was Eduardo, Coco and Fuzzy’s friend who lived in the copse at the bottom of the garden.

  ‘I, Eduardo Julio Antonio del Monte, will tell the children a story about Christmas in my beloved homeland, Peru,’ he announced.

  Eduardo was a type of guinea pig called an Agouti. He had been sent by his mother, the Queen of the Agoutis, all the way from Peru to free the guinea pigs of the world. But he’d got lost and ended up in Strawberry Park.

  ‘I love stories!’ squealed Blossom, the youngest of Banoffee’s guinea piglets.

  ‘Sit down, everyone,’ Coco said bossily. ‘In a circle.’ She couldn’t help being bossy in front of Eduardo. Seeing him always made her want to show off.

  All the guinea pigs sat in a circle, except Fuzzy who was still holding up the broccoli Christmas tree.

  Eduardo waited for silence. Then he began his story. ‘In my country, there are many mountains and trees,’ he said. ‘There are lakes and rivers. And even though in your winter it is our summer, high in the mountains where my family lives there is snow at Christmas.’

  ‘I love snow!’ Blossom whispered.

  ‘Me too,’ Eduardo said. ‘Which is why I always carry ski poles in my satchel when I am in Peru.’

  Coco frowned. Now Eduardo was showing off. That was her job!

  ‘Peru is a land of great beauty,’ Eduardo continued. ‘It is also a land of great danger for guinea pigs. Above the mountains flies a giant bird.’

  ‘Is it bigger than a pterodactyl?’ asked Terry. ‘Only I’ve seen pictures of them on the Internet and they’re enormous.’

  ‘Bigger,’ Eduardo said, although he didn’t know what a pterodactyl was. ‘It is the mighty condor. And man, does that bird like to eat guinea pigs!’

  The little guinea piglets gasped at the thought of a giant guinea-pig-eating bird.

  ‘It can’t be worse than Renard,’ Coco said.

  Renard was the fox who lived in the copse. He was always trying to catch the guinea pigs, especially Coco.

  ‘Pah!’ Eduardo laughed. ‘The mighty condor makes Renard look like a squirl.’

  ‘A squirrel,’ Fuzzy said kindly, although his paws were aching from holding up the broccoli tree. ‘Not a squirl.’

  Eduardo shrugged. ‘It matters not, amigo, what you choose to call him. What matters is that he has a beak like a pair of skissors.’

  Coco giggled.

  Eduardo glared at her. ‘Only one guinea pig has ever been brave enough to take on the mighty condor,’ he continued.

  ‘Who?’ Blossom demanded breathlessly.

  ‘Indiana Pig, our great guinea-pig hero,’ Eduardo explained. ‘He built a plane …’

  ‘A plane!’ repeated Fuzzy. He had always wanted to fly a plane.

&n
bsp; ‘Si, señor, a plane. He flew up to the top of the mountain to fight the condor so that guinea pigs could live without fear. But the condor was too strong for him.’

  ‘What happened?’ asked Terry.

  ‘The plane crashed,’ Eduardo told him. ‘Indiana Pig and his guide escaped. They hid in a secret cave in the mountains. Indiana Pig tried to return to the burrow, but there was a terrible storm and he became separated from his guide. Only the guide made it back home.’ Eduardo stifled a sob. ‘Indiana Pig was never seen again.’

  ‘Has anyone else tried to fight the condor?’ Fuzzy asked.

  ‘No, it is impossible,’ Eduardo said, ‘which is why each Christmas we Agoutis bring out our lucky charm. We believe it will keep us safe from the condor for another year.’

  ‘Oooh!’ Coco’s eyes lit up. ‘A lucky charm! What is it, a bracelet?’

  ‘No, señorita, it is not a bracelet.’ Eduardo looked deadly serious. ‘It is our Christmas Cocoa Bean.’

  ‘Cocoa bean?’ repeated Fuzzy.

  ‘Si, señor,’ Eduardo nodded.

  ‘Instead of a tree at Christmas, it is the tradition of our family to decorate the lucky Christmas Cocoa Bean. It must be on the table when we sit down to our Christmas lunch of chickweed and papaya juice. Or, Agouti legend says, the mighty condor will eat us all up.’

  ‘What a lot of rubbish!’ Coco said.

  Banoffee’s children stared at her, wide-eyed.

  ‘Excuse me?’ Eduardo looked astonished.

  ‘I said, what a lot of rubbish.’ Coco knew she was being horrible, but she couldn’t stop herself. Sometimes, when Eduardo got all the attention, she felt mean words bubble up inside her and pop out of her mouth even though she didn’t really want them to. ‘I’ve never heard anything so silly in my life.’

  A tear trickled down Eduardo’s cheek. ‘Señorita,’ he sniffed, mounting his scooter, ‘you have hurt my feelings. I think I will go and sit in my lonely burrow and write a sad song to cheer myself up.’

  He scooted out of the hutch.

  A moment later they heard the cat flap bang shut.

  ‘We should probably go,’ Banoffee said. She and Terry gathered up the kids and shooed them out.

  Fuzzy let the broccoli tree fall. ‘You shouldn’t have said that, Coco,’ he said. ‘Don’t you realize Eduardo must be missing his family? Christmas is a horrible time to be away from home.’

  ‘Oh, Fuzzy, I’m sorry.’ Coco started to sob. ‘I didn’t mean it.’

  Fuzzy passed her a scrap of newspaper to wipe her nose on.

  ‘I know,’ he said. ‘The question is, what can we do to cheer Eduardo up?’ He scratched the crest on his head. ‘We can’t invite him for Christmas because Ben and Henrietta will notice.’

  Suddenly Coco’s face brightened. She knew exactly what would cheer her up if she was sad. ‘I’ve got it!’ she cried. ‘Let’s get him a Christmas present!’

  2

  mummy!

  Later on, when Coco left the hutch and crept out into the kitchen, she was very surprised at what she saw. It wasn’t just that the washing up was done, although that was a surprise. (Ben and Henrietta always thought the other one would do the washing up.) It wasn’t even that the Christmas cards were hanging round the room. (Ben and Henrietta always thought the other one was going to put them up.)

  The fridge was talking. The door was open and the fridge seemed to be muttering to itself.

  ‘That’s so cool!’ it said.

  Coco stayed by the hutch. Either she or the fridge had gone mad. Then Coco heard Henrietta’s sensible shoes clip-clopping down the stairs and coming into the kitchen. Coco scampered behind the sofa so she wouldn’t be seen. She didn’t want Henrietta to know she could get in and out of the hutch on her own.

  ‘Mummy, come away from that fridge,’ said Henrietta firmly.

  ‘But it’s so lovely and cool, Henrietta.’

  Coco recognized the voice now. Of course it wasn’t the fridge talking. It was Mummy! Not Coco’s mummy of course. It was Henrietta’s mum, the Antarctic explorer. Everyone called her Mummy, even the guinea pigs, because that’s what Henrietta called her. She always came to stay at Christmas, when she wasn’t exploring.

  ‘You know I’ve never got used to the hot temperatures here in England,’ complained Mummy.

  ‘It’s not hot here, Mummy. You’re just used to Antarctica,’ said Henrietta. She shut the fridge door, to reveal a tiny old woman wearing a woolly hat and a big duffel coat. ‘And you’d be a lot less hot if you weren’t wearing all that gear.’

  ‘I need to dress warmly,’ said Mummy sulkily, ‘because I’m just about to go Christmas shopping.’

  Christmas shopping! Those two words were music to Coco’s ears. This could be the perfect opportunity to get a present for Eduardo.

  Coco raced across the kitchen. On the far side of the kitchen counter she saw Husky, Mummy’s dog. He was munching a seal burger.

  ‘Hi, Husky,’ said Coco, giving his paw a little hug.

  Now you may think it very odd that she didn’t scream and run away from Husky, because guinea pigs and dogs are not usually the best of friends. But Husky was specially trained not to harm other animals, because sometimes he had to help Mummy rescue them in Antarctica.

  ‘Are you going too?’ Coco asked.

  ‘No. I do all my shopping on the Internet,’ Husky replied.

  Up in the hall Henrietta was saying goodbye to Mummy.

  Coco pulled herself up the stairs, dashed over to Mummy’s battered old handbag and hopped in. Inside the bag it was dark and crunchy. That’s because it was full of sweet wrappers. There was also a brand-new mobile phone. Mummy always had the latest technology.

  Coco felt herself being lifted up. The front door banged. From inside the bag she could just about follow Mummy’s route as she walked briskly along Middleton Crescent and into Upper Street. Then Mummy stopped.

  Where were they? Coco peeped out of the bag. Mummy had stopped outside a shop. Coco read the sign – ‘Frosty’s Frozen Foods’. What on earth was she going to get for Eduardo in there?

  Just then Mummy’s mobile rang. Coco shrank back as Mummy’s wrinkled hand felt about in the handbag and pulled the phone out. ‘Hello, Dolores!’ Coco heard her say.

  Dolores was Mummy’s best friend. Like Eduardo, she was from Peru, but unlike Eduardo, she still lived there. Coco wondered what she wanted.

  She soon found out.

  ‘You’re going on an adventure?’ Mummy screeched. ‘To find the lost gold of Magchu Pigchu?’ Mummy gave a whoop of excitement. ‘What? Of course I’ll come! I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll be on the next plane to Peru!’

  ‘Taxi!’ Mummy hailed the nearest cab. ‘To the airport, as quick as you can!’

  Coco rustled about in the handbag, wondering what to do. A plane! To Peru!

  It was Eduardo who should be going to Peru, not her! She felt all wobbly inside. It was Christmas in a couple of days. What if they didn’t get back in time for presents? What if they didn’t make it home for Christmas lunch? What if she didn’t see Henrietta, or Ben, or Fuzzy on Christmas Day? Suddenly Coco knew exactly how Eduardo must have been feeling away from his family.

  The handbag opened. Mummy reached in, trying to find a sweet, but instead her hand found Coco. She pulled her out.

  ‘Coco!’ Mummy exclaimed. ‘How nice to see you. I hope you don’t get travel sick.’ Mummy gave her a quick stroke, then popped Coco back into the bag and exchanged her for a toffee.

  Coco felt like crying. She wanted to go home.

  Just then the bag opened again and Mummy’s mobile phone crunched on to the sweet wrappers beside her. The screen glowed.

  Coco stared at it. Maybe she could contact Fuzzy and get him to alert Ben and Henrietta. Maybe Ben and Henrietta could pick her up at the airport before it was too late! Quickly she scrolled down Mummy’s list of contacts. It was a pretty strange list, mostly of people who sold stuff for Antarctic expeditions. She g
ot to H. Harold’s Husky Hire, Harriet’s Heated Hats … Phew! Henrietta was next on the list!

  Coco hesitated. If Henrietta read a text message from Coco she’d get a big shock! Henrietta and Ben didn’t even know the guinea pigs could let themselves out of their hutch, let alone use a mobile phone. She’d just have to hope Fuzzy saw it first.

  Help!

  Coco texted.

  I’m catching a plane to Peru with Mummy to find the lost gold of Magchu Pigchu. Coco xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo.

  She pressed Send.

  The screen went dark. Coco waited anxiously. After a few moments the screen lit up again. It was a message from Henrietta’s phone.

  Haha, we know! We’re coming 2! Mummy already txtd H & B. C u soon! Fuzzy

  Coco felt a surge of relief. Fuzzy was coming! And Ben and Henrietta. They would all be together for Christmas. Then she remembered Eduardo.

  What about E? C xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

  She waited for the reply.

  Don’t worry! He’s hiding in Husky’s pet carrier.

  Coco couldn’t help smiling in spite of everything. They’d all be together for Christmas after all.

  And Eduardo would get to go back to his beloved homeland, Peru.

  3

  off to peru

  Coco sat on Mummy’s lap, her toes wrapped up in a cosy blanket. She was having a brilliant time. Dolores had bought Mummy a seat in first class. Coco gave a deep sigh of satisfaction. What more could a guinea pig ask for? The TV screen popped out of the arm of the seat! She had her very own headphones! A pretty lady in a hat had given her a lovely little velvet bag with guinea-pig sized bottles of shampoo and hair gel in it. In front of her was a tray of nibbles and a glass of fizzy carrot juice.

  ‘Would you like a glass of champagne?’ A handsome man in a smart blue jacket sat across the aisle from Mummy. He had a very posh voice. Coco’s heart fluttered. Then she realized he wasn’t talking to her, he was talking to Mummy.