Tammy and Willow , livre ebook

Troubador Publishing Ltd - Gillian Young

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66 pages

English

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Hannah Taylor and her border collie, Tammy, have a special bond. They have grown up together and are so close they practically know each other's thoughts. But when Tammy suddenly falls ill and dies, Hannah is devastated and wonders how she will ever cope with life without her beloved friend. But life goes on and Hannah must face a new year at high school. Despite the help of her family and friends Hannah misses Tammy so much she loses interest in everything, even the famous summer fayre which occurs every year in the village.Meanwhile Tammy is also struggling to work out what is happening. After being desperately ill and falling into a deep sleep, she is now feeling better than ever. But Hannah no longer seems able to see or hear her. What's happened? What's this limbo Tammy has suddenly found herself in? And what's this strange light that follows her?When a cute fluffy collie pup called Willow comes into their lives, Hannah cannot help but grow fond of this little ball of fluff. And even better, this little pup is no ordinary dog, she can actually see Tammy.

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Children's

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Publié par	Troubador Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	11 novembre 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781800467545
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Copyright © 2020 Gillian Young

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Matador
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ISBN 978 1800467 545

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

For Tammy and Willow
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
The Summer Fayre
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1

Hannah Taylor was happy. In fact, she was in a fabulous mood. The sun was shining, the summer holiday had just begun, and yesterday had been the village summer fayre, Hazydale’s event of the year. After what had been a difficult few months, Hannah felt that finally the days were getting brighter. The build-up to the fayre had been a welcome distraction – a day of music, laughter, fairground rides, shows, and even the local television station had been there.
The after-effects of an amazing day left her buzzing. She sighed, feeling the warm sun on her face. Yes, things were definitely looking up.
Goodbye, Year Seven, and hello, Year Eight – but not just yet. For now, there were six long weeks of holiday. All that time to spend with her best friend Lorna and her best furriend Tammy, her beloved border collie.
By the time Hannah had walked into the field, Tammy was already greeting the three ageing sheep, Florrie, Dolly and Molly. Hannah stood smiling at the four old friends rubbing their noses in greeting. She whistled loudly. Tammy turned and ran towards her.
‘Hey, Tam.’ Hannah rubbed her hand gently under the collie’s white chin.
Tammy pulled her head back, closed her eyes against the sun and sat enjoying her chin rub.
‘I think the old girls have missed you.’ Hannah looked up and chuckled, watching the old sheep stare after their dear friend. She had missed the old girls too, but up until now it had been too painful to see them again. Before illness struck, the break-up of ‘The Team’ had never occurred to her. The team: Florrie, Dolly, Molly, Tammy – and Teal. She thought the girls would go on forever.
Hannah felt her heart ache as she looked at the white hairs around Tammy’s eyes. Funny that she hadn’t noticed them before. Yet, there was a sparkle in those soft brown eyes that hadn’t been there for months, not since Teal died.
Hannah thought back to that day, sitting beside Lorna, her arm comfortingly around her best-friend’s shoulders. They were sat in Lorna’s kitchen. Her mum, Jackie, had just come in from tending to Teal. Jacqui had leaned back against the counter and, with a sigh, looked at the girls and said, ‘This is what I hate about being a vet.’
Hannah hadn’t answered. There was no need, and besides, she didn’t trust her voice to keep steady.
Jackie sighed again then said, ‘It feels like the end of an era.’

Hannah crouched down and began massaging Tammy’s scruffy black ears. She tried pushing the sad memory to one side.
‘You enjoyed it yesterday, didn’t you, Tam? I saw you watching Skye and Socks rounding up the sheep.’ She wrapped her arms around Tammy’s shoulders, breathing in the sweet smell of her vanilla doggie shampoo. ‘One day, we’ll appear at the summer fayre and show everyone what a great team we are – the best.’
‘I’m pretty sure the whole village knows that already.’
Hannah spun around to see her best friend standing behind her, smiling. Tammy trotted over and gently licked Lorna’s hand.
‘Your dad and his collies wowed everyone again,’ Hannah said. ‘I know Tammy would love to join them.’
Lorna nodded, but then Hannah saw her smile falter.
‘But it’d be too weird, wouldn’t it?’ Hannah continued, clumsily. ‘Tammy and Teal were the dynamic duo.’
Hearing the name of her mum, Tammy turned her head and twitched her ears.
‘Yes, they were.’ Lorna stood beside Hannah and, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear, she said, ‘It was weird Teal not being with us at the fayre yesterday, but it’s like Mum said, she lived a full and happy life.’ Lorna looked at her friend and smiled.
Hannah reached out and stroked Lorna’s arm. There was no need for words; Lorna already knew how much her best friend sympathised. She understood all too well the love between an owner and their dog.
A shiver swept through Hannah.
‘It’s good to see you both out here again,’ Lorna said, snapping Hannah out of the thoughts that were threatening to overwhelm her, thoughts she really did not welcome.
Hannah agreed with Lorna. It had been too long since she and Tam had been out on the field – five months to be exact.
Hannah leaned down and patted Tammy on the bottom. ‘Away!’ she called.
Instantly, Tammy raced towards the sheep.
‘Tammy seems a lot brighter,’ Lorna said, watching Mollie the sheep look up and turn towards Tammy.
‘Just watch,’ Hannah said, seeing the glint in the old sheep’s eye. ‘I bet she grumbles at Tam.’
Right on cue, Mollie bleated loudly at Tammy.
‘Lie down,’ Hannah called. Tammy fell on to her belly.
Hannah’s eyes shifted left, to the space where Teal would have been. She was certain Lorna and Tammy were thinking the same too.
Mollie bleated again, loud and clear. The other two sheep, their mouths full of grass, glanced at her and then Tammy. Mollie started to walk away.
‘Come by,’ said Hannah.
Without hesitation, Tammy responded to Hannah’s command. She ran around the three old sheep, encircling them and quickly stopping Mollie in her tracks. But Hannah could see the sheep didn’t mind. They were as calm and relaxed as ever. They trotted happily towards the open wooden pen.
With one last bleat over her shoulder, Mollie followed her friends.
Lorna sat down on the grass and Hannah settled beside her.
‘It’s good being out here with you again,’ Lorna said, looking at the three sheep. The old girls snuffled against Tammy who stood in front of them, wagging her bushy tail.
Suddenly, Tammy coughed: a loud, hacking cough. She hung her head down and, pulling her lips back, coughed again.
‘Probably a bit of the sheep’s fleece stuck in her throat,’ Lorna said.
‘I’ve been worried about her, Lorna,’ Hannah said, refusing to take her eyes off Tammy, who was now lying beside the pen while the sheep grazed happily. She stared at her dog’s gentle face, her brown eyes glistening in the sunlight, her tongue hanging out of her mouth which was wide open in a huge grin.
Lorna nodded. ‘I know, but they say dogs pine when a loved one dies. And Teal wasn’t just any dog. She was her mum.’
Hannah turned to Lorna and shook her head. Her stomach churned, a feeling she knew too well, one of worry for what may or may not happen.
‘It’s more than that. She’s been getting really tired lately and now she’s started coughing.’
‘Well, she is getting on a bit.’
‘Twelve isn’t old,’ Hannah snapped. Immediately she regretted her reaction. ‘I mean,’ she said, her voice softer, ‘Teal was fifteen when she died.’
She reached over and squeezed her best friend’s shoulder. Although Teal had belonged to Lorna’s mum, Hannah knew that Lorna had classed Teal as her own too. Hannah had watched helplessly as her friend wept for the loss of the much-loved member of their family. She thought back to the times the four of them had rounded up Florrie, Dolly and Mollie, the oldest sheep in Lorna’s dad’s flock.
‘How about I ask Mum to take a look at her?’ Lorna asked.
Hannah brightened.
‘That would be great, Lorna. Thank you.’
She noticed, with relief, Lorna’s smile deepen. Her previous sharpness had been forgiven. She felt lucky having Lorna as her best friend, someone who knew her so well, who understood and accepted her anxious and tetchy ways.
‘We’ve got to make sure Tammy is fighting fit for next year when you both star at the summer fayre.’
Hannah laughed. ‘Yeah, like that will ever happen!’
‘You never know.’
Hannah’s worries eased as she thought about the summer fayre. The stalls, the music, the fun fair, the carnival, the shire horses, steam engines, the dog displays from Lorna’s dad and his collies Skye and Socks, and then the local police dogs jumping through tyres of fire.
‘It was a good day,’ Hannah sighed.
‘The best,’ Lorna said.
Hannah sat there thinking about the perfect d