Chapter 6
pstairs, the boy and his father, having examined the situation, had come up with a plan. They had found a small container and attached a rope to it. Putting a marshmallow inside (that was one of Alvin's favorite treats) they lowered it down the pipe.
"Alvin!!" the boy called as the container disappeared into the dark, "We're going to save you!! Just climb into the container we're sending down!! You'll be back up here in no time!!" He listened carefully for an answering squeak, but heard nothing, so he called again.
"ALVIN!! Are you ok? Please answer me!! Can you hear me??" But there was nothing. They lowered the container and waited....and waited. No Alvin came to claim the treat. Finally they had to give up.
The boy was heartbroken. "I'll bet he's hurt....or dead...and it's all my fault...." he cried. "Poor Alvin...all alone down there...." The thought was so upsetting to him that he went straight to bed and cried himself to sleep.
When the boy's mother and brothers and sister came home from shopping, his father told them what had happened. They all felt very sorry for the boy, and for poor Alvin too.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked the boy's mother. "Maybe he just ran off somewhere. He could still be down there. Is there some way we can look?"
"No...I'm afraid not," said the boy's father, shaking his head. "We tried to bring him back up, but he was gone...."
"Dad?" said the older of the boy's brothers, "How about posters? I mean I always see posters for lost pets, and Alvin's a pet, and he sure is lost....."
"That's a good idea," his father agreed. "It can't hurt to put up posters. I doubt anyone will find him, but you never know.....stranger things have happened...." and he smiled at the boys.
"Ok guys....I leave it up to you. You make up the poster and I'll get it printed. Then we'll all go out and put them up all over town. How's that sound?"
"ALL RIGHT!!!" the boys cheered, then ran off upstairs to get to work.
Their first stop was their brother's room. They burst through the door, both talking at once, eager to tell him about their idea.
"Go away!!" the boy's voice came from beneath the covers. "Alvin's gone....and it's all my fault...."
"No....we're gonna get him back....we had this idea...." and, taking turns, they told him what their father had said.
"Well....that could work...." the boy said, reluctantly emerging from the blankets. "You never know.....So...ok...what do we say?" And the three of them sat down and thought and thought, then started writing.....
A couple of hours later the three of them went downstairs with their finished poster. Across the top it said, in BIG letters "LOST!!!" And there was a picture of Alvin wearing his Santa hat and sitting under the Christmas tree. Underneath the picture it said, "If you ever go down the sewerpipe, down to the bottom of the sewer system, and if you meet a little alligator who answers to the name of Alvin, he's mine. I lost him. Alvin fell down the sewerpipe, down to the bottom of the sewer system because he wouldn't listen, and now I feel so lonely since he's gone. I miss him", then the boy's name and phone number.
"Good job boys," said their father. "This should get some attention. I'll have copies printed up tomorrow and we'll go out and hang them all over the place."
"That is a nice poster," agreed their mother. "We'll get it printed on colored paper. That way people will notice it more, and the more people notice it the sooner Alvin will be home....."
"You really think this will work?" the boy asked anxiously.
"Sure," said his mother, "Why, I'll bet Alvin will be home in less than a week.....Now off to bed. We'll have a busy day tomorrow." And the boys, with a final goodnight, headed off to their rooms.
Text © 1995 by Eva Frizzi. Used with permission.
