Щенок Элли, или Долгая дорога домой / Ellie the Homesick Puppy

She would probably waggle her fingers through the door and tickle her ears.

But Gran was getting into the car without Megan. Ellie looked around anxiously, and barked to tell her she’d made a mistake. Gran looked back over her shoulder, and smiled. ‘It’s all right, Ellie. Shh-shh. Don’t worry, we’ll see Megan again soon.’

Ellie stared back at her. Yes, Megan. Gran must know what was wrong. Why were they going without Megan? She felt the vibrations as Gran started the car and howled in despair. Megan was being left behind![71 - Megan was being left behind! – Продолженное время Past Continuous и страдательный залог подчёркивают драматичность момента: вот прямо сейчас, сию секунду, Меган оставляют!] Ellie stood up on her hind legs in the cage, trying to look out of the window, but she could only see the side of the car and Gran’s seat in front.

Megan was clinging to her mum’s arm, trying to stop herself racing after Ellie and yelling at Gran to stop the car. ‘Oh, Mum, listen to her howling,’ she said miserably.

‘She’s so upset. Does she really have to go to Gran’s?’

Her mum just hugged her.

Ellie couldn’t see Megan, but she could hear her, and she sounded unhappy. She scrabbled frantically at the bars of her cage with her paws, desperate to get back to Megan.

As the car pulled away down the road, Ellie barked and barked.

At last, when it hurt to bark any more, she stopped. She pressed her nose against the door of the travel cage.

Gran had taken her away from Megan, and Megan hadn’t wanted her to go.

[72 - В предложении использовано Past Perfect (had + 3-я форма глагола), так как Элли обдумывает события, произошедшие до начала поездки.] Of course she hadn’t! Ellie was Megan’s dog. Ellie didn’t understand what was going on, but she was absolutely certain about one thing.

She had to get back to Megan.[73 - Have to передаёт вынужденное действие: Ей придётся (раз уж она попала в эту ситуацию) вернуться к Меган.]

* * *

At Gran’s house, everything smelled different.

Ellie had been there before, but only with Megan, when it had been fun. Gran was doing her best – she’d taken Ellie for a walk when they first arrived, to stretch her legs after being shut up in the car. But Ellie had trailed along behind her with her ears drooping, and in the end Gran had turned back.

But it was worse in the house. Ellie didn’t want to be here, and she hated cats. Sid was huge and black and old, and very grumpy.