Gasp of the Ghoulish Guinea Pig #7 (Undead Pets),New

Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Chapter OneHere they come! called Joe.Toby, his little brother, gave a squeal of delight as a streak of brownandwhite fur shot out of a bendy green tube, closely followed by two more.Go, guinea pigs! shouted Erin, a curlyhaired girl the same age as Joe. She was sitting at the other end of the hall waving a bunch of parsley, while three guinea pigs raced through the obstacle course toward her, squeaking as they went.It was Sunday afternoon, the start of winter break, and Joe and Toby and their parents were visiting the Crawfords. While the grownups chatted in the living room, the children were playing with the familys three guinea pigsLightning, Flash, and Bolt. The obstacle course theyd built ran down the length of the Crawfords hallway.Oops! George, Erins little brother, giggled as the guinea pigs decided not to jump over the small fence the kids had made and went around the side instead.Theyre heading for the seesaw! shrieked Toby.Come on! called Erin, waving the parsley up and down. Come and get the goodies!Flashthe biggest guinea pigsniffed the air and let out a squeak, then shot through the cardboard archway and over the finish line, closely followed by Bolt and Lightning.Why does Flash always win? groaned George.Because hes awesome! Erin gently scooped up Flash and rewarded him with a sprig of parsley. Thats why I chose him.Lightning and Bolt are cool, too, said George, giving the other two their share of the parsley.Joe crouched down next to Erin and stroked Flashs small brownandwhite head. When did you get them?About four months ago. Theyre still pretty young . . .And very excitable! added Erins mom, who had appeared in the hall carrying a tray of empty mugs. All that squeaking!Squeak! Squeak! mimicked George in a funny guineapig voice.Toby laughed and joined in. Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!The guinea pigs stopped chewing their parsley and looked at the boys as though they were upset.I wish I had a guinea pig. Toby sighed. Theyre so cool.Want to hold Flash? Erin nodded to the spot next to her. Sit there and Ill put him on your lap. Watch outhes a bit of a pooper!Toby and George giggled.Can I hold one, too? Joe asked.George put Bolt on Joes knee. The guinea pig began snuffling around the boys pockets looking for treats. Joe stroked his head and the guinea pig gave a small squeak.He likes you, said Erin.But just then Bolt wriggled off Joes lap and scuttled back to Lightning.Theyre best friends, George explained. They like to stick together.What about Flash? asked Joe. The biggest guinea pig was still sitting happily on Tobys knee.Hes a bit braver, said Erin. The other two follow him around. Its a bit like me and George. She giggled. Im Flash, and George is Bolt!Joe, Tobyfive minutes! Mom called from the living room.Toby groaned. I dont want to go home!Quick, Erin said. Lets do the course again! She picked up Flash and Lightning, while George took Bolt. They carried them back to the beginning of the obstacle course.As soon as Erin let Flash go, he took off through the first tunnel, squeaking excitedly.Hey! said Erin, as Lightning wriggled in her arms. She put him down, and he chased after Flash. Bolt caught up, following the others.George and Toby began squeaking again, copying the guinea pigs.Weve got two new pets! said Mrs. Crawford as the grownups appeared in the hall.Joes dad grinned. Should I put them in the hutch for you?Toby and George made silly guineapig faces and squeaked even louder.Come on, boys! Time to go, said Mom, holding out Tobys fleece.Tobys face fell. But I want to stay.You can come back another time, said Mrs. Crawford. What about Tuesday? Its Georges birthday, and hes having a monster party. Hed love if Joe and Toby could come.Yes, please! said To