The Big Win Read online

  Lars shut the tape deck off. “Alana, are you upset with me? For the past two weeks, you have been avoiding me. I always come by to chat with you, but you tell me you’re busy. What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t have any problem with you.” Alana didn’t want Lars knowing the real reason she was avoiding him. Happy, Carl, and Alana had been working tirelessly on the surprise party and she wasn’t about to spill the beans. She excused herself, went inside her home, and returned with a colorful hammock in her hands. She said, “This was a gift I bought for you. It was an early birthday present. When I brought it over, I saw Janey had already given you one and it made me feel bad.”

  “That is so thoughtful. Why don’t you keep it and we can have matching hammocks? Or you can give the hammock to Happy?” Lars suggested.

  Janey changed the subject. “Weren’t you supposed to help me find a new home? Lars said that you’re the housing expert.”

  “I thought Happy wanted you to be her neighbor,” Alana said.

  “There isn’t enough room by her house. I want to be in a secluded location. I like my privacy,” Janey explained.

  Alana couldn’t believe the words that fell out of her own mouth. “I have a great place where you can be close to all of us, but still have lots of space. Let me show you.” She sprinted through the grassy meadow and over the bridge to the well-manicured but desolate and undeveloped section of Furtopia.

  “What about here?” She pointed to an empty patch of land surrounded by cherry and apple trees and colorful flowers.

  “This might work,” Janey said as she explored the potential spot for her new home.

  “You will be right across the bridge from us,” Lars remarked. “This is truly ideal. What a fabulous idea, Alana. I knew you’d think of something good.”

  “There are lots of designs for wooden homes,” Alana explained. “We should talk to Wayne because he has a catalog of potential homes we can purchase for you. He has lots of connections in construction.”

  “It’s happening! I’m going to stay on Furtopia!” Janey exclaimed as she followed Alana and Lars across the bridge.

  Before they reached Tick and Tock’s store, they spotted a new shop near the Resident Life building. Avis was standing in front of it, and Happy was chatting away.

  “Is this the new shop?” asked Alana.

  “It will be soon,” Avis said with a smile. “When my sister arrives, we will put the finishing touches on it and then we will have our grand opening.”

  “I can’t wait to start shopping. Is it possible I can get a sneak peek?” Happy asked. “I think I’m a valued customer. I did buy almost everything from your cart.”

  “You have shopped more than most, and you’re definitely a valued customer,” said Avis, “but I’m sorry that I can’t let anyone in the shop before the grand opening.”

  Alana was concerned about Happy’s recent shopping excursion. She questioned whether Happy had really bought most of the items on Avis’s cart, or was she exaggerating? Alana wondered how Happy had gotten all those bells. If she had bought a bunch of clothes, she would have needed many bells.

  Just as Alana was about to ask, Happy pointed at a balloon floating above them. Before anybody else had a chance to pop the balloon and claim the wrapped gift attached to the balloon’s string, Happy had already hit it with her slingshot. She frantically opened the box. “Yes!” Happy exclaimed. “More bells!”

  Happy handed the bells she had just pulled from the box to Avis. “I know I still owe you more bells, and I am going to earn some now.” Happy raced off before Alana had a chance to talk to her.

  Alana was worried about Happy, and she decided to bring up her concerns at their dinner that night. But right now she had to focus on finding the best house for Janey.

  Wayne greeted them as they entered the store.

  “We’re looking for a home for Janey,” Alana announced.

  “Wow, this island is filling up rather quickly. How nice,” Wayne remarked.

  Tick and Tock were behind the counter and Wayne instructed them to take out the catalog of new homes. Janey flipped through the pages and stopped when she saw a small wooden house with a large porch. “This is the house that I want.”

  “Great,” Wayne said. “It’s in stock and we can build it today.”

  The gang walked to the area Janey had chosen for her home. It was near the bridge, but far enough away that it felt like a desert island. When the building was completed, she invited everyone into the house.

  “I’m going to have a housewarming party tonight,” Janey said. “We can have a bonfire and sing songs. It will be so nice. I want to invite everyone.”

  “I’m supposed to have dinner with Happy,” Alana said.

  “Come after dinner. This is going to be the best party Furtopia has ever experienced,” Janey announced.

  “Let’s tell Carl about it,” Lars said.

  Janey and Lars ran off again without waiting for Alana. Before they were out of earshot, Alana called out to them. “Wait,” she shouted.

  Janey turned around. “Aren’t you coming, Alana?”

  “Can you come back here for a minute?” asked Alana.

  Janey and Lars walked back to the house, and Alana pulled the colorful hammock from her inventory.

  “I want you to have the hammock,” Alana said as she handed the hammock to Janey.

  Lars and Janey placed the hammock between the two cherry trees next to Janey’s house. Janey said, “Thank you so much for this great housewarming gift. Alana, you should be the first one to lie in the hammock.”

  Alana climbed into the hammock and looked up at the sun, which was setting. She thought about Janey and realized that having more residents on the island was a good thing. Alana understood that Lars could have two best friends and that she would have to learn to share.

  CHAPTER 4

  BIRTHDAY PLANS

  The first thing Happy did when she invited Alana into her home was show off the wardrobe she had crafted.

  “Isn’t this nice?” Happy asked. “It took me a long time to build it.”

  “Wow, I can’t you believe you built this yourself! It’s enormous and so ornate,” Alana said as she eyed the floral design on the woodwork.

  Happy opened the door to the wardrobe. “Look inside. It’s almost full.”

  Alana marveled at the collection of dresses, skirts, workout clothes, pants, and accessories that filled the closet. Although Happy had just completed the wardrobe, it was packed with items.

  “I think you have to build a second wardrobe. I didn’t know you had all these clothes.”

  Happy laughed. “I know! In fact, I am going to build a second one after I’m done preparing for the fishing competition. I know once Avis opens the new store with her sister Tavis, I will be a regular there. I definitely need more space for all the clothes I plan on buying.”

  “Why do you need so many clothes?” Alana asked. But Happy didn’t respond. There was a knock on the door, and Happy rushed to answer it.

  “Carl!” Happy exclaimed. “I’m so happy you could make it.”

  “I’m glad Happy is happy,” Carl joked.

  “You’re so funny!” Happy laughed. “I’m excited that you’re here. Now we can go over the birthday party plans. This is going to the best birthday party ever on Furtopia,” Happy said.

  “It will be the first,” Carl reminded her.

  “That’s why it will be the best,” she explained. Happy invited Carl and Alana to sit at the dining room table. She placed a large salad and a plate of fish in front of them. “I hope you guys like fish. I was practicing for the competition and I was able to catch six fish in less than two minutes.”

  “Really?” Carl said. “That’s amazing. I was practicing, but I could only get four fish.”

  “Has everybody been practicing for the competition? I thought we were busy planning Lars’s birthday party,” Alana remarked, as her competitive side began to resurface.

 
“Of course,” Happy said. “This is a big deal. I want to win. I already cleared a space on my nightstand for my trophy. I want to wake up every morning and be reminded of the day I won the fishing competition.”

  “Don’t you think you’re being a little too confident?” Carl asked Happy. “Janey is excellent at fishing, and I think she might win.”

  “Practice makes perfect, and I will be practicing a lot,” Happy said. “So I’m hopeful I will win.”

  Alana didn’t want to talk about the fishing competition, because it made her feel very insecure. She wasn’t able to catch a lot of fish in a short period of time, and she feared coming in last place. Alana reminded her friends, “Aren’t we here to discuss the party?”

  “Yes!” Happy exclaimed as she the rattled off a list of items they would need for the party, including a piñata, cupcakes, party poppers, and many other items.

  “We have to find a good way to surprise Lars,” Carl said.

  As they came up with inventive ways to surprise Lars, there was another knock at the door. Happy ran to the door and Janey was there. Alana was shocked. She didn’t expect Janey to be at the dinner.

  Happy exclaimed, “Janey! I’m so glad you could make it. I know you have your housewarming party later. We are so excited to celebrate with you tonight. Since you obviously love throwing parties, can you help us plan one for Lars?”

  “Of course,” Janey said as she sat down at the table and helped herself to a large portion of fish. “How about throwing a pool party?”

  “There isn’t a pool on Furtopia,” Alana explained.

  “Why don’t we build one on my side of the island? Since it’s not very developed, Lars would never find it,” Janey said as she stuffed her face with fish and began to chew.

  Alana had seen pools in the catalog Tick and Tock had on display in their shop. She spent many days perusing the pages of the catalog and dreaming about all the items she could buy. Alana had always wanted a pool, but they were very expensive, and she knew that it would take a long time to collect enough bells to purchase one.

  “Alana, you can buy him a pool,” Happy suggested. “That could be your present.”

  “I don’t have enough bells to buy a pool,” she replied.

  “Well, then you will have to save up,” Happy instructed.

  “Do you have enough time to save up that many bells? Lars’s party is two weeks away,” Carl yawned. “It seems like an awfully hard thing to do. I can’t imagine how many items you’d have to sell to Tick and Tock to get that many bells.”

  Alana wanted to sprint around the island trying to find money rocks. She also wanted to wait outside her door to shoot down any balloons with presents attached. Some of the presents were filled with bells. However, she knew these weren’t the best strategies. If she won the fishing competition, maybe she’d win enough bells to purchase the pool. Then Alana had an idea.

  “Maybe we can all buy the pool together. If we pool our bells together,” Alana laughed as she made the pun, “we might be able to buy it.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Happy exclaimed. “Except I don’t have any bells left. I spent them all on clothing and the kit to build the wardrobe.”

  “I have some bells,” Carl said as he pulled them out of his pocket. He placed the bells on the table and began counting.

  Janey looked at the bells Carl stacked on the table and said, “It doesn’t look like you have enough bells.”

  “Three hundred,” Carl announced.

  “A pool costs a lot more,” Alana said.

  “Well, it’s a start,” Carl said, “and I’m more than happy to donate these bells to the pool fund.”

  “Thank you,” Alana said.

  Janey reminded them, “I have my party soon, so I can’t stay. I’m sorry I don’t have any bells to donate, but I will try to earn some bells in the next couple of weeks and will be glad to donate those. If I win the competition, I will donate my winnings, and then I’m sure we’ll have enough bells to pay for the pool.”

  “I’m going to win the fishing competition,” Happy declared.

  “Well, if you do, you should use your winnings to buy the pool,” Janey instructed Happy.

  Happy stared at her wardrobe as she replied, “I can donate a small portion, but I need my bells to buy clothes. I hear the new tailor shop is opening tomorrow, and I can’t wait.”

  “I think the pool is a priority,” Janey said as she walked out of Happy’s house.

  When she left, Happy asked Carl and Alana, “Do you think we have to throw a pool party?”

  “I like pools,” Carl said. “I’m a fan of still water. I find the ocean waves to be so tiring.”

  “I think it’s expensive,” said Alana, “but a great idea. We can all use the pool and I know Lars would be so happy to have a pool party. I am just worried we won’t get enough bells in time.”

  “Me too,” Happy said.

  CHAPTER 5

  HOUSEWARMING PARTY

  Alana hoped Happy wouldn’t spill the beans about the pool party. Happy spent the entire walk over to Janey’s house talking about how she wished she had more bells to donate to the pool fund.

  “I think the pool is the best idea ever. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive,” Happy said for the hundredth time that night.

  “Don’t worry about it, Happy. Alana is resourceful and will help us get the bells,” Carl said, and then added, “I hope this party doesn’t run too late. I’m tired and I don’t think I’ll be able to stay up.”

  As they crossed the bridge to Janey’s side of the island, Alana stopped and looked up at the stars. It was a gorgeous night without a cloud in the sky. Alana could make out some constellations. She remembered learning about astronomy in her science class. The teacher had told the class that visible stars are bigger than the sun. Alana had questioned whether this was true, but she looked it up: It was. As they walked toward Janey’s house, Alana stared at the moon and the stars lighting up the night sky. There was another light off in the distance and the faint smell of smoke.

  “I think they have a bonfire,” Happy said as she sprinted toward the party. “Sorry,” she called out as she looked back, “I have to get some cardio in. I will see you guys at the party.”

  Carl and Alana followed the sound of people’s voices, the music, and the light from the bonfire. When they arrived at the party, they found Lars and Janey dancing. Tick, Tock, Wayne, and Feathers were crowded around the bonfire telling stories. Happy was running laps around Janey’s backyard. Carl spotted the empty hammock and crawled into it.

  “I’m going to take a nap,” he told Alana, “so can you ask the others to keep it down?”

  “I can’t do that,” Alana explained. “This is a party. You’re just going to have to sleep through all the noise.”

  “Oh well,” Carl sighed, “I guess I’ll manage.”

  Alana noticed a bear dancing alongside Janey and Lars. She walked over and introduced herself. “I’m Alana,” she said as she shook the bear’s paw.

  Although this bear was dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt, the bear reminded her of Furry, her beloved teddy bear that she had since she was a baby. Furry was the inspiration for the island’s name.

  “I’m Bobby. I just arrived here. I used to live on Janey’s old island. She told me about Furtopia and how lovely it is, and I decided to move here.”

  “Where are you going to live?” Alana asked.

  “I am going to be Janey’s neighbor, just like I was on the last island.”

  “That’s great. It’s really nice to meet you. I am so happy Furtopia is attracting new residents. I’m the island manager and I love that the island is a success.”

  “Janey told me all about you. She said you would be able to help me build a house. I’d love to get one tomorrow.”

  “I can help you find a house,” Alana said.

  “Thank you,” Bobby said.

  Alana felt like her to-do list was growing by the minute. She had
to purchase a pool for Lars’s party, she had to build a house for Bobby, and both of these activities would leave her with very little time to prepare for the fishing competition. Alana didn’t think this was fair, especially given the fact that she wasn’t very good at fishing. She didn’t express these thoughts to Bobby, though. Instead, she just told him about the different types of homes he might want to choose.

  As Alana and Bobby spoke, Feathers walked over and joined in their conversation. “The museum is doing quite well. Of course, it would be nice to have some new additions to the museum. You haven’t donated anything in a bit.”

  “I’m sorry, Feathers,” Alana said, “I have been busy. I promise I’ll donate some items soon.”

  Alana added this to her seemingly never-ending list of things she had to do.

  “I’d love a new fish for the museum,” Feathers said.

  “Okay, I was planning on fishing tomorrow and I promise to donate whatever I catch,” Alana told Feathers.

  Bobby said, “I hear there’s going to be a fishing competition on the island in a couple of weeks.”

  “Yes,” Alana confessed, “but I’m not very good at catching lots of fish in a short period of time. I seem to be better at catching a wide variety of fish, but not a lot of them.”

  “As the old saying goes, it’s quality, not quantity,” Feathers said.

  “That’s not true when it comes to winning this competition,” Alana explained. “Everybody is participating, and they’re all so much better than me. The other day we had a practice competition and I came in last place. I’m afraid I’m going to come in last place at the competition and I will be embarrassed.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with coming in last place,” Bobby said. “It means that you tried. You know what would be worse? If you didn’t compete at all because you were afraid that you’d be in last place. I think that would be the worst.”

  “It’s so embarrassing to be in last place,” Alana said.

  “I don’t think it is,” Feathers added. “I’m not the best fisherman in the world, but I am signing up. It seems like it’s going to be fun.”