Sally and the Missing Corgi

By John Morrissett

In the second installment of The Adventures of Sally Free, a family trip to London turns into a search for the Queen's missing corgi, as Sally is determined to find and return the dog to Buckingham Palace. The first book in the series is Sally and the Yeti, which takes Sally Free and her family to distant Nepal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Henschel Haus Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781595987730

John Morrissett

John Morrissett is the author of Sally and the Yeti, the first Adventure of Sally Free.

Book preview

Chapter 1

London! The word thrilled Sally Free. The center of modern civilization. The home of so many legendary characters, some real, some perhaps fictional. The Royal Family. Harry Potter. Sherlock Holmes. Mary Poppins (briefly).

That's right: London. Your mother and I have discussed matters, consulted with your teachers, and have decided that our family will spend Thanksgiving week in London, continued Mr. Free. We know it is strange to spend an American holiday away from the United States, but it will be a new experience for us.

Uh, so why are we doing this? asked Pete, Sally's sixth-grade brother. If Sally had been closer to him, she would have kicked him. When someone offers to take you to London, you smile and say, thank you! she thought.

King's College in London has invited me to come speak to two classes about our Thanksgiving holiday. The college wants its students to hear about the history of our special holiday directly from an American. The school will pay the expenses for your mother and me, and she and I decided we could scrape together enough for two more airline tickets and a second hotel room, replied Mr. Free with a smile.

Dad, say no more! We are happy to support your unselfish contributions to academia! said Sally, somewhat more enthusiastically than she intended.

Not fooled for a second, her parents and brother looked at her.

Sal, I bet you would think differently if Mom and Dad were going without us and were leaving us with the Knellings for a week, said Pete. Joan Knelling was in the eighth grade with Sally, and Max Knelling was in the sixth grade with Pete. For some reason, both sets of parents thought the children got along well and insisted they spend time together. The Knellings were the first ones Sally's parents called if they were going out of town and needed a responsible host for Sally and Pete.

Sally was too focused on the upcoming adventure (and the necessary planning for it, even though it was a full two months away) to let her brother's words register. She and her family had just settled back into the routine of a new school year in Kohler, Wisconsin after their Himalayan adventure, and Sally had not even dreamed that another exciting trip could be just around the corner.

Mr. Free had broken the news over the family's dinner of brats on their beloved pretzel rolls with corn on the cob. Sally found it impossible to sit still for the remainder of dinner and asked if she could be excused.

Sally, are you going to finish your homework now? asked Mrs. Free.

Sally rolled her eyes. Mom, how can I be bothered with multiplication when we are headed to the heart of the former British Empire? I need to go brush up on my Churchill! said Sally, as she strode toward the book room.

Mom and Dad? I hate to sound unsophisticated next to Sally, but do you suppose we could squeeze in an Arsenal game while we're over there? asked Pete, an enthusiastic soccer player and fan of London's Arsenal team.

Actually, Pete, it is refreshing to hear someone in this house express an interest in something normal for once, sighed Mrs. Free, with a knowing look towards her husband. Let's check the Arsenal schedule.

This trip will have something for everyone, thought Sally. Even Pete. She then went upstairs to email the exciting news to William, her Yeti friend.

Chapter 2

With visions of a foggy Baker Street dancing through her mind, Sally slept little that night. When she awoke, she wondered if her father's exciting news could have just been a dream.

She quickly dressed and rushed downstairs, said a polite Good morning to her mother, who was preparing a strawberry smoothie for Sally, and sought out her father at the kitchen table.

Good morning, Sally, said Mr. Free with a smile. Sleep any last night? he added with a twinkle in his eyes.

He knows I would not have slept well after such big news, thought Sally.

Not really, Dad, and you knew I wouldn't! Sally replied with a smile. Thanks for the wonderful news. Sally leaned over, hugged her father and kissed his cheek.

You're most welcome. We will have a grand time. Just remember that it is almost two months until our trip, so it is far too early to fixate on the trip. Still lots of schoolwork between now and then, I'm afraid.

Don't worry, Dad. I'll pace myself, especially as this trip won't be as physically demanding as our one to Nepal. Rather, with this trip, I just need to read up on English history and on some of my heroes, all of which will be fun.

Absolutely, replied Mr. Free. Preparation is a big part of a trip. While you sketch out our itinerary, I need to complete my research and fine-tune my lectures on Thanksgiving. After all, if I do a good job at King's College, perhaps they will invite us back. He smiled at his daughter, who immediately thrilled at the thought that this might merely be her first trip to London. She envisioned herself in her twenties making her sixth visit to London without even the need to pack a map.

Who knows, Sally? continued her father, You may even want to spend a year or more of college in London. That's what my brother did, and he has often said doing so was one of his better decisions.

Sally's mind was now quickly approaching the Overload Level. First, the thought of a trip to London; then the possibility of several such trips; and now, the idea of spending one or more school years there—way too much for an eighth grader to process on the morning of a science test!

Mr. Free stood up, folded the newspaper that he would take to his office above the garage, and kissed Sally and Pete, who had just sat down at the breakfast table, on their cheeks.

Remember, you two. King's College is pretty picky about who it accepts for school. I have heard it pays particular attention to students' performance in the sixth and eighth grades.

He quickly made his way out the door, accompanied by the faithful white German shepherd Nikita and beagle Zoe, to the rolled eyes of his entire family, who thought he sometimes tried too hard to be funny.

Chapter 3

To prevent herself from going nuts with impatience, Sally decided to try a new tack and allow herself to research her upcoming trip only on weekends. She would also keep William, her Yeti friend in Nepal, apprised of her progress. She hoped that this strategy would make the intervening time to her trip speed by, just as she used to read mysteries on Christmas Eve to take her mind off the minutes until Santa's arrival and the ecstasy of opening presents Christmas morning.

Sally's plan sounded good at the start, but right away she struggled to find a substitute to occupy her active mind. She thought of her Christmas Eve plan and thought about finding a good mystery series to read to keep her mind off the trip on school nights. She wondered if Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories would be a valid choice or if they