Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

On Friday, May 10, Peter and Jimmy plan to meet at their “special rock” in Central Park to play after school. When Peter enters the apartment, he notices that the chain latch to his room is unhooked, the bedroom door is opened, and there is a chair “smack in the middle of my doorway” (109). He also realizes that his turtle, Dribble, is missing from the bowl on the dresser.

Peter reports this situation to his mother, who notes that she dislikes the turtle’s smell and expresses hope that he is not crawling loose in the apartment. Peter calmly asks Fudge, who is smiling, if he knows anything about Dribble. Eventually, the child responds, “Dribble in tummy!” (110). When Peter asks his mother how she could have allowed this to happen, she thinks that he is teasing her and demands him to stop. Upon closer questioning of Fudge, she realizes that he has, in fact, ingested the pet. Mrs. Hatcher calls the elevator operator and asks that an ambulance be sent immediately.

She begs her older son for help, and Peter provides her with blankets. When the elevator arrives, Mrs. Hatcher advises Henry, the operator, “This is an emergency…The ambulance is waiting downstairs” (113).