Chapter 6 Alvin Is Wanted       Upstairs, the boy and his father, having examined the situation, came up with a plan  They had found a small container and attached a rope to it. Putting a marshmallow (one of Alvin's favorite treats) inside, they lowered it down the pipe.
     "Alvin!" the boy called as the container disappeared into the dark, "We're going to save you! Just climb into the container we're sending down! You'll be back up here in no time!"
     He listened carefully for an answering squeak but heard nothing, so he called again.
     "ALVIN!! Are you ok? Please answer me!  Can you hear me?"
     But there was nothing.
     They lowered the container and waited...and waited...and waited.  But no Alvin came to claim the treat, and finally they had to give up.
     The boy was heartbroken.  "I'll bet he's hurt...or dead...and it's all my fault!" he cried. "Poor Alvin...all alone down there...."
     The thought was so upsetting to him that he went straight to bed and cried himself to sleep.
     When the boy's mother and brothers came home from shopping his father told them what had happened. They all felt very sorry for the boy...and for poor Alvin too.
     "Isn't there anything we can do?" asked the boy's mother. "Maybe he just ran off somewhere. He could still be down there. Isn't there any way we can look?"
     "No, I'm afraid not," said the boy's father, shaking his head.  "We tried to bring him back up but he was gone...."
     "Dad?" said the older of the boy's brothers, "How about posters? I mean I always see posters for lost pets and Alvin's a pet and he sure is lost...."
     "That's a good idea," his father agreed.  "It can't hurt to put up posters. I doubt anyone will ever find him, but you never know. Stranger things have happened...." and he smiled at the boys.
     "ALL RIGHT!!!!!" the boys cheered, then ran off upstairs to get to work.
     Their first stop was their brother's room. They burst through the door, both talking at once, eager to tell him their idea.
     "Go away!" the boy's voice came from beneath the covers.  "Alvin's gone...and it's all my fault..."
     "No...we're gonna get him back! We had this idea..." and, taking turns, they they told him what their father had said.
     "Welllll.....that could work..." the boy said, reluctantly emerging from the blankets. "You never know... So...ok...what do we say?"
     And the three of them sat down and thought and thought and thought, then they started writing....
     A couple of hours later the three of them went downstairs with their finished poster.
     Across the top it said in BIG letters: "LOST!!!". And underneath was a picture of Alvin wearing his Santa hat and sitting under the Christmas tree. Under the picture it said:
"One little alligator who answers to the name of Alvin. If you see him he's mine. I lost him when he fell down the sewerpipe. And now I'm lonely since he's gone. I miss him." and the boy's name and phone number.
     "Good job boys," said their father. "This should get some attention. I'll have copies printed up tomorrow and we'll go out and put them up all over the place."
     "That is a nice poster," agreed their mother. "We'll get it printed on colored paper. That way people will notice it more, and the more people notice it the sooner Alvin will be home."
     "You really think this will work?" the boy asked anxiously.
     "Sure," said his mother. "Why, I bet Alvin will be home in less than a week.  Now off to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow."
     And the boys, with a final goodnight, headed off to their rooms.
 
 
 
 
 

To Chapter 5		To Chapter 7