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). She is annoyed when the other adults in the elevator laugh at Peter’s explanation of his brother’s urgent situation.

During the ambulance ride, Fudge waves at the crowd on the sidewalk. Peter waits in the emergency room while his mother consults with Dr. Cone, their pediatrician. He reflects upon what the doctors might be doing to Fudge and thinks, “Maybe he wasn’t such a bad little guy after all” (116). Dr. Cone approaches Peter an hour later and shows him the X-rays of Fudge’s stomach; Dribble is clearly visible in the image. The doctor explains that he has given Fudge various medications to help “to get Dribble out of Fudge’s tummy” (117). When Peter asks if Fudge will be all right, the doctor says the turtle may have to be replaced. Peter is embarrassed when he cries in response to this news.

Mrs. Hatcher brings Peter home in a cab and cooks his favorite dinner, lamb chops; however, the boy is unable to eat. Mr. Hatcher returns from visiting Fudge in the hospital and reports no progress in Fudge’s situation. Peter spends the following day in the hospital waiting room while his parents visit his little brother. During dinner at the coffee shop, Peter’s mother tells him that Fudge may need an operation to remove Dribble. Although his grandmother takes care of Peter the next day, he is still lonely. He realizes that he “even missed Fudge banging his pots and pans together” (118). When the phone rings later that night, Grandma celebrates when she hears that Dribble is out of Fudge’s stomach; she is annoyed when Peter asks whether his pet is alive.

When Fudge returns home with presents he received in the hospital, Peter is upset and feels that the child has no remorse for eating Dribble. That evening, Mr. Hatcher arrives with a large box that Peter assumes is another gift for Fudge. It is, in fact, a gift for Peter. He tells his father that he does not want a replacement turtle. Mr. Hatcher responds that Dribble was Peter’s pet and that he and Mrs. Hatcher feel that Peter handled the situation with grace. The gift is a dog for Peter, and Fudge is advised that the dog belongs to Peter, exclusively. Peter names the dog Turtle “to remind me” (120).