From Wags to Riches - Chapter 6

The stars still ruled the evening sky as Hushpuppy roused from his slumber by the howling wind yawned and stretched. Rolling out of his little box he silently climbed onto the edge of Kay’s pillow as he had the night before. Lying down with his tiny head resting on his front paws once more he became her guardian angel. The night slowly melted into day as the vigilant young puppy watched over his new family.

Kay yawned … Rolling over on her left side she slowly reached her right arm across the bed to her husband’s pillow where she had placed Hushpuppy’s box the night before. Her outstretched hand feeling only the pillow she rolled further to the left her eyes still tightly closed against the glare of the morning sun. Hushpuppy now only inches from Kay’s face licked her eyelids and the tip of her nose.

“Good morning Hush” she softly sighed as she gently grasped the young puppy with her right hand pulling him under the blanket next to her. With her right arm she held the wiggling little puppy snuggly against her side with his head resting on her shoulder. Hushpuppy licked her cheek and ear. His wagging tail thumped gently against Kay’s side. Soon Hushpuppy settled down enough that Kay could relax her grip. Holding Hushpuppy’s head in her hand Kay looked into his shining, little eyes as she gently scratched him behind his ears. Hushpuppy’s tail thumped harder against her side. “So you like that huuh fella !” she said in a gentle tone. “Soooo …What shall we do today?”

Kay pulled back the blanket and sat on the edge of the bed with her feet touching the floor. She immediately began to shiver as the cold air kissed her naked flesh. Instinctively Kay placed both arms across her chest in a vain attempt to keep warm as she quickly made her way across the bedroom to the closet. Reaching inside she pulled out a thick, pink terry cloth robe that nearly touched the floor. She pulled the robe tightly around herself before tying it closed at the waist. Next she stepped into a matching pair of pink bunny slippers that her son had given to her for her last birthday.

Hushpuppy watched from the edge of the bed. He looked at Kay…He looked down at the floor. He looked back at Kay once more.

Kay noticing the young puppy’s reluctance to jump from the bed slowly moved across the room. Kneeling down on the small tan throw rug at the side of the bed she wrapped her arms around Hushpuppy and gently kissed the top of his head. Hushpuppy responded by licking her cheek and ear until Kay interrupted his enthusiastic display of affection by moving out of the reach of this tiny pink tongue. “OK Hushpuppy I need to take a shower. You stay here and behave your self! I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Kay, believing that Hushpuppy was safely confined to the bed, slowly made her way to the bathroom closing the door behind her to keep the steamy air from the shower inside.

Hushpuppy watched as Kay walked out of the bedroom, through the bathroom door and out of sight. Fearing he had been abandoned he paced from one side of the bed to the other looking for a way down to the floor. Hushpuppy knew that it was just too far for such a tiny puppy to jump. Soon he discovered an opening where the blanket had been pulled up near the foot end of the bed. Hushpuppy instinctively tried to dig his way to freedom. Pushing his snout under the end of the blanket he began moving slowly forward all the while his tiny legs moving as if he were digging a tunnel. He couldn’t see what was in front of him. He tried to back up but he couldn’t move backwards. Hushpuppy wiggled from side to side slowly moving forward until he fell off the end of the bed. His fall was broken several inches above the floor by the blanket the end of which was tucked firmly under the mattress. For what seemed an eternity to the tiny puppy Hushpuppy hung upside down his back supported by the blanket his tiny paws thrashing in the air above him. Suddenly the end of the blanket pulled free dumping the hapless puppy unceremoniously onto the floor with a dull thud. The abrupt landing caught Hushpuppy by surprise. It temporarily knocked the wind out of him, but injured only his pride. For several moments he lie in a furry heap on the floor at the foot of the bed.

As Hushpuppy was recovering his breath and a shred of his former dignity he spied the fleeting shadow of a tiny gray field mouse hiding under the bed. The tiny creature had come into the house to seek refuge from the cold evening air. Hushpuppy being the curious young puppy he was wanted to get a closer look at the mouse. The mouse cautiously retreated further under the bed as Hushpuppy attempted to follow him. The frightened mouse disappeared through a secret entrance as Hushpuppy slowly moved forward until he was well under the middle of the bed. He couldn’t move forward…He couldn’t move back…He was stuck! Hushpuppy started to howl “hooowwwwl” …but there was no reply. Kay was taking a shower and couldn’t hear Hushpuppy’s call. He tried again “ hoooowwwwl” …His call once more was met by silence. For several minutes the bewildered young puppy struggled to free himself. Exhausted by his futile efforts he fell into a deep puppy dog sleep.

Kay stepped out of the shower and dried herself with a large white terry cloth towel before slipping on her long pink terry cloth robe. She quickly dried her hair with a her bath towel before wrapping a smaller white towel around the top of her head. Slipping into her pink bunny slippers she opened the door and headed for the bedroom. She had not been gone long. She expected to see Hushpuppy curled up on the bed sleeping. “Hushpuppy” she called. … No answer. “Hushpuppy !” she repeated a little louder this time, but still she saw no sign of the perky little puppy. Racing over to the bed she removed the pillows tossing them to the floor. Next she pulled back the blankets and sheets…but still Hushpuppy was nowhere to be found. Kay looked in the closet and under the chairs. She looked in every room and even in the kitchen cupboards under the sink. Kay looked at the tiny pet door that had been cut into the bottom of the kitchen door for a cat they had owned many years before. Could Hushpuppy have slipped through that door outside? Opening the kitchen door Kay looked on the steps and out across the back yard. Hushpuppy was gone!

Kay walked back into the bedroom and sat on the bed. In trembling soprano tones she sang to herself “Oh where oh where has my little dog gone… Oh where oh where can he be?” Overcome by sadness she started to cry. She thought about the trip to the vet and the incident at city hall and sitting by the fire and that magical moment they had shared just baying at the moon together...

“Hoooowwwl” she cried mournfully… “Hoooowwwl” she repeated. Suddenly she heard a muffled answer to her cry from somewhere close by. She stood up and howled again waiting for a response. Again she heard it. A muffled answer to her cry an answer to her prayers it was Hushpuppy, but where was he ? “Hoooowwwl” she cried. “Hoooowwwl” returned the muffled reply. Kay immediately started searching under the blankets, the laundry bag, even under the towel she had used to dry herself with that lie in a damp heap on the bathroom floor. Dropping to her knees she peered into the semi-darkness under the bed. There she saw Hushpuppy sandwiched between the bed frame and the floor his legs spread out on both sides his tiny tail wagging back and forth at the sight of her. “Oh Hushpuppy. What have you gotten yourself into now?”

Lifting the bed frame slightly with her shoulder Kay reached underneath the bed and pulled Hushpuppy free. Except for a few dust bunnies clinging to his fur he was none the worse for the experience. Kay held him closely against her chest wrapping her bathrobe around him so that only his head was not covered. For a moment Kay held Hushpuppy ‘s head firmly under her chin and hugged him tightly. Then she kissed the top of his head. Kay didn’t mind at all having her face washed by the grateful puppy’s little pink tongue.

Life was good!