Trip Around the Block, Part 4

“Is it gone?” Purl panted.

“Yah, I think so.” Trixie replied. They had bounded the corner and were now on Walnut Street.

“Whew! That was a close one,” Dove said.

“Yah…And I was in the garbage can with it!” Max exclaimed. The animals looked at him.

“You shouldn’t have gotten in it,” Trixie growled. Max hung his head. He watched the pavement as they walked along. He kicked at a rock. He poked at some dirt. Then, he saw it.

“Oh, wow! It’s a huge spider!” he cried.

“WHAT?!” Purl screamed. Her tail grew big. Her eyes poked out like a dragonfly’s. She turned around and scrambled up the nearest tree.

“What’s the matter, Purl?” Dove asked.

“A-a-spider?” she asked. “Get rid of it!”

“I had no idea you were so scared of spiders, Purl!” Trixie laughed.

“It’s no laughing matter, Trixie.” Purl defended. “Now, get rid of it!” Trixie looked down. The spider was gone.

“It’s gone,” she said.

“Well, find it! And kill it! I’m not coming out of this tree until you do!” Purl cried.

            “Tell her I ate it,” Max said.

            “It’s okay, Purl!” Trixie comforted. “Max ate-YOU WHAT?” She turned abruptly to Max.

            “I ate it,” he said. Trixie’s mouth dropped open.

“What?” he asked.

            “You ate a SPIDER? The things that crawl around on the porch and eat other bugs and have six legs and-“

            “Yes, that’s it.” Max said. Trixie looked like she would faint.

            “Rule # 48 in pet etiquette. Absolutely NO eating insects!”

            “This website says rabbits are supposed to eat certain vegetables, fruits, hay, and of course rabbit pellets,” Dove said. “But it doesn’t say anything about bugs.”

            “Well, it was tasty just the same,” Max said.

            “Purl?” Trixie called. She stared up into the dark tree. She saw an outline of the cat sitting on a branch.

            “You can come down now, Purl!” she called.

            “Is it gone?” Purl’s tiny voice rang through the night air.

            “It’s gone,” Dove said. “Max claims it was quite tasty.” Purl slowly climbed down the trunk.

            “Don’t say anything else about bugs,” Trixie whispered to Max.

            “Why?” he asked. Trixie gave him a look.

            “Because! We don’t want Purl climbing every tree from here to home!” Trixie snapped.

            The team of friends turned the corner and were now on Banta Street. Far down the long sidewalk, the roof of the little stone ranch house peeked over the dark green trees. The night moon hung high in the sky, sending beams of light down on the little group.

            “We’re almost home,” Trixie sighed. “Where could that cat be?”

            “Maybe she’s hiding in a tree somewhere because she saw a bug,” Max laughed. Purl glared at him.

            They headed up the street and came to a white house. It had a fence, with a tall gate. They started to pass, when they heard creaking. Turning to the fence, they saw the gate slowly open. Suddenly, a huge, brown and white pit bull came charging out. He stopped in front of them on the sidewalk.

            “Um, you’re in our way,” Dove said.

            “Oh really?” the dog said, sarcastically. “If you tell me the password, I’ll let you through.”

            “Oh, this will be easy.” Trixie stepped forward. “Pit bull?” she guessed.

            “Nope!” he laughed.

            “Tough dog?” Purl asked.

            “You’re freezing,” he said.

            “Dog?” Max asked.

            “Even colder,” the pit bull shook his head. The pets looked at one another. What could it be? Would they be able to get by? They turned to Dove. He was typing away.

            “Ok, let me see. Is it this?” Dove leaned over and whispered into the dog’s ear.

            “You’re super close, but no.”

            “Ok, how ‘bout this?” he whispered once more. The dog smiled.

            “Isn’t that a wonderful password? I love it!” he cried. “You may pass,” he said, stepping away. He headed back into his yard.

            “Wow. Now that was a handy time to have a cellphone and a smart bird like Dove around!” Purl said. Dove beamed.

            “Thanks!” he smiled. “But it was nothing. I just typed in ‘password for pit bulls’ and it came up!”

            “So what was it?” Max asked.

            “It was the most popular dog password. Well, actually there are two. The first is ‘Pork Pieces’ and the second is ‘Chicken Chunks’. They’re popular doggie snacks,” he said.

            “Wow,” Trixie said. “I’ve got to get a cellphone.”

            “Oh, yes! Mine would be blue. What about you?” Purl asked.

            “Totally pink. Love it!” the girls chatted on and on about girl things and how they wish they could have their nails painted.

            “I think it would look very cool,” Trixie said. The boys, however, talked about technology, and the newest inventions.

            “I think I might get a flat-screen TV installed,” Max said.

            “I have a laptop in my bird cage at home,” Dove said. “I use it to email all my bird buddies.” The groups chatted on and on as they walked, and they finally stood in front of the stone house.

            “Well, I guess we should go around back,” Trixie said. They headed around the side of the house and onto the porch. There was no sign of Socks. Max hopped back into his cage, and the others settled down on the pavement. The stars shined down, and a gentle night breeze blew. All was quiet and peaceful.

            “Hey guys, watcha doing?” The pets jumped.

            “SOCKS!” they cried.

            “Where have you been?” Trixie’s mouth dropped open. Socks looked around.

            “I was in the shed,” she said. “Where have you been?”

            “Looking all over the neighborhood for YOU!” Purl exclaimed.

            “Well, when we got locked out, I went into the shed to find some blankets or something soft to sleep on. It took long enough to find the right number of blankets, but it took even longer to get out of there! I sure hope the Henry kids clean that out soon! There’s bikes and toys and garbage cans, and boxes, and-“

            “Enough!” Trixie cried. “We get the idea!”

            “Well, at least you’re not lost after all,” Purl said.

            “How can you look on the bright side after all we went through?” Trixie asked, her eyes dancing.

            “Went through?” Socks asked, puzzled.

            “Oh, oh! Can I tell her about all the adventures? Please?” Max jumped up and down in his cage.

            “I guess, since you were always in the center of it,” Trixie rolled her eyes.

            “It all started when we thought you were missing…” he began.

            The bright sun shined down on the weary animals. The birds chirped, singing their morning songs. The pets opened their tired eyes. At last! Morning had come. They stood up and stretched. Trixie yawned.

            “Oh, I’m tired,” she said, half awake.

            “How come?” Socks asked.

            “Because I couldn’t get to sleep because of your snoring!” she exclaimed.

            “Snoring? I don’t snore!” Socks cried.

            “Yes you do!”

            “No I don’t!”

            “Oh, yes you do!”

            “Settle down guys,” Dove said. Suddenly, the back door swung open. Out stepped Lauren.

            “Here’s your food, Max-Why Trixie, Socks, Purl, and Dove! What are you doing out here?” she asked. She went over to the door and held it open.

            “Here,” she said. “Go back inside.” The animals gladly went in.

            “Finally,” Trixie said.

            “We certainly had an adventure last night,” Purl laughed, hopping onto the couch.

            “Yes, we did,” Trixie said. She snuggled down on top of a pillow.

            Honk! Honk! The visitor's cars were here. Their owners came inside. The pets started to say goodbye.

            “Thanks for all the fun!” Purl exclaimed. “We will have to do it again, soon!”

            “You’re welcome!” Trixie said. “And this time, we won’t get locked outside,” she said, giving a look to Socks. Socks shrugged her shoulders.

            “It says here that a proper goodbye is to tell your hostess how you enjoyed your stay and hope to do it again soon,” Dove said, pointing to his cellphone. “Well, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay.” He laughed. “Especially our trip around the block!”

 

         

                                                                   The End

I had so much fun posting this! I can't wait to start on my next one which is a little longer... It's called Trial by Fire, and it's about-well, I'll let you find out!

Love,

Kathryn :-)

The Trip Around the Block, Part 3

“What are you proposing?” Purl asked, eyeing the shaking Trixie.

“Claws Jackson can jump and bark, but he can’t reach you if you’re on the fence. I say the one who is the bravest can walk all the way without falling, or getting scared by Claws. You up for it?” she asked. Trixie looked around her. They all stared.

“Uh-uh-you have an advantage! I’m 15 years old, and you’re practically a kitten!” Trixie stalled.

“Well, I’m up for a challenge,” everyone turned to see Purl standing straight and tall.

“Alright-what’s your name?” Blacky asked.

“Purl,” she replied. The group eagerly followed Blacky as she led them to a back yard. A bright fluorescent porch light lit the yard, showing the tall, brown privacy fence.

Blacky picked up a stone. She hurled it with all her might. It landed right on top of the red doghouse, making a loud thud.

Woof! Woof! Claws Jackson erupted into a chorus of barks.

“I’ll go first,” Blacky said. She hopped up onto the corner of the fence. Slowly and carefully, she started walking across the top. The onlookers watched intently as Blacky came to the middle of the fence. Claws Jackson barked and barked. He jumped as high as he could. Blaky’s tail shook and her legs became wobbly. She hobbled back and forth and finally fell to the ground, near the shocked audience.

“Well, I almost made it,” she said. “Now it’s your turn.” Purl gulped as she heard the furious dog. She leaped onto the corner post and stared at the fence top. She concentrated on her footwork.

“Balance,” she thought. “Balance.” She tried to block out the barks and screams the dog gave. One foot after another, she slowly made it near the end of the fence. Claws Jackson yipped and scratched on the fence. But she gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. Only a few feet left. Could she do it? Or would she fall and land near the ferocious dog? With her heart pounding in her chest, Purl made a flying leap and landed right on the end post. Her friends cheered. Blacky’s jaw dropped open.

“How-how-did you do that?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” she smiled. “I guess I just tried to forget about the dog, and go to the end.”

“That was totally awesome!” Dove exclaimed. “And the best part, I got it all on video! YouTube here I come!”

“That was cool,” Max exclaimed. “Even better than Trixie would have done!” Trixie glared at him.

“Well, I hope you find your friend,” Blacky said, obviously trying to get rid of them. “Oh, and watch out for night prowlers,” and she was gone. She had disappeared into the blackness of the night.

“Unbelievable. This is pathetic!” Trixie exclaimed. In the darkness, a large black garbage can could be seen. It lay on its side, with the lid still attached.

“Now what do we do?” sighed Purl. Trixie, Purl and Dove stared solemnly at the closed trash can. Inside, a voice echoed.

“Are you guys still out there? It’s dark in here!” Max cried.

“If you had listened to rule # 32 of pet etiquette, you wouldn’t be in there,” Trixie rolled her eyes.

“But I was hungry! And it’s not my fault the lid slammed shut and the can fell over,” he said, his voice bouncing off the plastic walls.

“Alright. I looked this situation up. Last year, a guinea pig got stuck in a garbage can, from what I read. His friends pried open the lid, and got him out. Simple as that!” Dove exclaimed.

The friends looked around for a stick. They wandered in circles. Suddenly they heard a crack.

“Ouch!” Trixie cried.

“Trix? Are you okay?” Purl asked.

“I suppose so. Well, I found a stick,” she said. “I stepped right on top of it.” Purl grabbed the long piece of wood. She jammed it against the lid. She pushed with all her might.

“Somebody get me out!” Max yelled. “It’s spooky in here.”

“Hang on, Max. Be patient!” Dove said. “We’re trying to get you out!” The three animals pushed with all their might. But the lid would not give.

“Hurry up, will you guys? I get the feeling I’m not alone!” Max whispered. Purl climbed up on the side of the can.

“I’ll push on the lid, and you guys pull!” she said. They counted, one, two, three! They gave it all they had. Pushing, pulling and shoving, the lid finally bounced off, sending all three friends flying. Max climbed out.

“Thanks, guys!” he said. His fur was grimy. A banana peel sat on his head. And he smelled awful.

“Max Clover Henry! You are disgusting!” Trixie exclaimed, wrinkling her little nose. Max looked at himself.

“I guess I could use a dip in the tub,” he said.

“A dip? More like a 4-hour soak!” Trixie cried.

“Well, just the same, I’m glad to be out of there. It was spooky! I thought I saw a pair of eyes!”

“That’s nonsense, Max!” Purl laughed. “Look, I’ll show you.” She walked over to the over-turned can and looked inside.

“There’s a bunch of smelly food, some plastic bags, lots of wrappers, a pair of yellow eyes-YIKES!” She jumped back. “He’s right!”

Trixie cautiously peeked inside. Two yellow eyes stared back. Something moved. Trash spilled out of the can. A brown paw stepped out.

“It’s a-a-raccoon!” Dove shouted. The animals dashed down the street.

The raccoon watched them run.

“What’s their problem?” he wondered.

The Trip Around the Block, Part 2

The foursome continued down the dark alley. When they reached the street, they turned left, heading toward Maple Lane.

“Look! What’s that say?” Max asked, pointing to a sign. They all strained their eyes to see the large letters in the dark.

“You’d think after all these years in school I could read that by now,” Trixie sighed.

“S-T-O-P. Stop.” Everyone turned toward Dove.

“Don’t tell me,” Purled grunted. “You looked it up.”

“I just found this new app where you can type in the letters and it will sound it out for you!” he exclaimed. Trixie groaned.

“Come on, we need to find Socks,” she said. They turned left and headed down Maple Lane.

“Let’s look over the facts of Socks’ disappearance. What was the last thing she said?” Trixie asked.

“Uh, guys! I think we’re locked out!” Purl exclaimed.

“Duh, you just now figuring that out?” Trixie retorted.

“No, I mean that’s what Socks said last,” Purl said. They continued walking. The night was silent except for an occasional beep from Dove’s phone.

“Sorry, I keep getting mail,” he would say.

Purl walked behind Trixie, keeping up the brisk pace. But something just wasn’t right. Her yellow eyes looked around the small group of friends. Trixie looked from side to side, probably eyeing for the black, missing cat. Dove took small, quick steps, tripping here and there, as he fumbled to type on his touch-screen. But Purl knew something was wrong. Then it hit her like a block of ice.

“Trixie, where’s Max?” her voice quivered. Trixie stopped walking and turned around.

“Oh, great. Now he’s missing too?” she asked. Trixie and Purl looked way down the street. In the faint streetlight they could see a little rabbit sitting in front of the stop sign.

“Oh, brother! Now what’s he doing? Max! Max! Get over here!” Trixie yelled. He didn’t move.

“Max?” Purl shouted. The bunny turned his head. His tiny voice rang through the dark, empty street.

“I am stopping.” Trixie and Purl and Dove ran down to where Max sat.

“You’re what?” Dove asked.

“Stopping,” Max replied. “All of you really out to be ashamed of yourself,” he said.

“How’s that?” Trixie snorted.

“I’m the only one who obeyed the law. The sign said stop, so I stopped!” he said. The animals looked at one another. And then back at Max. Purl tried to explain.

“Do you know what a car is?” she asked, trying to smile.

“Uh, yes! I see them come down the alley all day,” Max replied.

“Good. This sign is for cars. It tells the drivers to stop. They look both ways, and then they can keep going,” Purl said.

“That’s a pretty good summary,” Dove said. “But this website does it better,” he said, reading intently.

Max looked blankly at Purl.

“You mean, I don’t have to stop?” he asked.

“No. Now we need to go. Okay?” Purl said. Max got up, and walked along with them. Trixie muttered under breath. Purl caught a few words.

“Rabbit…sign…stopping…” Purl laughed. Trixie always seemed to be complaining.

When they were about halfway through Maple Lane, Dove spotted something sitting in the shadows beside a brick house across the street. Its yellow eyes glowed and watched their every move. In the gleam of a porch light, the creature came out.

“Socks Boots Henry, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?” Trixie yelled. Socks sat there, motionless in the shadowed yard.

“Socks, we’ve been looking all over for you!” Purl shouted. The black cat took a long breath.

“Hello, my night friends. What brings you here?” it slowly crossed the street.

“You’re not-not Socks,” Dove stammered.

“No, no, I’m not. My name is Black Midnight. Blacky for short.” She circled them.

“So, where do you live?” she asked, sitting down on the sidewalk.

“Max and I live on Banta Street, and the others are just visiting,” Trixie said.

“I see. What brings you here?” Blacky asked, raising her eyebrow.

“Socks is missing,” Purl replied. “We thought you were her.” Blacky laughed.

“There is NO other cat like me,” she boasted. “Socks may be black, and she may look like me, but she’s nothing compared to the Terror of Maple Lane,”

“The-the Terror of Maple Lane?” Purl stammered.

“Yes.”

“Well, I’ll have you know in the year of 1999 I spent an entire summer outside, and earned the title of Trixie the Terrible. Top that,” Trixie smiled.

“Well, how nice. If you’re so brave, we could have a little competition,” Blacky said. Trixie gulped.

“A competition?” she asked.

“A certain dog named Maxwell Jackson lives on the end of this street. He won’t let anyone get near his property. Even I, the great Black Midnight have not been able to defeat him. See this?” she asked, showing them a scar behind her ear. “From his claws. The animals on the street have appropriately named him ‘Claws Jackson’.”

This is a picture of Trixie, BTW

The Trip Around the Block, Part 1

Kathryn Henry, 2011

                                 The Trip Around the Block

Socks Henry watched out the window as Kathryn nailed a sign to the front door:

Pet Sitting

We will watch your pets!

Call us now!

            “Uh oh,” she thought. “Trixie ain’t gonna like this!” she raced down the hallway and into Sarah’s and Kathryn’s bedroom. Trixie was lying on the top bunk of the girl’s bunk bed.

            “Hey Trix,” she said. “Guess what?” Trixie didn’t move. “Trixie? You alive?”

            “What is it? You’re disturbing my nap!” she growled.

            “The Henry’s just put up a pet sitting sign!” Socks exclaimed. Trixie leaped up.

            “What? Without consulting me? How dare they!” she cried, jumping down onto the dresser.

            “They will not bring strange animals that may have diseases into my household!” She stormed out of the room. Socks shook her head. Suddenly a loud honking rang through her ears. She hopped up onto the desk and onto the windowsill. A silver car was parked behind the Henry’s van. A girl carrying a cat got out. The girl knocked on the door.

            Socks cautiously walked into the living room. Kathryn let the girl come in.

            “Hi, Elizbeth!” she said. Beth set down the cat.

            “Here’s Purl,” she said. “Thanks for watching her while we go on our trip!” She left the house and got back in the car. It then drove down the street.

            Socks and Trixie stared at the strange cat. Trixie circled her.

            “As long as you have to stay, you better get the rules now. The first and most important rule is this: I am the Alpha pet, and everyone else does what I say. Understood?” she asked.

            “I think so,” the cat said. “My name is Purl. What’s yours?” she asked.

            “I’m Trixie. This is Socks.” Just then, a dark blue van pulled up.

            “Oh no, not another one!” Trixie groaned. Socks laughed. She didn’t mind the visitors.

            A girl named Ana came to the door and gave Kathryn a bird.

            “Thanks for watching Dove for me!” she said. Ana then walked back down the sidewalk and hopped into the van.

            A white dove flapped his wings and went over to where the cats were talking.           “Hi! I’m Dove,” he said.

            “Hi, I’m Socks. This is Purl and Trixie,” Socks greeted.

            “Trixie Belle Henry, thank you very much!” Trixie snapped.

Later that evening, Socks was giving the new guests a tour of the house and backyard. They were standing on the back porch.

“Well, this is the porch. There’s the shed.” She said. “Oh, and this is Max,” Socks said, showing them the rabbit who sat motionless in his cage.

“Max? Max! You hear me?” Socks yelled. Then she whispered to the others, “He sometimes has hearing problems.” Max jerked.

“Somebody say something?” he asked. Trixie rolled her eyes. Purl laughed.

“Yes, Socks was introducing us. I’m Purl and this is Dove. We’re here to stay for a while,” she said.

“Oh, hi!” he said, twitching his whiskers. He bounced up and down. “I love visitors!” Purl turned toward the back door.

“I thought that was open,” she said. Socks’ eyes grew big.

“Uh oh.” She whispered. Socks ran to the door and scratched on it. She looked through the glass window.

“Uh, guys? I think we’re locked out!” she cried. Trixie groaned.

“Didn’t this happen last week? Now we have to sleep out here, again. All because of your lengthy tour,” she glared at Socks.

“Oh, I got to get a picture of this,” Dove exclaimed. They all turned toward him. He was holding a cellphone. Purl’s mouth fell open.

“What?” Dove asked, looking around. “What?”

“Where-where did you get THAT?” Purl asked.

“What? Oh, this? It’s my cellphone. I couldn’t live without it!” he replied.

“How did you get a cellphone?” Trixie asked, her face full of jealousy.

“I just got one, that’s all.”

“Where do you order stuff like that? I’ve been wanting to get a computer,” Max said. “So I can email Lauren when I want an another blanket.” Trixie laughed.

“Boy, that would come in handy, wouldn’t it Socks? Socks?” she looked around. Socks was nowhere in sight!

“Where’d she go?” Purl asked.

“I don’t know! Let’s go find her,” Trixie said. They headed out into the blackness of the night.

“Uh, hello?” they heard Max call. “You gonna leave me here?”

“Oh, I guess I’ll have to go unlock the rabbit’s cage, since he can’t get out himself,” Trixie complained. She walked up to his cage and fumbled with the latch. She couldn’t get it open.

“Oh! Will someone help me?” she exclaimed. Purl came over and helped her unlock the door.

“I wish I had thumbs!” Trixie whined. Max hopped out. The team of animals headed out into the yard. The bright moon shone down on them. The night breeze ruffled their fur. And feathers. Up above, the leaves in the trees rustled. Suddenly, a large object fell down right on top of Purl’s head. She fell to the ground, dazed.

“Are you ok?” Trixie asked. “I wonder what hit her?” she said.

“I’ll find it! I’ll find it!” Max exclaimed. He put his nose on the ground and ran all over the shadowy yard. Purl sat up and rubbed the bump on her head.

“I think it was a walnut,” she said.

 “Don’t panic! Don’t panic! I’m looking up ‘what to do if you get hit on the head with a walnut’!” Dove exclaimed, typing away.

“I’m okay, Dove!” Purl insisted. She stood up, and they continued through the dark yard.

“Come on, Max! “ Trixie yelled. The rabbit came running.

“It could have been a squirrel that was sick and fell out of a tree,” he said. “Or a bird that couldn’t fly.”

“It was a walnut,” Dove explained.

“Oh,” was Max’s simple reply.

The group of pets headed down the dark alley, calling out Socks’ name. Dogs howled in the distance as they cautiously walked on. They walked past driveways and sheds. Trash lined the gravel pavement. Suddenly, a loud chomping sound rang through the quiet night. Purl turned around.

“Max? Where are you?” she asked.

“Here!” he yelled. His voice echoed. They turned to see Max inside an over-turned trash can, munching away.

“That is absolutely disgusting! What on earth are you eating?” Trixie asked.

“I’m not exactly sure,” Max replied, his mouth full.

“Rule # 32 of pet etiquette. Absolutely NO eating out of garbage cans!” Trixie exclaimed.

“She’s right, you know,” Dove said. “That’s pretty gross.” Max climbed out.

“Well, I was hungry! Does anyone have any carrots or bananas?” he asked.

“Sorry, no.” Purl laughed. “But the sooner we find Socks, the sooner we can go back to the porch,” she sighed.