Streaming sweat slid from Mimi’s sweltering face as disappearing fog cleared the way for beaming sunrays to shine down on her backyard. The hour hand had moved from morning to afternoon since she and Candie had begun their daily dog training session. Determined not to let even the hottest sun overpower her decision to teach Candie a few more tricks, Mimi stood beneath a shading pepper tree and ordered the dog to play dead.
Following Mimi’s instructions, Candie lay her beagle body down in tall fescue grass. She closed her eyes and held her torso stiff like a log. Both the girl and the dog actually knew this trick was now a cinch for Candie who had gotten it down pat weeks ago. Still, Mimi believed that mixing old tricks with new ones kept Candie feeling good about her progress.
“Okay, girl, now do some kangaroo hops,” instructed Mimi.
Hopping on hind legs like a kangaroo might have been a trick that came easy for some dogs but it was not exactly one of Candie’s specialties. Her short beagle legs were several times smaller than kangaroo legs and she did not have flat kangaroo feet. Nevertheless, not having kangaroo legs and feet never prevented Candie from acting like the best kangaroo she could be. She always showed determination when Mimi asked her to do something and her commitment to her master always spurred her to find ways to complete a task.
Without another word from Mimi, Candie stood up like a human. Her front paws pulled away from her body as if she were reaching to shake someone’s hands. She looked like a pogo sticker trying to keep her balance as her clawed back paws bounced around the yard. While she bounced, her pink tongue swung across her teeth and her ears flapped above her head like bat wings.
“You’re the best kangaroo bouncing dog in this great big ‘ol world,” commended Mimi about thirty jumps later. “I think you deserve a special treat!”
Proud of her performance, Candie returned her front paws to the ground. She tilted her head side to side, profusely wagged her tail, and screeched high-pitched beagle barks.
“Let’s go tell Mom and Dad,” prompted Mimi. Her beaded braids crashed together like click-clack knockers as she skipped into the house where Mr. and Mrs. Havfun were movie watching in a drape drawn living room. The coffee table held a pitcher of icy lemonade, buttered popcorn, and chocolate raisin drops. Reclining chairs rose the moviegoers’ feet so high their slanted bodies looked like human letter vees.
Mimi’s skipping feet came to a halt as her eager fingers reached over and tapped Mrs. Havfun’s right shoulder. “Can I go to the pet store?” she whispered.
“Huh? What was that?” simpered Mrs. Havfun who was too engrossed in the movie to make sense of Mimi’s question. Her dark marble eyes, captivated by the flick, never left the television screen.
“I want to go to the pet store!” Mimi repeated in a louder voice.
Still eluding the interruption, Mrs. Havfun rustled to discern Mimi’s statement, all the while reminding herself of the girl’s propensity to develop urgent needs while her parents engaged in relaxing pastimes.
Oblivious as to why her mom had not answered yet, Mimi inquired once more. This time she spoke so loudly her voice competed with the sound of the woofers and tweeters in the television speakers.
Thanks for reading the first two chapters of this story in blog style. The link at the end of this sentence takes you to the actual ebook where you can finish the rest of the story using a Kindle App. You can even download an App to your computer for free! :} Learn more HERE at Amazon.com
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