"Excuse me ma'am," Tiny piped up, standing on his tippy toes so he could see the counter. The cow working at the register looked around when she heard someone speak. She had been expecting an adult or maybe an older teenager. She was not at all expecting a child. The lady stared down at the kid as he placed a toothbrush on the counter and asked, "Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association?"
"I don't know, maybe you should ask your mother," the cow grumbled. Taking the toothbrush from Tiny though, she looked at the packaging. Handing it back to the basset hound puppy, she replied, "It doesn't say." Nodding his head in understanding, Tiny asked his next question, "How much is it?"
"Ten dollars."
"Okay."
A paw wrapped in bloody bandages slammed down on the counter. It startled both Tiny and the cow. Slowly turning his head to the left, Tiny lifted his gaze. Standing next to him was his scary neighbor Chloe. She was actually right there. And she was looking down at him with her green eyes. His heart pounding, Tiny did the only thing that he could.
He ran.
"Hey! You need to pay for that toothbrush kid! Hey!" the cow shouted angrily. Tiny didn't listen, not one little bit. He needed to get away from Chloe right now. He was not gonna stay in her presence another second longer. Running through the door, he raced across the street, narrowly avoiding a cop car while doing so. At the same time, someone from the store shouted, "Shoplifter!" The next thing Tiny knew, he was being chased by a police officer.
"Hey kid! Wait! Halt!" Rooster barked, running after the young shoplifter. He had almost hit the kid when he came rushing out into the street. Now here he was chasing down that same kid through the park. The Welsh sheepdog hated to admit it but this young pup was pretty fast. He wasn't sure if he would be able to catch him.
Tiny was afraid. He was sure that the police officer was going to catch him. The basset hound puppy couldn't run any faster. Frightened for his life, he glanced over his shoulder. Not looking where he was going, he stepped out onto a frozen pond. Falling down, he howled in terror as he slid across the ice. Following the kid, Rooster slipped and fell on his back, getting the air knocked out of him. Reaching the other side of the pond, Tiny got up and ran. And he didn't stop until he reached his street.
Looking down at the toothbrush he held in his paws, Tiny hung his head in shame as he whimpered, "I'm a criminal now..."
