Sock Boy and The Gliding Wiener

Chapter 2

The evening news blared throughout the house, and the news lady was talking about something that had caught Johnny Brown's interest. His skin was a beautiful olive, thick brown luscious hair, and the softest hands for belly rubs, but the best thing about Johnny was his arm. He could throw Linc's ball the entire length of the backyard, and even after four hundred sixty-three games of fetch, Linc was still amazed every time.

Johnny was what Linc called a nice guy, and to top it off, he always put food in his bowl. Measuring it out seemed like a waste of time, at least to Linc, but he could always count on it to be there. But there always seemed to be food around Johnny. After one look into Linc or Grover's eyes, he became messier than a billy goat at a pizza party.

Linc's owner leaned up from the couch, pressed his finger into the remote, and the news lady screamed across the room.

"A disease has made its way into the neighborhood of Treetop. Animals of all shapes and sizes have been flowing into the Treetop Clinic. Mr. Yolman, the owner of The Saki House, has had to make frequent calls to Animal Control. He has tried cutting down on his waste, but it doesn't seem to be helping as his dumpsters are still crawling with activity."

"The disease is believed to be a rare bloodborne pathogen, creating symptoms such as sneezing, drooling, coughing, and thick mucus forming around the nose and eyes. A surprising amount of raccoons in the area have exhibited extreme hostility, becoming a danger to the public and themselves. The reports of missing animals and animal attacks have skyrocketed over the past two months. There have been seventy-eight reports on missing animals, and over one hundred forty-two incidents of attacks."

Johnny made an uneasy face, the same one after he finished a bowl of beans. Lincoln's hackles went up, listening to the lady on the screen.

"We've uploaded pictures of the missing animals onto our website. We have a 24/7 tip hotline, with the hope of finding these missing animals. You can find the number located on our home page. Please be mindful of your pets, and whatever you do, don't try to take action on your own. I repeat, do not try to take action on your own."

Lincoln felt a drum rattling inside his chest. His heart pounded, and it was the first time in years where he actually felt scared. He pawed at Johnny's shoulder, but the human had finally smelt the sweet potatoes in the kitchen.

"Wow, that sounds pretty serious, honey. Have you ever heard of anything like that before?" asked Johnny.

"Yeah, I heard about that. My colleague's husband is a vet, and he said that there's been a huge spike over the last three days," said June.

June was the other nice guy. Her porcelain skin was whiter than a toilet, pairing beautifully with her silky black hair. She loved to bug Linc when he was sleeping, whether it was blowing air into his ears or banging pots around the house. It was easy to like her, especially for her neck scratches. For some reason, Johnny called her a "worry wart", but Linc had yet to find any warts on her. Anytime Grover and Linc stayed out past dark you could hear June calling. She sounded like a horned owl, which made Grover run that much faster.

"Well, let's try to be conscious of this. Looks like the last report was three miles away," said Johnny.

Linc would need to keep a closer eye on the backyard. That was his home, and if his backyard wasn't safe, then the nice guys weren't either. Linc's head rested on the armrest of the couch, and although it appeared he was snoring and sleeping, he had mastered the art of listening. Whether it was while sleeping, chewing on a bone for six straight hours, or playing ball in the backyard, Linc was always listening. Right or left, one ear was always on alert. Especially for the words "food," "treat," "ball," and "good boy."

"You hear that?" Johnny asked.

They sure did. If they were paying attention, that was a different story. Dogs knew everything the humans said. If they wanted to listen, that was their choice. A long time ago, canines realized that humans weren't able to understand them, which might have been the greatest gift of all.

"Lincoln, Grover. You guys need to be careful out in the backyard. There've been some raccoons in the area that are carrying a disease. They don't know exactly what it is, so come inside if you see anything weird going on back there," Johnny said.

Johnny had a quiver in his voice. Lincoln saw the free hand as an opportunity; he nuzzled up against Johnny and received a nice rub on the back. He could feel Johnny's heartbeat as the human wrapped his arms around him. It was a much longer hug than Linc was used to.

Not long after, both nice guys were glued to the television, and even if a live banjo orchestra was in the next room over, they still wouldn't have budged.

Grover rolled over on the polyester couch, and a yawn escaped his mouth.

"What's the news lady talking about?" Asked Grover.

"Those raccoons we met yesterday. We were right to think they were different. They've slowly been kidnapping pets around the neighborhood. If these guys are as deadly as they sound, this is a job for us," Lincoln said.