The Secret Puppy & Other Short Stories

The Secret Puppy

    I was a good kid, I rarely got in trouble. But the time I got a secret puppy , my parents understandably weren't too happy with me. Here's how it happened.

    One day after school, I went over to my friend Jenny's. Her dog had just had puppies!

    "Hey El!" She greeted me.

    We headed to the park to play a round of Disc Golf. On the way back, (I won), we stopped for ice cream at McDonald's. After grabbing two vanilla soft serve cones, she asked if I wanted a puppy, and I answered yes before she could finish. After a long game of Scrabble, I headed home with a puppy in my backpack.

     When I got home I opened the door slowly and quietly. The puppy didn't make a sound as I tiptoed toward my room. Once safely inside, I opened the back pack to find the puppy fast asleep. I crept out, and grabbed some newspapers and a towel. Back in my room I took a box out of the stash in my closet and fashioned a bed for the puppy. Five minutes later with the puppy safely snoozing, I made my brother's bottle plus an extra. After feeding my brother, I took the second bottle to the puppy. It drank hungrily. Half an hour later my mom called me to supper. With the puppy sleeping again, (it was very lethargic), I pushed the box under the bed and went downstairs.

     Supper was one of my summer favorites, t-bones and caprese, it was the first time we had eaten that meal this spring. After dinner I went upstairs and finished my homework. After I finished my homework I sat down and finished the book that I was reading. I put my PJs on and made the puppy go to the bathroom one last time. Before I fell asleep I pulled the puppy into bed with me, and the last thing I remember thinking before falling asleep was how soft and warm she was.

The next day I was sleeping peacefully when my dad knocked on the door. "Get up", he called the, "bacon will get cold."

Saturday! I sprang up, jumped into my clothes, and tumbled down the stairs.

In the dining room my mom was serving breakfast, "Good morning." I said.

"Good morning." she replied smiling.

When we were finished with the scrambled eggs I thought it was time to make my move.

"Jenny's dog has puppies." I announce.

"Oh" said Mom.

"Yes, and I want one."

"Do you now?" asked Dad teasingly.

"Yes!" I was practically exploding.

"We'll think about it." Mom decided, and I knew that was the end of puppy talk for the remainder of breakfast.

Later that day I biked to the pet store and bought a bag of puppy food. When I got home I was almost to my room when I heard chuckling.

"Are you assuming that you already know what our decision will be? Or are you being optimistic?"

"Mom" I panicked, "I just wanted to be prepared so that if I do get a puppy I am all ready, and I don't have to worry about setting up. I can always return it if I don't need it."

"I definitely will." I thought as I slipped into my room after my mom let me go.

Sunday morning I was talking to the puppy, "You're such a cute little golden fuzzball. Your mom is a beautiful golden retriever. Now behave while I go get a snack."

I had just gotten a bowl of Goldfish crackers when I heard the dreaded words, "Ella May, what were you thinking?!?! Keeping a puppy in your room?!?!" Dad was livid.

It turns out that the puppy had suddenly started whining, and Dad followed the noise to my room. I dashed up the stairs and skidded to a stop in front of the door. The puppy wriggled out and she skittered into my brother's room. It ran up to the crib and started whining. Dad was about ready to kill the puppy when he noticed something odd. "Ella come look at your brother, does something seem off to you?"

In one bound I was across the room and gazing worriedly at Michael. "He stopped breathing!" I cried, "Dad, do something!"

Mom, drawn by the comotion entered the room looking at her phone. "El-, don't shout while your brother is napping, is that a puppy? Why on Earth would there be one in-" She looked up and saw us fussing with Michael. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"He's not breathing." Dad said.

"Give him to me." Mom had taken CPR training and put it to good use.

"Ella May, why on Earth is there a puppy in this house?"

I spilled the whole story, from bringing the puppy home to it saving my brother's life.

My parents were mad, but since Michael was still alive the punishment wasn't as bad as it could have been. I had to return the puppy, apologize to Jenny, who had thought I had my parents permission the whole time, and write a two page essay on why you shouldn't keep secret pets.

And that's how I got, and lost a secret puppy.