The Adventures of Zelda: A Pug Tale

Chapter 5: Zelda vs. Tucker and Whitney

"C’mon, Zelda, it’s time to go for a car ride,” Ben says. He grabs my collar and leashes me. Hannah and Nate pace in and out of the house, loading bags into the car.

“Do you have Zelda?” Hannah asks.

“Yes Mom. Can we go?” Ben says.

“We’re ready. Let’s go!” Nate says. We walk out of the house. I jump into the car and ride in the back on Ben’s lap. I look out the window until my eyes start to close.

I wake up to voices.

“What dear?” Hannah asks.

“Zelda is making funny noises,” Lucy says.

“She’s just dreaming and snoring dear. Don’t worry about her,” Hannah replies.

“How come I’ve never heard her snore?” Lucy asks.

“Because you are asleep too!” Hannah says.

“Oh.” Lucy giggles.

I drift back to sleep. When I wake the second time, I hear dogs barking.

Dogs!

I stand on my front legs to look out the window. We park at a house with two dogs waiting inside the front door. Both dogs are a little bigger than me. The dog with short white fur and orange spots is barking with excitement. The second dog has long gray fur, a beard, and a menacing bark. Ben opens the door, and we walk to the front door.

“Hi Tucker,” Nate says to the white dog. Nate bends over to greet Tucker. Tucker says hello with a long lick to Nate’s face.

A man and a woman walk into the room. I remember Nate’s mom and dad from their visit to our home. Ben and Lucy run to them, giving them a big hug.

“Did you have a good trip?” Nate’s dad asks. I run to him and lick his hands as he pets me.

“Yep. The drive was quiet,” Nate says.

“It’s good to see you,” Nate’s mom says.

“Good to be here, Mom.” Nate hugs his mom.

We move down the hallway into a big room in the back of the house. The gray dog sits on the end of the couch glaring at me. Lucy sits on the couch next to the gray dog and pets her.

“Hi Whitney,” Lucy whispers.

I jump on the couch to say hello to Whitney. I sit next to her, but she doesn’t move an inch or acknowledge my presence. Maybe she is tired or having a bad day.

I hop back to the floor and start exploring. In the corner of the room, I see a basket of toys. I grab the first one, a remnant of a stuffed squirrel. I bring it to Ben on the couch–he is always willing to play. Tucker sits beside Ben. With the squirrel in my mouth, I jump on the couch next to Tucker. When I land, Tucker growls.