The Adventures of Zelda: A Pug Tale

Epilogue: Zelda vs. Gannondorf

Since Hannah, Nate, Ben, and Lucy adopted me, I have experienced many adventures, protected my family, and learned how to become a well-behaved pug. I conquered the leaf pile, Vacuum, a snowman, and Squeaks the squirrel.

My most terrifying adventure was a tapeworm named Gannondorf. Gannondorf arrived suddenly and quietly one day, causing me terrible pain for several days. Usually, I protect my family, but this time, they saved me.

This story of Gannondorf started on a day like any other. I woke up, went for my morning walk, played for a bit, and took my mid-morning nap while the family went away for the day. I woke up that evening to the door opening.

“Hi Zelda, do you need to go out?” Nate asked.

The rest of the family walked through the door. When I started moving to meet Nate at the front door, my stomach seared with pain. The pain was terrible, but I needed to go out, so I fought through the pain and went outside with Nate. I quickly did my business and returned inside to lie next to Lucy on the couch. I tried to jump onto the couch, but I was too weak. I missed the couch and toppled backward to the floor.

“Do you need some help?” Lucy asked. I looked at her with my sad pug eyes. She picked me up and set me in her lap. I curled up next to her and fell asleep.

I woke up to the sunlight seeping through the curtains. My body was in serious pain. I realized I was in Lucy’s bedroom, but I didn’t remember moving to the bedroom the previous night. I let out a moan of frustration.

“Morning Zelda,” Lucy said. She started to massage my body, but I moved out of her reach.

“Zelda, do you want to go out?” Lucy whispered. I didn’t move. “Okay, guess not,” she said. I was drained. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Lucy was out of bed when I opened my eyes again. I couldn’t hold it any longer, so I walked to the front door and sat. I hoped going outside would make me feel better.

“Okay, let’s go out,” Hannah said from the kitchen. She put on her shoes and coat. We went to the backyard and returned inside. I settled in my dog bed and tried to get comfortable. Every way I turned, my stomach throbbed with pain. I didn’t know what to do, and my body shook with terror.

“Why are you shaking Zelda?” Hannah asked. She walked over and pet me. Her soft touch calmed my tremors. I allowed my eyes to close.

I woke up with no sense of how much time had passed. I didn’t feel any better. Hannah sat in the chair across from me in the living room. I curled up next to her. The movement caused the pain to worsen, and my tremors returned. 

“Zelda, what’s wrong?” Hannah asked. I looked at her and tried to show her my pain with my sad, listless eyes.

The next time I woke up Nate, Ben, and Lucy were home. Nate greeted me with a friendly hello and pet. I started shaking again. I couldn’t stop myself. 

“I think we should take her to the vet,” he said to Hannah.

“Me too,” Hannah said. “I’ll call now.” She walked into the other room and returned a few minutes later. “We have a four o’clock appointment.”

“Great. We better get moving!” Nate replied. We loaded up into Nate’s car, and I felt a glimmer of hope. I loved car rides and maybe we were going somewhere to make me feel better.

When we stopped, I hurried to get out of the car. I sprinted towards the door, and then I stopped dead in my tracks. I recognized the building. The last time I was here I left in pain with six fewer teeth. I was not going inside again. Nothing good happened here.

“Let’s go, Zelda,” Nate said. I stood frozen to the sidewalk. “C’mon, the vet is going to help you feel better.” I didn’t want to believe him, but I didn’t have any other choice. I followed them inside.

When I walked inside, the variety of animal smells overwhelmed me, and for a minute, I forgot why I was there. I let my nose guide me around the room until Nate led me down a hallway into a room with a woman in a white coat. They talked with each other, but I didn’t recognize many of the words.

“It’s okay, Zelda,” said Nate. Nate handed the white coat woman a bag.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes with a diagnosis,” the white coat woman said. Nate picked me up from the counter and placed me in his lap. I wanted this nightmare to be over. I lay down and closed my eyes until I heard the door open.

“Zelda has a tapeworm. I am writing a prescription to cure her. She will be back to normal in a day or two,” the white coat said. 

“Thanks so much,” Nate replied. The white coat said goodbye and left.

“Did you hear that Z? You are going to be fine.” Nate said. I hoped Nate was right. We returned to the rest of the family in the big room.

“What’s wrong?” Ben asked anxiously.

“Zelda has a tapeworm. She will take medicine and be back to normal in a couple of days,” Nate said.

“Oh good,” Hannah replied.

“We should call the tapeworm Gannondorf,” Ben said.

“What? Why?” Hannah asked.

“Because Gannondorf was the villain in the Zelda video games,” he replied.

“Oh yeah, I remember now.” Hannah turned to me, “Don’t worry Zelda, we will help you vanquish the evil tapeworm Gannondorf.”

I didn’t recognize some of the words Hannah said to me, but I think I understood the message. My family had a plan to save me from Gannondorf, and then I would be back to my normal walking, playing, and sneezing pug-self.

At home, Nate called me to the kitchen. When I walked into the kitchen, I smelled something delicious.

Peanut butter!

I love peanut butter. Maybe that’s what will make me feel better!

Nate knelt next to me with peanut butter covering his finger. He signaled for me to eat it, and I didn’t hesitate. The peanut butter was delicious. I was in heaven. But I noticed something small in the peanut butter. It was hard and tasted bad. I stopped licking the peanut butter.  

“C’mon Zelda, you need to eat it, it will make you better,” Nate said. He slopped more peanut butter on his finger and called me over. I stared at him.

Is this part of the plan to save me from Gannondorf?

I took a deep breath and forced the gross food down my throat. I swallowed, drank some water, and reclaimed my spot on the couch.

I slept through the night and woke up with the sun in the morning. I stood on the bed and waited for the pain to return. No pain! I walked to the other side of the bed and stood on Lucy to wake her. I felt discomfort, but nothing like the past few days. I sneezed and licked Lucy’s face.

“Good morning,” she said. I walked to Ben’s bedroom and jumped on him. He grumbled at first, but then he pet me.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Ben asked. I ran to the front door.

“It’s good to see Zelda prevailed over Gannondorf the tapeworm,” Hannah said with a grin on her face. I waited by the door with squirrels on my mind. 

Gannondorf taught me an important lesson about my family. As a pug, I knew my responsibility was to protect my family, but it’s a great feeling knowing my family watches over and cares for me too. 

THE ADVENTURES OF ZELDA continue with her second saga and the third book, The Adventures of Zelda: Pug and Peach. Select chapters of those books are available to read on Wattpad, and the entire series is available for purchase in ebook and paperback formats. Learn more here: www.kristenotte.com