An Abundance of Nothing

Chapter 1

To this day, I still don't understand humans. They do funny things sometimes. Like how they only use two legs to walk. Or how they fail to realize that they could go so much faster if they used all four legs. Like how-

A SQUIRREL

I tugged on my leash trying to chase it, but Mommy knows me. She knows that I love squirrels, so she held me back.

"NO!" she shouted at me. I heard that word a lot. I ignored it almost every time.

Begrudgingly, I left the squirrel alone.

"Good puppy," she said. I heard that a lot, too. Mommy called me puppy so many times that sometimes I forget that my real name is Castor. It doesn't matter if I'm Castor or puppy though, because Mommy loves me, and I love her.

Mommy led us to the building where we live, and I went over to the bush to pee again. I don't know exactly when she will take me out again, but it can't hurt to refresh my claim on the bush.

Mommy waited until I finished, and we walked back upstairs. I liked stairs. They are fun to climb up.

"How about some TV?" Mommy asked. That immediately got my attention. Mommy likes to eat food while she watches TV, and that means I can sometimes get some human food. I like human food. Although, I do wish humans were smart enough to realize that dogs prefer human food, but since that never happened, I had no choice but to beg.

Mommy opened the big white thing that is very cold (don't ask me how I know) and pulled out a bag that I recognized. YES! Chicken nuggets.

Even though I was very excited, I tried to hide it. I didn't want Mommy to think that I really wanted chicken nuggets or that I expected to get them, because then she might not give them to me.

Just after Mommy put the chicken nuggets in the magic thing that makes them warm, a noise makes her turn her head. Once she hears that noise, she usually starts talking to someone, but I just have no idea how she does it.

"Hi, Mom," she said, putting the strange device that people use to talk to each other to her ear. I looked at her. Mommy is never in a good mood after she talks to her Mommy. "Sure," she said with almost no emotion in her voice. I hope she doesn't go to sleep after this call. Sometimes after talking to her Mommy she gets so tired that she stays in bed for much longer than she usually does. I don't understand it.

"Do you want to go to see Grandma, puppy?" Mommy asked, after she put the device down and came over to pet me. I don't know what that means but I love when Mommy pets me.

I smiled and tilted my head up, so she could scratch behind my ears. That spot felt the best. Too soon, she stopped petting me and grabbed the TV remote and her plate of chicken nuggets from the warmer. "Aww. I love the pup," she said when I settled down in front of her chair like I usually did and waited for her to inevitably throw me some chicken nuggets.

~~~

"Here we go," Mommy sighed as she knocked on a door that I recognized but couldn't place. Then a woman opened the door who I immediately recognized. This woman is Mommy's Mommy.

"Hello, Terra," Grandma said to Mommy in what sounded like a forced happy tone.

"Hi, Mom," she said, matching Grandma's tone.

"You brought Castor." Once again, Grandma did not sound excited.

"Yep," Mommy said with a bright smile that Grandma didn't seem to enjoy. "Hi, Dad," she said, walking past Grandma and into the house.

"Hello, Terra," he said in a bored tone. I looked behind me at Grandma and she looked very annoyed. I really don't understand what her problem is. Mommy is a great person, and it is so sad that Grandma doesn't understand that sometimes. I don't think Grandpa gets that either.