The Adventures of Zelda: The Second Saga

Chapter 3: The Fenced Backyard

“Time to go outside Zelda,” Nate yells. I run for the front door, ready for a walk or an adventure outside. 

“Zelda, this way, come here,” Nate says. I wander to Nate’s voice and find him standing in front of a wide-open back door. I stand, confused. First, Nate doesn’t have a leash. Second, for the first week at the new home, the family took me out in the front yard. I thought it was odd because there is a door straight out to the backyard. I even tried to lead Nate and Ben to the back, but they never gave in to my request. 

“Zelda, let’s go out,” Nate says again and walks out the door. I don’t hesitate this time. If he isn’t going to leash me, I am running for it. I sprint out the door into the yard. 

I run straight as far as I can go. I stop inches before I hit a piece of wood sticking up out of the grass. I stop and look around. The wood surrounds the yard on all sides. The backyard is fenced, like Tucker and Whitney’s yard. But this yard is different. At Tucker and Whitney’s, I can’t see through the fence except for a few tiny cracks here and there. This fence has gaps everywhere that allow me to see into our neighbors’ yards. 

I run from corner to corner, inspecting the fence, investigating for good smells, and checking out our neighbors’ yards. Along the back fence line are a few large trees. We have neighbors on two sides and in the back. The back fence is laced with great smells. From what I can deduce from my sniffer, the smells are squirrel, cat, and dog. I hope I am right!

“C’mon, Zelda, time to go inside,” I hear Nate yell from the door. I jog back to the house and in the door. 

“Do you like the fenced backyard?” he asks. I stand on my hind legs and lick his fingers. “I thought you might,” Nate mumbles. He walks over to the counter and hands me a treat. Nate is right. I love the backyard and can’t wait to go outside again. 

The next day, I have my second chance to explore the backyard. This time, Ben and Lucy come out with me. They throw a ball, and I play keep-away with them until I get bored. I start sniffing again, eager to figure out exactly what the squirrels are up to in this yard. I find a strong scent, and it leads me into some bushes and plants next to a tree along the back fence line. The scent is definitely squirrel, and it is heading up the tree. I look up for squirrel signs or markings, and suddenly my nose is overwhelmed by a powerful dog smell.

The smell starts me on a sneezing attack. When I recover from my fit, I am looking into the nose of an eight-pugs’ worth dog. He is brown like me with a streak of white on his belly; he is sticking his long nose through the fence slots. 

A dog! Next door! I want to play with him!

I start scratching at the fence, trying to find a weak spot. If I can make a pug-sized hole or gap, we could play together every day! I run from one side of the fence to the other while he lies down in the grass. He watches me with a smirk. 

“Zelda, leave it,” Nate says firmly. 

I keep running back and forth, looking for a hole. Nate starts chasing me; I’m now trying to dodge him and find a way to meet the dog. Nate catches up to me and picks me up before I have a chance to meet the dog. I squirm, but he has a firm hold on me. 

“Settle down, Zelda. And leave Louie alone. He’s too big to play with anyway,” Nate says. 

He’s wrong. I can stand my ground with any dog, no matter how big. 

He carries me into the house, and I know my next adventure—finding a way through the fence. 

On my next visit to the backyard, Hannah lets me out and leaves me alone. All is quiet in the yard, so I investigate the fence again. I start in the middle by the tree and look for a gap big enough to squeeze through to the other yard. My head is so small that I can fit it through every slot, but my broad, bulldog-like shoulders are too wide. 

I circle to the corner and see a gap wider than any of the other gaps between a few plants. I get closer and stick my head through and begin to shimmy the rest of my body. I suck in my belly and take a few more steps before I realize I am in. I made it through the fence! I look around and find myself behind a building in the middle of weeds, grass, and plants. As I sneeze, I look through the fence and realize I’ve made a mistake. This isn’t the yard I want to explore. This yard is next to the dog’s yard. 

“Zelda,” Hannah calls. I sneak back through the fence to our yard and run to her. I can’t let Hannah know how I got out or she will never let me out here again. For some reason, my family thinks if they let me loose, I won’t come back. It’s a silly idea, and simply not true. I know how good I have it at home, but pugs need freedom and adventure. 

Later on that evening, Nate opens the back door, and I can smell my friend right away. I look and see him hanging out in his yard with a green ball in his mouth. About halfway to the fence line, I stop and turn around. If I run to the fence again, Nate is going to make me come inside. It takes all my pug focus to stop and wander back toward the house, casually sniffing as I go. I see Nate watching me from the door, so I plop down in the grass. Nate walks away. I give him a couple seconds to return, but he doesn’t. 

I probably don’t have much time, so I bolt to the corner, get skinny, and squeeze through the fence. Once in the other yard, I look around and get my bearings. I am next to a shed. I see no way to the other yard from this corner, so I walk to the front of the shed. The fence on this side is completely closed up like Tucker and Whitney’s house. This isn’t going to work. I sit for a moment, pug stumped. 

“Hey cutie,” I hear from afar. I see a woman with white hair approaching me from the house. 

Uh oh. 

I sprint around the shed to the corner and run through one of the slots. I get my shoulders through, but the slot is tight around my stomach. 

Did I run through the wrong one?

I take a deep breath, try again, and somehow, my pug butt fits through the slot. 

“Zelda, what are you doing?” Nate says to me. I look up and see Nate staring at me. “Let’s go inside.” I follow him, anticipating a scolding, but he doesn’t say a word. He must not have seen me slip through the fence.

The next day I am astounded when Hannah lets me out again. My dog friend isn’t out again, but I go to examine my secret escape place. Across the bottom of the fence is a new piece of wood covering the gap. Nate did see me sneak back into the yard. My escape is gone.

I wander around the yard, looking for an alternate spot to sneak out. I see a few more boards on the fence, and I realize my search is a lost cause. I am stuck in the backyard. I lie down in the middle of it in the sunshine. I look around and realize how much space I do have to run in the yard. I hear a rustle in the trees above me. I look up and see two squirrels chasing each other from branch to branch high above. I remember the fun I had with Squeaks, and I smile. I will have a good time in this yard.