Completed Assignment 1 - Mini-story about Wally and Crumpet

Well, I finished my first assignment by the second due date (tomorrow, Friday, July 9), but I went way over the word count. Go figure!  That's why my blog is called my "Pleonasm Playground" -- I take more words than others might use to tell a story. Don't worry, I got my husband's permission to post the story anyway.  He said he'll be a little more lenient since this is the first assignment and he wants me to get something up here.  :)   It's certainly not the best story in the world, but it's a start...so here you go!

A Good Team

One summer day, when the sun’s rays produced fake, blurry puddles along the pavement, Wally and Crumpet pranced along the side of the road next to their humans who were walking with them. But shh, don’t tell anyone that Wally was prancing…it might embarrass him!

Wally Bear Houston and Little Miss Crumpet Houston are the two most good-looking and friendly dogs on Hatcher Street. And as far as they can tell, they’re also the only dachshunds in the neighborhood.

Both Wally and Crumpet jaunted along joyfully because their humans finally didn’t have to go away for the day, so they were all four able to go on a stroll together. It seemed to be a leisure day for the whole neighborhood. Wally and Crumpet saw an occasional butterfly flitting by and birds swooping from yard to yard. Their human Mommy and Daddy chatted amiably while they walked. The two dachshunds saw other humans outside playing in their yards – some kicking balls that Crumpet wanted to go tackle, some pushing noisy machines through the yard that Wally wanted to investigate, and some eating scrumptious human food which Wally and Crumpet could smell and made them lick their chops.

“I want some!” Crumpet yipped as she bolted toward the scent of the food, but her feet slipped from underneath her when she reached the end of her leash. She scrambled back to her feet as Daddy tightened his grip on the leash to pull her back to his side.

“Why did you even try? You know we have to stay by their side,” Wally wrinkled his forehead and looked over at Crumpet solemnly.

“But it smells sooooo good!” Crumpet coughed and shook her head vigorously to loosen the collar around her neck as she returned to Daddy’s side glumly. “You know you want some too,” she added while sticking her nose up in the air and went back to prancing alongside Daddy.

Perhaps I do, but I have more self-control, Wally thought to himself as he sniffed the air for any scent of danger.

“Why do you always have to be such a good boy?” Crumpet persisted. She crossed in front of Daddy’s legs, much to his frustration, in order to nip at Wally’s ear.

Wally tried to ignore her. Crumpet was very smart and fun to play with, but sometimes she could be quite a handful. Wally was Crumpet's elder by 6 months and he did his best to be patient with her frequent wild antics.

Crumpet wagged her tail as she nipped at Wally’s ear again and then butted his neck with her head. Wally shook his head and almost tripped Mommy while pouncing on Crumpet’s side.

“Ha ha! I knew you couldn’t resist!” Crumpet cried triumphantly. Wally tried to continue walking. Crumpet continued a muffled chanting as she nipped at his legs, ears and neck, “Wally is a good boy, good boy, good b-”

Crumpet abruptly quit chanting, perked up her ears and stood rigid in one place, sniffing the air vigorously.

“What’s wrong, Crumpet?” Mommy, Daddy and Wally all asked at the same time.

“Do you think she heard something?” Daddy asked Mommy while bending down to pet Crumpet’s back. “What is it, girl?”

Crumpet was quiet and kept sniffing the air for several minutes in the direction of a yellow house across the street. Wally sniffed the air too, trying to figure out what was alarming Crumpet. Mommy and Daddy looked confused as they looked around to see why Crumpet stopped. They had just rounded a corner onto Luke Avenue and there was no activity around the homes on this street so far.

Crumpet stared intently at the yellow house across the street from where they stood and whispered to Wally,

“Bruce.”

“Are you sure, Crumpet? I don’t see him or smell him.” Wally looked around to confirm his response.

Crumpet didn’t even blink. “He hasn’t come outside yet, but he will. He saw us. I heard his collar. He’s not in his crate and the dog door is open.”

Bruce was an abused Jack Russell terrier who lived in the yellow house on Luke Avenue and bullied other dogs in the neighborhood when he wasn’t kept in his crate. Wally felt sorry for him, but had only heard stories about Bruce’s bullying; Wally and Crumpet had only seen him one time when he was locked up in the house and barked at them viciously through the window.

Mommy and Daddy tried to tug on the leashes to get Wally and Crumpet to keep walking, but instead, Crumpet leaped behind Daddy’s feet to hide.

Wally grew more concerned as he turned to face Crumpet. “Maybe we should just keep walking and he will leave us alone. Come on, Crumpet, let’s…”

Suddenly Wally caught the scent. Every hair on his back bristled. He looked at Crumpet and then turned around slowly to face the yellow house again. Bruce’s white and black body emerged from the dog door at the side of the house and his angry eyes looked straight at Wally.

Wally crouched, emitted a soft growl, and tried to convey a quiet message to Bruce that they didn’t want any trouble. He heard Crumpet’s faint whimper of fear behind him as Bruce slowly crossed his yard toward the street.

Mommy and Daddy saw the dog heading toward them with no leash or owner in sight, so they urged Wally and Crumpet to keep walking. Neither one budged. Crumpet stayed rooted to her hiding place behind Daddy and Wally knew that Bruce would definitely pursue them if they started walking or running away. He continued to growl softly as Bruce got closer still, baring his teeth at them. Bruce was in no hurry and seemed to enjoy watching Crumpet quake with fear. Wally had to think of something to do!

When Bruce reached the edge of the yard, Mommy and Daddy were about to pick up Wally and Crumpet and run, but a raspy man’s voice called out angrily through a window of the yellow house.

“Bruce! Get back in the house NOW!”

Bruce’s face changed completely. He cowered in fear and hugged the grass beneath him. He looked at Wally in humiliation.

Wally stood up straight and ceased his growling. Fur no longer bristling, he looked solemnly across the street at Bruce, feeling sorry for him once again. Wally let out a short whine to express his sympathy. Bruce lifted his head from the ground in surprise that Wally wasn’t barking angrily at him.

“BRUCE! Inside now!” The voice yelled again.

Tail between his legs, Bruce sprinted back across the yard and disappeared through the dog door. Wally frowned.

“Poor guy,” Wally said to Crumpet. “He probably wouldn’t be such a bully if his humans were kind to him like ours are.”

As if they understood Wally, Mommy and Daddy bent down to pet both Wally and Crumpet. “Good puppies,” they said. “Let’s head home.” They began to chat with each other about how people treat their dogs.

Crumpet bounced up next to Daddy, ready to get away from there. “Thanks,” she said to Wally. She felt ashamed for being such a coward, but as usual, Wally didn’t try to make her feel bad about being scared.

“Hey, you’re the one who heard him coming to warn us. We’re a good team!” Wally moved over to give her a loving nudge with his nose. Crumpet smiled and wagged her tail.

“I wonder if Bruce would ever be able to play with us?” Crumpet wondered aloud.

Wally smiled. Crumpet always wanted to play. “He may need help first,” Wally said, “but maybe one day.”

Crumpet wagged her tail again and they all made their way back home, ready for a refreshing lunch in the summer sunshine.