by Tom Watson
It was a dangerous situation, but Stick Dog was happy for one thing. His other friends were safe. Karen, Mutt, and Poo-Poo were still hidden far away at the guardrail.
It was right then that Karen whispered, “Why do we need to be so quiet, Stick Dog?”
Also speaking in a whisper, Poo-Poo asked, “Why are you hiding behind this car?”
Mutt asked quietly, “Have you seen the moon tonight? It’s beautiful.”
Stick Dog snapped his head around, saw his three friends, and whispered the most serious whisper he had ever whispered.
“Shh! Be still!”
They were going to be caught. All of them. Stick Dog knew it.
He waited to hear what Tiffany—that was the female’s name, Stick Dog now knew—would answer. Would the man bring the pizzas to the back of the car?
“No, Goose,” Tiffany answered. “I’ll hold the pizzas in my lap. They’re nice and warm.”
And Stick Dog’s heart calmed a little as he continued to watch and listen.
“My favorite pizza tonight and then our wedding buffet tomorrow night at Picasso Park,” Goose said as Tiffany opened the passenger-side door. “That’s a lot of good eating.”
And then Goose got in on his side of the car.
“They’re leaving,” Stick Dog said quietly, and removed his paw from Stripes’s mouth.
As the car pulled forward and away, Stripes looked up.
Stick Cat was still in the back window.
Stripes waved and smiled at him.
Stick Cat waved and smiled back.
Stick Dog looked toward the Pizza Palace. A man in a puffy hat was at the door. He turned the “OPEN” sign on the door around to its other side.
Now it said “CLOSED.”
Stick Dog could not hide his disappointment. His tail drooped; he frowned a bit. He knew there would be no pizza tonight. Mutt, Karen, Stripes, and Poo-Poo noticed this, and their tails drooped too.
“There goes my soul mate,” Stripes said. She appeared super-disappointed as the car moved out of the parking lot and onto the street. “I’ll probably never see him again.”
Stick Dog realized his mood was affecting the group. He needed to lift their spirits.
He started with Stripes. Stick Dog put a paw under her chin and lifted her head. He looked at her and smiled.
“You’ll see him again, Stripes,” Stick Dog declared.
“I will?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
That’s what happened with Stick Dog and Stripes outside in the parking lot.
But something totally different happened with Stick Cat inside the car.
Stick Cat stared out the back window. He saw all five dogs. He watched as the sign went from “OPEN” to “CLOSED.” He saw their tails droop. He saw the disappointment on their faces.
As the car moved farther and farther away, Stick Cat fully understood the situation.
“They’re hungry,” he whispered. “They must be so hungry.”
CHAPTER 7
GOOD, BAD, AND GREAT NEWS
All five dogs watched in silence as the car with Stick Cat, Edith, Goose, and Tiffany inside disappeared in the distance. The car’s red taillights grew dimmer and dimmer until they were gone.
It was then—and only then—that Stick Dog turned to Mutt, Poo-Poo, and Karen. He asked, “What are you guys doing here? I thought I asked you to stay safely hidden at the guardrail.”
“It’s true, Stick Dog,” Karen answered. “You did.”
“Then why are you here?”
“It’s Mutt’s fault,” Poo-Poo tried to explain. “He was fascinated with the moon.”
“It’s really pretty tonight,” Mutt explained. “Just look at it. It’s just a thin slice in the sky—and it has a pale-white glow. Kind of a silver hue. Can you see it, Stick Dog? It’s such a unique color.”
Stick Dog couldn’t be mad at Mutt. He loved Mutt’s sensitive side. He was the only one of the group who would take time to stop, observe, and ponder the moon’s color.
“It is lovely,” Stick Dog answered after observing the moon for several seconds. “I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen that exact color before.”
“That’s why I pointed it out,” Mutt said. He seemed gratified that Stick Dog shared his sentiment.
“Thanks for showing me,” Stick Dog said. Then he inhaled calmly and added, “But what does the moon’s amazing color have to do with you guys running over to the car and joining me and Stripes? It was pretty dangerous.”
“Good question, Stick Dog,” Poo-Poo said. Then he scratched himself behind his right ear. “It was Karen’s idea.”
Stick Dog turned to Karen.
“You see, Stick Dog,” Karen explained. “Mutt was so intrigued and fascinated by the moon’s color, I just wanted to help him. He couldn’t stop staring at it and talking about it. I’m very helpful, you know.”
“Yes, I know,” Stick Dog said. It looked like he was hoping to get his answer sometime soon. “So how does running to us at the car help Mutt look at the moon?”
“It’s really pretty darn simple,” Karen replied. “We ran here to get closer to the moon. When you get closer to something, it gets bigger and you can see it better.”
“So, umm,” Stick Dog said, and then stopped himself. He wanted to get the words just right. “So, did traveling halfway across the parking lot—What is that? Thirty or forty feet?—help you see the moon better, Mutt?”
“Yes, very much.”
Stick Dog squeezed his lips together. Then he asked, “It appeared much larger, did it?”
“Much.”
“It was about double the size,” Poo-Poo chimed in. He had, by now, scratched away the itch behind his right ear.
Karen added, “Maybe even triple.”
Now that they had provided Stick Dog with a clear and understandable explanation, his friends had some questions for him.
“Did you get any pizza?” asked Poo-Poo.
Mutt asked, “Was that really Stick Cat?”
“Will I ever catch my tail again?” asked Karen.
Stick Dog answered Karen first.
“I have no doubt that you will catch your tail again one day.”
Karen then began chasing her tail.
“Regarding your other questions,” Stick Dog continued, “I have good news and bad news and great news.”
“Let’s have the bad news first,” Mutt requested.
“Okay,” Stick Dog said. “We’re not going to get any pizza tonight. The restaurant just closed. I heard the male human with the long neck—I think his name is Goose—talk about it with the female human. Her name is Tiffany. And the sign on the door says ‘CLOSED’ now.”
There was disappointment on their faces.
“That’s double-bad news,” Karen said. She had already stopped chasing her tail. She hadn’t caught it. “What’s the good news?”
“It was indeed Stick Cat.”
Stripes jumped joyfully up in the air, spun halfway around at the top of her arc, and landed to face her friends. She had been staring after the car this whole time.
“It was Stick Cat!” she exclaimed. “I saw my soul mate!”
“What’s the great news?” asked Poo-Poo.
“There’s going to be a buffet at Picasso Park tomorrow night!” Stick Dog said. “Goose and Tiffany talked about it.”
He thought his friends would be thrilled at this news, so Stick Dog was surprised when they didn’t react at all. Then he figured out why.
He asked, “Do you all know what a buffet is?”
They nodded, but Stick Dog wasn’t so sure they actually knew.
“Okay,” Stick Dog said. “Mutt, what is a buffet?”
“It’s a floppy hat worn by humans of German descent,” Mutt answered quickly, and with great confidence.
“I believe you’re thinking of a ‘beret.’ And I think it’s French,” Stick Dog replied kindly. “How about
you, Poo-Poo? What’s a buffet?”
“It’s an arrangement of flowers that humans give to their smooch-kiss partners,” Poo-Poo answered.
“Don’t be gross,” Stripes commented.
Stick Dog smiled. “That’s a bouquet, I think,” he said. “Stripes, do you have a guess?”
“It’s not a guess. It’s a fact,” Stripes said with sheer confidence. “It’s a gorgeous dance that involves lots of spinning on the tips of your paws. Like this.”
Stripes then spun around once on the tips of her paws.
“That’s ballet,” Stick Dog said, and then noticed Stripes’s disappointment at being wrong. So, he said, “That was absolutely elegant.”
Stripes smiled and spun around again. She felt better already.
Finally, Stick Dog turned to Karen. “What’s a buffet?”
“It’s a little creature with pointy ears dressed in a red-and-green leotard,” Karen answered. For further explanation, she added, “They help Santa at the North Pole.”
Stick Dog hesitated for a moment before saying, “That’s, umm, an elf.”
“Same difference,” Karen said. She didn’t seem bothered at all that she was wrong.
Stick Dog explained, “A buffet is a whole bunch of different types of food.”
“Food?!” Mutt asked in disbelief.
“Different types?!” yelped Stripes.
“A whole bunch?!” screamed Karen.
Poo-Poo just drooled.
“Yes. All of it’s true,” Stick Dog said, smiling at his friends’ reactions. “The two humans that were in that car are getting married. And there’s going to be a party or something at Picasso Park. That’s where the buffet will be tomorrow evening.”
“I know where Picasso Park is!” Karen exclaimed. She was super-excited. Her whole body shook with happy energy. “I can lead us there!”
“Oh. Umm. Great, Karen,” Stick Dog said. “But we’ve all been to Picasso Park hundreds of times. We go there almost every day.”
“Oh, right!” Karen screamed. This fact didn’t seem to dampen her enthusiasm.
Stick Dog added, “But you can lead the way if we happen to forget.”
“I’m on it!” Karen yelled. Then she stopped shaking, pivoted to the left, and got ready to run. “Follow me to Picasso Park, everyone!”
Stripes, Poo-Poo, and Mutt all lined up behind Karen.
“Wait, wait,” Stick Dog said. He was pleased that his friends were excited, but he needed them to calm down and pay better attention. “The buffet is tomorrow night. Not tonight. Remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” Stripes said. Her shoulders slumped a little. “Tomorrow night.”
Stick Dog decided to lift her spirits back up. He looked at her and asked a single question.
“Do you remember who is going to be there?”
“Who?”
“Stick Cat.”
“My soul mate!”
CHAPTER 8
ROCKET SHIPS AND MARRIAGE
The dogs had been to Picasso Park hundreds and hundreds of times.
But it had never looked like this before.
The gazebo on top of the hill in the center of the park was lit up. Strings of small white lights hung all around the inside and outside of it. Red-and-yellow flower arrangements decorated a dozen picnic tables inside the gazebo.
One picnic table was piled high with silver- and gold-wrapped packages. Two tables were pushed together longways. On the tables were steaming silver trays, big bowls, and baskets covered in linen napkins.
A smaller table had something tall on it that was covered in a long white cloth.
“Where’s Stick Cat?” asked Stripes. Then before anybody could answer, she spotted him herself. He was with Edith on top of a table. “Oh, there he is! Look how cute he is!”
Stick Dog saw Stick Cat too. He said, “There he is, all right. I’m glad you found him.”
“Stick Cat! Over here!” Stripes screamed from the woods. She jumped up and down. “It’s me!”
“Shh!” Stick Dog said, and lurched toward Stripes. He managed to get hold of her and stopped her from jumping again. “We don’t want to be seen!”
“Oh. Right,” Stripes said, and then remembered why they were there. “Where’s this so-called buffet, Stick Dog? I don’t see any food anywhere.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s on that extra-long table. They have the food all covered up to keep it warm, I think,” Stick Dog responded. He was happy Stripes had calmed down. And he was intrigued by something else—that smaller table with the tall, hidden object on it. “I wonder what that is.”
“So, the food is on the long table then?” Poo-Poo asked.
“I suspect so,” Stick Dog answered, and stopped thinking about that unknown tall object. He turned to his friends.
Karen, Mutt, Stripes, and Poo-Poo stared at that long table and started to salivate a lot—and drool a little.
Mutt wiped some drool from his lips and gazed out at the scene. The shimmering gazebo in the middle of the park provided a lovely and eye-catching spectacle. Mutt said, “It’s beautiful.”
He, Poo-Poo, Stripes, and Karen were all situated at the far end of the park—where the forest began. They were perfectly safe there, Stick Dog knew. They were hidden behind tree trunks, branches, twigs, and bushes. And it was dark. Only the gazebo on the hill was lit up.
“It is beautiful. But it’s busy too,” said Stick Dog. He saw dozens of humans milling around inside the gazebo. “This is not going to be easy.”
“Sure it is,” Poo-Poo said. “I’ve been thinking about it. And I know just how to get in there.”
“You do?” asked Stick Dog.
“I do.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Okay,” Poo-Poo said as the others leaned a little closer to listen. “All these humans are here tonight because of a wedding, see. They’re not here to go swimming or to fly a rocket ship to the moon or to play in the sunshine.”
“You’re RIGHT!” exclaimed Karen. She seemed to realize instantly the logic that Poo-Poo used. “There’s no water to swim in, no rocket ship to ride in, and no sunshine to play in.”
“Exactly,” Poo-Poo said. “They’re here for one thing—to celebrate a wedding.”
Then Poo-Poo stopped talking. He picked a burr from his fur and flicked it into the woods.
After a half minute, Stick Dog asked, “Is that all?”
“All what?” Poo-Poo replied.
“All of your plan?”
“Yes,” he answered. He then picked and flicked another burr from his fur.
“Okay,” Stick Dog said slowly. “I guess I don’t quite understand.”
“What don’t you understand?”
“I don’t understand the plan part of your plan,” explained Stick Dog. “I get that the humans are here to celebrate a wedding.”
“Because there’s no water,” said Mutt.
“Or rocket ship,” added Stripes.
“Or sunshine,” said Karen. Then, to explain further, she added, “It’s nighttime, Stick Dog. Nighttime. There’s no sun at night.”
Poo-Poo said, “Everyone else seems to understand.”
Stick Dog cast his eyes up to the night sky. He tried to calm himself by inhaling and exhaling slowly three times.
While he did this, Karen whispered to the others, “I think he’s looking for the sun.”
“I understand why they’re not here,” Stick Dog said calmly after his breathing exercise was complete. “And I understand why they are here. I just don’t understand how we get the food.”
Poo-Poo nodded. “I’ll explain some more.”
“Please do.”
“It’s the rules, you see,” Poo-Poo said. “To be here, you have to celebrate a wedding. That’s the rule.”
“Okay,” said Stick Dog. “And—?”
“And all we have to do is get married. When we all get married, the humans will have to let us in. That’s the rule. Then we can eat all the food w
e want.”
Stick Dog understood now. He didn’t, mind you, think it was a legitimate plan, of course. But he did understand.
“So, we need to get married?” he asked.
“Right. That’s all.”
“Who are we going to marry?”
“Each other,” Poo-Poo said, and looked around at the group. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll marry any of you. Karen, Mutt, Stripes. Whoever.”
“I think you and I should get married,” Stripes said quickly to Poo-Poo.
“Fine with me,” Poo-Poo said. “Any particular reason?”
“Think of the puppies,” Stripes said. “Whenever there’s a wedding, puppies come next. I don’t know how it happens, to be honest. I just know it’s the next step in the process. And think how cute the puppies would be. They would combine my brilliant and amazing spots with your distinct and unusual puff balls. They’d be so cute!”
“Okay,” Poo-Poo said. “Makes sense.”
Mutt looked down at Karen as Karen looked up at him.
“What do you say, big fella?” Karen asked. “Do you want to get hitched?”
“As long as the result is food, I’m in,” Mutt said.
“That’s so romantic,” Stick Dog whispered, and smiled, but nobody seemed to hear him.
“It’s settled then,” said Poo-Poo. “Stripes and I get married. And Mutt and Karen get married. And then we are admitted into the buffet and we can chow down!”
They reveled in Poo-Poo’s plan for several seconds before Karen happened to glance in Stick Dog’s direction.
“Hey, wait,” Karen said. “What about Stick Dog?”
Thankfully, Poo-Poo had an immediate and practical solution.
“He can be like the rich uncle to both families,” Poo-Poo explained. “He can provide for all of us whenever we need something.”
