PUGSLEY

Joe liked hikes. And this one was going to be really cool. Ted, his best pal was here. Other friends included Martin, Greg and Josh. Mr. Maxwell was the group church leader. And his assistant Larry was also Joe's big Brother.
They all crawled into the Safari Wagon. Each kid tumbled around until they found a soft spot. The ride would take a half hour. Destination: an underground cave.
"It's closed up now but a great trail goes right by it," Mr. Maxwell explained. He also asked everyone not to stand too close to the old entrance. "Rock slides happen all the time," he said.
Joe was allowed to bring his dog, Pugsley. He was brown with a pug-nose. Joe had gotten him for his seventh birthday. In the last two years they became really good pals.
His mother helped him pack this morning. Joe was so excited he couldn't find his packsack. Or his spare socks, or his thermos.
Good ole mom. "Bring my boy back safely," she had prayed over him.
Prayers were okay. But he could take care of himself. Besides, Pugsley was coming along.
As they drove from Truro they passed the low tide area of Cobequid Bay. Then traveled along a twisting road through the settlements of Old Barns and Prince Port. Before long the asphalt road turned into a pitted gravel road. Mud and water flew in all directions.
Suddenly the driving was over. "We're here!" everyone shouted.
A scramble of feet, packsacks pressed to shoulders, car doors locked and the hike was begun. Mr. Maxwell led the way, followed by anxious and noisy boys. Larry took up the last spot.
"I expect everyone to follow single file on the trail," Mr. Maxwell said. He was not only the Pastor, but everyone respected him. So they listened.
Pugsley’s excitement took him in little circles. The exercise was good for him. Joe remembered the little dog the first time he saw him. He had watched when the dogcatcher tricked the little dog by offering him a juicy bone.
When the net came down, Joe thought it was a mean trick. After mom and dad heard their son's sad tale they just had to see this dog. And maybe bring him home. Joe promised to take good care of the frisky pooch. That was the bargain. And so Pugsley found a new home.
Now Pugsley tore across the trail and into the trees. He went up one ravine, then down another. Joe didn't have to call him back, since Pugsley always returned to his master.
When they came to the river Pastor Maxwell put on his chest waders. Then tied a pope to a tree by the water's edge. After crossing over he tied the strong yellow rope to another tree. Low and then higher up. And he returned to the same side he had left.
When it was finished everyone saw it was like a walkway. One line was on the bottom for feet and the other shoulder high to hold onto.
This would allow each boy to cross the stream without getting wet.
And everyone crossed safely.
"I did it!" Joe yelled. He acted brave even though he was afraid of heights. And didn't even fall in the water.
"If you do, you'll only get wet," Larry had said. But no one did.
The hike continued after everyone crossed the river. There was more snow on this side. And crunching sounds filled the air. But the spring thaw and burst of sunshine meant it would not last. Joe was happy to be in the woods, as young legs stretched with each step.
Mr. Maxwell called everyone forward, as they approached a cliff rising above the trees. "This hill is quite high," he said. "And our trail goes close to the edge."
Both Pastor Maxwell and Larry helped everyone over the icy parts. Pugsley was fortunate to have hard toenails help with his balance. Joe suddenly began to slide towards the pond at the bottom of the hill. "Oh My Gosh," he said.
"Hold on Joe," Larry called, and scrambled after him. Joe's dignity and muddy bottom were quickly returned to the trail.
As they all got closer to the cliff they heard rustling noises. Pastor Maxwell said, "Like I said, stay close to the bottom of the cliff." Just then a large rock fell near one of the boys. Josh jumped then pressed against the side of the cliff.
"As long as we stay close to the cliff," Pastor Maxwell said, "everyone will be alright."
Joe held Pugsley's collar and looked around. A perfect toboggan hill lay to his right. Fallen rock had broken into fine pieces and created a long descending slope of light colored mud.
Finally, they reached their destination. Halen's Cave looked like a black smudge at the edge of the trail. Joe remembered looking down into a well once. The darkness had scared him.
“There’s about a four-foot drop into the entrance,” Pastor Maxwell said. “We can try climbing down this summer. Now, let’s take a break on the other side by the trees."
Curiosity tugged at Joe. Pugsley was restless too. Joe was last in line and had to get going to catch up to the group.
As he turned his hand dropped Pugsley's collar. The little dog scampered a few feet then slipped. Yelping several times he lost his balance and tumbled down into the black empty space of cave.
Joe was shocked. "My dog." he called out. "Mr. Maxwell!" he finally yelled. Dropping on his belly he looked down, barely able to see at first. Then his eyes got used to the darkness.
Pugsley looked like he was in a large cavern.
Joe reached down, trying to grab Pugsley's jumping paws. Just as he slid into the hole he heard Pastor Maxwell calling his name. Now boy and dog lay on the floor of the cavern. It was beautiful in here. Rivulets of water spilled from a crevice on one side of the wall.
It looked like moss around the floor and in one area, solid ice was smooth as glass. Joe looked around, but no Pugsley. He could hear barking far away. The cavern stretched a long distance.
He had to get his dog. Joe prayed for strength. Nothing bad could happen to him if he had faith. He remembered those special words from his Sunday School teaching. "Suffer the little children to come unto me," the Bible said.
Working up his courage, Joe moved forward, watching his step. He had to be careful not to twist an ankle on the ice. His breath produced mist in the cool air. He felt much better after praying for his little dog to return. Joe stopped, knowing enough not to go any further.
There could be more tunnels or even holes to fall into.
When Pugsley returned to his side, Joe’s voice sounded eerie when it said, "Thank you Jesus." The two of them then carefully worked their way back to the tunnel entrance.
Pastor Maxwell was frantic, asking loudly, "Are you okay? Are you?"
Joe felt badly. He didn't want his Pastor to be afraid. Joe wasn't. First he helped boost Pugsley out. Then it was his turn. Strong arms lifted him.
Everyone gave him a hug. He could see how nervous everyone was. Pastor said the hole was too small for himself or Larry.
Larry gave Joe a big wink. "I'm proud of you," he said. "You were very brave." The rest of the trip was icing on the cake. Having a prayer of thanks for Joe's safe return, eating lunch and a snowball fight.
By the time they returned to the rope crossing, Joe was too tired to hang on. So Larry carried him on his back through the shallow water. Joe felt like a conquering hero. He had overcome his fear of the dark to get his dog.
From here he could see everyone waiting on the other shore, even Pugsley who swam alongside. His wet little dog was also brave. Joe had a great day, with good friends. He gave Larry an extra hard squeeze around his neck.
Wait 'til mom hears about this trip, he thought. Joe's face broke into a smile. His lips said, "Thank you Jesus...for everything."

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Brown Dog

Prince Spencer and Princess Maddie of the Kingdom of Space Land went to their father King Chris and their mom Queen Nannie at the SpaceLandCastle.
They told their father the King Chris and their mom Queen Nannie that they wanted a doggie.  Not just any of kind of dog but they wanted a Little Brown Barking Dog.
Their father the King was a good father and Queen Nannie was a very good mommy.  They were pleased that the Prince and Princess wanted to get a Little Brown Barking Dog.   The King told the Prince and Princess that they could get a Little Brown Barking Dog.
The King sent for his King’s Dog keeper and told him to go into the town to find a Little Brown Barking Dog and bring it back to the palace for Princess Maddie and Prince Spencer. 
The King’s Dog keeper was a nice man named Mr.  Happy.  He was always as happy as his name said. 
“I will find the best Little Brown Barking Dog in the Kingdom of Space Land and bring it here to live with the Prince and Princess at the castle. 
The King told his Dog keeper Mr.  Happy to take along Prince Spencer and Princess Maddie to find a Little Brown Barking Dog for the castle.
Off they went into the town.  They went to the Space Land Pet Store.  The King’s Dog keeper Mr.  Happy followed by the Prince and Princess went into the Space Land Pet Store.  They went up to the Space Land Pet Store owner and the King’s Dog keeper Mr.  Happy spoke with the Space Land Pet Store owner.  “My good fellow I am here to get a Little Brown Barking Dog for the Prince and the Princess.”
“Umm…I do not have a Little Brown Barking Dog but I do have a Large Green Croaking Frog.”
The King’s Dog keeper spoke, “No thank you sir.  The Prince and Princess do not want a Large Green Croaking Frog but they want a Little Brown Barking Dog.  Can you tell us where to get a Little Brown Barking Dog?.”
The Pet Shop owner said, “I do not know where to get a Little Brown Barking Dog.  You may find a Little Brown Barking Dog at the King’s Royal Doggie Park.  They have a lot of Barking Dogs there”.
Off they went to the King’s Royal Doggie Park to find a Little Brown Barking Dog.

At the King’s Royal Doggie Park there were many dogs jumping and running.  The dogs were having fun.  The King’s Royal Dog keeper Mr.  Happy looked around and he spotted a Little Brown Barking Dog.  The Little Brown Barking Dog was running and jumping and playing in the King’s Royal Doggie Park.  The King’s Royal Dog keeper Mr.  Happy asked the woman owner of this Little Brown Barking Dog if she would give the dog to the Prince and Princess to take to the castle.  The woman said she would love to give the dog to the Prince and Princess.  But she told Mr.  Happy that she had the Little Brown Barking Dog since it was a puppy.  The woman would be very sad to give her Little Brown Barking Dog away.  She told them” I know of a place where there were many dogs.  The place was the Royal Doggie Shop”.  She told them that the dogs were there for anyone to take.

 “All that you need is a nice owner and a nice place for the dog to live and they will give you a nice doggie.” She said.
“I know you are right.  We will go to the Royal Doggie Shop and get a Little Brown Barking Dog” The King’s Royal Dog keeper Mr.  Happy told her.  He thanked the woman for her help
“We shall go there now.” He said.
Off Mr.  Happy, The Prince Spencer and Princess Maddie went to the Royal Doggie Shop.
They went to the Royal Doggie Shop quickly.  It was very near the King’s Royal Doggie Park.
They went into the Royal Doggie Shop.  Mr.  Happy, Prince Spencer and Princess Madison were very happy to find it was full of dogs.  There were big dogs, small dogs, black and white dogs, white and black dogs, there were tall skinny dogs, and little short dogs.  There were jumpy dogs and there were sleepy dogs resting in their beds.  Prince Spencer and Princess Maddie had never seen so many dogs in one place.
At first they did not find a Little Brown Barking Dog so they asked the King’s Royal Doggie Shop Man about it.  “Sir, do you have a Little Brown Barking Dog that we could take to the castle to live with us?” asked the children.

“Why yes I do have such a Little Brown Barking Dog.  If you like her then you can take her back to the King’s castle with you.  This Little Brown Barking Dog is very special.  He does two tricks.  One trick he can do is he can carry a ball in his mouth and walk around with it.  The other trick he does is that he goes to the door each day is to get the mail at the door from the Postman and bring it to me.  He gets the mail from the Postman’s hand and brings it to me from the door.  This Little Brown Barking Dog is very smart because you cannot teach a dog to get the mail from the Postman.  It is a very special trick that only he can do.  The Little Brown Barking Dog will be happy at the castle living with you.” The Royal Doggie Shop Man then put the Little Brown Barking Dog in a doggie box and handed it to the King’s Royal Dogkeeper to carry back to the castle.

Off went Prince Spence, Princess Maddie, and Mr.  Happy back to the Royal Castle to show King Chris and Queen Nannie the Little Brown Barking Dog they had found.  They knew their family would be pleased to get a dog who could do two special tricks.
They set the doggie box in front of King Chris and opened the top.  The Little Brown Barking Dog and he naturally started running and barking.
The King Chris laughed loudly and exclaimed, “I declare today Little Brown Barking Dog day in the Space Land Kingdom.  I want everyone to have a great day.”  The Little Brown Barking Dog then ran toward the Castle door to await the Postman bringing in the daily mail.
The Prince and Princess invited all the children in the Space Land Kingdom to come to the castle to see their Little Brown Barking Dog.
Queen Nannie decorated the castle very special for the party and welcomed the children when they came to the party.
Princess Maddie wanted to name the Little Brown Barking Dog.  Prince Spencer asked the Court Jester -- Royal Nave named Brandon of Burgoyne what a good name for the Little Brown Barking Dog should be.  Nave Brandon of Burgoyne thought for a moment and said, “I once had a fine hunting dog named GiGi the Fine dog.  I don’t think you should give her the exact same name so let’s just call her Gigi the Little Brown Barking Dog.”  The children laughed and agreed.  They both said together, “Yes, it’s a good name and we will call it-- GigiThe Little Brown Barking Dog.”

At this point the many children at the party gathered around Prince Spencer, Princess Maddie, King Chris, Queen Nannie, Mr.  Happy and his wife Mrs.  Honey, and Court Jester Nave Andrew and they all sang a little song to Riles The Little Brown Barking Dog:

         (CHILDREN SINGING)
            “I wanted a Little Brown Barking Dog so I went to the Pet Store and
            I asked the Pet Store Man—do you have a Little Brown Barking Dog.
            No, he said—I don’t have a Little Brown Barking Dog; but I have a Green
            Croaking Frog.
I told him that I didn’t want a Green Croaking Frog but I wanted a Little Brown Barking Dog;
I went to the The Doggie Park and found a woman with a Little Brown Barking Dog;
I asked her if she would give me the Little Brown Barking Dog; She said no that she had to keep her Little Brown Barking Dog;
I went to the man at the Doggie Shop and asked the man: Do you have
A Little Brown Barking Dog?;
He said “Yes I have a Little Brown Barking Dog and he has two tricks.”
He said “You can have her to keep and he will do two tricks.”
I am so happy now that I have a Little Brown Barking Dog and not a Green Croaking Frog.”
 END

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HURRY UP CAT

Smoke drifted from the barbecue, covering everyone in its path. Still, it sure smelled good at the Lawrence family picnic.
Their cat, JC, did not agree. For her, it meant gasping for air. At first the gray mist was only a small cloud.
Then it grew into coal-colored piles, like dirty foam on the seashore. JC’s eyes stretched wide as the moon. She jumped around like a rabbit.
Her whiskers twitched nervously.
Except she wasn't a rabbit looking for an escape route. She was an old "scared-cat" cat. And her "Meows" were not sounds of happiness.
She searched nervously for an escape route. Where was her master? JC needed to hide from the smell.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Claws dug into the soft earth. Her tail flicked, back and forth. Back and forth, like windshield wipers. Smoke from the barbecue continued to mess up her nose.
Smells from hotdogs and steak were wonderful for humans. Not for a cat. Oh no, not at all.
She left the scene quickly. Otherwise, stinky, dirty smoke would cover her gray and white fur. Then make her smell like a rat pack.
JC was a friendly seventeen-year old cat. And her patience with all ages was well known. They loved to pat her lovely fur coat. And speak to her in a soothing voice.
Not right now, though.
Instead, it was ‘hurry-up-and-escape’ time.
Her paws padded nervously around the yard. She crossed the street to Victoria Park. A car hurried, by with tires looking like rolling pizzas.
JC's fur shot up in fear. She did not wish to be part of the pizza dough. Her feet retreated to the backyard, even if ghost-smoke was still there.
If only she had extra legs she could run faster. She choked and gagged her way into the neighbor's yard.
Her silent feet padded around a child's wagon. Then jumped over a rusting bicycle, that lay like a trap in her path. Her paws didn't mind splashing through sneaky puddles.
Of course, Yap-Yap Ace was waiting next door. A mouth full of dog’s teeth came rushing towards her.
JC was too old for this kind of excitement. It was time to climb the nearest tree. Branches dug like fingers into her soft fur. As she watched from her branch perch, she spotted Bushy Red.
The noisy squirrel rushed across her porch below. Why wasn’t the squirrel bothered by the smoky smell? Where's bushy red going? she wondered.
Curiosity made her brave. JC crept backwards down the tree. Finally she turned and jumped the last few feet.
At that moment the front door opened. And her master stood with a bowl full of her favorite food, crunchy Meow Mix.
JC rubbed against his legs and gave a sad, "Meow." She was not hungry right now. Her "MEEOOW!" was much louder the second time.
She didn’t wish to stand around in that smelly smoke.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" she screeched in cat language. Her tail swept back and forth.
"HURRY UP!" she yowled.
If her master wanted to join his friends at the barbecue, then let him. How could he not know his cat was having a panic attack? JC looked up with a pitiful look.
Now her master understood and stepped aside. About time, she thought.
Her claws scrambled noisily under his legs. Then, across the kitchen floor, tail swishing up the stairs. She leaped two at a time, bumping her nose twice.
She jumped onto the bed and settled on the windowsill. JC sniffed the air hoping the cloud of smelly smoke did not follow.
Ah, the air was nice and fresh in the room.
From her window perch she could see people having their picnic fun below. The fog-like mist continued to float around.
Children wrestled and hollered.
Gabbing adults continued to fill their mouths with hot dogs, hamburgers and other munchies.
A short distance from the window, Bushy-red was in his tree. Cat and squirrel stared at each other a few moments.
Then JC yawned, turned and plopped herself into the middle of the waterbed. Her paws found a very comfortable spot. Instantly she became a ball of curled up fur.
Ah, peace at last.
No more unfriendly smells. No children or adults to bother her. No nosey squirrel, and no ghostly mist, only sleepy time for an old cat.
“Meow.”

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The bear

Part the FirstHave you ever noticed how all of the best  stories start with 'Once upon a time'?  And since this is one of the best stories, it has to start with 'Once upon a time,' too.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Morgan.
Every afternoon a great big Bear would appear in Morgan's room.
The Bear would growl,
               and snarl,
               and roar
               (the Bear had a terrible roar)
And every afternoon, Morgan would give the Bear a great, big  hug.  Or as big a hug as a little girl can give, which are surprisingly big.
One day Morgan thought she saw the Bear getting smaller.  And the next day, and the next.  A little bit smaller every day.
Each day the Bear grew smaller, he roared a little less, he snarled a  little less, and growled a little more softly.
And smiled just a little more
And as the Bear grew smaller and smaller, Morgan grew just a little  bigger each day. And smiled even more than she ever had before. Until the day she could hold the Bear in her arms.
Part the SecondMorgan and the Bear played every day.
They had tea parties.
They played dress up.
They went on adventures.
The Bear stopped growing smaller.  But Morgan kept growing bigger  and bigger.
As Morgan grew bigger, Bear started losing parts of himself.  A bit of fur here and a blot of ticking there. A small piece of his nose came off one time during and explore.  But he didn't mind. He like giving up pieces of himself in his love for Morgan.  Just as she had given him unconditional lover when he would roar, and snarl and growl.
 Part the ThirdAs time went by, Morgan and Bear played together less and less.
Bear missed her some, but he was getting old and tired and with  all his missing pieces he just didn't feel like playing as much anymore.
So he sat up on a quiet shelf and rested.
               And watched.
Except, of course, for those times when Morgan wanted to play.  For he was glad of the attention.
 More time passed.  Morgan went to school.  Made other friends. And played with Bear even less.  Oh, she'd take him down from his shelf from time to time, dust him off, give him the hugs he  adored, show him to a friend.
And Morgan would return him to his shelf and his shelf like thoughts.
Part the FourthOne day, Bear noticed that he hadn't seen Morgan in a long time.  His eyes were going, and he couldn't see very well.  His hearing was going, and he couldn't hear very well.
To his great joy and surprise, Morgan came.  She gave him a hug  and placed him gently in a box.
A box. Black and dark and dry.  With tissue paper around him.
Part the FifthHave you ever noticed how all the best stories end with 'And they  lived happily ever after'? And since this is one of the best stories, it has to end with 'And they lived happily ever after,' too.
Little Morgan grew into a beautiful and big Morgan.  Tall, dark,  graceful, and slender as a reed.
One day, when she was grown, she met a man and they fell madly  in love. Eventually they got married and had a little girl. The little girl was named Hunter.
Every day a great big bear would appear in Hunter's room.
The Bear would growl,
               and snarl,
               and roar
               (the Bear had a terrible roar)
 And every afternoon, Hunter would give the Bear a great, big hug. 
And they lived happily ever after.

The End

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The Feelings of Butterflies

 Once upon a time, in a place not looked upon often was a beautiful butterfly whose name was Cassie. Cassie had many friends and was a very social butterfly. She was the best of friends with Talia the squirrelsquirrel and MJ the rabbitbunny2 though.

Across the way lived a catepillar named T.C., who was also friends with MJ and Talia, and they came to visit him often and talk. Although the catepillar and butterfly were friends with these two woodland creatures, their paths had never cross...until now.

 T.C. was out and about looking for the perfect twig to start his new home, but nothing seemed right. Cassie was fluttering around lookng for the perfect flower to land on and take a nap. CRASH! The butterfly and catepillar bumped into each other, and quite hard.butterfly-caterpillar

 "I'm sorry," T.C. muttered, "I didn't see you."

"No no," said Cassie quickly, "I suppose I should have been looking at where I was going."

 They started talking and T.C. quickly got a crush on Cassie, but believed because he was only a catepillar that she could never feel the same. He decided he would find the best spot closest to where he was and get ready for his long nap. Things were changing! But, little did he know that Cassie had seen him from afar a week before and was trying to find out the perfect way to start talking to him. She was also devolping her own feelings for T.C.

 The next night, in T.C. new home he slept.

And slept.

And slept.

And slept for two more weeks.

And then awoke. He felt very cramped and needed to get out. He started breaking through his caccoon and finally! He submerged and hold on tightly with his foot. He felt very strange. He almost felt like he had...wings? Could it be? Was he now a butterfly? He worked his wings and was flying!!! He headed off to the lake to look at his reflection.

It was true! He was a butterfly! He was a very handsome one indeed.bflyWHT

Just then he saw Cassie across the lake and knew it was time!

 Cassie hadn't seen or heard from T.C. in quite a while. She had asked MJ and Talia, but they hadn't seen him either. She went to the lake to sit and think and say a very handsome looking butterfly across the lake. She made no moves to go over because she missed T.C. very much and didn't want anyone but T.C.

 "Hi Cassie," said T.C.

Cassie looked up at the butterfly thinking she heard T.C.'s voice. She squinted and gasped, "T.C.? Is that really you? I've been worried about you, and I've missed you very much!"

"Yea? Well, I want to tell you.."

"Yes...?" Cassie said eagerly.

"I really like you." T.C. admitted

Cassie was estactic at hearing this and they flew off together and traveled around the world. They fell in love quickly, as butterflies do, and lived happily every after.
"It's Not Who I Am Underneath, But What I Do That Defines Me."

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