~ “…or was it Consolation…maybe Conversation” ~
Hazel paused to look at Dad one more time before going down the hallway to meet with Pru.
“Go on, Haze… It’ll work out,” Dad said quietly.
At the doorway to the master bedroom, Hazel looked to find Pru surgically de-fuzzing her tennis ball. She’d managed to surround her front paws with miniature-looking cigars of rolled fuzz.
Hazel stepped into the sunlit room with a yawn. “So… have you decided on a story, Pru?”
Pru couldn’t answer right away, as her tongue was busy pushing a bright green fibrous wad repeatedly against her upper front teeth to roll and spit out another ‘stogie’.
“Well, about that, Hazel… I know you told me to pick one subject to write about today, but I started talking to Keira in Mom’s office, and I spent the time encouraging her in her new role… and… I found this tennis ball.”
With that, Pru began working a new spot on the ball.
“I think we can set aside the tennis ball for now,” Hazel said, stretching and lying down next to Pru. “So, for the last couple of weeks, Prudence, you’ve been pacing up and down the length of the house spewing endless ideas for your new column, so what have you come up with for today?”
“I don’t spew, Hazel.” Obviously annoyed, Pru pulled roughly on her ball and loudly spit out fibers. Skipping the rolling part.
“You don’t know where to start, do you?”
Rougher pulling and spitting.
Hazel rolled onto her back and wiggled her hips to center herself next to Pru.
“This is what I do when I have to solve a problem or come up with an idea,” Hazel stated playfully.
“I don’t see how that would help,” Pru said, attempting to imitate Hazel’s position while juggling her ball.
The ball, apparently having had enough, escaped Pru’s grip and rolled out of reach to temporary sanctuary under the bed.
“See what you made me do,” Pru said from her upside-down position to Hazel’s also upside-down face.
Both now lay side by side with all paws proudly aimed at the sky. This was the exact moment Dad looked in at them, hopeful and holding his laptop. When Dad took in the scene at the foot of the bed, he correctly assumed he wasn’t needed at the moment and moved on.
“Now wiggle your hips, and you can scratch your back on the carpet,” Hazel demonstrated exuberantly.
Dad passed by again, glanced in at the wriggle fest, and threw up his hands.
“Let me know if either of you find a story anytime soon,” he said walking away.
“Now the best way to start to try writing a new column is to introduce yourself to the readers,” Hazel said stopping her gyrations for the moment.
“You mean like my name and stuff?” Pru queried while rolling to her side to look at Hazel.
“Yes, Pru, start with your name.”
“My name is…”
Hazel interrupted “Start with ‘Hello everyone’.”
“Hello everybody, my name is Promise Prudence Pepper, AMC Pacer, Torpedo Away, Muscle Sausage, Flying Pru-lenda, Slick, What Were You Thinking, Incoming, Pru-Dee-Doo, and I am of the breeds Maxi-Pin, Chi-Wieler, and Dobie-Hua-Hua. I am the newest and youngest member of the Red Dog Pack of Yavapai of which there are four of us, Hazel, Tucker, Keira and me. I am also a sworn Constellation Officer that protects the garden and trees and is not supposed to ever, ever, ever again dig up garden beds.
“I have a Pack Mom and Dad and a backyard and I like to tear up boxes and cardboard to tease my sister Keira with ‘til she gets angry and let me tell you, I can really ruffle her fur to where she does this wild bucking bronco spin thing to try to knock me over, and I always get away, mostly, and then I tease her again and sometimes she’s quick enough to steal my piece of cardboard and plays keep-away and I try to get it back by going at her from all angles.
“Then our Pack Sheriff Tucker hears the commotion and assumes I started the ruckus and he comes after me to read me the riot act and then he feels bad for yelling at me and sits me down to wash my face and ears and I love that part cause that’s what my birth mom did and I really love my pack and my job and…”
“Did you say Constellation Officer, Pru?” Hazel said interrupting, “I thought you were a Consternation Officer, if I remember right.”
Pru thought for a moment, “No, Haze, I’m pretty sure it’s Constellation.”
Both were quiet for a moment, trying to remember.
Pru stood up to stretch. “So is that a good beginning to a story?”
“Other than the run-on sentences, I think we found a path, but we should whittle down the number of names maybe. Don’t want to confuse anyone trying to remember who wrote the column.”
Pru turned to the window to watch quail coming in to land on the fence. Her eyes widened, watching for the slightest movement of the intruders heading down into the garden.
“I feel a sense of mission coming over me,” Pru said.
Hazel promptly rose to her paws. “DAD, Get the laptop. Hurry!”
~ Hazel Bazel & Promise Prudence Pepper ~
