Читать книгу Stick Dog Dreams of Ice Cream - Tom Watson - Страница 6

It was really, really hot.

Stick Dog, Stripes, and Poo-Poo looked forward to some brief relief from the heat.

And Mutt was just back from the creek to provide it.

He was sopping wet. He didn’t say anything at all but simply sidled up close to the others. They all knew the routine. This was, after all, Mutt’s fourth trip to the creek in the past hour. Stick Dog, Stripes, and Poo-Poo stood at the ready.

And then Mutt began to shake. He started slowly at first, spraying the others with big droplets of water from his shaggy fur. But then his shaking sped up, until he trembled and vibrated so hard the dry dirt around his paws puffed up in little brown clouds. With this vigorous shaking, Mutt was able to spray his companions not with big droplets of creek water but with a fine, cooling mist.

The other three sighed as they felt the wet, cool relief.

“That feels wonderful,” whispered Stripes when Mutt finally stopped shaking.

“I never get tired of that smell,” Poo-Poo said.

Stick Dog enjoyed the temporary respite. He needed a little break from the dry, hot day as much as anyone. “Thank you again, Mutt. That really does feel great,” he said. “Come on, you guys. Let’s help him retrieve some of this stuff. That’s the least we can do.”

Immediately, Poo-Poo and Stripes helped Stick Dog gather all the things that had come flying out of Mutt’s fur with the water. They picked up a crushed Ping-Pong ball, a blue marker, two bottle caps, and an old grey sock. They returned them all to Mutt, who tucked everything back into his fur except the old grey sock. He took that to the shade of a beech tree and began to chew on it.

Poo-Poo and Stripes shared some shade under an old oak tree. And Stick Dog settled beneath a leafy maple. Unlike Mutt’s shaking, the shade provided little help. They all heated up again quickly.

“Stick Dog,” Poo-Poo said. “We have got to do something about this heat.”

“There’s not much we can do,” Stick Dog answered. He seemed to be conserving his energy as he spoke. He didn’t even turn to address Poo-Poo. “My pipe is even warmer than out here. The air doesn’t circulate in there. We’re not going to find better shade anywhere. I guess we could go down to the creek and get another drink of water. That always helps a little.”

“I’m sick of drinking creek water,” Stripes said. She sounded frustrated. “It’s too sandy and gritty. And on a day like this, it’s not even cold.”

“Let’s go look for some new water,” suggested Mutt. “Maybe we can find a better place to get it.”

Stick Dog considered this. “A new water source, hmm? Cleaner, colder. I think it’s a good idea.”

“You do?” said Mutt. “Really?!”

Stick Dog nodded. “Let’s just wait for Karen to get here and then we’ll go look.”

“Did you hear that, you guys?” Mutt asked Poo-Poo and Stripes. There was genuine excitement in his voice. “Stick Dog thinks we should go find a new place to get water. It was my idea! Did you hear me suggest that?”

Poo-Poo nodded his head, and Stripes closed her eyes.

“Another great idea by yours truly,” Mutt whispered to himself as he shifted around a little in the shade. “Old Mutt comes through again.”

Stick Dog took pleasure in seeing Mutt act this way. And he took even greater pleasure when a random summer breeze whooshed through the woods for a few seconds. He closed his eyes and waited for Karen.

He didn’t have to wait long.