I dash forward, hoping I can sink my teeth into one of them again. It feels so good.

  “Zelda, Peach, inside,” Hannah commands. I turn to Hannah, giving her my best sad-pug face. “Let’s go,” she says. Peach sprints into the house, and I reluctantly follow her inside.

  Peach and I watch my family from inside the door. The scene in front of us is confusing. My family is digging out the orange thing, or rather the pumpkin. They spoon out orange goopy stuff from the middle of the pumpkin. I think they are destroying it! Why?

  The scene becomes stranger with every minute. After a long time of scooping orange goop, they stab and pierce the pumpkin, taking out chunks of all sizes. The more I watch, the more delicious the chunks look. I bet they would feel wonderful on my teeth. I turn to Peach. She is drooling. She has the same idea.

  We wait for what seems like forever. Finally, the family starts to clean up, and all the pieces of pumpkin go into a bag.

  Oh no!

  The pumpkin pieces bag is thrown away. The remains of the two big pumpkins sit on the table. I don’t know how they are standing after all the chopping and cutting. Hannah, Nate, Ben, and Lucy carry items into the house. They let Peach and me outside into the backyard. The pumpkin shells remain on the table.

  I stare at them from the ground, afraid of what will happen if I jump on the table again. Peach barks, and I know she wants to jump on the table too. The family keeps walking in and out of the house, but the pumpkins stay on the table.

  Peach and I hang out along the fence line until we can’t wait any longer. The family is inside at the moment, so we creep to the table. I jump on the bench opposite from the door. Peach stays on the ground.

  The pumpkins are glowing!

  I step back and turn away. Peach barks. Slowly, I turn to face the pumpkin. My fur is standing up on my back. I jump on the table and stand face-to-face with the glowing pumpkin. After I stare for a moment, I realize the glowing parts of the pumpkin remind me of something.

  I’m staring at a pug face.

  Is the pumpkin a pug? Or is the pug a pumpkin? I don’t know. The other pumpkin looks like Peach. I bark for Peach. She leaps on the table beside me. Peach takes a look at the Peach pumpkin and looks at me. I tilt my head, unsure of what to do. Peach does the opposite. She lunges forward at the Peach pumpkin.

  “Peach! No! Leave it!” Nate yells, running out the back door.

  “ARFFF! ARFFF!”

  Peach ignores him, running into the pumpkin. The pumpkin topples over onto its side and rolls to the end of the table. I watch in slow motion as Nate sprints to the table and catches the Peach pumpkin before it hits the ground. I stand, stunned, on the top of the table.

  Nate places the Peach pumpkin on the ground and sits on the bench. Peach walks to him and licks his face, pretending like nothing happened.

  “That was a close one,” he said. “Let’s not tell anyone else about this.” He stands and lifts the pumpkins one at a time over the fence and out of our reach. “Inside,” he says. We run inside, but I’m bummed. I never had the chance to eat one!

  4

  The Costume Switch

  When Nate walks in the house with a gleam in his eyes and a bag in his hand, I know he is up to something.

  “Hi, Zelda. Hi, Peach,” he says. I look at him from my perch on the couch. Lucy, Ben, and Hannah walk in the door behind him.

  “Can we put the costumes on now?” Ben asks.

  “Please, Mom,” Lucy says.

  “Okay,” Hannah says. Nate places the bag on the coffee table and lifts some cloth out of the bag.

  “Zelda, are you ready to transform into Spiderpug?” Nate asks. I don’t move. I don’t even blink. I look straight ahead. What is he talking about?

  Nate takes a seat next to me on the couch. He lifts me into his lap. Peach jumps on the couch and starts licking Nate’s face. He pushes her away.

  “Wait, Peach,” he says. Nate grabs a bright red cloth with dark lines across it. I squirm to get away, but Nate holds me tight. He lifts the cloth over my head and wraps it around me. I go limp.

  “She looks adorable,” Hannah says. “Even if she hates the Spiderpug costume.”

  “I love it,” Ben says.

  “Me too,” Lucy says. I flip the cloth off my head and sigh. Peach walks over to me and licks my face. I shake my body, hoping to break free of the cloth. It’s not moving.

  “Okay, Peach, it’s your turn,” Nate says. He lifts Peach into his lap. Peach licks his face over and over while he slips a dark cloth over her. Nate moves from the couch and walks around the corner to the kitchen. Peach stays still. I walk over to her, but then we hear it: the crinkling of a treat bag in the kitchen. We leap off the couch and dart to the kitchen. Nate stands with a treat bag in his hand.

  “We need to see Batpeach jump with her cape,” he says. I sit waiting for a command. Peach, on the other hand, is jumping up and down in the air for the treat. When she jumps, the dark cloth floats in the air.

  “Look at Peach,” Nate says, laughing. The rest of the family walks into the kitchen.

  “The cape is awesome when she jumps,” Ben says.

  “It looks like she is flying,” Lucy says.

  Nate gives Peach and me a treat. I jump in the air like Peach, but my clothes don’t work like hers. She has the better costume. How come I don’t get to wear that one?

  We munch on a few more treats and then return to the living room. Peach grabs a toy, shakes it, and sends it flying across the room. I take her bait and chase after it. We run laps around the couch for a few minutes until I see Peach chasing after me in her costume. The envy takes over, and I stop running. I plop on Lucy’s lap.

  “Okay. Let’s take the costumes off. Zelda looks miserable, and we don’t want them to ruin the costumes before Halloween,” Hannah says.

  “Do we have to?” Lucy asks. Her mother nods. When the costume is off my body, I jump off the couch and grab a ball. Then I sprint around the house. When I finish my sprints, Peach’s costume is gone too. My tail bounces.

  I don’t see the costumes for several days, but when Ben and Lucy come down the stairs wearing funny clothes, my instincts tell me to hide. Ben is wearing all dark clothes, and his face is white. Lucy is wearing a glimmering dress with something shiny on her head. They both look funny, and that worries me.

  “Happy Halloween!” Hannah says to them. “Are you excited?”

  “I can’t wait to trick-or-treat!” Lucy says.

  “Can Zelda and Peach come with us tonight?” Ben asks.

  “Sure,” Hannah says.

  “They have to wear their costumes,” Ben says. Lucy’s grin widens. Peach dashes to Ben and jumps on him in excitement. I slump into the couch. Not the costumes again. “I can’t wait to show off Batpeach and Spiderpug.”

  Spiderpug. What a lame name. Somehow I have to switch the costumes. I want to be Batpug!

  I rest up for the big night during the morning and afternoon. When Ben and Lucy return home in the afternoon, I jerk awake. Peach is sleeping beside me, but she stirs with the opening of the door.

  “How was your day?” Hannah asks. Ben and Lucy talk with Hannah for a while. I perch myself in Hannah’s lap. When the Batpeach costume appears, the plan is to jump into it before Peach can. After a few minutes, my eyes start to feel heavy. I want to take a nap, but I know I can’t. I have to stay awake. I jump off Hannah’s lap and sit on the cold, hard floor.

  After sitting on the floor for a few minutes, the costumes haven’t appeared yet. I join Peach on the couch. I let my eyes close this time.

  When I wake, Nate is home, and the house is bustling with activity. The family sits at the table and eats quickly. When they finish, Ben and Lucy rush upstairs. Nate stays in the kitchen, so I head up the stairs. Hannah and Lucy shut the door to Lucy’s room. When the door opens, Lucy emerges in her glimmering dress. A few minutes later, Ben comes from his room. He is wearing his dark clothes and bright white face again. The costume time is coming!

  I dash downstairs to Nate. He is in the kitchen, so I search for the Batpeach costume. On the table, a piece of dark cloth peeks out of a bag. I can’t get to it, and footsteps are coming. I run back to the living room. Nate follows me. Hannah comes down the stairs.

  “Almost ready to go?” he asks.

  “Yes, I think so,” Hannah says.

  “Let’s go, then,” Nate says.

  “Wait, Mom said we could bring the dogs,” Ben says. Hannah nods.

  “Okay, let’s get them ready.” I know this is my cue. Nate walks over to the table and grabs the bag. He pulls out the dark costume first. Peach is next to Lucy. She is playing tug of war with her. Perfect. She is distracted.

  Nate sits on the couch with the costume in his hand. Before he can say anything, I jump into his lap. I nuzzle my head through an opening of the costume.

  “Zelda! What are you doing?” I ignore him and try to slip my body into the costume. I don’t make much more progress until I feel Nate’s hands guiding the costume over me. I see light and poke my head through the opening. I look around. I am wearing the costume!

  I move off Nate’s lap. I can feel the cloth all around me. I hear the voices of my family, but I ignore them. I can’t wait to try out the flying powers. I leap off the couch expecting to soar, but my paws get tangled in the cloth as I land. I topple over. I look up. Peach is staring at me with her big brown eyes. She is devastated.

  I ignore her sad eyes and sprint the other direction. I run into problems again. I trip over the costume. I stop and look at myself. The bat costume is way too big for me. Why didn’t I think about that earlier? I can’t make this work for me.

  I turn and walk back into the living room. Peach watches my every move, and I feel terrible. I didn’t think about Peach. I stumble to Nate.

  “Sorry Zelda, this costume isn’t for you. This is for Batpeach,” Nate says. He lifts the clothes off me. Peach sprints over to him. Nate places the dark cloth over her. Nate is right. I shouldn’t have taken Peach’s costume. I can’t have everything. I walk over to her and lick her face. She smiles and then takes off, her cape flowing behind her.

  Nate lifts me up and places the red-and-black costume on me.

  “Here you go, Spiderpug,” he says. Spiderpug. Maybe it does have a fun ring to it.

  I jump off the couch and chase Batpeach. After a few minutes of chasing each other, Nate rounds us up and leashes us. Nate, Ben, Lucy, Peach, and I walk out the front door. Lucy and Ben lead the way down the street, stopping at each house. Nate waits with us in the driveway, away from the front door. Many of the houses have the glowing pumpkins by the door, but none look like me. I push forward hoping Nate will let me near one, but he doesn’t.

  The streets are very busy tonight. People of all sizes wearing funny clothes walk on the sidewalks. Peach greets many of the people with kisses. When she jumps in the air, people laugh and smile. Peach enjoys the spotlight. I’m glad she can have her moment as Batpeach.

  Winter

  5

  Zelda and the UPS Man

  The loud roar of a truck awakens me from my afternoon nap with Peach. I leap to the top of the couch and look out the window. A giant brown truck is parked in front of our house. Peach groans on the couch. I turn my gaze to her. She stretches her long legs.

  The bang of a car door catches my attention. A tall man with a medium-sized box strolls up our driveway. I run to the door and wait.

  Knock. Knock.

  I bark and scratch at the door.

  Who is this guy? What does he want?

  He isn’t responding. I run back to my lookout on the couch. I hear the bang of a door shutting, but I don’t see the man anywhere. When I hear the roar of the truck, I know I have lost him. The truck drives away. I bark at Peach in frustration. She hasn’t moved from her spot on the couch.

  What about the box?

  I think the box is outside our door. I wonder what is in it. I jump to the couch and nudge Peach, but she doesn’t move. I paw at her, and then I hear a half-hearted growl. Nope, she doesn’t want to get up.

  I leap to the floor and walk to the door. With my family away, I have no way outside. When they come home, I will rush out the door to the box. I lie on the hard, cold floor by the door. The floor feels good on my belly at first, but soon I grow cold. I spot a blanket across the room. I grab it with my mouth and pull it in front of the door. I lie on the blanket.

  The low hum of the car pulling into the driveway alerts me to my family’s return. I rise to a sitting position. The side door opens a few minutes later. Peach rises from the couch and runs to greet Hannah. I wait by the door until Hannah rounds the corner into the living room.

  “Hi, Zelda,” she says. She looks at me and shakes her head. “What are you doing by the door, Zelda?” She walks to me and picks me up. “C’mon, let’s get the package.”

  She opens the door. The brown box is sitting next to the door. With one arm firmly wrapped around me, Hannah uses her other arm to grab the package. I squirm and fidget trying to break free. She reaches the package before I can get out of her hold. She takes both of us inside.

  Hannah sits on the couch with the box. The box isn’t very big. It’s smaller than me. I jump on the couch next to her. Peach sits on the opposite side. Hannah tears into the box, and a delicious smell invades my nose. I slide closer to her, trying to get a better look and smell, but I still can’t see anything. I sneak under her arm and stick my head in the box. The smell is yummy. I see a bag of something—maybe treats?

  “Okay, Zelda,” Hannah says. “I’ll give you one.” She scoots me away from the box and lifts the bag. The crinkling of the bag causes Peach to lunge for it.

  “Peach, wait,” she says. Peach freezes. Hannah opens the bag and pulls out two long strips. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything so great, except for bacon. I try to wait, but I can’t do it. I lunge for the treat. Peach has the same idea. We both snatch a strip, jump to the floor, and dig in. The treat is amazing. I gobble it up and jump back on the couch. I look to Hannah.

  “Nope, no more for you two,” she says. She takes the bag and walks into the kitchen. I look at Peach. I know she feels the same way I do. Those were the best treats ever. I want more!

  At every opportunity, Peach and I beg for more of those treats. Most attempts are unsuccessful, but sometimes we get lucky. Except for the hunt for more treats, we are low on adventures and excitement. The weather is colder each day, and our time outside grows short. My least favorite season, winter, is here.

  The sun shines today, so I lie in the sunbeams on the floor. A roar outside captures my attention. I hop on my perch and look out the window.

  The brown truck is back!

  I start barking. Peach joins me on the couch and looks out. With one look at the brown truck, her tail starts wagging. She knows the brown truck brought the treats, too.

  We wait by the window, watching the man in the brown clothes. I hear the slam, and then he walks to the back of his truck. He pulls out a box bigger than me. As he approaches the house, a great idea pops in my head. I bounce around the living room waiting for him. When I hear the knock, I sprint to the front door. Peach is right beside me. Hannah comes from the kitchen.

  “Wait,” she says to us.

  There’s no way I’m waiting!

  Hannah opens the door, and I dart out. I hear Peach behind me as I run to the truck. The shouts of my name don’t stop me.

  The back of the truck is open. I see rows and rows of boxes. The jump into the truck is high, but I think I can do it. I back up several paces, then run and leap. My front paws grab onto the ledge of the truck. My hind legs are hanging off the truck. With all my pug strength, I pull myself over the edge.

  I’m in the truck!

  I bark twice at Peach. She leaps into the truck without any effort. Geez, she’s a springy dog! With Peach beside me, I look at the rows of boxes. I don’t know where to start, so I pick the closest one. I scratch and gnaw on it, trying to open the box.

  “Zelda, Peach, come!” Hannah yells. I turn to see Peach cowering while Hannah leashes her.

  I don’t have much time. I run deeper into the truck, away from Hannah’s arms. I start digging into a box when unfamiliar hands grab me.

  “C’mon, pug. Time to go home,” the truck man says. I don’t like being held by anyone, especially strangers. I suffer through it. He carries me back to the house. Hannah walks Peach back.

  “I’m so sorry,” Hannah says. “I don’t know why they jumped in your truck.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It added some excitement today,” he says. “It’s not every day I see a pug jump in my truck. I can’t believe she could make that jump.”

  “She’s a springy little pug,” Hannah says. “Sorry again.” Hannah called me springy! The man hands me to Hannah. She grabs me and shuts the door. She places me on the floor and then sighs.

  “Zelda, you need to stop these antics,” Hannah mumbles. I ignore her and look around. The new box sits next to the door. I walk over and scratch it.

  “That’s not for you,” Hannah says, but I keep scratching. “No, Zelda,” Hannah says. She lifts the box out of my reach and places it on the table. I watch Hannah open the box, but I smell nothing. It’s not the treats. Hannah pulls out a book, confirming my theory. If that box didn’t have treats, then the boxes in the truck probably didn’t have treats either. Oh well. It was worth a try!

  6

  The Stocking Escapade

  Not long after the brown truck incident, the family comes home with a large tree. They place the tree in the living room across from the couch. This isn’t the first time my family’s brought a tree into our living room. For the past few years, when it grows cold, a tree appears in the living room for a while. Then it disappears one day. It’s strange.

 

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