It took less than one minute for Stick Dog and his friends to race back across the field. They ran in complete darkness, and nobody saw them. They stopped just short of the light shining out of the gazebo.
Mutt, Stripes, Poo-Poo, and Karen listened closely as Stick Dog whispered.
“See those slices of cake?” he said, and pointed toward the table where Goose and Tiffany had placed more than a dozen cake slices on small plates.
His friends nodded.
“I’m going to unplug the lights,” Stick Dog said. He pointed to the outlet where the speaker and light strings were plugged in. “As soon as the lights go out, it will be completely dark. You guys grab a slice of cake each. Don’t eat it here. Bring it back to the forest. It won’t take the humans very long to get the lights back on.”
Mutt whispered a question. “Won’t the humans see us?”
“I don’t think so,” Stick Dog said, and shook his head. “It will be pitch-black. There’s even a cloud covering the moon right now. And I think the humans will hold still until the lights come back on. You should be able to work your way to the cake without being detected.”
Everybody nodded their understanding again.
And began to drool.
Stick Dog scurried on his belly toward that outlet. He thought he could get there and unplug the lights without being detected. He would only be in the light for a few seconds. And even if he was spotted, he hoped he could unplug the cord before anyone got to him. In the darkness, he’d be safe.
He was five feet away.
And still in darkness.
He paused to look into the gazebo a final time. He was right at the edge of the light now. One more inch and he would be exposed.
Nobody looked his way. The only unusual thing Stick Dog saw was the chubby gray cat on top of a table. She looked like she was about to leap off the table. From that angle, the gray cat would be able to see him perfectly when he moved into the light.
But, thankfully, her back was to him.
And nobody else was with her.
Stick Dog looked back and eyed the outlet. He got up on all fours, inhaled deeply, and scurried out of the safety of darkness—and into the danger of light.
Just as Stick Dog scrambled toward the outlet, several things happened quickly.
Stick Cat jumped up to the table to try to stop Edith.
Edith began to push off against the table with her back legs.
Stick Cat saw Stick Dog lunging toward the outlet.
Stick Dog reached for the plug.
Stick Cat reached for Edith.
Edith leaped for the top of the cake.
Stick Cat just missed her.
Stick Dog pulled the plug.
Edith flew through the air.
And everything went dark.
