Since our showdown with Vacuum, we haven’t seen her in the house. The door to Vacuum’s closet is shut. I think Hannah wants us to stay away from Vacuum. So when Nate asks if I want to go to the park, I jump on my hind legs and lick his hands. Without Vacuum to chase, I need an adventure!
Nate tries to grab me to put on my harness, but I jump away from him. I run four laps in the living room. When I finish my laps, I stop to catch my breath. Peach is standing next to the door and wearing her harness. While I ponder my next move, Hannah grabs me from behind.
“Ben, Lucy, let’s go!” Hannah shouts. They bound down the steps. I race them to the car. Peach beats all of us to the car. She jumps into the front seat with Hannah. I sit on the ledge between the front two seats. I have the perfect view from here. I sit, watching and waiting for our arrival at the park.
The car turns into an area filled with trees of all sizes and shapes. A few cars sit next to us. This isn’t the park! I thought we were going to the fenced pug park or visiting the skate park. This isn’t either of those places.
Peach and I step out of the car together. Nate takes my leash. Peach leads Hannah. Ben and Lucy walk next to us. Peach and I try to explore the grassy area next to the trees, but we are pulled in another direction. Hannah leads us to a leaf-covered path in the trees.
Under the canopy of the trees, the air is cool and refreshing. Streams of light filter through the branches to the ground. Red, orange, and yellow leaves dance in the air on the way to the forest floor.
As we walk, I stop to smell the tree trunks. I recognize the scent of dogs, birds, and squirrels, but some of the smells are new to me.
“Hannah, did you bring water and treats for Zelda and Peach?” Nate asks.
Treats? Where? I run to Nate’s side.
“Yes, I did,” Hannah says.
“Good. Let’s take the dogs off leash. They won’t go anywhere,” Nate says.
“Are you sure?” Hannah asks.
“Yes. They will be fine. Our dogs are smart,” Nate says.
I’m smart. Sometimes I’m not so sure about Peach.
Nate bends over to unhook me. When he is close to my face, my nose tickles. I sneeze at the same time he unhooks me. Oops.
“Ugh. Zelda,” he says. Ben and Lucy laugh. I sprint in a circle around my family, enjoying my newfound freedom. Hannah unhooks Peach. Peach jogs to the front to join me. We continue on the path with our family until we arrive at a small, sunny clearing with two fallen trees spread across it.
“Let’s stop for lunch here,” Hannah says, taking off her backpack.
“Sounds good,” Nate replies.
“I want to keep going,” Ben says.
“I don’t think so,” Hannah says. “We need to turn around so Lucy can make it home.” Ben groans.
Nate pours water into a bowl. Without thinking, I drink it all before Peach has a chance to taste it. Luckily, Nate pours more water. I step away from the bowl so Peach can drink. Hannah tosses a blanket on the ground. Peach and I sprawl across it.
“Zelda, Peach, off!” Hannah says.
We move off the blanket. The family sits on it while Hannah hands out snacks and sandwiches to them. I creep closer, eager for a bite of their food.
“No way, Zelda,” Ben says. “I’m hungry.” He shoos me away.
Fine. If they don’t want me here, I will find something else to do. I walk away from my family to search the clearing for something fun to do. My nose leads me on a trail to the base of a fallen tree. I know the smell is squirrel. I love squirrels!
I look at my family talking and eating. Peach sits on the ground beside them, hoping for food. Nobody is paying attention to me, so I leap on the log. I walk on the log farther in the air. It leads to a tree. The smell continues up the tree to the branch above me. This tree is huge—the tree reaches high into the sky, and its branches are almost as wide as the trunk.
I look up to the next branch. The gap is small. I make it to the branch with a long step. I cross the gap and follow the branch away from the trunk. The scent leaps to the branch above. I step up to that branch and walk across it to the other end. The scent is getting stronger. I leap across a small gap to another branch.
“Mom, I’m tired,” Lucy says. I look to my family. They are way below me. I didn’t realize how high I climbed.
“I know. We are heading back soon,” Hannah says.
I don’t have much time.
The next jump is a big one. The branch on the other side is much smaller than this one. I’m sure it can hold a squirrel, but can it support a muscular pug like me?
“Where’s Zelda?” Ben asks.
Uh oh.
Peach’s tail wags, her nose twitches, and she gazes into the air at me. She doesn’t hesitate.
“ARFFF! ARFFF!”
I scramble back toward the tree, but as I move, I hear cracking noises. I freeze. The branch is breaking! I need to get out of this tree.
“She’s in the tree, Nate,” Hannah says.
“How did she get there?” Nate says.
“I don’t know.”
“Can you reach her?”
I look at the next branch below me. It looks like way too far of a jump to be safe. Is this the way I came?
Nate walks over to me. He stands underneath me.
“I can’t reach her. She needs to jump into my arms,” he says. I look down at him. It’s a long way down to him.
Crack. The branch isn’t going to last much longer.
“Here, take these treats,” Hannah says.
“Zelda, come here, girl,” Nate says softly. I look into his eyes. “It’s okay. I’ll catch you.”
Peach barks and whines. She’s worried.
“Come, Zelda,” he says again. Nate will catch me. He will catch me.
My pug courage returns. I take a deep breath, and then I leap off the branch. The free fall is terrifying until Nate catches me in his arms. My heart is pounding, but I am okay.
“Good girl, Zelda,” Nate says. He gives me a bacon treat.
“Hannah, can you hand me her leash?” Nate says. He leashes me and places me on the ground. Peach sprints to me and licks my face seven times.
“How did she get in the tree, Dad?” Lucy asks.
“I have no idea, Lucy,” Nate replies.
“Maybe she was hunting a squirrel,” Ben says.
“Or maybe she thought she was a squirrel again,” Hannah says.
Nate chuckles. “I don’t think we will ever know,” he says. “It’s another pug mystery.”
“What if she got stuck in the tree? Or fell out of it?” Hannah says, shaking her head.
“That didn’t happen, so let’s not worry about it,” Nate replies. “Let’s go home.” As we walk back to our car, Hannah’s words cycle through my head. What if the branch had broken? I am a lucky pug.