Logan tried to shadow the hairy man, but Bubba hampered his stealth considerably. It wasn’t easy ducking behind trees or bushes with a large, lazy bloodhound tethered to him.
When the man disappeared around a hedgelined corner, Logan thought he might take a diagonal shortcut. He managed to penetrate the dense hedge, but getting Bubba through it proved much more difficult. By the time he had extracted her, he assumed the hairy man had gotten away. However, after he and Bubba had loped across the yard and he had burrowed through the second hedge, Logan was startled to find the hairy man standing there, waiting for him.
“What are you doing, boy?” he asked, his fists on his hips, his bushy eyebrows knitted together. “Why do you follow me?”
Bubba was still on the other side of the hedge. Logan decided she was safer there and dropped his end of the leash. He got to his feet and brushed the leaves and twigs from his clothes. He didn’t know about the ones in his hair.
“Why are you abducting our dogs?” Logan asked, jutting his chin defiantly.
“I am not abducting dogs,” the man said. “Why do you say such a thing?”
“Because you are an alien, of course,” Logan said.
“That is none of your business, young man, and you are very rude to say it.”
“Where did you come from?” Logan asked.
“If you must know, I am from Crete.”
“What galaxy is that in?”
“Galaxy? Crete is in the Mediterranean.”
“So there is a galaxy named after the sea. I did not know that….”
“I am walking away now, young man, and I do not wish you should follow me, okay? Leave me alone now.”
He turned and walked away, checking over his shoulder from time to time to see if Logan was behind him.
Logan didn’t follow, because when he reached down for Bubba’s leash, it wasn’t there.
“Bubba?” he called, peering into the foliage. “Where are you?”
“Unnnh, unnnh, unnnh,” his dog said.
She had walked away from the hedge, dragging her leash behind her, and found a spot she liked on the lawn.
“Bubba, come.” Logan commanded.
She didn’t budge.
“The alien is getting away!” Logan said.
He had no choice but to return through the hedge and collect his dog.
“What are you doing, Bubba?” he asked as he walked up to her, again shaking off twigs and leaves.
He scooped up Bubba’s leash and led her out of the yard, this time taking the path from the house’s front door. He wondered why he hadn’t done so before.
Back on the street, he heard a voice call, “Hey, Logan!”
Without noticing it, Logan had ended up across the street from Thatcher’s house, and Thatcher was on his way over.
“Where are you going?” he asked Logan.
“Perfect timing, Thatcher. The hairy man is trying to get away. He just abducted Festus.”
“Aggy’s dog? Where? How?”
“He zapped him right out of his collar. Come on. Let’s find him.”
“Uh, I need to tell my mom if I’m leaving,” Thatcher said sheepishly.
“Fine,” Logan said. “Hurry up. And do me a favor and leave Bubba at your house.” He handed Thatcher Bubba’s leash.
“Okay. I’ll catch up to you. Come on, Bubba.”
“Unnnh, unnnh, unnnh,” Bubba said.
Thatcher put her in his backyard with his dog, Bear.
“Be nice to her, Bear,” he said. “She’s old. And she farts. So look out.”
Then he ran into the house to tell his mom he was going.
“Are you sure that guy’s an alien?” he asked Logan when he caught up with him. “I see him walking his dog by my house all the time.”
“He admitted he was an alien,” Logan answered. “And look at him trying to escape. He’s clearly our dognapper.”
“There he is!” Thatcher said, pointing.
The man was a couple of blocks ahead, crossing midblock.
“See?” Logan said. “He’s jaywalking. He obviously does not respect our laws.”
“I do it all the time,” Thatcher said.
“But he’s an adult,” Logan said, “Come on!”