The Runaway Adventures

Chapter 20:The Switch

The puppies gasped as Cruella's shoes drew nearer and nearer to them.

"Oh no! Hide!" Patch gasped nervously. The puppies did not wait for a moment and they all scampered to hide in the bathroom across the hallway from Cruella's bedroom. They looked at each other nervously, and their eyes widened in fear as they anticipated Cruella coming out of her bedroom.

"I hope we shut the door of our bedroom," Penny whispered.

"We didn't," Lucky told her matter-of-factly.

Penny walked back and forth nervously."And did we turn the light off?" she asked frantically.

"We didn't do that either," Lucky replied.

"Oh no!" Penny cried. "We're in real trouble!

"We've got to turn off that light and shut that door! Or she'll notice it for sure!" Angel gasped fearfully.

But it was too late. Cruella swung open the door of her bedroom, which banged against the wall because she swung it so hard. The puppies could tell that Cruella was in a very good mood. Her eyes were slightly shut as she lifted her coat up a little bit so her neck rubbed against it and she sighed dreamily. Then she let go of her coat, opened her eyes and abruptly yelled, "Jasper! Horace!"

Horace and Jasper did not immediately respond. From upstairs, the puppies heard the unmistakable sound of Horace and Jasper watching TV.

Cruella shook her head, sighed, and tried again. Shrieking louder, she yelled, "Jasper! Horace!"

"Jasper, I think I heard something," Horace told Jasper.

"You know Horace, I think you're actually right about something. It must be the mistress," Jasper told him, and then the two of them lumbered to the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes, Miss?" Horace and Jasper told Cruella with an unmistakable lack of enthusiasm.

"It's about time that you numskulls showed up," Cruella growled. "Now where's my cherry pie?"

"Cherry... pie?" Horace asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes!" Cruella shrieked exasperatedly, still standing in the hallway, lifting her arms up into the air. "The cherry pie I told you to make me earlier this morning."

"But Madame, that wasn't in the job description," Jasper protested. "We don't know how to cook!"

"Yeah, you just said take care of..." But Cruella cut him off, saying, "I'm the boss! I give you the money. The job description is to follow my orders. And I'm telling you to give me my cherry pie!"

"We'll get to it," Jasper told her disinterestedly, but she then screamed, "And that's not all! I want my play darts that you took! I want them for practice to throw at the stuffed Dalmatians!"

"They're in your room," Horace shouted. "We didn't touch them."

"Oh yes you did!" Cruella shrieked at them and she began to walk down the stairs. "I can't find them anywhere! They must have gotten..."

Cruella's voice trailed off as she reached the downstairs, but the puppies could tell she was continuing to rage at Horace and Jasper. They heard her footsteps and those of Horace and Jasper heading further and further away from them.

"Hey," Scamp whispered. "Now that she's downstairs, maybe I can go in the room and find that switch."

"No! It's too dangerous! She could come back any second! " Penny squealed, but Scamp recklessly crossed the hallway and entered Cruella's room.

"Can I come?" asked a voice behind Scamp.

Scamp turned, and saw Lucky following him. "I want to go in too."