The Runaway Adventures

Chapter 23:A Trio No More

The morning after the show, and Roger, Anita, Nanny, Jim Dear, and Darling decided to go out to look for all their dogs who ran away. Roger and Anita left Rolly and Cadpig, the only dogs they had that did not run away, at Jim Dear and Darling's house. Aunt Sarah, though thoroughly disgruntled, agreed to babysit Rolly and Cadpig, along with Annette, Danielle, and Collette. Luckily for the puppies, Jim Dear and Darling insisted for Jock and Trusty to stay in the house to monitor them.

It was a rainy morning at Jim Dear and Darling's house. The puppies were in an upstairs room that was largely empty, apart from storage boxes, puppy beds and a desk facing the window. Annette sighed as she sadly sat on the desk and stared out the window. Her humiliating performance at the dog show still weighed heavily on her mind. She had been sitting there for hours, crying softly. Collette was pretending to be asleep, and she cried into her paw. Like Annette, Collette was also heavily thinking about her bad performance at the dog show.

Annette caught Collette's eye, and saw that she was awake. She sadly told her, "You are really sad too, aren't you Collette?"

Collette nodded sadly, and she joined Annette on the desk. "More than you could possibly imagine," she replied.

"I don't like this," Annette told Collette in between sobs. "We've really done awful... all that work... and now, we don't have our family home! I miss Mom and Dad, and I even miss Scamp and Angel, don't you?"

"Yeah," Collette sighed. "It was fun at first, but now I'm beginning to miss them too. I just wish they'd come home, I want them back!"

"I miss Mother and Father too," Rolly sighed, joining the conversation. "And I'm hungry. I want more food! I don't get as much food here, I must have lost two pounds on this trip! I'm so hungry I could eat, well, two elephants!"

"Why did Lucky, Penny, and Patch have to leave?" Cadpig asked sadly. "I'm lonely here without them!"

"Calm down, little ones," Trusty told them in his reassuring low drawl.

Danielle sighed. She just woke up. She stood up excitedly, and told Annette and Collette, "Hey girls, it's just a show."

Annette and Collette looked incredulously at their sister. "What do you mean, it's just a show!" Annette whimpered.

"We've spent weeks on this, don't you remember?" Collette told Danielle.

"It doesn't matter," Danielle told them breezily. "You're complaining about nothing important!"

"Nothing... important?" Annette sniveled. "I don't understand... aren't you upset about anything? Don't you at least want Mom and Dad to come back?"

"Oh, of course I miss Scamp and Angel and Mom and Dad. But they'll come back," Danielle told the others brightly, strutting through the room. "But let's have some fun in the mean time."

"How could you think about fun?" Rolly told Danielle. "Aren't you starving yet?"

"It's not hard to get food," Danielle told Rolly. "My brother Scamp showed me where all the biscuits are stashed!"

"Really?" Rolly asked, excited. His tummy growled again. "Show me the food!"

"Okay then," Danielle told Rolly. Jock looked concernedly at Danielle.

"Lassie, don't go starting trouble!" Jock told Danielle warningly.

"Oh, I'm just having fun! And Rolly wouldn't mind, would you?" Danielle asked.

"No!" Rolly exclaimed. "I'm starving!"

"Hmph! You stupid slob!" Annette told Danielle condescendingly. "I don't go and steal food."