Ellie's Story

He stood still as I moved away from him, watching me with that look he only got when we were Working, as if I were the only thing in the world he could see.

Maya made her own dinner, which smelled pretty good. Stella seemed to think so, too, because she jumped right up on the table and waltzed around, like a bad cat! I couldn’t believe her lack of manners. Maya didn’t even scold her. I suppose Maya thought cats weren’t even worth training. After spending the afternoon with these three, I pretty much agreed with her.

Another cat? I followed Maya into the bedroom. There a third cat, a heavy brown-and-black male, sauntered out from under the bed and sniffed at me. I could smell his fish breath. “And that’s Emmet,” Maya told me. Stella, Tinkerbell, and Emmet. Why on earth would one woman want three cats?

Come” meant praise and petting and a treat, so pretty soon I always showed up for it. But my favorite words from him were “Good dog!” “Good dog!” always meant he would pet me, rubbing my fur until I wriggled from my toes to my tail with happiness. His hands smelled of oil and his truck and of papers and other people.

Some humans seem to get excited when they notice dogs peeing in the yard;

The truck growled and roared and I was pretty sure it was going to eat me.