Puppy Problems, Chapter 3 (Part 1 of 2)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Who else but me to turn a simple little one-off story into a three chapter long fic, huh? Anyways, this story has been a pretty up and down one so far. Young Michael Raccoon wanted a puppy for his birthday, as he felt he was more than responsible enough to look after one at his age. His loving parents, Ralph and Melissa debated about it and decided to get him one as a birthday gift. They got a bulldog puppy from an employee of Ralph's at the Evergreen Standard, which the little kit promptly named Peanut. In the last chapter, we saw Michael loving his new pet and quickly growing quite close to her. But one night, while his parents were out enjoying themselves and his Aunt Nicole was looking after him, Michael let his guard down when he took Peanut outside and allowed her to run off into the woods. Michael was crushed to see his puppy run away, but Ralph and Melissa promised their son that they would help get her back. Unfortunately, the Pigs found Peanut the next day and, looking for a way to make some more money, decided to make her their champion show dog! Now, we've reached the third and final chapter of this little tale. Will Michael ever see Peanut again? Will the Pigs actually succeed in making Peanut a championship winner? Will I stop asking these silly questions? You probably already know the answer to all three of these questions, but I hope you'll stay tuned for...

CHAPTER THREE: Peanut, Come Home!

A few days have passed in the Evergreen Forest. Just a couple of days ago, little Michael Raccoon made one of the biggest mistakes of his young life...losing his new puppy, Peanut. But luckily for him, his parents, although they were not pleased with him and scolded him for his irresponsibility, forgave him and did their best to reassure him that he hadn't lost their love. They promised him that they would help him get Peanut safely back home again in any way they could...

And the very next day, that's just what his parents did. That morning, Ralph and Melissa had gone to the Standard's office, even though it was supposed to be an off day from work for them. They had taken Michael with them as they didn't want to leave him home by himself; at least they could keep an eye on him around the office. Together, the family had printed up about fifty or so "Have You Seen Me?" posters, leaving their phone number and both their home and work address for anyone who had information to contact them at.

Then they proceeded to go around the Forest and paste them up in the hopes that diligent Forest denizens would keep a good lookout for the lost bulldog. They pasted them up at the Blue Spruce Cafe, George's restaurant, Lock Links Country Club...anywhere they felt certain plenty of people were sure to see their posters. Ralph and Melissa knew there was no guarantee that anyone would contact them with information on the missing Peanut, but they both tried to keep their hopes up. Their son was very depressed over losing his new pet; they just wanted nothing more than to see him happy again.

But alas, the days passed and there was no news of Peanut. The couple hadn't received any calls, e-mails, or anything of the sort. Now it was Tuesday morning, and they both knew that the longer time passed, the less likely it was that Peanut would ever be found...

It was a rather busy morning at the Evergreen Standard's office. Ralph was sitting at his computer desk, typing up an article about a series of concerts that was scheduled to come to the Forest Bowl next spring. He was soon interrupted from his work by a familiar voice...

"Here you go, sir; I've got my food column for this week all ready!" It was Bobby Jacks, a grey squirrel in his mid-30s who was one of the new hires Ralph and Melissa made when they expanded their paper's staff. He was an amateur chef who had worked at George's restuarant. They had hired as their full-time food columnist, as their former part-time columnist, Ricky, had left the Forest for the big city. Ralph quite liked Bobby; he was very polite and formal, plus he always seemed to be the first one to finish his weekly columns. "I was working on it ahead of time this past weekend, I just printed it out for you."

"Ah, well, leave it on my desk, Bobby," Ralph nodded. Bobby obliged and placed the finished column on his boss' desk. Ralph picked it up and quickly skimmed through it. "Huh. Peanut butter chicken pot pie?" he raised an eyebrow. "Huh, well, Bobby, I think I know someone who would get a real kick out of this recipe!" he chuckled.

"Oh, I know, I know..." Bobby chuckled as well. He was well aware of his co-worker Bert's enthusiasm for all things peanut butter. "Say, has there been any information about your son's missing dog? I've seen the posters you and your wife put up, but I was wondering if anyone had called saying they had any news..."

Ralph sighed. "No, Bobby. No one's contacted us with any information about Peanut, I'm afraid. I'm trying my best to keep my hopes up, but I can't say I'm very optimistic anyone will come forward with anything helpful..." Ralph quickly scratched his chin. "Wait, you didn't happen to see anything, did you, Bobby?"

"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't," Bobby shook his head. "Like I said, I've seen the posters and my wife and I have been keeping an eye out everywhere we've gone these past couple of days, but we haven't seen any trace of her. I was just hopin' maybe someone had some news...I can only imagine how your son must be taking it..."

"Oh, he's not taking it very well at all," Ralph sighed once again, the image of his son's saddened face flashing through his mind. "He's really been taking it very hard; he feels so upset that he lost our pet. I don't think I've seen him even smile once these past three days. I'd do anything to see that bright smiling face of his again..." he trailed off.

"Well, maybe you will. Let me say, I do hope someone finds your lost dog, sir..." With that, Bobby headed back for his desk.

Ralph soon returned to the article he'd been working on. He couldn't help but feel distracted, though...he was wondering if someone, anyone, would have any information concerning Peanut...

About an hour later, a visitor came to the Standard's office and strode up to Ralph's desk. "Hello, Ralph. I see you're hard at work today, huh?"

Ralph nearly jumped out of his seat; he hadn't been expecting any visitors. "Woah! Heheh, you startled me, Schaeffer. I wasn't expecting you to drop by here today, you know!" Ralph nervously laughed, trying to regain his composure.

"I hope it's not a bad time, Ralph...?" Schaeffer chuckled.

"No, not at all," Ralph managed to crack a grin at his friend. "What brings you here, anyways? You usually don't drop by here unless you have some big news for the Standard..."

"Well, as a matter of fact...I do have some very big news, Ralph," Schaeffer informed him.

"Oh...New acts at the Blue Spruce Cafe, I take it?" Ralph wondered aloud.

"Well, I managed to book Edwin and Jimmy Summer for Halloween," Schaeffer replied. "And to think, I thought Woodchuck Berry was going to be the only formerly high-profile act I'd ever to get play at the Cafe!"

"I remember Edwin Summer, but not Jimmy..." Ralph remarked. "Edwin Summer...I remember that hit instrumental he had...What was it called? 'Dracula' or something like that? I remember Bert used to have that single back in the day..."

"Yes, that's the one," Schaeffer nodded, humming a bit of the tune himself.

"Hmm, well, I'm sure that'll be quite a show...Maybe Melissa and I'll go see it," Ralph idly remarked.

"That's not why I came here though, Ralph...I have some news concerning your missing dog, Peanut."

Ralph's ears perked up. "Peanut? You have news about...Peanut?" This was what he had been hoping to hear for the past three days. Perhaps Schaeffer had found the missing bulldog..."You mean...you found her...?"

"Well, yes, and...no," Schaeffer answered.

Ralph was confused. "Yes and no? What do you mean...?"

"Well, I was out for a walk this morning," the sheepdog began to explain, "near Evergreen Lake. I was just trudging along through some bushes when..."

"When what...?" Ralph interrupted. He could hardly wait to hear what his old friend had to say next...

"I stepped on something soft and almost lost my balance. I stooped down to see what it was...and..." Schaeffer sighed, "I found this." He then proceeded to produce a little red dog collar, with a leash still attached to it. He handed it to Ralph, who proceeded to take a closer look at what was inscribed on the dog collar...

It was at that moment that Melissa stepped out of her photo lab for a quick break. "Oh, hi there, Schaeffer," Melissa smiled and waved to the sheepdog. "What brings you here?"

"Melissa..." Ralph answered her, holding up the collar and leash for her to look at. "Look at this..."

"Huh, what's this...?" Melissa took a closer look at the collar her husband was holding and read the inscribed words on it. She recognized them right away..."Ralph...is...is this...what I think it is...?"

"I'm afraid so," Ralph heaved a very heavy sigh. "This is Peanut's collar...with her leash still attached, too..."

Melissa almost instantly felt rather sad. "Schaeffer...you found this...?" she asked.

"I did," Schaeffer nodded. "And I knew you two needed to see this."

"But Michael said she was wearing her collar when he lost her," Melissa remarked.

"Maybe she got it caught on something and broke free from it?" Ralph tried to be optimistic.

"She couldn't have!" Melissa vehemently shook her head. "I always made sure her collar was on tight...and besides, look at this. Do you see that? It looks like someone took off her collar..."

"I hate to say this, you two..." Schaeffer grimly said. "But I believe someone has probably kidnapped Peanut."

"Kidnapped Peanut?!" Ralph and Melissa both gasped. That was the worst case scenario they could think of. They knew there were many unsavory types around the Forest who would have no qualms with taking someone else's dog, even if that dog clearly had an owner and a family...they only wondered who could have taken her, and what on Earth they might possibly be doing to her...

"I would think so," Schaeffer nodded.

"Oh, this is terrible, dear..." Melissa uttered in a solemn voice. "What's Michael going to think when he sees this and we tell him someone has taken his pet? I can't imagine how he'll take it...he's going to be so heartbroken..."

"I know, honey..." Ralph softly quipped. "It pains me to think of how he'll probably react to seeing this...But we have to tell him, you know...When he comes home from school this afternoon, I know he'll be asking us about Peanut..."

"We'll just have to come out and tell him, I guess..." Melissa glanced downwards. Telling Michael that he was more than likely not going to see his puppy again was going to be one of the hardest things they had ever done...but they knew it was better for them to tell their son the truth as opposed to lying to him...

That afternoon, Michael headed home from school. It had been a very long day and he was just eager to be home again soon. But he couldn't help but feel anxious.

"Peanut is still out there somewhere..." Michael thought to himself as the front door of the Raccoondominium came into view. "Mom and Dad said if anyone saw here, they'd be sure to let them know. Maybe someone found her..." He was trying his best to remain optimistic; he was hopeful that maybe, just maybe, Peanut would be there waiting for him once again when he came home.

Michael soon opened the front door to find his parents sitting there on the couch before him, with glum expressions occupying their faces.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad, I'm home," Michael called out to them.

"Hi, honey..." Melissa tried to sound excited, but it was clear from her tone of voice she wasn't...

"Hello, son. It's great to see you again..." Ralph sighed, making no effort to hide the grimness in his voice.

"What's the matter, Mom? Dad?" Michael wondered. Why did they look so sad? They were usually always so happy to see him. He decided to change the subject. "Did anybody say anything about Peanut at work today?" he asked, innocently.

"Son...about that," Ralph replied, trying to think of what he would tell his young son.

"That's what we need to talk to you about, Mikey..." Melissa added. "Someone did come by our office today with news about Peanut..."

Michael's ears immediately perked up. He couldn't help but feel excited. "Really? Someone saw Peanut?" Hope quickly filled the young kit; if someone had seen Peanut, there was a good chance that he would see her again soon...

"Well, sort of..." Melissa explained. "Mr. Schaeffer dropped by our office this morning. He told us he found something in the bushes by the lake..."

"What did Mr. Schaeffer see, Mommy?" Michael wondered.

"He found...this..." Ralph tried his best to keep his composure as he produced Peanut's collar and leash for his son to see.

"Huh...that's...Peanut's collar...and her leash!" Michael exclaimed upon taking a closer look. "Mr. Schaeffer found her collar and leash...but...but wait a minute..." the little kit remembered, "she was wearing her collar when I let go of her leash..." Michael was confused. "Mom, where's Peanut?"

"Michael...honey, I know this is going to be very hard for you to hear, but there's no easy way around this..." Melissa sighed, bracing herself for how her little son would react. "We think someone...snatched Peanut..."

Michael's jaw dropped as his ears immediately drooped. "What...?! Sn-sn-snatched Peanut?!" he gasped. "You mean...you mean...someone...stole her?"

"That's what we think happened, son, yes," Ralph nodded.

Tears began to stream down the young kit's face. "B-b-b-but..." he spluttered, frantically looking for words, "how-how could somebody steal Peanut?!"

"You know very well that not everybody in the Forest is nice, Michael..." Ralph tried to explain.

"There are plenty of people in this Forest who would take things that belong to others without a care, I'm sorry to say," Melissa added. "Some people are just cold like that, honey..."

"But I don't understand..." Michael said through his tears. "I just don't understand...why...why someone would take Peanut!? She's our dog!" he began to sob. "Can't you call the police?"

"Call the police?" Melissa repeated.

"Yes," Michael tearfully pleaded. He remembered how last month a local officer of the Evergreen Police Department had come to visit his school. She had taught Michael and the other kids about crime prevention, and that if they ever saw someone commit a crime or knew a crime had been committed that they should call the police..."We should call the police, Mommy! Won't they be able to help find Peanut...?"

"Michael, honey," Melissa replied sympathetically as she scooped Michael up and cradled him in her arms. "Calling the police would be a good idea, but I'm afraid I don't think they would be of much help in this situation."

"Why not...?!" the little kit wondered.

"Well, we don't know who took Peanut, why, or what they even did with her. They might not even live in the Forest; anybody could have Peanut, and she could be anywhere right now...We can't even be sure that someone actually did kidnap her," Ralph sighed. He didn't feel the police could be of any real help to them in this situation. "I'm sorry, son, I really am..."

"Oh, Daddy..." Michael teared up again as he sobbed once more. "Does...does this mean...Peanut is gone...forever?"

"We can't say that for sure..." Ralph sighed. "But I wouldn't get your hopes up, Michael..."

Michael continued to bawl his little eyes out, right into his mother's chest. Melissa promptly tightened her embrace around her crying little son. It pained her so much to see her child so sad like this, but she knew it had been for the best that they told him that, and she was doing her best to provide whatever comfort to Michael that she could.

"It's okay, Michael; it'll be okay..." she softly whispered, gently patting her son's back.

"I'm the worst dog owner ever..." Michael choked out between his sobs. "I lost Peanut forever and it's all my fault..."

"There, there, honey..." Melissa hugged him a little tighter as she continued to pat him gently, tearing up herself. "Mommy's here..."

"I'm here too, son," Ralph replied in a comforting tone as he quickly placed a warm paw on his son's back, hoping to provide some comfort as well. "It's okay, son...We're here for you..."

Michael cried for what seemed to be hours on end. His parents did their best to try to make him feel better about the whole situation, and eventually the little kit calmed down. But he was still mopey and sad, and there wasn't much Ralph and Melissa could do to make him feel better. That night, they kindly let Michael sleep in their bed with them, knowing he would probably not want to sleep alone and figuring it would help offer support.

But even so, it didn't help Michael much. He couldn't believe he lost Peanut, and even worse, someone had found her and almost certainly taken her for themselves to keep. That night, Michael had a very restless sleep as he tossed and turned all night long. He just felt so terribly miserable over what had happened...

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A few days passed, and the temperatures in the Forest continued to dip a little lower. Winter was right around the corner...it surely wouldn't be much more than another month before the first snow of the year came...and one young Forest resident's mood matched the gloomier weather to a T.

It was Friday afternoon, and Michael's class was out at recess. Normally, Michael would be having fun playing with his young friends...but not today.

Ever since Michael had lost Peanut, he had been quite mopey and depressed. Finding out that someone had stolen Peanut depressed him even further, and over the past few days he had been in a very glum mood. He hadn't eaten much and he hadn't felt like talking much, not even to his own parents. Instead of playing with his friends, he spent pretty much his whole recess sitting at a picnic table in the schoolyard alone. He just didn't feel like having fun knowing what happened to Peanut. Honestly, he didn't know if he would ever feel happy again.

"Michael, what's wrong?" a familiar voice asked. It was Roy Payne, a young Siberian Husky classmate of Michael's whose family had just moved to the Forest from Edmonton this past year. He had a difficult time getting adjusted to his new surroundings, especially since he was used to life in the big city, but Michael had managed to befriend him and the two liked to hang out together. "You haven't played with me or talked to me in a few days. Is something wrong?"

Michael glanced up at his friend, but quickly gazed back down at his feet. "Go away, Roy..." he sighed.

"Why?" Roy didn't quite understand. "I'm worried about you, Mikey. We're all worried about you," he replied. "What's wrong? Please tell me..."

"I don't want to talk now, Roy..." Michael sighed.

He was about to have even more company...he was quickly joined by another of Michael's friends, Chester Marmor, a snowy-white, albino raccoon kit. "Is it OK for us to talk to you, Mikey?" Chester asked.

Michael didn't want to see his friends right now. "Please leave me alone, guys..." he sighed. "I don't want to talk..."

"We're not trying to bother you, Mikey," Chester spoke up. "We've just been worried about you the last few days. You don't play with us anymore. Every day this week, you just sit at the table by yourself. You don't talk much. We want to know what's wrong."

"Are you still sad about Peanut?" Roy asked innocently.

Michael sighed. His friends only wanted to talk to him and make sure everything was alright; there surely was no harm in chatting with them for a little while. "Alright, sit down, you guys, I'll talk..."

"You're still sad about Peanut, aren't you?" Chester asked in a sympathetic voice.

"Yeah..." Michael sighed. "I lost her all because I wasn't paying attention..."

"Well, I think we all make mistakes, Mikey," Roy replied.

"Yeah, but I just feel so...stupid for losing her," Michael mentally kicked himself. "I was too busy daydreaming to hold on to her leash when that squirrel ran by. If only I had paid attention..."

"Mikey," Chester placed an arm around his friend. "You make better grades than us; how can you be stupid? Roy's right! We all make mistakes. Last month I broke Mama's favorite dish when I tried to help her clean the dishes. I felt stupid, but Mama said it was only an accident!"

"But I can't believe I lost her..." Michael sighed. "And now somebody's gone and taken her, and I'll never see her again...all I have is her collar..."

"You really miss her, don't you?" Roy replied in a warm tone of voice.

"I do," Michael let another small sigh. "I do...I only had her for a month, but I had so much fun with her. I thought we were going to be together forever, and now she's gone...Losing Peanut has been so hard..."

"I know how you feel, Mikey," Roy replied. "I lost my pet hamster last year. It was before we moved here. I cried for days, but Mom told me that I wouldn't be sad forever. And I wasn't! I'm sure you'll feel better soon..."

"I hope so..." Michael gazed up at the sky. He knew his friends meant well, but they weren't really helping him much. "I just wish I knew where Peanut was and how she's doing..."

"Who knows? Maybe she'll come home again, Mikey!" Chester tried to be optimistic.

"Oh, I doubt it..."

"Well, you never know!" Chester interjected, as he quickly changed the subject. "So who do you think took her, Mikey?" Chester asked.

"I don't know. A bad person, I guess," he shrugged. "Someone who likes dogs..."

"Maybe she was taken by a queen snake," Roy blurted out.

Michael's eyebrows raised. "A...queen snake...?"

"Yes, a queen snake," Roy replied firmly. "They're the most horrible monsters ever."

"What do they look like...?" Michael asked, feeling a little scared.

"My Dad told me they're the most frightening thing you could ever see," the Husky exclaimed in a frenzied manner. "They're fifty feet long and have fangs as big as your head! They have the most horrible roar, and the worst breath you could ever imagine! Dad said that they like to kidnap lost children and take them to their holes so they can eat them! Maybe one of them took Peanut..."

Michael couldn't help but shudder imagining such a horrible creature making off with his puppy...that is, until he remembered something his father had shown him. "Wait a minute...Daddy showed me a book of wildlife not too long ago. I saw a picture of a queen snake and they don't look like that..."

"Roy, do you believe everything your father tells you?" Chester couldn't help but laugh. "My father knows the Forest like the back of his paw, and he says queen snakes don't live here!" If anyone would know, it would be Chester. The Marmor family were a rugged mountain family, among the very first to settle in this area many years ago...they knew all the ins and outs of the Forest.

"Well, believe what you like!" Roy shook his fist. "But I still think it was probably a queen snake!" This did at least get a little chuckle out of Michael. Roy was a nice kid and a good friend, but he was by and far the most superstitious kid Michael knew. He though he had an overactive imagination...and then he had met Roy. He seemed to believe everything he was told, no matter how silly it was...Roy reminded him quite a lot of his "Uncle" Bert...

"Okay, Roy," Chester rolled his eyes as he glanced back towards Michael. "Michael, we're sorry about Peanut, and we hope-"

But he didn't get much further before he was interrupted by the sound of another familiar voice...one Michael dreaded hearing...

"Well, well, if it isn't the little cry baby who lost his puppy!" came the voice of Scott Searle, a large, burly ferret in Michael's class. Scott was a year older than Michael, like his friends Cecil and Sylvia, but he had failed all of his classes last year, and had been held back a grade, hence why Michael was in the same class as he was. He was well known for being quite a bully; he enjoyed picking on and making of fun other kids who he felt were weaker than he was. Unfortunately, that included Michael...Michael cringed remembering how Scott stole his lunch on the first day of school this year...

"Don't pay any attention to him, Mikey," Roy tried to be helpful. "He's only gonna try to make you feel bad."

"Go away, Scott..." Michael turned away, not wanting to hear any of it.

"Haha, what's the matter, little baby? You want your mommy? Waaaah! Waaaah! I'm so sad! I want my Mommy! Mommy will make everything better! Waaaaaahhh!" Scott laughed, rubbing his eyes as he imitated crying.

"Please go away..." Michael tried not to pay him any attention, but he wasn't doing a very good job of ignoring him...

"Or what? You'll go home crying to your Mommy? What's she gonna do to help you?" Scott continued to laugh. "Hey, maybe your dog ran away because she didn't want a little wimp for an owner, like you! Hahahahaa!"

Tears welled up in the young kit's eyes; those words hurt...a lot.

"You leave him alone!" Chester scowled as he stood up and glared at Scott's face. He hated bullies like Scott...seeing as he was an albino raccoon, he had to put up with bullying and teasing from time to time as well. "Mikey's had a hard few days and that's the last thing he needs to hear right now!"

"Well, what are you going to do about it?!" a now intimidated-sounding Scott retorted.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" Chester snapped. "Like me. Why don't you pick on me?!"

Scott quickly backed away. He may have been one of the biggest and strongest kids in his class, but he knew Chester was even stronger than he was, and he would never dare pick a fight with him. "Ah, you're not worth it, cry baby," Scott scoffed as he walked. "See ya later, losers!"

"Thank you, Chester," Michael smiled at his friend, glad that he had stood up for him.

"No problem, Mikey...somebody ought to punch that kid in the nose..." he growled. "Anyways...wow, I think recess is almost over. We know things are rough for you, Mikey. But you can always talk to us! We're here for you!"

"Yeah," Roy chimed in. "Me, Chester, Gary, Cecil, Sylvia...we're all your friends, Mikey. We do care about you, you know!" he smiled. "We'll talk to you later, Mikey. Hope things get better for you!"

"Thanks, guys," Michael waved as his friends got up and headed back out towards the playground. He appreciated the fact that they cared about him and wanted to help him feel better, but they hadn't helped much...

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Later that afternoon, Melissa Raccoon was hard at work dusting the Raccoondominum's living room. She and Ralph had taken the day off from work at the Standard. Ralph had gone to visit Bert and Maxie for a little while as he had something he wanted to talk to them about, but Melissa had declined to go, as the house had grown quite dirty over the past week and she figured it was high time she did a little cleaning. Besides, she always did like a little alone time to herself..."This place'll look spotless when I'm through!" Melissa chuckled to herself.

Melissa dusted off the coffee table as she hummed a happy little tune to herself. It was at that moment that her gaze turned to the clock on the wall. "Ooh, it's almost 3:30," she murmured to herself. "Michael should be home any minute!" She couldn't wait to see her little son again...But then she remembered how depressed Michael had been the past few days, including this morning when he headed off for school. "He's been so quiet and mopey these past few days," she sighed. "He's really taking Peanut's loss hard..." She really wanted to talk to him more about it, but he had yet to open up to her..."Well, maybe he'll feel better today," she tried to be hopeful.

It was at that very moment that she heard the front door of the Raccoondominium open. Melissa put her duster down as she turned around. Sure enough, there was Michael, hanging up his little backpack on the hook on the wall. She promptly outstretched her arms, hoping for a hug from her son.

"Hi, honey," Melissa spoke up in a sweet tone of voice. "I'm glad you're home again."

"I'm glad I'm home again too, Mom..." Michael trailed off, not even gazing at his mother.

"How was school today, Mikey?" Melissa asked hopefully.

"Rotten, Mom," Michael grunted, still not even gazing at her.

"You don't want a hug?" Melissa asked her son worriedly, as he walked right past her and headed for the stairs. It was extremely rare for her son to not want a hug when he came home from school...

"No, Mom, I just want to go to my room..." he groaned as he slowly trudged up the stairs to his room, closing the door behind him. He then propped his head up on the pillows and gazed up at his ceiling. He couldn't think of anything else better to do; his parents had taken away his TV and video game privileges when he lost Peanut...he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts right now.

But a few minutes later, the young kit heard a soft knock on his bedroom door. "Mikey, honey, it's me...your mother. Do you mind if I come in here for a little while?"

"I want to be alone right now, Mom..." Michael sighed, hoping she would just go away. But Melissa wasn't so easily deterred.

"Michael, sweetie, you've been really mopey for the past few days. You haven't talked very much at all lately; you just want to be alone all the time. I know you're still upset about Peanut, and I really want to talk to you about it. I promise I'll only be in here for a few minutes..."

Michael relented. "Okay, Mommy...you can come in," he let out a deep sigh. With that, Melissa opened the bedroom door, climbing up on the bed beside her little kit as she draped her warm arm around him.

"Mikey, you said you had a rotten day at school today. What happened?" Melissa asked in a sympathetic voice.

Michael sighed again as he began to explain. "Scott Searle picked on me at recess today. He called me a big cry baby and said that Peanut ran away because she didn't want a wimp for an owner..."

Melissa's expression grew more concerned. "Scott made fun of you again...Oh dear. Well, that wasn't very nice of him. He certainly isn't a very nice kid...He didn't try to steal your lunch again...did he?" She knew Michael was a frequent bully target and that he was no fighter; she hated to hear that the other children had been picking on her son...

"No...that's all he did. But Chester stood up to him and told him to leave me alone, and he went away," Michael managed to crack a smile. "I was glad Chester was there because I didn't want to fight him..."

"Chester Marmor did that? That was very kind of him," Melissa flashed a little smile at her son. "I like Chester; I really do. He's tough, but he's very kind-hearted. You have a good friend in him, honey." Melissa was glad that Michael had friends who were willing to stick up for him, but she did hope someday that he would be a little more brave and be willing to stand up for himself...

"I know; I like his family, too," Michael cracked a smile. He remember how last year Chester had asked him to come spend a night at his house for a sleepover. Their parents agreed to it, and so it had been arranged. Michael found it very awkward at first; the Marmors were very different from his family. They were very old-fashioned; they didn't even a television in their household because they felt they had no need for one. But they had been very kind and accommodating towards him, and Michael had loved his visit. He hoped someday he could sleepover at Chester's house again...

"The Marmors are certainly quite a family," Melissa smiled.

"I guess today wasn't all rotten, then," Michael piped up after a few minutes. "Roy and Chester talked to me a lot during recess. They said that all my friends are really worried about me..."

"Well, I don't blame them," his mother replied. "You've been very quiet and have kept to yourself these past few days; of course they would be worried about you. You may not have many friends, you know, but you're lucky to have the ones you do. They do really care about you, you know..."

"I know," Michael nodded. "They told me so. They tried to help make me feel better, but I didn't really feel better..."

"At least they cared enough to try to help," Melissa tried to look on the bright side.

"Yeah..." Michael trailed off. "I still just feel so...bad about losing Peanut. Mommy...I can't help it. I feel stupid for losing Peanut..." he remarked lowly. "If only I'd been paying attention when I took her outside, I wouldn't have let go of her leash and she would still be here..."

"Michael, honey," Melissa whispered comfortingly as gently tussled with the fur on her son's head. "You are not stupid for losing Peanut. You are a very bright, sweet, and thoughtful little child, and I'm proud to call you my son. You just made a mistake, honey. You don't need to beat yourself up over it..."

"That's what Chester was trying to tell me...he said everyone makes mistakes..."

"And Chester is right," Melissa nodded emphatically. "Everyone does make mistakes. You are just a kid; I'm sure you'll learn from your mistakes as you grow. Would you believe I made a lot of mistakes when I was a kid?"

Michael was surprised to hear that. "You made a lot of mistakes when you were a kid, Mommy?" He found that rather hard to believe...

"Goodness me! Yes, I did, Mikey. Have I ever told you about what happened when I got my first camera?" she cracked a smile.

Michael was now curious. "No, Mom. What happened?"

"Well, when I was just a little girl, about your age, I lived in the big city with my father-your grandfather," Melissa explained. "When I turned eight years old, my father got me a camera for my birthday."

"Is that how you became a photographer, Mom?" Michael asked innocently.

"Well, I guess that's how I got my start," she chuckled. "My father told me that my mother had been a photographer, and he thought it might make a nice little hobby for me. I remember taking a lot of photos around my house at that time," Melissa continued to explain.

"What happened to you, though?"

"Well, my father told me to be extra careful with that camera and not to break it," Melissa continued her story. "Do you want to know what I did at school the next day?"

"What did you do...?"

"At recess, I decided to climb up the tallest tree at my school's playground to get some better pictures," Melissa managed to chuckle.

"You climbed a tree to take pictures...Why did you do that?" Michael could hardly believe his mother would have done something so silly.

"Don't ask me, honey...I don't know what I was thinking. I guess at the time, it made sense to me," she continued to chuckle. "As I'm sure you can guess...I lost my balance trying to climb the tree and fell out of it."

"Did you break the camera, Mommy?"

"Yes, I did; and my arm, too!" Melissa laughed.

"Ouch!" Michael cringed. "That must have really hurt, Mom! Did you have to go to the hospital?"

"You bet I did," Melissa nodded. "I had to have my arm in a cast for weeks. That was my good throwing arm, too; I couldn't play baseball for a couple of months afterwards!"

"That must not have been a lot of fun..."

"No, it wasn't. I can look back and laugh at the whole thing now, but that was a really dumb thing of me to do!" Melissa laughed again. "See, Michael, my point is that everyone does bad things when they're a kid. Some worse than others...But you are a good boy, Michael. I know you'll learn from your mistakes."

"I hope so..." Michael sighed. "It's just...losing Peanut is hard. I only had her for a month, but I was really close to her..." his voice lowered.

"I understand, honey," Melissa smiled, her warm baby blue eyes gazing comfortingly into her son's own chocolate ones. "Believe it or not, I know what it's like to lose a pet, Mikey."

That was news to Michael. "You lost a pet, Mommy?"

"Yes, I did," Melissa nodded. "When I was very young, just like you, I lost my very first pet."

Michael wanted to know more. He found himself feeling quite fascinated; learning more about his mother's life when she was his age. "What kind of dog was she?"

"He, actually, and he wasn't a dog," Melissa explained. "When I was a little girl, I had a pet cat. A little orange tiger-striped cat...the cutest little thing you ever saw," she smiled fondly as she remembered her first pet.

"What was his name?"

"Harvey," Melissa answered her son.

"Why Harvey?" Michael curiously asked.

"No reason, I guess...I can't remember why I named him Harvey; maybe I just liked the name," she shrugged. "Anyways, my father and I found Harvey on our doorstep one rainy day coming home from school. He was just a little kitten then; he could easily fit in your paw. I remember that I had a really bad day at school and I immediately wanted to keep him. My father said 'no' at first, but he gave in and let me keep him," she beamed happily once more.

"Was Harvey a nice cat, Mommy?"

"Oh, yes, he was! He was the sweetest little thing...I remember he'd always roll right over so I could scratch his little tummy. He'd purr like crazy when I did that!" Melissa laughed heartily.

"I bet you and Harvey had a lot of fun," Michael grinned at his mother. "But...what happened to him?" he asked cautiously, realizing that talking about the loss of her pet could be stressful for his mother.

"Well, my father and I had Harvey for only a couple of years before he started to get very sick," Melissa began to lament, remembering how hard it had been to see her little cat so ill. "He would hardly eat any of his food. He became very sluggish and wouldn't move around very much at all. He started going to the bathroom a lot more often than he should have. He even yowled out in pain some nights."

"What was wrong with him?"

"Well, my father and I didn't know what was wrong with Harvey, but eventually, he got so bad we had no choice but to take him to the vet to see what we could do to help him..."

"What was wrong with Harvey?" Michael asked his mother again.

"They said he was very sick and in a lot of pain," Melissa explained. She remembered how all those years ago the vet had told her that Harvey's kidneys were failing..."The vet said there was nothing we could do that would make him better, so we did the kindest thing we could do for him..."

"What's that, Mommy?" the little kit gazed up at his mother.

"We..." Melissa sighed, "We had to have Harvey put to sleep, honey..."

Michael was not familiar with that expression. "What does...'put to sleep' mean, Mom?"

"Well..." Melissa tried her best to explain, "they put a little needle in him, and he soon fell asleep. He never woke up again..."

"Oh," Michael quietly responded. He understood what death was; his mother and father had explained it to him when a classmate of his had drowned in a canoeing accident the previous summer. "Were you sad to lose Harvey?"

"Yes, I was, honey," Melissa nodded knowingly. "It was very hard losing my little cat. I was happy that he wasn't suffering any more, but I felt so sad knowing I would never see him again. I probably cried for several days afterwards; I just missed him so much...I even wondered if I was to blame for Harvey getting sick."

"Poor Mommy..." Michael whispered to himself. He never knew his mother had gone through something like he had. "How did you feel better, though?"

"Well, my father told me that there was nothing wrong feeling sad about losing my pet," she exclaimed, "but that it was a part of life. Sometimes, bad things happen to us and we don't know why they happen, but there's nothing we can do about it. It's all a part of life. My father told me that as time passed by, I'd feel better. And you know what?"

"What?" Michael asked.

"I did feel better. It took me about a week, but after a while, I did feel better. And life went on," Melissa smiled.

"Grandpa must have been very wise..." Michael mused. "You always tell me about the things he told you when you were little..." He then glanced up at his mother. "Was Grandpa as wise as Skarloey, Mommy?"

"Skarloey...?" Melissa was confused at first, but she quickly recognized that name; she'd sat through enough Thomas the Tank Engine videos and read enough of the books to know that Skarloey was the name of the wise, elderly narrow-gauge engine who was over a hundred years old. Michael had always particularly liked Skarloey and the other narrow gauge engines from the show, perhaps because they were small like him...

Melissa had to chuckle at her son's question; it was the kind of question only a child could ask. "Oh, haha, well, Mikey," she giggled. "I guess your grandfather was a little like Skarloey; he was very wise and saw a lot of things in his life. He was a lot more harsh, though..."

"Oh, I wish I could have met him..." Michael couldn't help but be curious to know more about his grandfather...

"I wish you could have too, honey," his mother exhaled, "but sadly, that will never happen. Losing my father was hard too, but with your father's help, I was able to get over it and move on with my life once again. I kind of had to, too," she chuckled, "you hadn't quite come into our lives yet!" She quickly changed the subject. "But do you see what I mean? There's nothing wrong with feeling sad over losing Peanut. I understand it can be very hard for a kid like you to lose a pet. But life will go on, and there will be plenty of new things ahead of you in the future. You'll feel better in time, Mikey...I promise," she warmly beamed as she rubbed her son's furry head.

"I understand, Mom..." Michael nodded. He knew what his mother was trying to say. "I just wish I could see Peanut again...I mean...she's out there somewhere...someone took her, after all..."

"Well, you at least have the memories of playing with her," Melissa smiled. "You may not have very many, but they're yours to keep-forever."

"I know," Michael managed to crack a grin. He then wrapped his little arms around his mother for a hug. "Thank you for talking to me, Mommy...I love you..."

"I love you too, Mikey," Melissa whispered lovingly, embracing her little son as well. "And remember, if anything's wrong, your father and I will always be here to listen to you and help you if we can. You mean a lot to us, honey...we'll always be here if you need us."

"I'm glad I have you and Dad for parents," Michael continued to smile.

"We couldn't be any more proud to have you for a son," Melissa agreed. "Do you feel a little better now, honey?"

"A little," Michael admitted. "I still feel a little sad, though..." he sighed as a frown came across his face once again.

"Oh, I think I know something that might make you feel better, Mikey..." Melissa giggled, a mischievous look appearing in her wild blue eyes.

Michael had a hunch he knew what that meant. "W...what's that, Mom?" he asked, hesitantly.

Melissa promptly placed her paws on her little son's sides and began to tickle him gently. "Tickle time," Melissa giggled again as she began to tickle her son faster and faster, causing him to burst out laughing.

"Hehe, stop, stop! Stop it, Mommy!" Michael giggled wildly, squirming like crazy. "I don't like tickle time, Mommy...haha! Stop it!"

"You don't, huh?" Melissa smirked, knowing her son was lying to her. "You sure look like you enjoy it..."

"Okay, okay, Mommy! Haha! I do like it! Haha, please stop!" the young kit giggled frantically as his mother continued to tickle him.

"I'm gonna get your little tummy," Melissa's grin grew in size as her paws snaked down and began to tickle her son's stomach.

"Hahaa!" Michael giggled even louder. "No, no, Mommy! Not my tummy! Hahaha! Stop, stop! Hehe!"

Mother and son were soon interrupted, however, by the sound of a familiar voice from downstairs. "I'm back, honey!" echoed the voice of Ralph. "Where are you? Is Michael home?"

Melissa promptly ceased tickling her son. "Oh, I'm upstairs, sweetie! I was just up here talking with Michael! We'll be right down!"

"Okay!" Ralph called back.

"C'mon, Mikey," Melissa beamed at her son as she got up off his little bed. "Let's go see your father, alright? I still have some cleaning I need to tend to downstairs, maybe you guys can help me out?"

"Okay, Mom," Michael smiled as he followed his mother down the stairs to greet his father. His mother's words had really sunken into his young brain. He knew now that although he made a big mistake in not paying attention and losing Peanut, it wasn't something to dwell on forever, and in time, he'd surely feel a lot better. But still, he just wished he could see Peanut one more time...

He didn't realize that soon, he would see his missing puppy again...sooner than he could have realized. And he would find out just who had taken her...