Thursday, January 5, 2012

Jake Sleeps Soundly

  Midge comes sauntering up the sidewalk to the porch where Jake is sleeping. "Jake!" screams Midge.
  "Hey! You scared me!" said Jake.  "What are you doing?"
  "I couldn't resist yelling your name," said Midge.  "You didn't hear me walk up on the porch.  Great watch dog you are."
  "Ha ha ha," said Jake.  "I would have heard a person walking up the steps."
  "How do you know?" asked Midge.
  "I always here the mailman when he walks up," said Jake.  "I'm awake before he gets on the porch."
  "But you don't wake up when a dog walks up?" asked Midge. 
  "I guess not," said Jake.  "I was dreaming and didn't hear you coming up the steps."

  "That's not good Jake," said Midge.  "Maybe some big dog will come up here and attack you."
  "What dog is going to attack me?" laughed Jake.
  "You never know Jake," said Midge.  "It could happen. You need to stay alert when you are sleeping."
  "Do you stay alert when you sleep?" asked Jake.  "That's hard to do.  You are either asleep or you are awake and alert."
  "Well, keep one ear open and one closed when you sleep," said Midge.
  "Oh right,"  said Jake.  "I'll work on that."
  "Good," said Midge.  "And when you learn how, you can tell me how to do it."
  "Why don't you work on it and tell me how to do it?"  asked Jake.
  "Oh no," said Midge.  "You are better at learning these kind of things than I am."
  "What are you two trying to learn?" asked Booker-T as he leaped onto the porch.
  "Midge thinks I should sleep with one ear open and the other one closed," said Jake.
  "Why?" asked Booker-T.
  "She thinks that some big dog might sneak up on the porch when I am napping and attack me," said Jake.
  "Well, It could happen," said Midge.
  "Anything is possible I guess," said Booker-T.   "You don't hear anything when you are napping?"
  "I always hear people coming up the sidewalk but I didn't hear Midge when she just came up the steps and she scared me when she yelled my name," said Jake.
  "Oh," said Booker-T.  "But if it were a strange animal that you didn't know, you might have woke up.  You know Midge and are comfortable around her."
  "You are right Booker-T," said Jake. "That is probably why I didn't wake up."
  "Oh no," said Midge.  "Are you two crazy?  If you are going to sleep outside here, you need to sleep lightly so you can always here anyone or anything that comes up those steps."
  "Do you sleep lightly Booker-T?" asked Jake.
  "Oh yes," said Booker-T.  "No one can sneak up on me. I will pounce on them real fast."
  "Can you teach us how to sleep lightly?" asked Midge.
  "I don't know how to teach you that," said Booker-T.  "I think you just have to know how. My mistress is a light sleeper too.  She hears any little thing when she is sleeping and will wake up if she hears a noise. When she moves, I wake up too."
  "I think you are just too comfortable with your surroundings so you let yourself go into a deep sleep sometimes.  Sleeping outside is dangerous sleeping that way.  Sleep like that inside is okay," said Midge. 
  "I will work on it," said Jake. 
  "Good," said Midge.  "I'll test you later."
  "Oh good," said Jake.  "Just what I need, a test."
  "Well, you have to know if you are learning how to sleep lighter," said Booker-T.
  "I guess that is right," said Jake.
  "Okay, test me next time you see me sleeping," said Jake.  "Now, can we go to the park and play?"
  "Yes," said Midge. "That's why I came over here this morning."
  The three friends ran down the porch steps and across the yard as they headed to the park to play.

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Jake and Midge

Jake and Midge
Jake and Midge with Booker-T