The Stranger at the door

“Hi Midge,” said Jake as he crawled through the doggie door into the kitchen at Midge's house.

“Wow!” Exclaimed Midge. “You are here early this morning. My owner just left for work.”

“I know,” said Jake. “I was sitting out there in the dark waiting for her to leave.”

“Why?” asked Midge. “Is everything all right? You don't usually come this early.”

“Everything is fine,” said Jake. “My owner left early today for her job and I wanted to come over here to say hi to Snappy and got tired of just sitting at the house alone.”

“So you sat outside alone in the dark?” said Midge.

“I wasn't out there too long,” said Jake. “I think it seemed longer than it really was.”

“Snappy will be glad to see you,” smiled Midge. “I know he enjoys it when you and Booker-T come to visit him.”

“It is very cold outside this morning,” said Jake. “It is really good that Snappy has a nice warm home now inside.”

“Yes,” said Midge. “I think winter at the pond was always really hard for him. He is so small and no where at the pond for him to go and get warm. Lets go to the other room and see him.”

The two hurried to the living room where they saw Snappy sitting on a rock looking out the glass of his tank.

“Hi Jake,” greeted Snappy with a smile as Jake came up to the tank and pressed his nose to the tank.

“Hey Snappy,” smiled Jake. “How are you this morning?”

“I'm good and so nice and warm in here,” said Snappy.

“It is very cold outside today,” said Jake. “Very much snow on the ground too.”

“Too much,” said Midge. “My owner had to shovel the driveway before she could get her car of it today.”

“Shovel?” asked Snappy. “What is shovel?”

“It is a big metal scoop looking thing with a long handle,” said Jake.

“The humans use it to move dirt and snow and things,” added Midge.

“They pick up the dirt or snow from one place and put it in another place with the shovel,” said Jake. “My owner had to use the shovel this morning too.”

“It looks like we got a lot of snow in the night,” said Midge. “I couldn't get out the doggie door this morning until my owner got all the snow away from it.”

“The little pond at the park must be frozen now,” said Snappy.

“We didn't go yesterday so we don't know,” said Jake.

“What did you do yesterday?” asked Snappy.

“We decided to just sit and rest,” laughed Midge.

“That's Booker-T's favorite thing to do,” laughed Snappy.

“What is my favorite thing to do?” asked Booker-T as he entered the room shaking the snow off his feet.

“Hi Booker-T,” said Midge and Jake.

“We were just saying your favorite thing to do is rest,” said Jake.

“When it is cold,” said Booker-T. “It is nice to just curl up and stay warm.”

“You like to curl up in hot summers too,” laughed Midge.

“Then it is too hot to run around sometimes,” said Booker-T.

“Booker-T,” laughed Snappy. “You like to curl up and rest most of the time. I don't think the weather has anything to do with it.”

“Okay you guys,” said Booker-T. “I do like to play with you too and run in the park.”

“We know you do,” laughed Jake. “This snow is hard to run in right now.”

“I guess the snow will be around a few days since we got so much last night,” said Midge.
“Do you want to go out and play in the snow?” asked Jake.

“No,” said Booker-T. “Maybe tomorrow will be better. I am very cold right now.”

“Me too,” said Midge. “ We can stay in here today where it is warm.”

“What do you want to do?” asked Booker-T.

“Do you want to get on the floor Snappy?” asked Midge. “Jake can take you out of the tank and put you back in later.”

“You will be careful picking me up?” asked Snappy.

“I will be very careful when I pick you up,” agreed Jake as he leaped into the chair so he could reach Snappy in the tank.

Jake reached in a gently picked Snappy up from the big long and set him down on the floor. Snappy looked around the room.

“You know, everything looks so much bigger from down here,” said Snappy.

“I guess for a little guy like you, everything looks really big,” said Midge. “Even we are really big.”

“It does,” agreed Snappy. “I always had to be careful at the pond so no one stepped on me but it was easy to hide from them sometimes.”

“Oh no! Midge!” said Booker-T. “Your owner is home.”

“She won't be home til later,” said Midge.

“Isn't that her car in the driveway?” asked Booker-T.

Midge ran to the window and peaked out the curtains to see the car sitting there. “It looks like her car but some man just got out of it. We are okay.”

They sat quietly as the man walked to the front door and began to knock. He stood on the porch and knocked several times waiting for someone to come to the door.

“Who is he?” asked Jake.

“I don't know,” said Midge. “Maybe he will just go away if no one answers the door.”

“I don't think anyone of us will answer the door,” laughed Jake. “Unless you plan on opening the door.”

“Very funny,” said Midge. “I don't answer the door for strangers.”

“Do you answer it when you know the person?” asked Booker-T.

“No,” said Midge. “I can't answer the door. I don't have hands to turn the knob.”

The man finally went back to the car and drove away. The four friends ran around the house and played with Midge's toys. Jake carefully carried Snappy back to the tank when they were finished playing and they all laid down for a short nap before Jake and Booker-T left for the day.

“Bye Midge,” said Jake. “We will see you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” said Midge. “It was fun today.”

“Bye,” smiled Booker-T.