Meeting Mickey

“Hey there Booker-T!” called Midge as she walked through the gate at Booker-T's house. “Booker-T, where are you? I'm here but I don't see you anywhere. Hello there.”

Booker-T came running out the little doggie door and around the house to the front where he found Midge standing in the front yard calling his name.

“Booker-T, I'm here,” said Midge.

“So am I,” said Booker-T. “I'm here now. What are you doing?”

“Are you ready to go to Jake's house?” asked Midge. “We are going to the zoo today.”

“I like the zoo,” said Booker-T. “Maybe they have a tiger today. I like tigers.”

“I know,” laughed Midge. “Orange and black ones.”

Midge and Booker-T, walked along the sidewalk on their way to Jake's house.

“Look Midge!” said Booker-T. “That house is going down the street.”

“Wow,” said Midge. “I never saw a car that looked like a house. Did you ever see a house going down the street before?”

“No,” said Booker-T, shaking his head as they stood there watching a house going down the street.

“Where are they going?” asked Midge.

“I don't know,” said Booker-T. “It is going slow. Do you want to follow it?”

“It looks like it is going the same way we are,” said Midge. “Lets go.”

The house slowly went along the road and they slowly walked along the sidewalk following it. It turned on Jake's street and passed in front of his house.

“Jake!” yelled Midge as she stopped near the gate. “Where are you?”

“Hey Midge,” called Jake. “I'm here on the porch. Come on in. What are you doing?”

“I'm watching that house going down the street,” said Midge. “Come on and lets follow it.”

“Why?” asked Jake.

“Because I never saw a house going down the street before,” said Midge. “Booker-T and I want to follow it. Do you know where it is going?”

“Yes,” said Jake. “I see houses come down the street sometimes. Do you want to see where it is going?”

“Why does the car look like a house?” asked Booker-T.

“It's not a car,” said Jake. “It is being pulled by a truck.”

“I didn't see a truck,” said Midge.

“The house is bigger than the truck,” said Jake. “So you can't see it unless you get in front of the house.”

“Lets go see where the house is going,” said Booker-T.

“Come on and I will show you,” said Jake.

The three walked along the sidewalk and past the farm. They walked through a large gate with an arched entryway. They stood inside the gate and looked around.

“Do all these houses have wheels?” asked Booker-T.

“Isn't that cool,” said Midge. “Wow, houses with wheels. I want a house with wheels.”

“Why do you want wheels on your house?” asked Jake.

“Don't you think it would be neat to ride around in your house,” said Midge. “You can go to the store and anywhere else and never leave your house.”

“It's too big to park In the parking lot at a store,” said Jake.

“Maybe,” said Midge. “I guess it would be hard to get around in it.” It's neat having wheels on your house though.”

“What is this place?” asked Booker-T.

“It's a trailer park,” said a voice from behind the bushes.

“Who said that?” asked Midge jumping around and saw no one.

“Hi,” said the voice as a small chihuahua jumped out from behind the bushes.

“What did you call this place?” asked Jake.

“It's called a trailer park,” said the little dog. “I live in that blue one over there.”

“Why is this called a trailer park,” said Midge. “What is a trailer?”

“I live in a trailer,” said the chihuahua. “My name is Mickey. What is your name?”

“I'm Midge, this is Jake and that's Booker-T,” Said Midge. “We saw the house driving

down the street and followed it.”

“They don't call them houses,” said Mickey. “They call these trailers.”

“Why?” asked Booker-T.

“I don't know,” said Mickey. “I think because they have wheels. Does your house have wheels?”

“No,” said Midge. “I want wheels on my house too.”

“Why?” asked Mickey.

“I think it is cool to have wheels on the house,” said Midge.

“Do you ride in your house to the store?” asked Booker-T.

“No,” laughed Mickey. “They are too big to drive to the store. We ride in cars to the store.”

“Why do they have wheels if you don't drive them?” asked Jake.

“I think they use the wheels to move the trailer here to the trailer park,” said Mickey. “When they come into the park, the put the brakes on and the trailer stays in one spot. They don't drive them. You want to see inside my trailer?”

“Can we?” asked Midge.

“Sure,” said Mickey. “Come on and I will show you. I have a doggie door in the big human door. You might not be able to come in.”

“Why?” asked Midge.

“You are bigger than I am,” said Mickey. “Come on lets try.”

The three followed Mickey to his trailer and Midge poked her head into the doggie door but she was too big to squeeze through. She looked around and the kitchen looked like a house.

“The kitchen looks little like our kitchens in our house,” said Midge.

Booker-T, poked his head through the door and looked around the room. He pulled back out and said,” oh my. Outside, it looks like a trailer with wheels and inside, it looks like a nice house. That is so neat.”

“Do you want to come play with us?” asked Midge. “We are going to the zoo today.”

“Do you live at the zoo?” asked Mickey.

“Oh no,” laughed Jake. “We live in houses without wheels.”

“Why are you going to the zoo?” asked Mickey. “What is the zoo?”

“Our zoo we go to is a small building that animals go to on their way to the big zoo on the other side of town,” said Midge. “We go and see what kind of animals are there.”

“What kind of animals are in the zoo?” asked Mickey.

“Wild animals stay there,” said Jake.

“Oh,” said Mickey. “You visit wild animals?”

“Yes,” smiled Midge. “We like to go meet them.”

“Isn't a wild animal scary?” asked Mickey. “We had a wild animal in the trailer park a week ago.”

“You had a wild animal?” asked Jake. “What kind? Did you talk to it?”

“I heard my owner call it a raccoon I think,” said Mickey. “He was getting into trash cans in the park.”

“Wow,” said Midge. “We've never seen a raccoon before. Did you see it?”

“No,” said Mickey. “My friend Dixie saw it. She lives in the trailer next door to me.”

“That's cool,” said Booker-T. “Sometimes if you talk to the wild animals, they really aren't as wild as humans say they are.”

“Do you talk to the wild animals at the zoo?” asked Mickey.

“Yes,” said Midge. “Lets go and we will show you.”

Mickey agreed and the four walked along the sidewalk on their way to the zoo.