The Owner's New Toy

Midge stood in the chair next to Snappy's tank and watched as her owner drove away going to work.

“What are you doing?” asked Snappy? “Are Jake and Booker-T coming to the house?”

“Yes,” said Midge. “they will come and say hi when they get here.”

“Hi Midge,” said Booker-T as he entered the room. “I saw your owner drive away so I came in.”

“Hi Booker-T,” smiled Midge. “Did you see Jake out there?”

“Not yet,” said Booker-T as he leaped into the other chair. “Hi Snappy.”

“Hey there Booker-T,” smiled Snappy. “What are you guys going to do today?”

“We heard Midge's owner got a new toy so we came to find out what it is,” said Booker-T.

“Oh yes,” said Snappy. “She calls it her new toy, but it really isn't a toy.”

“What isn't a toy?” asked Jake as he entered the room.

“Midge's owner got a new toy yesterday,” said Booker-T. “But it really isn't a toy.”

“Why did she say it was a toy?” asked Jake. “If it really isn't a toy.”

“Because humans are strange,” said Booker-T. “My owner does the same thing. Her last toy she got was a floor cleaner.”

“That's not a toy,” laughed Jake shaking his head. “That's work. Where is Midge?”

“She went to the bedroom,” said Booker-T. “She will be right back.”

“Hi everyone,” greeted Midge with a smile. “What are you guys talking about?”

“We want to know what your owner's new toy is,” said Jake. “Can we play with it?”

“We aren't suppose to play with it,” said Midge. “But I will show you what it is. Come on lets go to the bedroom.”

Midge turned and walked to the bedroom with Jake and Booker-T following behind her. When they entered the room, they stood near the door and in the far corner they saw something really big standing there. It had handles on it and a flat place so a human could stand on it. It had what looked like a little TV screen and all kinds of buttons to push.

“Wow,” said Jake. “What is it?”

“My owner called it a treadmill,” said Midge. “She told her sister on the phone that she had the new toy.”

“What do you do with it?” asked Booker-T.

“Last night she was walking on it,” said Midge. “The bottom here moves and she walks but she don't go anywhere. When done walking, she is in the same place she started.”

“It is too short to go anywhere,” said Jake. “I guess that is why she didn't go anywhere on it.”

“I guess you call it, 'The walk to nowhere,'” laughed Booker-T.

“That's a good one,” laughed Jake.

“Can we try the walk to nowhere?” asked Booker-T.

“Sure,” said Midge. “Stand on the middle of it and I will push the button that makes it go.”

“Are you sure your owner won't get mad?” asked Jake.

“Sure,” said Midge. “She won't know we walked on it. Step onto it Booker-T.

Booker-T stepped onto the treadmill.

“You have to start walking when I push this button, “said Midge.

“Okay,” said Booker-T. “Start counting to three before you push the button and I will start walking when you get to three.”

The machine started and Booker-T went flying off the ack of it and landed on the floor bumping his chin on the way down to the floor.

“Booker-T!” screamed Midge. “Are you okay?”

Jake was sitting on the floor laughing.

“Stop laughing Jake,” groaned Booker-T as he slowly stood up. “That hurt. The machine threw me off of it to the floor.”

“Do you want to try it Jake?” asked Midge.

“I think I will just walk on the floor,” laughed Jake. “It is safer than that machine.”

“Lets go play outside,” said Booker-T.

Jake and Midge agreed.