The Footprint Picture

 

Booker-T walked over to Midge's house and found her on the front porch looking at a strange picture on some paper.

“What are you looking at?” asked Booker-T.

“I don't know,” said Midge. “I found it in the closet in my owner's bedroom.”

“It looks like a picture of a bunch of footprints,” said Booker-T. “Why does she have a picture of footprints?”

“I don't know,” said Midge. “I don't know what that says at the top of the paper.”

“Hmmm,” said Booker-T staring at it. “I don't either. Maybe Jake can tell us what it says. He can read.”

“Here comes Lucy and Jake now,” said Midge looking up from the picture.

“Hey guys,” greeted Jake. “What are you doing?”

“We are looking at this picture Midge found,” said Booker-T.

“Where did you find that?” asked Lucy. “Funny looking picture.”

“What does it say at the top of the page?” asked Midge.

Jake looked at the paper and read, “Waltz dance steps.”

“What is a waltz?” asked Lucy.

“Maybe some kind of dance that humans do,” said Jake.

“Why are these footprints all over the paper?” asked Midge. “It looks like a funny picture. I don't think I want it hanging on my wall.”

“No,” said Booker-T. “Me either.”

“What are you guys talking about?” asked Gabby as he flew down and landed on the porch railing. “And what are you doing with that dance step picture?”

“Do you know what this is for?” asked Jake.

“Oh yes,” said Gabby. “I know what it is. I saw someone last year using one of those pictures.”

“What were they doing with it?” asked Midge.

“Humans use it to learn dance steps,” said Gabby.

“How do you learn to do dance steps with a picture?” asked Jake.

“See those numbers on the footprints,” said Gabby. “They play music and then step on the footprints starting with number 1 and then number 2 with the second foot and number 3 with the same foot they used for number 1 and then the number 2 foot goes on the number 4.”

“What?” exclaimed Booker-T. “I think you lost me on number 2.”

“What do we do with 4 feet?” said Midge. “I don't think we can do this. We have more feet than the humans.”

“We can try,” said Booker-T. “Try it Midge.”

Midge stood a moment looking at the footprints on the paper. She put one front paw in the number 1 and then the other front paw on the number 2. She moved the first front paw to the number 3 print and then the back paw onto number 4. She moved here and there and before she knew it, her feet were tangled up and she fell over on her side. The others sat their laughing.

Midge stood up and said, “I think you can only have two feet to do this paper dancing. I don't know what foot goes where.”

“I don't know either,” said Jake. “Too confusing.”

“I can dance but not with a piece of paper with footprints on it,” Laughed Midge. “I'll dance my way.”

“You dance good,” said Booker-T. “I remember when you danced at the gym one day when they had that dance contest.”

“I don't think the humans liked it when you jumped on stage and started dancing around up there.”

“I don't think so either,” said Midge. “They chased me off the stage. I really was having fun. Why do humans keep chasing us away?”

“I don't know,” said Jake. “They chased us away when we wanted to go up in the air balloon and they chased us away when wanted to get in the cars they said were something called, classics.”

“They chased you from the dog show too, Midge,” said Booker-T.

“I know it,” sighed Midge. “I really wanted to be in the dog show. “I thought I looked so good that day.”

“We are always being chased away,” said Midge. “Maybe we are just house dogs and cat.”

“I'm a bird,” laughed Gabby.

“Oh yes,” said Midge. “Aren't we a good group. Three dogs, a cat and a bird.”

“I think we make a good team,” said Jake. “We like to play together and have fun.”

“Gabby is so smart,” said Booker-T. “And he gets to fly all over the city.”

“I wish I could fly,” sighed Midge.

“You tried that already, Midge,” laughed Jake. “You don't want to do that again.”

“I just need a good pair of wings,” said Midge. “Then I could fly.”

“I don't think you are going to grow some wings,” said Gabby. “I've never seen a flying dog before.”

“I could be the first one,” said Midge. “I wonder how I can grown some wings.”

“That is silly,” said Lucy.

“Wouldn't you like to fly even one time?” said Midge.

“I think it would be cool up there in the air,” said Lucy. “And we could get to places faster than walking. My feet get tired sometimes. Do your wings get tired, Gabby?”

“If I fly around a lot, they do,” said Gabby. “I'm too little to walk around, so am glad I can fly.”

“I guess we each have something we can do that many the other one can't do,” said Midge. “Don't you think?”

“Maybe,” said Jake. “But you and Lucy and I are dogs so we probably can do the same things and Booker-T is a cat so he will be able to do somethings that we do. But then there is Gabby who does more things than we can do.”

“Don't forget Snappy,” said Midge. “He is different also. Just a little turtle.”

“But I think humans have a lot of fun things to do,” said Midge. I would like to be a human for just a day.”

“Maybe you will dream you are a human and you can have fun in your dreams,” suggested Jake.

“Maybe,” said Midge.