It was a warm and humid summer night in Bonesboro, Barkansas. Dozens of lightning bugs scattered as the hot and bright spotlights suddenly turned on, followed by the eruption of excited barks as a female blue terrier appeared on stage accompanied by her band. A large sign in yellow neon light behind them blinked,
‘THE OL’ YELLERS’
An old brown dog resembling a Basset Hound with a long and ragged white beard began playing his guitar, making the bark and cheers grow louder. The terrier grabbed the microphone, closed her eyes, and began to sing.
“There is no king when love is a thing, we play by the same ruuules.
In a heartbeat, the wise dog will be the foool.
There's no guarantee, that love will be, a stranger or frieeend,
the prayer that's answered, or the heartache that never eeends.”
She opened her eyes, finding her gaze met with the sight of another blue terrier, just like her. He was standing in the front row, his handsome smile suddenly leaving her captivated. At that moment, she knew in a heartbeat it was love at first sight. She accidentally stumbled the next few words before she found her place again.
“Love's funny that waaay, no matter who you aaare!
‘Cause it can shake your faaaith, and it can break your heaaart!
You live, you laugh, you saaay,
‘Love's funny that waaay’!”
“Mom.”
Sergeant Pooch sipped her corn coffee as she looked out the kitchen window with a vacant gaze, lost in her own distant memories.
“Mom… Mom… Mom?” Her son Scooch repeated patiently, though he slightly raised the volume of his voice each time in case he was speaking too quietly.
“O-oh, yes, Scooch?” Ms. Pooch turned her head as she replied in her pleasant southern accent, looking back at her pride and joy sitting at the table.
“I was asking if I could go to the circus later with Tag. Her sister’s opening show is tonight.”
“Oh, right, of course you can!” She suddenly remembered, shaking off her trance. “I’ll probably be working late again tonight, so no need to wait up for me.”
“Thanks, Mom!” Scooch smiled before taking another bite of his corn flakes. However, his smile quickly disappeared when he noticed that his mother had already begun staring out the window again. He could tell that this was probably going to be one of those days.
“Are you thinking about… Dad?”
Sergeant Pooch cleared her throat, turning away from the window entirely and setting her mug on the kitchen counter before letting out a sigh.
There was a brief silence until Scooch took another loud bite of his crunchy breakfast before swallowing.
“I miss him too, even if I don’t really remember much of him anymore. But…” Scooch hopped down from his seat and approached his mother before wrapping his short little arms around her leg. “I do hope you find someone again someday. I want you to be happy, Mom.”
“Oh, Scooch…” The blue terrier picked up her son, giving him a tender motherly kiss on his snout. “I am happy. You’re the only one I need in my life.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Scooch replied, wrapping his short little arms around his mom’s fluffy neck. “But still… sometimes, I think it would be kind of nice to have a dad again, y’know? I think it’s what Dad would’ve wanted.”
“Well, don’t worry nothin’ ‘bout it, Scooch.” she replied, setting him back down gently. “If it’s meant to happen, then… it’ll happen.”
Suddenly, a muffled voice came through on her police radio. She pulled it from behind her back, turning the volume up.
“Sergeant Pooch, we’ve got an 11-65 in progress on the corner of Waggy Way and Pothole Road, over.”
“What’s that one again?” Scooch asked, tilting his head. He found it interesting to learn what each police code meant, and had recently been trying to memorize all of them.
“Just a broken stoplight, sounds like they want me to direct traffic for now.” The terrier grabbed her car keys as she headed for the door. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom. Drive slow.”
Giving her son a gentle nod, Sergeant Pooch put on her police cap as she headed out the door and hopped into her car. With a turn of the key, she pulled out of the short driveway and headed down the street.
She turned on the radio, which was already tuned-in to the country music station.
“Oh! This is one of my favorites,” she said aloud to herself as she made the turn onto Pothole Road - aptly named because it was completely littered with massive potholes; she turned the volume up before she started singing along and reliving the good old days of her youth, trying to push aside her sorrow aside for now.
“But in my car, I'll be the driver!
In my car, I'm in control!
In my car, I feel alive and-”
What happened next was something that no one could explain - a mysterious event that would live in infamy and be theorized by scientist dogs all over the world for decades. From Sergeant Pooch’s point of view, the bright and sunny city of Pawston suddenly fell into darkness, as if there was a sudden solar eclipse. In a brief moment, everything was completely pitch-black. She could see nothing. Hear nothing.
Feel nothing.
The dark silence only lasted for a split-second like the blink of an eye before she was assaulted by a quick and blinding flash of white light, accompanied by the sound of an Earth-shattering explosion that seemed to come from everywhere all around her. She gagged and coughed as the blast echoed through the air like a low rumble of thunder before fading into silence, taking a deep breath in as if it were her first breath of life; it felt like air was being forced harshly into her lungs.
Ms. Pooch was so startled from the strange phenomenon as she regained oxygen into her lungs that she hadn’t noticed a yellow dog suddenly standing mere yards away in the middle of the street and facing away from her. That is, until it was too late.
“Oh, shit!” the officer yelled frantically, desperately trying to turn her steering wheel to swerve and avoid him. But it was no use, and her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest as her hood collided hard against the Labrador’s back, sending him flying into the air over her. “Shit shit shit shit shit!”
She stopped the car in its tracks, getting out and running over to the stranger to check if he was still alive. He had landed in a fetal position in the middle of a particularly-large pothole, his face obstructed by his arm.
He wasn’t moving.
‘Oh my Dog, I can’t believe I just hit someone…’ she thought as she approached, her heart pounding from adrenaline and sheer terror of what she had just done.
“Mh… ow…”
Her heart jumped again when he started moving slightly, eventually shifting over onto his back as he looked up at the sky above. The first thing she noticed was the Labrador’s bright green eyes and head of brown hair. Never before had she seen a dog with irises of any color other than black before. She also could have sworn she saw some kind of faint green static sparking around the outline of his body before immediately dissipating - but it was probably just her adrenaline causing her to imagine things.
“I can’t believe this, I didn’t mean to run you over sir! Are you okay?” she asked as she cautiously approached him.
The first thing he saw as his vision adjusted was the sight of a beautiful blue anthropomorphic dog with a southern voice as soft as butter, standing over him and holding out her paw. She had two long and thin ears protruding from the top of her head, almost like a bunny; but while her left ear was pointed upwards, the other was naturally folded in half. She wore a police hat, and her fur almost seemed to glimmer in the sunlight as it nearly matched the hue of the sky behind her.
“Uh… uh-huh…” He quietly murmured with a shaky nod, his words escaping him.
“Do you remember your name, sir?”
“My… my name…?” The yellow Labrador asked with a confused expression as he grabbed his accidental assailant’s paw and stood up before looking around, finding that everyone around him was much… different, than he was expecting. He looked down at his own body, letting out a startled gasp as he held out his furry four-fingered paws before him. He then glossed over a nearby advertisement on a building, reading,
‘Bow! Wow! Kapow! Come see Cheddar Biscuit’s Big-Top Circus Extravaganza! Fridays and Saturdays @ 7:00 P.M. at the Pawston Amusement Bark’
“My name… is… Colby. And you’re a… a dog?”
When Colby’s eyes returned to face the blue terrier, he realized just how much height he had on her. She was short and a bit rounded at the waist, with the top of her head barely reaching his chest.
“Yep, that’s it, I’m bringin’ you to the hospital.” Sergeant Pooch assertively lifted Colby’s arm over her shoulder, helping him to her car without another word.
“I think I’m fine, I really don’t need any help.” Colby cracked a few spots in his neck, but otherwise seemed completely uninjured.
“Nonsense, I can’t have the guilt of leavin’ someone who might be seriously injured on my conscience. You’re lucky just to be alive!” She practically shoved Colby into the back of her police-car, hopping in the front seat and turning on the sirens as she headed for the hospital. She spoke into the radio on the dashboard. “Sergeant Pooch here, I have an 11-80, Code 4. 956, over.”
Colby, meanwhile, sat and looked around at the many multicolored dogs passing by as they all rushed to the city hall for answers about the strange explosion that had just happened. There were red dogs and blue dogs, big dogs and little dogs - dogs of all shapes and sizes filled the town with a bright rainbow of cartoonish colors. Colors that made his eyes hurt.
But as strange of a sight as the world around him was, he had never been so relieved in his entire life.
“Well, it doesn’t seem any of his bones are broken, and he’s suffered no brain injuries.” The doctor dog pointed out general areas of Colby’s blurry X-ray scans, showing that there were no abnormalities. “Believe it or not, he’s perfectly healthy and in stable condition.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Smooch sighed a breath of relief as she held her paw over her chest. “That could’a been much worse.”
Suddenly, a purple female nurse dog hastily entered the room.
“Doctor, you’re never going to believe this. One of our patients' cancer screenings came back. It's disappeared."
“What do you mean, ‘disappeared’? How’d you lose their test results?” The doctor’s face fell into a scowl, ready to berate his colleague for their incompetence.
“No, Doctor, what I mean is their cancer. It’s completely gone.”
Sargent Pooch in particular was the most affected of anyone in the room to hear this. Her husband had passed away from cancer just over two years ago; and now, to hear that a dog’s cancer had possibly been mysteriously cured, just like that…
The doctor grabbed his clipboard as he escorted everyone else out of the room.
“I need to see to this, you two are both free to go.”
“Well, even if you’re the picture of perfect health, I still feel awful for hitting you with my car.” Sergeant Pooch said as she and Colby exited the hospital.
“No worries, miss, uh… I’m sorry, I don’t think I ever actually got your name yet.” Colby replied, looking for a nametag on her hat, but finding none. Even her collar strangely had no identifying tag like many of the other dogs he’d seen walking around.
“Most dogs around here just call me ‘Sergeant Pooch’ or ‘Ms. Pooch’, but my friends call me Smooch.” She gave him a friendly smile as she tipped her hat, her tail wagging a little faster behind her.
“Smooch Pooch?” Colby’s eyebrow raised slightly. “That’s a… unique name.”
“Yeah yeah, I know it rhymes. Don't be fallin' down laughin' like a sack of taters, now.” Smooch squinted as she gave Colby the side-eye, still unsure of what kind of personality he had.
“N-no wait, sorry, I meant that in a good way. I think it’s a really cute name. I-I mean, uh…” Colby mumbled as he tried to rephrase what he had said, but his mind was drawing a blank as her eyes met his.
‘Cute?’ Smooch thought as she stared silently at the younger labrador’s green irises, only making him even more nervous as she said nothing. She could barely remember the last time a dog had called her that.
‘I shouldn’t’ve said that. I should not have said that.’ Colby could feel his face getting warmer by the second, wishing this awkward moment would end already.
“Tell ya what… Colby, right?” Smooch fidgeted with her hat in her paws as she felt her cheeks flush as well. “To make up for knockin’ ya straight into next Tuesday with my car, allow me to drive you home to get you some bedrest. Where do you live?”
“O-oh, uh… I’m not… from here. Just moved into town, actually.” Colby’s expression suddenly grew dark, though he wasn’t aware of it himself. “...I have no home.”
“Well!” Smooch firmly placed her paw in Colby’s before she shook it, feeling her heart skip as she felt the surprisingly-soft yellow fur on his person. It was almost as soft as a newborn pup’s. “Then allow me to show you around Pawston! I’m the Police-chief around here, so I know this city like the back of my paw.” She put the police cap back on her head, showing off the yellow star-shaped badge on the front. “I ‘member back when my son and I were new to Pawston ourselves not too long ago, but take it from me when I say that… this town has the nicest, most welcoming dogs yer ever gonna meet.”
“Thank you very much.” Colby shook her paw in return; everything about her exuded genuine warmth and kindness, and although they’d only just met, Colby couldn’t help but immediately feel a natural trust and respect for her. “And even though you ran me over, you’ve made a great first impression so far otherwise.”
“Oho!” Smooch let out a loud laugh, giving Colby a light punch in the arm. “Well ain’t you funnier than an elephant in a cornfield!”
Colby half-heartedly chuckled under his breath, though he was merely forcing himself to; he hadn’t even intended for what he’d said as a joke. But regardless, the smile on the terrier’s face was admittedly pleasant for him to see. Just talking to anyone was more than enough for him to already feel a little better.
“Well hop on in, there’s so much to show you!” Smooch got into her police car and buckled her seatbelt before she turned the ignition, tapping the side of the car with a friendly smile to coax her new acquaintance in.
Colby approached the vehicle, placing his furry yellow paw on the blue paint and looking down at it. With no way back home and no family or friends to call his own, he knew the only way he could go… was forward.
“So, you mentioned you have a son?” Colby spoke up from behind Smooch as she drove them down Ruff Ruff Road.
“Yeah! His name’s Scooch. He just loves chickens.” Smooch couldn’t help but smile just at the thought of her precious little boy. “Just turned seven last month.”
‘So Smooch Pooch and Scooch Pooch…’ Colby thought, secretly amused at how similar their names were. “Last month... right. Which was…”
“March. You sure you’re feelin’ alright?” Smooch glanced back at him momentarily, checking to make sure he wasn’t still out of sorts.
“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” Colby nodded, turning his head just in time to watch a small orange dog zoom by in the other direction on a purple one-wheeled motor scooter. “Do you ever just… have those times where it just feels like life’s gone by in a blur?”
“Oh, all the time. And believe me, it only gets worse as you get older like me.” Smooch nodded as well in agreement, taking note of the subtle gray hairs in her fur.
“‘Older’? I’m sure it can’t be that bad. I mean you’re, what, thirty?” Colby asked before Smooch gave out a flustered laugh.
“Ha! Well ain’t you sweeter than a slice of watermelon! No, some gals don’t like to discuss their age, but me, I ain’t got nothin’ to hide. I’m actually forty, and proud of it.”
“Wow, you aged really well.”
In truth, it was actually quite difficult for Colby to estimate her age based on looks alone. If anything hinted at her maturity, it was mainly her voice. He honestly wouldn’t mind listening to a voice like hers for as long as humanly possible.
“Oh, stop with all that flattery!” The blue terrier couldn’t help but blush at his kind words. But if she were being honest, she wouldn’t mind listening to more of his voice either. “Anyway, I don’t regret gettin’ older one bit.”
“It’s a privilege denied to many,” Colby replied with a nod, unintentionally taking the conversation in a more somber direction.
“...Yeah.”
Though neither of them said anything, they both had the same thought - how each of them had lost someone close to them, and they were never coming back.
“So, uh, how old are you, then? You seem pretty spry if a car didn’t do nothin’ to you.” Smooch switched topics, wanting to focus on anything else.
Colby took several moments to respond, as if he had completely forgotten.
“Twenty… six, twenty-seven soon enough. June first.”
“Well happy almost-birthday!” Smooch said just before turning the corner onto Waggy Way. “You got any family in Pawston you plan on celebratin’ with?”
“N…no.” Colby shook his head. “Just me, myself, and I.”
“Oh, shoot. Well that’s no good.” Smooch felt bad for Colby upon hearing this, but she could definitely relate - she was in a position similar to him, once. “But I’m sure you’ll make friends here in no time. Speakin’ from experience here.”
“I dunno… maybe.” Colby sighed, looking at all the dogs as they passed them by. For as much as he’d been through, living a normal life seemed like such an impossible feat.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’d say you’ve made one already.” Smooch gestured to herself with her thumb. “That’s gotta count fer somethin’, right?”
“Yeah, it… really does.” The green-eyed Labrador’s tail wagged slightly in his seat as he looked back at her.
“So that’s the Big Bowl Diner… and there’s the Pawston Pawtomotive…” Smooch pointed to several significant buildings in town as they passed by. “And that there’s my house.”
Colby looked at the small but cozy-looking little home, with painted blue siding much like the police dog’s fur; it had a one-car garage, a front porch with a purple swinging bench, and a large green umbrella-shaped tree in the backyard. Next to it, by complete contrast, was a large and rather chaotic-looking yellow house with three stories and a zip-line connecting the top story’s balcony to the roof of the garage next-door.
“That one’s the Barker house. They’re known to be a rowdy and wild bunch, but they’re actually wonderful neighbors.” As different as their families were, Smooch had nothing but respect and love for them. “One of their girls, Tag, is my son’s best friend. His only friend in town, really. But she’s a real sweetheart. Smart, too! She’s good for my Scooch, gets him outta the house more.”
“She sounds nice.” Colby responded, “I’m guessing they share classes together too, then?”
“Classes?” Smooch’s head turned slightly, confused about what Colby meant.
“Yeah, like school.”
“Nah, I told you, Scooch is seven.” Smooch said as she shook her head. “School’s for puppies that are four. Don’t you remember?”
“You only go to school for one year?” Colby’s ears raised in surprise.
“How long were you in school for?” Smooch asked curiously as she stopped at the stoplight.
“Oh, uh… th-three.” Colby answered, now suddenly feeling a bit ridiculous for mentioning school in the first place. After a second thought, the actual twelve years might have seemed a little too outlandish to be believable.
“Held back, huh? Well that ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed of, Colby, I won’t judge. Some pups just need a little extra help is all.”
There was a silence between them for a few moments as Smooch turned left at the green light and drove past the hedge maze.
“Hey, Smooch?” Colby leaned forward a bit, getting slightly closer to her from behind. “I just wanted to say, thanks again for showing me around town. You’ve been great company.”
“Same to you, Colby! But the day’s far from over yet, you up for some lunch? There’s this great pizza pawlor on the south side of town that I think you’re gonna just love.” Smooch suddenly turned another corner, already heading for the place she had in mind as Colby’s stomach growled loudly in response before he could even say anything.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Here we are, Hungry Hound’s Pizza.” Smooch said as she pulled into a parking space close to the front entrance. “Best pizza in town!”
“Oh, uh, before we go in, I should probably mention… I don’t have any, um… money.” Colby admitted, not wanting to feel like he was burdening his new friend.
“‘Money?’ Is that slang for somethin’ the young dogs are doin’ these days?” Smooch’s eyebrow raised as though Colby just spoke gibberish.
“Money. Like currency? To pay?” Colby tried rephrasing his wording as they both hopped out of the car, but each one only seemed to confuse Smooch even more.
“I didn’t understand half the words comin’ outta yer mouth. Should I be worried?” Smooch held her paws on her hips, still wary of Colby’s mental health after the collision he made with the hood of her car.
“Sorry, I’m fine… really. Nevermind, forget I said anything. Let’s just go inside.”
When they entered the pizzeria, Colby’s sensitive canine nose was greeted by an overwhelmingly wonderful aroma of baked meats and cheese that made the pain of his hunger all the more intense. He and Smooch took their seats together at one of the nearby tables, taking a look at the paper menus that were already neatly placed before them.
“What do you think of splittin’ a kibble pizza? That one’s my personal favorite.” Smooch grinned as she reached her short arm across the table and pointed at the picture on the menu in Colby’s paw.
“Anything sounds good honestly, as long as I get some food in me as soon as possible.” Colby could barely think of anything else as his mouth began to salivate.
“Oh, hello Sergeant Pooch! And who’s your date?” Their waitress, a chubby brown dog resembling a beagador, greeted the two as she approached with a pen and notepad.
“Oh, he- he’s not my date, Sniffany. This is Colby. He’s new in town, so I’m just… showin’ him all the best places in Pawston!” Smooch chuckled nervously, hoping the waitress would drop it.
“She hit me with her car.” Colby added calmly as he turned and looked up at the waitress.
“...Uh-huh.” Sniffany gave Smooch a look. “So, I’m guessing the usual? Paw-tossed 14-inch-”
“Ah-ah, 10-inch. My usual is the 10-inch.” Smooch interrupted, staring daggers at the waitress down with an intimidating look on her face.
“Uh-huh. ’10-inch’ kibble pizza with extra-”
Smooch’s expression quickly turned into a menacing glare.
“...glass of water.”
“Yes, but Colby here is extra hungry, so… on second thought, let’s actually make it a 14-inch. Just for today.” Smooch’s face relaxed again as she and Colby both handed the waitress their menus.
“...Uh-huh.”
She scribbled down a few more notes on the notepad before she headed back into the kitchen through the swinging door.
“Oh, by the way,” Smooch suddenly remembered something as they waited for their pizza to arrive. “You experienced that weird flashy explosion-thingy earlier too, right? In all the excitement of… well, y’know… I almost completely forgot about all that commotion! I’m definitely not goin’ crazy, right?”
“N-no, I felt that too. Weird, huh…” Colby seemed rather nonchalant about the whole thing as he looked out the window next to them, as though it were nothing to concern himself with.
“‘Weird’! Try downright bizarre! Everything seems right-side up and hunky-dory now, but… I never felt nothin’ like that before. For a second, I thought I was dead and gone!” Smooch’s eyes were wide as she recalled the surreal sensation of nothingness she experienced.
“Maybe we’ll learn what happened someday. But the way I see it, I say…”
The yellow Labrador idly picked at the fur on his arm, looking back at Smooch with his uniquely-green eyes as he turned his head.
“Let sleeping dogs lie.”
Colby took a good look at the slice of pizza in his paws, the realization now setting in that this was kibble pizza. As in, dog food. For dogs. And he was a dog. A perfectly normal, average dog. His stomach growled once more in annoyance, growing ever-impatient for the yellow labrador to just eat the damn pizza already.
Colby took his first bite, expecting a bitter and repulsive flavor. However, as the crunchy brown bits hit his tongue, a tear suddenly came to his eye. Beef, chicken, pork, fish, oats, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots - with his canine taste buds, he could taste everything condensed inside those magical pieces of heaven, along with the cheese, pizza sauce, and buttery garlic crust of the pizza.
“Hey, what’s goin’ on, Colby? Why’re y’all doom and gloom?”
It was only then that Colby noticed the wet sensation on his cheeks.
“This is really… really good pizza…” He whimpered with joy as he swallowed before taking another savory bite, and Smooch let out a sigh of relief. He was crying because the pizza truly did taste that good, but in reality, it was a little more complicated than that.
“So what did you do for a living before moving to Pawston?” Smooch asked after she had finished off her first piece.
“Oh… just a little of this… a little of that… nothing special.” Colby’s words felt stiff and emotionless as his gaze drifted, as though he were reliving something he’d rather not. He blinked as his focus returned to Smooch. “What about you? Were you always a police officer?”
“Oh, well I… used to live on a farm.” Smooch was reliving sorrowful memories as well, almost mirroring the expression that Colby just had until she came back to reality. “But my first real passion was music. I was in a country band once, ‘The Ol’ Yellers’. Ever heard of ‘em?”
Colby shook his head. Smooch sighed.
“No one really does. Not anymore. I thought we were doin’ pretty well, but I guess we just kinda faded into obscurity. And the worst part is, it was my own fault. I met my husband at a concert, and things just took off from there. He was a farm dog, and… I gave up my dream of bein’ a country star to raise a family with him. But I don’t regret it one bit, because it gave me a new dream. Raising my son. But then… I lost him.”
Colby looked on with empathy as Smooch set down her slice and closed her eyes, reciting one of her songs as she imagined herself up on that stage again.
“Love’s funny that way… no matter who you are…
‘Cause it can shake your faith… and it… it can…”
A tear came to Smooch’s eye as her voice quivered, trailing off until she wasn’t singing anymore.
“...Break your heart.”
Colby wanted to tell her how beautiful her voice was. How her singing sent the best kind of chills up his spine. But now wasn’t the time.
“I’m so sorry,” he finally said, breaking the somber silence, “I shouldn’t have asked something so personal.”
“No, no, it’s okay… I’m okay. I didn’t mean to dump all that on you.” Smooch dried her eyes with a clean napkin. “It’s all old news now, anyway… just like me.”
“You’re not old news, Smooch. It’s never too late to change your destiny. You only get one life.” Colby almost reached out to hold her paw, but grabbed his glass of water instead before taking a drink.
“Pff, that’s very sweet of you to say,” Smooch scoffed before blowing her nose into the napkin and crumpling it up. “But even if I did want to get my old band back together, I wouldn’t even know where to look. They’re all probably still back in Barkansas, but they could be anywhere by now, for all I know. And even if I did find ‘em, I doubt they’d even wanna see me again anyway. Not after I… broke us up in the first place. And, I’ve got my son to raise. I’m just not meant for the music life anymore, and… I’m okay with that.”
Smooch said she was okay, but her expression and the tone of her voice gave away her true feelings. How, if only she could, she’d relive that feeling again in a heartbeat. At least one last time.
“How is everything?” The waitress unknowingly interrupted as she suddenly approached their table.
“It’s great, thank you.” Colby said as he turned to face her. “Oh, and do you have any ranch?”
“Uh… sure.” Sniffany raised an eyebrow and shrugged as she returned to the kitchen once more.
“Ranch? We didn’t order any salad.” Smooch tilted her head in confusion.
“Yeah, for the pizza.” Colby replied, unsure what was wrong.
“You put… ranch on pizza? You sure got some funny ideas, Colby.” Smooch shook her head but smiled, amused by this new dog’s odd quirks. In a strange way, she liked that about him.
“Here’s your ranch, and a refill on your waters.” Sniffany came back with a bottle of ranch and a pitcher of water, refilling their glasses before leaving again.
“Thank you.” The two replied in unison.
Smooch watched as Colby lightly drizzled the ranch dressing on his pizza before taking a bite, the expression on his face showing that he was visibly enjoying it.
“You’ve really never tried ranch on pizza before?” Colby asked once he swallowed the first bite.
Smooch shook her head.
“Never even heard of such a thing.”
“Here, just try some. Trust me.” Colby slid the bottle of ranch in her direction. “I think you’re gonna like it.”
Smooch grimaced as she reluctantly poured a miniscule amount of ranch onto the tip of her slice, feeling rather uneasy about such an unusual combination. She hesitantly raised the piece to her mouth, slowly biting down on it with her other paw on her cup of water - just in case.
However, she never could have expected just how delicious this combination of flavors was; it felt like her entire understanding of food had just been turned on its head as the cooling ranch melded into the cheese, kibble, and crust on her tongue.
“Wow… this is… unbelievable! How’d you come up with this?” Smooch took the bottle, drizzling even more ranch on her slice before quickly taking another bite.
“Oh, it’s nothing all that special. It’s just something I’ve always done with my pizza.” Colby replied, finding the expression on Smooch’s face amusing - like she had just discovered the fountain of youth or the lost city of gold.
“Wait!” Smooch said with a grin once she finished off her ranch-covered slice. “Can you imagine a pizza, but instead of tomato sauce… it’s all ranch dressing?!”
“That sounds like a great idea.” Colby smiled genuinely for the first time in forever.
“Well that was a great meal, if I do say so myself,” Smooch patted her belly as the two left the restaurant. “I gotta tell Scooch about that ranch thing.”
“I’m glad you liked it.” Colby gave out a yawn. “Oh man, I’m feeling exhausted now. It’s been a… a long day.”
“Well, I suppose I should get you somewhere to get some rest.” Smooch replied as she got in the car, though she had been hoping that she could’ve shown Colby more places around town. “You said you just moved here, have you got any accommodations yet?”
“No, no place in mind at the moment.” Colby shook his head, looking more drained by the second.
“Then it’s settled, you’re stayin’ at my place tonight.” Smooch patted the side of the car, beckoning him in.
“Oh, no, there’s no way I could intrude like that!” Colby shook his head. “I couldn’t-”
“Ah-ah, no if’s, and’s or but’s. It’s the least I can do for almost killin’ you.” Smooch gave him a genuine and friendly smile. “You wouldn't be intrudin’ at all, you seem like a decent fella. I can sniff out the good ones, y’know.”
“If you’re sure… I appreciate it. Thank you.” Colby said as he got into the back-seat of the police car. “I’ll do my best to be a good guest.”
It was early afternoon by the time they arrived back at the Pooch household; Smooch led Colby through the front door, taking off her police hat and setting it on the hat rack at the entrance.
“Sorry if the place is a bit of a mess,I didn’t have time to prepare for guests, as you can tell.”
But on the contrary to Smooch’s words, her home was somehow even cozier-looking on the inside than on the outside. The place seemed nearly spotless, aside from a used coffee mug on the living room coffee table and a stray squeaky-bone that Scooch had left on the couch. Colby looked over to the entryway table, noticing photos of Smooch with a little blue dog that almost looked just like her, wearing a red bandanna around his neck.
“That’s my pride and joy, Scooch. I reckon he must be off on another one of his adventures with Tag right about now.” Smooch said with a proud smile, picking up one of the frames in her paws.
“Cute.” Colby looked at each photo one by one until he came across a picture of Smooch with a much bigger blue terrier with a mustache.
“And that’s my late husband. Kernel.”
Colby was silent as he took the moment to pay his respects.
“...It was colon cancer,” Smooch continued after she swallowed her sadness, “He was always as healthy as a horse, and then one day… it all happened so fast. First he lost his appetite. Then he lost his strength. And then… he lost hope.”
“I’m so sorry. He seems like he was a good dog.” Colby said somberly, noting the genuine smiles on their faces in the picture.
“He really was.” Smooch let out a bitter sigh. “I still miss him every day.”
“...I lost my mom to it. Cervical.” Colby’s paws clenched as the memories of that tragic day came rushing back. “I can definitely relate.”
“I’m sorry. I think she must’ve done a fine job though, raising you.” Smooch raised her arm, hesitating for a moment before finally giving Colby a few gentle pets down his back.
They stood together in silence for a time, simply looking together at the picture of her and Kernel.
“Do you want a drink?” Smooch suddenly asked out of the blue, looking up at the taller yellow Labrador beside her.
“I could definitely go for something strong right about now, yeah.” Colby nodded, and they both awkwardly took a small step away from each other. “To help me sleep.”
“I’ll go fix us somethin’ up. Please, have a seat.”
Smooch gestured to the couch and went to the kitchen as Colby sat patiently on the couch, closing his eyes for a moment to meditate as he waited.
Smooch returned after a few short minutes with two mugs of hot tea in her paws, sitting next to Colby on the couch and setting his mug on the coffee table before blowing into her own.
“Corn silk tea. Careful, they’re still hot.”
“Oh, this is… tea?” Colby lifted the mug, noticing the tea pouch hanging into the steaming water. “I thought you meant something with alcohol at first, but this is fine too.”
“What’s ‘alcohol’?”
Yet another strange word that was completely foreign to her.
“Oh, I... I see. Uh, nevermind.” Colby was admittedly a bit disappointed, but he’d manage.
“Y’know, you’re a bit of an odd duck, Colby. I know I may not be the most worldly dog, but there’s somethin’ a little off-kilter about you that I just can’t put my finger on. Where’d you live before you came to Pawston?”
“I-it’s far away. A really small town, you’ve probably never heard of it. Bark…dale. Barkdale, W…Woofsconsin?”
Sergeant Pooch’s eyebrow raised at Colby’s suspiciously slow response, but shrugged it off. This strange new dog in town had seemed out of sorts all morning; but maybe after a much-needed rest, he’d feel much better tomorrow. He was just hit by a car, after all.
“Nope, never heard of it. But no matter where you came from, just know that Pawston’s happy to have ya. I’m sure you’ll see it as your home in no time.” She took a small sip of her tea before gently blowing on it again.
“Thanks, Smooch. I hope so.”
To her surprise, Colby drank the corn silk tea surprisingly fast, even though hers was still quite hot.
“Wow, that’s actually really good. I’ve never had corn tea before.” Colby sighed with satisfaction before setting the mug down. “So do you have a sleeping-bag I should use, or is the couch okay…?”
“Nonsense, you can use my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight. You need to rest easy after the day you’ve had.” Smooch set her mug down as well, standing up from the couch. “You don’t wanna wake up with a crooked neck, now. I know I’m a bit on the short side, so I’ll fit much better on the couch than you will, anyway.”
“You really didn’t have to go through all this trouble just for me, but…” Colby stood as well, rubbing his arm. “I really do appreciate it. You’ve made me feel really welcome. And I… I…”
Tears quickly began welling up in Colby’s eyes.
“...I’m just so happy to be here.”
“Easy, easy. Don’t go makin’ a fuss with them tears, now.” Smooch reached up and brushed a drop off Colby’s cheek. “You just need a good long sleep, and we’ll talk more in the mornin’. But don’t get too comfortable, this is just for tonight.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.” Colby dried the tears off his fur with the back of his paw. “Of all the dogs I could’ve gotten run over by… I’m glad it was you.”
Smooch felt her cheeks warm a rosy red hue.
“A-anyway… my bedroom’s this way.”
Colby followed Smooch down the hall to her bedroom at the back end of the house, turning the corner to the right as Smooch flicked the light on. His sensitive canine nose was met with the strong but pleasant scent of Magnolia flowers as he entered, looking around at her room. Just when he thought her house couldn’t get any cozier, her room seemed to surpass his expectations. Although it was rather simplistic in design, something about the air reflected her Southern charm perfectly. Her twin-size bed was positioned against the opposite wall, with a bedside table and a lamp on one side and a small bookshelf with a variety of perfumes atop it on the other. She had a mirror on the other side of the room, and next to it was a standing rack with multiple pairs of collars and police hats.
“Just a few rules while you’re stayin’ the night.” Smooch said as Colby entered her room. “Keep the place tidy, and don’t go snoopin’ through my personal things. And I’ll be able to tell if you do, I got a more sensitive nose than most so I’ll know if even a speck of dust is outta place. Oh, and keep the noise to a minimum, please.”
“Don’t worry, Smooch. I’ll just be out like a light, you won’t even know I’m here.”
They stood alone in Smooch’s bedroom, awkwardly glancing this way and that as they each sought a way to properly end the conversation. The fact that they were two adults alone with a bed mere feet away certainly didn’t help ease the growing tension between them.
Smooch cleared her throat.
“Well then, uh, sleep tight, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Rest easy.”
“Yeah… see you tomorrow. And… thank you, again.”
With that, Smooch exited the room and closed the door behind her. She stood on the other side with her back resting against the wood, her heart fluttering like it hadn’t since… for a long time, now.
Colby flicked the light switch off before he got into Smooch’s bed and under the covers alone, staring up at the ceiling. He was indeed tired - but it wasn't the kind that any amount of sleep could ever fix. Then, without warning, the tears he’d been holding in for so long suddenly poured from his eyes like rain in a storm. Colby cried until nothing else would come out; for how long, he wasn’t sure. He turned to his side, facing the window as he clutched her blanket closely to his chest. Colby slowly began closing his eyes, taking in the comforting aroma of his host’s natural scent all around him. As he drifted off to sleep, a bright and narrow beam of sunlight shone slightly through the blackout window curtains to the right of the bed that partially illuminated the room. Although it might’ve been an annoyance to most, to him, it was somewhat reassuring in a way. The darkness that surrounded Colby didn’t - couldn’t - stop the light from coming in.
Just as every storm runs out of rain, even the darkest nights would turn into day.
Eventually.
