Brownie

The roly-poly puppy!

Brownie is a roly-poly puppy and lives on a farm with his mother, two brothers, and one sister.  Brownie loves to run and play and his favorite thing is to climb in the big wagon filled with straw and take a nap.  After breakfast Brownie played tag with his brothers until his short legs could not run any more.  So he jumped on the wooden crate next to the big wagon, climbed inside and snuggled down into the straw and fell asleep.

Brownie did not hear the farmer load the baskets of vegetables in the wagon, hitch up the horses, and leave for town.  The clip clop of the horses’ hooves and the gentle swaying of the wagon lulled the sleeping puppy all the way to town.  Whoa — the farmer said as he stopped the horses, unloaded the baskets and carried them to the market to sell.  The town was crowded with people hurrying to complete their shopping.

Strange noises woke the sleeping puppy.  Brownie lifted his head and looked around.  He was confused; this was not his farm.  A tingly feeling crept along his back and he shivered.  Brownie stood up and crept to the back of the wagon to get a better look when three boys came racing down the sidewalk shooting their cap guns.  BANG.  BANG.  BANG.  The loud noise caused Brownie to jump backward and tumble from the wagon.  Brownie landed in the dusty road and stared up at the big wagon wondering how to get back inside.

The boys raced back chasing each other still shooting their toy guns.  The frightened puppy took off running for his life and saw an alleyway and ran down it to escape.  He ran until he was out of breath and stopped.  Panting hard, Brownie looked around and realized he was lost.

Brownie sat down trying to figure out how to find his way back to the wagon when he heard a low growl.  He peeked over his shoulder and saw a large black dog coming toward him.  Now frantic to escape the snarling dog, Brownie ran to a fence with bushes growing along the side and jumped into the thick brambles.  Thorns scratched him as he inched his way along.  Finally he found a small opening in the fence and he squeezed through and could see a small playhouse in the middle of a large grassy yard.  Brownie ran to the playhouse as fast as his short legs would go and climbed inside.  Brownie was lost and frightened and shaking all over.

A girl peeked through the window of the playhouse and exclaimed, “A puppy!”  The girl hurried inside and knelt down and patted Brownie until he stopped shaking, but he was still panting hard with his tongue hanging out.  The girl stood up and said she would be right back.  The girl returned with a large bowl of milk and placed it on the floor beside the thirsty puppy.  Brownie drank and drank until all the milk was gone.

The girl pulled a red ribbon from her hair and tied it around Brownie’s neck and cuddled the tired puppy in her lap.  With a full tummy and feeling safe and warm, the exhausted puppy fell asleep.  The girl’s mother called to her that it was time to leave.  She was visiting her grandmother and knew her grandmother would not be able to take care of a puppy.

Cradling Brownie in her arms, the girl quickly walked to the marketplace and looked around.  She saw what she was looking for and hurried toward a large wagon.  Carefully she leaned over the side of the wagon and laid the sleeping puppy in a bed of straw that fit him perfect and whispered to the sleeping puppy, you will be safe on a farm.  Brownie did not wake when the farmer loaded the wagon with the items he purchased from the sale of the vegetables, untied the horses and start for home.  The clip clop of the horses’ hooves and gentle swaying of the wagon lulled the sleeping puppy all the way home.

The sun was going down when Brownie heard his mother call him for dinner.  He lifted his head and looked around; he was back at the farm.  Happy to be home, Brownie jumped from the wagon, ran to his mother and gave her a big hug.  His mother laughed and asked him why he was so happy.  With his brothers and sister crowded around, Brownie told them of his frightening adventure.  His brothers and sister laughed at him and said he was making up another story.

After dinner his mother was giving the puppies their bedtime bath and exclaimed, “Brownie where did you get all these scratches and this red ribbon around your neck?” Brownie looked at his mother and grinned.

The End