Dolce's Story Chair, Part 3

Dad: I hope everyone is enjoying the story as much as Dolce seems to be. I don’t mean to be dragging the story out, but Dolce gets so excited in waiting for storytime that she tuckers herself out before the story is finished. So when she starts snoring, that is my clue to stop the story for the night.
Dolce: Dad! You can’t tell everyone that I was snoring. What will Scout think of me?
Smudge: I don’t think he could hear anything over his own snoring. The two of you were almost drowning out Dad’s voice.
Dad: Smudgie, you made it!
Smudge: I’m hiding under Grandma’s bed right now. So I thought I would just teleport over.
Dad: You behave yourself for your Grandma.
Smudge: I will.
Dad: Dolce, it seems more of your furriends are showing up than you originally thought. I heard that some didn’t get a cookie. Remember the deal, you have to make sure your guests are taken care of.
Dolce: I’m sorry Dad. I just got all cozy, snoozy, sleepy curled up next to Scout.
Dad: That’s okay. You make sure there’s Hot Catmilk, Catnip Cookies and Leafy Goodness for your friends. It looks like some of them are here. I believe I ended the story with Shep being left behind from the yearly Christmas tree hunt...


Shep laid stretched out in front of the gently flickering fireplace. Shep hated to accept that he was old but he did feel much better as he basked in the deep warmth of the fire. He rolled from his right side onto his back. His paws curled up in front of him. The house was quit right now; Tom and the twins had left earlier that morning to go and get the Christmas Tree, Sarah was on the sofa across from the fireplace still reading her book.

Shep did not understand the fascination humans had with books. They did not do anything interesting. They just laid there, unlike a ball or a chew toy that could bounce and roll. Not too mention, they also did not taste very good. The ripping tearing sound they could make was pretty fun though. Right now, the book in Sarah’s hands was taunting Shep almost daring him to try and rip it apart.

Shep stood up and gave his body a good stretch. He walked over to the couch and tried to nudge the book out of Sarah’s hands with his nose. Sarah smiled and she set the book down on the sofa beside her. She took Shep’s large triangular head into both of her hands, gave him a big loving shake and placed a kiss on his nose. Shep gave her a quick sloppy lick on her cheek before she could pull away.

“They didn’t want to leave you at home, Shep.” Sarah explained. “Timmy cried when he found out you weren’t going with him.”

“We always play hide and seek in the trees.” Shep woofed back. ”He’s not a very good hider. But he sure can wrassle once I find him.”

Sarah looked sternly but lovingly into Shep’s eyes.

“You have to promise me to make it through Christmas.” Sarah asked. “You have stay with us until after Christmas.”

“I promise.” Shep replied, his tail wagging fiercely.

“You can’t promise that.” Puddles the Cat appeared next to the fireplace and began methodically cleaning her paws.

“Yes, I can.” Shep snapped defiantly. “I wasn’t given nine lives like you. I have only one, and I can choose when it is time for me go.”

“Well then you had better keep your promise.” Puddles said sharply. “Because if you make them sad over Christmas, I won’t get a minute sleep afterwards.”

“I’m glad to see you are concerned for me.” Shep said, sarcastically.

“Whatever.” Puddles replied. “I need to go and rest up. The tree will be here today and I need to be at my best so that I can explore every inch of it.”

“Maybe you can leave it alone this year?” Shep asked.

“You celebrate Christmas your way, and I will celebrate it my way.” Puddles stated as she hopped up onto the empty recliner and curled up into a furry ball.


The tree had stood majestically in the living room for the last two weeks. The bright twinkling lights cast a magically glow about the entire room. All about the base of the tree, there were colourfully wrapped packages. Shep found the lights and packages distracting. He appreciated the tree for the deep woody scent it released into the air. It made the room smell like the forest. Shep heard a rustling on one of the branches. He looked up and saw Puddles trying to bat one of the bright red ornaments off a branch.

“Puddles.” Shep warned. “You are going to get into so much trouble if they find you in the tree again. Especially if you break the last red ornament.”

“But the red ones are the most fun.” Puddles replied as she concentrated on releasing the ornament from its tentative hold on the tree. “If you watch closely, they actually bounce slightly before they break.”

“They are going to toss you into the bathroom again. Just like they did when they caught you chewing on the wires.” Shep reminded his companion.

Puddles response was interrupted by Tom’s yelling from the kitchen.

“Shep! Stop barking at the tree!” Tom called out to the living room. “Sarah. Can you check the tree? I think Puddles is up to something again.”

“Snitch.” Puddles sneered as she leap down to the floor from the tree.

Shep watched Puddles leave the living room. He gave the air a quick test. It was still filled with the crisp clean pine scent of the tree. There was that same lingering scent that had twinged an old scent memory, but now it was getting stronger. To Shep, if this scent bore a colour, it was bright silvery white. Shep enjoyed the calm and peacefulness this scent memory brought to him. He sat on his haunches and savored the moment. He breathed deeply.

His heart began to pound before his mind registered what his nose was telling him. There, far beneath the silver white scent and the clean pine aroma of the tree, was a tint of red. There was danger. Shep feverishly began sniffing around the tree trying to pinpoint the source of the unwelcome scent. The large blue box had a toolbox for Tom. The silver bag had a new set of pajamas for Sarah. There was a football and a plastic firetruck for Timothy in two different green packages. Jessica’s new dollhouse was disguised beneath purple and blue wrapping paper. None of these were the source of the faint nagging red scent. Shep’s instincts put him on edge. His need to guard and protect overwhelmed his feeling of age and worry. Now on Christmas Eve, he had sensed danger in the house and he could not find it to warn his humans.

Magoo: Dad! Dolce's fallen asleep again.
Dad: Poor tuckered out little kitten. I hope her friends can be patient with Dolce and her Dad and wait for the next part of the story.