Moon's Embrace

“Hurry up mom. Let’s go”

“Yes, sweetie. I’m hurrying as fast as I can,” she said to the happy furry faces following her footsteps. “Go get your Blue Bear, Spirit.”

The dog ran off into the den and came back with the dirty, old, squeaky toy in her mouth. Alexis praised her, “Good girl, Spirit.” She was one of the smartest dogs Alexis ever had. Spirit knew the names of her toys and Sonnet’s. Her other favorite toy was a furry, squeaky dog with a red Santa cap that Alexis referred to as ‘your little dog’.

“Spirit, where’s your little dog?” she asked looking right at Spirit, panting with the Blue Bear at her feet. Spirit’s ears perked up and she cocked her head inquisitively.

“But you just asked me for my Blue Bear. What do you want with my little dog, too?”

“Go get your little dog so we can get going, Spirit. You’re holding up the trip.” Sonnet snapped at her.

“I am not.”

“You are,” Sonnet snipped at her. “We always have to wait for you to get your toys. What do you need those things for anyway?”

“No, we don’t always wait for me. Mom doesn’t always let me bring my toys.”

“You’re such a baby. You have to drag your toys with you every where we go.”

“I like my toys. They’re chewy and squeaky. Blue Bear tastes like the beef stew we had last week mixed with freshly cut grass, ” Spirit yapped back at her. ”Besides, mom always says she loves her baby girl. I’m her baby girl”

“She has to say that. You’re such a spoiled little brat.”

“Am not,” Spirited yapped and jumped on Sonnet’s head. The two girls wrestled and giggled and rolled on the kitchen floor.

“Spirit, your little dog. Go get your little dog,” she repeated patting Sonnet on the back to relax.

Spirit darted off to various rooms in search of her toy. She came back with her nose to the ground sniffing for signs of the little toy. Alexis picked up Blue Bear and put it in the purple bag with the dog clothes. She went over and glanced out of the window into the backyard for signs of the little toy. Sure enough Spirit had managed to sneak it out of the house. No wonder it was so dirty and ragged having been exposed to the elements.

Alexis retrieved the toy and let the girls outside for a few minutes while she checked in at the hospital to see how Katrina was recovering. She sighed loudly, relieved to hear that the girl’s vital signs were improving. She would feel less guilty about going away for a few days. The windows were closed and locked. The answering machine was on. One light was connected to a timer to turn on and off at strategic times to look like someone was home. She glanced around the kitchen’s empty counters one more time in case she’d forgotten anything.

Alexis put the bags in the back of the forest green Explorer Sport. She added a cooler fill