“Pardon me, Marica. Do you have a minute?”

“ruff?”

“Of course I do Missy! What’s up?”

“Well, as you know, while you have been off reading about the Geeks, I have been… .”

“ruuuffff!”

“GReeks, Missy, not geeks. Rocky, don’t poke fun.”

“Oh my! But of course. I did know that. Slip of the tongue– I’ve been ever so worn out these last few weeks.”

“ruff.”

“I did notice you’ve been slowing down a bit, Missy. Is everything alright?”

“RUFF!!”

“And you, Rocky, are you well?”

“Ruff.”

“Well, that little Bebe is running me to death, Marica. She is so full of energy and all she wants to do is play and swim and catch that ball of hers. And she expects me to keep up with her. Bebe’s energy is boundless but alas, mine no longer is.”

“did i hear my name? is someone talking about me? whatdyasay? whadysay? huhhuh? who’s talkinabout me? whowhowho? did someone ‘fetch’? where’s the ball where’s the ball?”

“Good grief, Bebe, you sound like an owl. Hush your mouth now.”

“ruff.”

“nobody ever wants to talk to me i’m just gonna go over here and chew on this old shoe someday you’ll be…”

“Bebe! Please! Now, Missy, you were saying…?”

“ruff?”

“Thank you. While you have been reading about the GReeks, I have been perusing some back issues of our little weekly newspaper and I see that some school children cannot read. Can it be, Marica, that some children do not enjoy reading?”

“RUFF?!?”

“Sadly, it is true, Missy.”

“It’s enough to make me weep– if I were able– Marica.”

“Ruff.”

“I cannot imagine a life without Louisa, or, or … who wrote the Secret Garden, again? Or without Aesop or … that Little Mermaid fellow. Oh my! So sad.”

“Ruff.”

“I know, Rocky! What would you do without your British detective novels?”

“ruff!”

“ilovetoread! oh my how i love love love to read! i just love to sit down with a good book i love to read and read and read why i think i’ll go read a good book right now i think i will i love to read.”

“Read to yourself, Bebe! Not out loud.”

“Please dear, read quietly.”

“Ruff.”

“okay okay okay okay what should i read what should i read….”

“ruff.”

“You can say that again.”