The Four Seasons: The Adventures of Zelda #4 Read online

  The Adventures of Zelda: The Four Seasons

  Kristen Otte

  The Adventures of Zelda: The Four Seasons

  Copyright © 2015 by Kristen Otte. All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: 2015

  Editor: Candace Johnson

  Cover Design: Michael McFarland

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  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons —living or dead— is entirely coincidental.

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  ISBN: 151239341X

  ISBN-13: 978-1512393415

  Created with Vellum

  This book is dedicated to the students I have met over this past year who remind me that writing about a silly pug can bring laughter into a child’s life.

  Contents

  Fall

  1. Vacuum’s Return

  2. The Hike

  3. Zelda and the Pumpkins

  4. The Costume Switch

  Winter

  5. Zelda and the UPS Man

  6. The Stocking Escapade

  7. Pug Ice Skating

  Spring

  8. Squirt

  9. The Baby Duck Chase

  10. Bark in the Park

  Summer

  11. The Fountains

  12. The Firefly Chase

  13. The Parade

  14. The Canoe Trip

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Series By Kristen Otte

  Fall

  1

  Vacuum’s Return

  My sister, Peach, and I stay indoors during the bright hours of the hot summer days. When the light fades in the evening, we play in the backyard or take long walks with our family. But after many dark sleeps of this pattern, I begin to long for days with adventure and nights filled with mysteries to solve. The calm and quiet are not for a pug like me.

  One day I search the house for new toys. In the backyard, I sniff the entire fence looking for traces of squirrels. On our walks, I inspect the light posts, and Peach searches the mailboxes. We find nothing.

  With no adventures in sight, I slip into a pug depression. I wake up only to eat. I can’t help it. I can’t get excited about the same old routine. Peach, on the other hand, is her normal, spunky self. She jumps on my head when I’m sleeping under the blankets, and she tries to play with me. If that doesn’t work, she barks in my ear until I give in. We run laps around the living room or play keep away with a toy or a ball. Usually, Peach riles me enough that I pug sprint through the whole house with her chasing. When I break into pug sprints, I feel joy again. I’m glad Peach forces me off the couch.

  After today’s round of chase, I daydream on the couch about past adventures. I think about the snowman, Squeaks, the skate park, and Vacuum.

  Vacuum!

  I haven’t seen Vacuum in a long time. What happened to her? Finally, I have a mystery to solve.

  Peach is sleeping next to me on the couch. I nudge her with my paw. She blinks a few times and then closes her eyes. I push her a little harder. She groans at me. She is a pain to wake up! I bark twice, and with another loud groan, Peach opens her eyes.

  I jump to the floor. After three more groans, Peach hops to the ground. I lead Peach around the house, sniffing each door for signs of Vacuum. Peach follows me, but she is confused. I don’t think she has met Vacuum yet.

  Where could Vacuum be?

  When we hear Ben and Lucy walk through the front door, we sprint down the stairs to greet them. With my tail dancing, I jump in circles around them, licking their hands.

  “Hi, Zelda!” Lucy says. Peach jumps in the air, and her long tongue licks Lucy’s face.

  “Hi, Peach!” She laughs. Ben pets both of us on our head.

  “How was school?” Hannah asks, walking into the living room. Ben and Lucy drop their bags on the floor. Lucy hops on the couch. Peach joins her, giving her more kisses. Ben stoops to pick up a ball. He throws it, and I scurry after it, knowing Peach isn’t far behind.

  The Vacuum mystery is pushed to the back of my mind over the next few days. With the sun no longer burning our backs during the day, Peach and I spend more time outside. Peach chases the birds that fly through the backyard. I watch the leaves swirl in the air, knowing the leaf piles will appear soon. I can’t wait to run and jump in them.

  After a walk with Nate, Ben, and Lucy, Peach and I step into the house. A well-known scent fills my nose.

  She’s back!

  I dash through the house. I smell her everywhere, but I don’t see her. I run up the stairs with Peach on my tail. The smell of Vacuum is stronger upstairs. I follow my nose to a door in Hannah and Nate’s room. The door is closed, but she is behind the door. I know it.

  I scratch at the door, trying to pry it open. Peach barks behind me. She doesn’t know what I am doing or why, but I can’t explain Vacuum without showing her. I bark back.

  “Zelda, Peach, leave it,” Hannah says. She stands in the doorway of her bedroom. I scratch again at the door.

  “Fine,” she says. Hannah walks over to us, opens the door, and then walks away.

  Vacuum stands before us. She doesn’t make a sound, but I feel her glare. I lunge for her and bark. Peach sits next to me staring at Vacuum without a trace of fear in her eyes.

  If Peach only knew …

  Over the next few days, I check on Vacuum in the closet. After my walks or any time outside, I sprint up the stairs to the closet. I bark at Vacuum and then run away. Some days, I bark more, hoping to get a reaction, but nothing happens. Peach follows me to Vacuum, but she stops after a few days of the same pattern. I know she thinks I am crazy.

  Several more dark sleeps pass by, and the whole family is home on this day. It’s a warm day, and I notice the breeze flowing through the windows into the house. Hannah lets us outside in the backyard. We run to the back fence and sprint through the yard. While we sprint and tackle each other, I hear a strange noise. I stop and listen.

  Vacuum!

  I bolt for the back door. On my hind legs, I scratch at the door. Peach joins me. I can’t see Vacuum, but the noise is present. I scratch and bark, hoping someone will hear us.

  Finally, Lucy wanders into the kitchen. She sees us at the door and lets us in the house. I scamper in the door and sprint up the stairs. I find Vacuum and Hannah together in Lucy’s room.

  Not Lucy’s room!

  I charge at Vacuum. Vacuum backs up, but Hannah is right behind her. I bark and take a nip toward her tube. Hannah and Vacuum move away from me to the other side of the bed. I run after them.

  “ARFFF! ARFFF!”

  Peach is next to me, with her high-pitched bark. She lunges at Vacuum, and I know she gets it. We bark and lunge in unison at Vacuum again and again.

  The noise stops. Peach turns to me. I look up at Vacuum. Hannah stands behind her, shaking her head.

  “Fine. I will put the vacuum away,” she says. She pushes Vacuum back into the closet. Peach and I prance out of the room together. Vacuum is back, but now it’s two against one!

  2

  The Hike

  Since our showdown with Vacuum, we haven’t seen her in the house. The door to Vacuum’s closet is shut. I think Hannah wants us to stay away from Vacuum. So when Nate asks if I want to go to the park, I jump on my hind legs and lick his hands. Without Vacuum to chase, I need an adventure!

  Nate tries to grab me to put on my harness, but I jump away from him. I run four laps in the living room. When I finish my laps, I stop to catch my breath. Peach is standing next to the door and wearing her harness. While I ponder my next move, Hannah grabs me from behind.

  “Ben, Lucy, let’s go!” Hannah shouts. They bound down the steps. I race them to the car. Peach beats all of us to the car. She jumps into the front seat with Hannah. I sit on the ledge between the front two seats. I have the perfect view from here. I sit, watching and waiting for our arrival at the park.

  The car turns into an area filled with trees of all sizes and shapes. A few cars sit next to us. This isn’t the park! I thought we were going to the fenced pug park or visiting the skate park. This isn’t either of those places.

  Peach and I step out of the car together. Nate takes my leash. Peach leads Hannah. Ben and Lucy walk next to us. Peach and I try to explore the grassy area next to the trees, but we are pulled in another direction. Hannah leads us to a leaf-covered path in the trees.

  Under the canopy of the trees, the air is cool and refreshing. Streams of light filter through the branches to the ground. Red, orange, and yellow leaves dance in the air on the way to the forest floor.

  As we walk, I stop to smell the tree trunks. I recognize the scent of dogs, birds, and squirrels, but some of the smells are new to me.

  “Hannah, did you bring water and treats for Zelda and Peach?” Nate asks.

  Treats? Where? I run to Nate’s side.

  “Yes, I did,” Hannah says.

  “Good. Let’s take the dogs off leash. They won’t go anywhere,” Nate says.


  “Are you sure?” Hannah asks.

  “Yes. They will be fine. Our dogs are smart,” Nate says.

  I’m smart. Sometimes I’m not so sure about Peach.

  Nate bends over to unhook me. When he is close to my face, my nose tickles. I sneeze at the same time he unhooks me. Oops.

  “Ugh. Zelda,” he says. Ben and Lucy laugh. I sprint in a circle around my family, enjoying my newfound freedom. Hannah unhooks Peach. Peach jogs to the front to join me. We continue on the path with our family until we arrive at a small, sunny clearing with two fallen trees spread across it.

  “Let’s stop for lunch here,” Hannah says, taking off her backpack.

  “Sounds good,” Nate replies.

  “I want to keep going,” Ben says.

  “I don’t think so,” Hannah says. “We need to turn around so Lucy can make it home.” Ben groans.

  Nate pours water into a bowl. Without thinking, I drink it all before Peach has a chance to taste it. Luckily, Nate pours more water. I step away from the bowl so Peach can drink. Hannah tosses a blanket on the ground. Peach and I sprawl across it.

  “Zelda, Peach, off!” Hannah says.

  We move off the blanket. The family sits on it while Hannah hands out snacks and sandwiches to them. I creep closer, eager for a bite of their food.

  “No way, Zelda,” Ben says. “I’m hungry.” He shoos me away.

  Fine. If they don’t want me here, I will find something else to do. I walk away from my family to search the clearing for something fun to do. My nose leads me on a trail to the base of a fallen tree. I know the smell is squirrel. I love squirrels!

  I look at my family talking and eating. Peach sits on the ground beside them, hoping for food. Nobody is paying attention to me, so I leap on the log. I walk on the log farther in the air. It leads to a tree. The smell continues up the tree to the branch above me. This tree is huge—the tree reaches high into the sky, and its branches are almost as wide as the trunk.

  I look up to the next branch. The gap is small. I make it to the branch with a long step. I cross the gap and follow the branch away from the trunk. The scent leaps to the branch above. I step up to that branch and walk across it to the other end. The scent is getting stronger. I leap across a small gap to another branch.

  “Mom, I’m tired,” Lucy says. I look to my family. They are way below me. I didn’t realize how high I climbed.

  “I know. We are heading back soon,” Hannah says.

  I don’t have much time.

  The next jump is a big one. The branch on the other side is much smaller than this one. I’m sure it can hold a squirrel, but can it support a muscular pug like me?

  “Where’s Zelda?” Ben asks.

  Uh oh.

  Peach’s tail wags, her nose twitches, and she gazes into the air at me. She doesn’t hesitate.

  “ARFFF! ARFFF!”

  I scramble back toward the tree, but as I move, I hear cracking noises. I freeze. The branch is breaking! I need to get out of this tree.

  “She’s in the tree, Nate,” Hannah says.

  “How did she get there?” Nate says.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Can you reach her?”

  I look at the next branch below me. It looks like way too far of a jump to be safe. Is this the way I came?

  Nate walks over to me. He stands underneath me.

  “I can’t reach her. She needs to jump into my arms,” he says. I look down at him. It’s a long way down to him.

  Crack. The branch isn’t going to last much longer.

  “Here, take these treats,” Hannah says.

  “Zelda, come here, girl,” Nate says softly. I look into his eyes. “It’s okay. I’ll catch you.”

  Peach barks and whines. She’s worried.

  “Come, Zelda,” he says again. Nate will catch me. He will catch me.

  My pug courage returns. I take a deep breath, and then I leap off the branch. The free fall is terrifying until Nate catches me in his arms. My heart is pounding, but I am okay.

  “Good girl, Zelda,” Nate says. He gives me a bacon treat.

  “Hannah, can you hand me her leash?” Nate says. He leashes me and places me on the ground. Peach sprints to me and licks my face seven times.

  “How did she get in the tree, Dad?” Lucy asks.

  “I have no idea, Lucy,” Nate replies.

  “Maybe she was hunting a squirrel,” Ben says.

  “Or maybe she thought she was a squirrel again,” Hannah says.

  Nate chuckles. “I don’t think we will ever know,” he says. “It’s another pug mystery.”

  “What if she got stuck in the tree? Or fell out of it?” Hannah says, shaking her head.

  “That didn’t happen, so let’s not worry about it,” Nate replies. “Let’s go home.” As we walk back to our car, Hannah’s words cycle through my head. What if the branch had broken? I am a lucky pug.

  3

  Zelda and the Pumpkins

  After the hike, I take it easy for a few days to stay out of trouble. I spend most of the day sleeping on the couch with Peach. When I hear the car in the driveway, I stand and wait by the front door with her. Hannah opens the door. Lucy follows Hannah into the house.

  “Let’s go outside,” Hannah says. I lick Lucy’s hand and then race to the back door. Hannah opens the door. Peach and I race to the fence. When I hear voices, I turn around. Nate and Ben are in the backyard. They set two huge, orange balls on the table on the patio and step inside.

  I sprint to the table to investigate. I leap on the bench and then the table. The orange things don’t look like balls with their strange, almost-round shape. They don’t smell like any dogs or animals.

  What are these things?

  The back door opens.

  Uh oh.

  “Zelda!” Hannah shouts. I leap to the ground. “Off the table!” she yells as she removes one of the orange balls, but I’m already on the ground. I need to be more careful. I trot to the back of the yard. Peach is staring at a bird perched on top of the fence. I creep forward. She turns and gives me the “Don’t move” look. I stop, even though I think chasing birds is silly. How is she ever going to catch something that flies?

  Like a flash of lightning, Peach leaps into the air and snaps her jaw at the bird. It’s too late—the bird escapes to the sky, but Peach was close. Her mouth almost touched the bird’s legs. Maybe she will catch a bird someday.

  She turns around with sad eyes. We walk to the patio table and the orange things. Peach watches the door while I jump on the table to inspect. A brown trunk rests on top of the orange circle. When I sniff it this time, the scent reminds me a little bit of a tree. Next, I lick it, but it doesn’t taste like anything. I wish it tasted like bacon.

  I stand on my hind legs to reach the top of the orange thing and the brown trunk. I chew on the brown part. It feels good on my teeth, like a bone. I chew more, putting myself into an accidental trance.

  “Zelda! Off!” Hannah yells again. “Stop chewing the pumpkin.”

  What is a pumpkin?

  I shake myself out of the trance and follow Peach into the house. I’ll have another chance with the pumpkin.

  On our next trip outside, the pumpkins aren’t on the table or in the yard. I run a lap around the fence line on the lookout for the pumpkins.

  “ARFFF! ARFFF!”

  Peach stands on the side of the yard peering through the fence at the driveway. I run to her and look. A sliver of orange is peeking out from the front of the house.

  The back door opens. The whole family walks out the back door. Hannah and Lucy place a white cloth on the table. Ben and Nate unload some unknown supplies on the table. They walk through the gate to the front of the house. A minute later, they return with the pumpkins.