|
Post by Two-Tone on Aug 9, 2011 15:27:34 GMT -5
aww... I hope Patch and Priscilla reunite just to show Claire and Beau up. No girl should be loved for just her body.
|
|
|
Post by babclayman on Aug 12, 2011 10:58:15 GMT -5
Oooh, Seems as though things are getting dark in this tale of ours. O.O
When the Dalmatians are pondering on if, Priscilla was either Ill or being Punished by her Mother, You repeated that part Four times, in a way. ^^; I was thinking to myself “Yes, We’ve established that…”
Lucky does make a point too, London isn’t like a small town, IT’S HUGE! And it would be awkward for Patch going around London on his own, especially with all those riots, lately. ^^; Where exactly in London is Priscilla’s Home? Although, Wouldn’t the Barking Chain helped the search, a bit too?
Beau also has a type of Gaston trait to him too, so I notice.
Although, Claire calling Patch unmanly, well, is it quite Dogly to search a HUGE City to find the one, you love?
Seriously though, Claire is just a…I’d say an inappropriate name, however this is a PG Site. ^^; Why doesn’t Priscilla run away from her Mother? Perhaps, her Humans would go after her…Wherever they are. O.o
Still, Very Good Chapter, Flo! *Hugs* ;3 I look forward to seeing more of this from you. *Hugs* X3
|
|
|
Post by Flowgli on Aug 12, 2011 11:26:46 GMT -5
@ Two-Tone: Yeah, no girl should be loved by just her looks. @ bab: It wasn't even mentioned so much that Patch and his family and friends were wondering whether Priscilla was sick or punished for coming home late. Priscilla just lives in a mansion in London, that's all you need to know where she lives. She couldn't run away from home, or at least not at this point of the story, because Beau and Claire were with her almost the entire day. And when it comes to manliness, what Claire really cares about most is a muscular build, a manly voice, and enough physical strength to count that pup as manly; searching a big city just to find someone they love didn't come to Claire's mind. I'm glad you like the chapter, and I hope to get the next one done faster. And next time, don't make your comments so long.
|
|
|
Post by Flowgli on Mar 5, 2012 19:34:37 GMT -5
Chapter Six: A Sad Evening
***
Patch and his family all had a very quiet dinner back in the farm that night. No one said a single word to each other since their visit in London that day; they all just sat in front of their bowls and chew their kibble. After eating three mouthfuls of kibble from his bowl, Patch took a deep sigh and stared at his remaining kibble, feeling too sad to eat anymore because the thought of Claire forbidding him and Priscilla from seeing each other ever again is bothering him.
"Patch, are you okay?" Lucky asked with concern.
Patch said nothing. However, in response to Lucky's question, he turned away from his bowl of kibble and glumly headed towards the barn.
"Patch?" said Lucky quietly, and the rest of the Dalmatians looked up to see a sad Patch entering the barn without finishing his dinner.
As soon as Patch was inside the barn, he climbed up a bale of hay and lied down on the front of his body, sobbing. Patch's family exchanged concerned looks with each other as they heard his sobs escaping the barn.
"He really had it rough, Lucky," said Freckles. "Giving up the girl he loves to someone who only cares about her looks was a very hard thing he had to do."
"I know," said Lucky softly, and he turned to stare at the barn, listening to more of Patch's sobbing.
Rolly, who had just finished eating all the kibble from his own bowl, saw that none of the other pups were near Patch's unfinished dinner. Seeing that Patch is not coming back out to eat anymore, Rolly went over to the bowl of kibble that Patch left behind and started eating from it. All the other pups who are still eating their dinner turned their attention from Patch's sobbing to Rolly's munching on the kibble left behind and shook their heads in disbelief.
"Rolly!" Penny groaned.
Rolly swallowed the mouthful of kibble to respond to Penny and everyone else staring at him.
"What?" said Rolly, trying to hide his guilt for eating the remaining kibble from Patch's bowl.
"Who says you can eat Patch's dinner?" said Pepper angrily.
"No one. But he only ate a little bit and left the rest here. Come on, you guys, someone has to eat this."
"Rolly, you just don't seem to care about your brother. He just lost his girlfriend to someone who only likes her for her looks, and eating someone else's food is all you can think of right now?"
"Hey, I care about Patch! I just don't want to let this food go to waste!"
Rolly continued eating from the bowl that Patch left behind, causing Pepper to let out a heavy sigh.
"Forget it, Rolly," said Pepper. "You just keep eating the rest of Patch's dinner. I'm going inside the barn and see if I can calm Patch down."
But the second Pepper finished her last sentence, Patch's sobbing stopped. All of Patch's siblings stared at the barn in complete silence for the next ten seconds, wondering what is now happening to him.
"Patch?" Pepper called as she walked toward the entrance to the barn, and she poked her head inside to see Patch laying down on his front on a hay bale.
Patch did not even bother to respond to Pepper calling his name; instead, he turned his head away to prevent making eye contact with her or any of his other siblings, who would be entering the barn as soon as they finish their dinner anyway.
"Patch?" said Pepper gently. "Patch? Are you gonna be okay?"
Patch still did not answer. He is still laying down on his front on a hay bale, and now also shedding a few more tears.
"Hey, Pepper," said Lucky, who is now standing at the entrance to the barn with the rest of the Dalmatian pups behind him, "any luck?"
"No luck at all, Lucky," said Pepper as she looked up from Patch to Lucky as soon as she heard him. "I couldn't get Patch to answer me. I couldn't even get him to look at me."
As the rest of the Dalmatian pups walked inside the barn, Lucky, Rolly, and Penny went closer to the hay bale that Patch is on and sat in front of him so they can talk to him.
"Patch, we're really sorry," said Lucky softly. "We're really sorry that you lost your girlfriend to another pup."
"Yeah, Patch, we're really sorry," said Penny. "After what we've heard about Beau back in London, I got a very bad feeling that nothing will ever turn out all right for Priscilla. He only likes her for her looks, but you like her for more than that."
Patch used the back of his front right paw to dry the tears that were about to wipe his eyes, preventing any more tears from coming out of them. Finally, he started to speak for the first time since leaving London after saying goodbye to Priscilla earlier that day.
"I wasn't given a choice, you guys," said Patch sadly. "I really want to be with Priscilla everytime we go to London, but her mother had to forbid her from seeing me ever again just because I'm not 'manly enough', as she puts it. You know, I wish that Claire would be a much nicer dog and just let Priscilla be with any pup she wants instead of whichever pup that--that witch chose for her."
Patch's siblings gasped in shock after hearing what he just said about Claire.
"Patch!" said Penny, shocked. "Did you just call Claire a witch?"
"Yes, I did, Penny!" said Patch, not feeling a bit guilty for what he said about Claire after what she did before he and his family left London earlier that day. "That's exactly what she is! She chose another pup to be Priscilla's mate, and that pup happens to be an arrogant, egotistic, bowtie-wearing Dalmatian with no spots who only cares about how beautiful Priscilla looks! Even worse, Claire had forbidden Priscilla from seeing me ever again! She doesn't even care that I love Priscilla for more than just her beauty!"
Patch placed his paws over his eyes and started sobbing again.
"She just doesn't care," sobbed Patch, and all his siblings grouped together on the other side of the barn to have a private discussion with each other.
The second all of Patch's siblings got together for their private discussion, Lucky turned his head back at Patch, who is still laying down in the same position on the hay bale, and sobbing with his paws over his eyes. He looked on with concern for another few seconds, not believing that he would ever see Patch lose a girl he fell in love with and shed so many tears about it.
"Okay, let's talk this over," Penny said to all of her siblings in the group.
Lucky turned his head back to the group as soon as he heard Penny speak.
"So, what are we gonna do?" Rolly asked the group softly, making sure Patch does not listen to what all the other Dalmatian pups are discussing. "Patch just lost Priscilla to Beau, because her mother had forbidden her from seeing him ever again."
"Yeah, and he's very sad about it," said Penny softly. "Claire had forbidden Priscilla from seeing him ever again, and it's only because she thought that Beau is a lot 'manlier' than him, yet Beau only likes Priscilla for her looks, and Patch likes her for more than that. It just isn't fair."
"Of course, it isn't," said Freckles. "There is just no real love between Priscilla and Beau as far as I'm concerned."
"You mean as far as we are concerned," said Penny. "We all believe that there's no real love between Priscilla and Beau, don't we?"
"I do," said Lucky.
"Yeah," said Rolly. "Me, too."
"Of course, there isn't," said one of the eighty-four adopted pups. "But there is a lot of real love between her and Patch."
"Exactly," said another one of the eighty-four adopted pups.
All the pups in the group quietly sat down and took almost ten seconds to think over the situation that Patch is going through. After about that much time had passed, Lucky became the first to speak in the group again.
"Look, guys," said Lucky. "We all know how much Priscilla really means to Patch. If only we could all get her away from that mansion and her mother, and bring her over here to the farm, then that would make Patch happy again--"
"But we can't, Lucky," said Rolly abruptly.
Lucky became bothered that Rolly declined his suggestion on how he and all the other Dalmatian pups can cheer Patch up without giving it any thought, but that did not get him to give up on it so easily.
"Of course, we can," Lucky responded, his voice raising a bit higher, but not loud enough to be heard by Patch. "If we can bring Priscilla over here, then she will be free from her mother and Beau. She will get to do whatever she wants, and she will get to have Patch as her mate."
Rolly shook his head at Lucky after hearing his response.
"Lucky, that's impossible," said Penny. "I'm with Rolly on this. We can't get Priscilla away from her mother. She lives in London, and we live in a farm that is far away from there. And Roger only drives us all there on the weekends to go for walks and meet Thunderbolt, Lightning, and Amber in the park."
"Sorry, Lucky, but Penny is right," said Freckles. "If we dare go to Priscilla's mansion and try to sneak her out of there the next time we go to London, then Claire would catch us, and Priscilla would end up in even more trouble. We can't let that happen."
Lucky hung his head sadly. He knows that having Priscilla in the farm the entire Dalmatian family lives in would make Patch happy, but he also came to realize that a few of his siblings were right after he heard them explain why they cannot get Priscilla away from her mother in London, even though he seemed to find it too hard to admit it.
"So, what do you guys think we should do?" Lucky quietly asked all the other pups in the group. "Patch loves Priscilla for who she is on the inside, and Priscilla loves Patch for the same thing. It's just wrong for Priscilla to be forced to be a mate of someone her mother has chosen."
The rest of the pups in the group exchanged concerned looks with each other. They all know that Patch is much better at showing love to Priscilla than Beau is, and that Priscilla being forced to be a mate of whichever pup her mother wanted was wrong. However, despite all this, they all realized that there is nothing they can do to make Patch happy again that does not involve getting Priscilla into any further trouble with her mother.
"We're sorry, Lucky," said Pepper quietly. "Of course, forcing Priscilla to be the mate of someone her mother wants her to was wrong, but there really is nothing we can do. As much as Patch loves Priscilla, he wouldn't want her to get punished."
Lucky took a deep sigh and looked down to the ground, feeling that there is no point of talking to the other pups in the group any further about the difficult situation that Patch is in.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Lucky sadly.
"It's not like any of us have a choice," said Penny, and she showed an expression of regret about the next thing she is going to say. "Looks like the only thing we can do is just forget that we ever even met Priscilla and move on with our own lives."
Lucky glared at Penny after hearing what she just said. However, as much as he is against her suggestion, he thought that it was best not to argue with her about it and just wait and see how Patch will take it as soon as it is revealed to him.
"Okay," said Lucky. "Let's go tell Patch about this."
The group broke up, and each pup turned around to see Patch fast asleep on the hay bale that he is still on.
"Shh," Penny whispered to the other Dalmatian pups. "Looks like Patch is sleeping."
"He is," said Pepper, making sure that her voice is not loud enough to wake Patch up. "When do you think will be a good time to tell him what we just talked about?"
"I think the right time to tell him about this will be now," said Freckles softly. "We have to wake him up and tell him now."
Lucky still felt uncomfortable about the decision that he and the other Dalmatian pups came to. This made him think back to the time when Patch was forced by his siblings to promise them not to do Thunderbolt's heroic bark unless he is at his job in Kent with Thunderbolt present because his voice was not good enough to do it successfully, otherwise he would be laughed at by others. Since being forced by his siblings to promise not to do Thunderbolt's heroic bark anywhere but his job and not receiving any support from them on improving his voice for it caused Patch to get very angry with them, Lucky wondered how he will react when the decision to forget that everyone in the family ever met Priscilla is revealed.
"I just hope that Patch won't take it too hard," said Lucky quietly.
"Well, no matter how hard he will take it when we tell him," said Penny, "he's gonna have to understand that there's no other way."
Lucky did not say another word to Penny. All the Dalmatian pups quietly walked toward the hay bale that Patch is sleeping on and sat in a circle around it so they can talk to him when he wakes up.
"Patch?" whispered Pepper, reaching out her front right paw to gently shake Patch awake. "Patch, wake up."
Patch slowly opened his eyes and let out a soft groan the moment he heard Pepper whisper to him and felt her paw shake him.
"Wha--what is it?" said Patch sleepily as he turned his head to face Pepper.
"Patch, I just had a talk with our brothers and sisters about what happened back in London today," said Penny, "and we came to a decision of what to do about it."
"You did?"
"Yes, Patch, we did."
Penny turned her head back at all the other Dalmatians, who lowered their heads sadly over what has just been decided on to help Patch with the difficult situation that he is facing. However, Lucky was the only one who kept his head facing forward, and he beckoned Penny to tell Patch the decision that all of his siblings came to, despite having a bad feeling that Patch will take it very hard when it is revealed to him.
"All right," said Penny sadly, turning her head to face Patch again. "Patch, the decision we made was very difficult, and what we've decided on about the whole thing is that all of us should just forget that we've ever met Priscilla."
Patch gasped after hearing what Penny just told him. He stood on all fours and turned himself around to face all of his siblings.
"Did you really--?" Patch quietly began to ask, but he stopped when he saw all of his siblings nod their heads.
Patch stared at his siblings in complete silence for about five seconds.
"And when you said that all of us should just forget that we've ever met Priscilla," said Patch, "does that also include--?"
Patch stopped himself when he saw all of his siblings nod their heads again.
"I don't believe this," said Patch, and he took a deep sigh and looked down to the ground for a few seconds before speaking some more to his siblings, "You know, I just did a bit of thinking before I fell asleep."
All of Patch's siblings raised their heads to look up at him after hearing the last thing he told them.
"You did?" asked Penny.
"About what?" asked Pepper.
Patch hung his head miserably, knowing that the next thing that he is about to say is going to sound upsetting.
"I've been thinking that having Priscilla as my girlfriend was a big mistake," said Patch glumly.
Lucky could not believe his ears when he clearly heard Patch tell him and the rest of the Dalmatian pups what he was thinking on the subject of Priscilla a moment ago. He glared at Patch, who continued to speak of his thoughts.
"I never should've had her as my girlfriend," said Patch. "We never should've met her. I mean, it's not like I don't love Priscilla at all, but what's the point of having her as my girlfriend if her mother is just going to forbid her from ever seeing me because she doesn't think I'm 'manly enough'? As much as I love Priscilla, and as much as I want to see her again, I have no choice but to stay away from her forever. I don't want her to get punished by her mother. Let's face it. With Priscilla growing up with a mother like Claire, there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to get Priscilla and me together again. Not being able to see Priscilla ever again just makes me feel very sad, and the more I think about her from now on, the sadder I'm gonna get. And I don't want to spend the rest of my life all sad, knowing that I'm never gonna get to see Priscilla again."
The moment Patch finished speaking, the expression on Lucky's face changed to sadness, indicating that he understood that Patch made a clear point on his thoughts, and also realizing that going with what the rest of the Dalmatian pups suggested was the only thing Patch could actually do to handle the loss of his girlfriend.
"So, you've agreed with us on forgetting that we all have ever met Priscilla?" Penny asked Patch.
Patch closed his eyes and nodded sadly.
"I was hoping that there would be another choice," Lucky said to Patch. "I am against the whole thing about forgetting that we've ever met Priscilla, and I just wished that we didn't go with it, as much as it's the only choice we have."
"I'm sorry, Lucky," said Patch. "I, too, wish we didn't have to do this. But what else can we do about it?"
Lucky did not even bother to answer Patch. He strode across the barn and flopped down behind a haystack, still feeling bothered that forgetting that he and all of his siblings have ever met Priscilla was the only option they were left with to get Patch out of the difficult situation he is facing.
"You're gonna be okay, Patch, aren't you?" asked Penny.
"I don't know," said Patch.
The rest of the pups each found a separate spot in the barn to sleep on. Patch lied himself down on the hay bale he is on again, while he watched Penny make her way to the haystack that Lucky just flopped down behind.
"Sorry, Lucky," said Penny.
Lucky did not even bother to say a word to Penny; in response, however, he turned himself away from her and closed his eyes.
"We're gonna have to tell Mum and Dad about this first thing tomorrow morning," Patch said to his siblings. "And we're gonna have to tell Thunderbolt, Amber, and Lightning about this as well when we meet them at the park in London again. I know it's not gonna sound like good news to them, but they'll understand..."
Still laying down on the hay bale he is on, Patch turned himself away from his siblings and let out a small sigh of sadness.
"...I hope," Patch finished quietly, and he went back to sleep.
A few at a time, the rest of the Dalmatian pups fell asleep. While sleeping, Patch is wondering what will soon become of Priscilla, now that the two pups are separated thanks to Claire forbidding them from seeing each other ever again. However, because Patch and Priscilla are forbidden from seeing each other ever again by Claire, Patch knew that he will never be able to actually see what will become of Priscilla with his own eyes.
***
End of chapter six.
|
|
|
Post by Belchic on Mar 5, 2012 22:48:52 GMT -5
O.O Wow! That IS sad.
|
|
|
Post by Two-Tone on Mar 6, 2012 3:46:26 GMT -5
poor Patch he shouldn't deserve to lose his girl
|
|
|
Post by Flowgli on Aug 15, 2012 8:37:53 GMT -5
Chapter Seven: Lovers Living Separate Lives
***
The next morning was a very depressing one for Patch and his siblings. As they were eating breakfast, they told Pongo and Perdita what they have discussed with each other the previous evening. They told them that they agreed to forget that they ever met Priscilla, since they knew that Patch and Priscilla have been forbidden by Claire to see each other ever again. Pongo and Perdita were shocked at this, but understood very well, for there was nothing they can do about the situation that can get Patch and Priscilla together again. Patch told Thunderbolt, Lightning, and Amber the exact same thing when he and his family met them later that day at the park in London; just like Pongo and Perdita, they were shocked at this news, but understood very well.
After the discussion of having to forget that they ever met Priscilla, Patch and his family and friends spent the rest of their time in London doing what they usually did before that day they first met her. Meanwhile, in Priscilla's mansion, Priscilla is in her bedroom, sitting on a stool in front of a vanity mirror, seeing herself look very depressed in her reflection. She still feels sad that she will never get to see Patch again after saying goodbye to him the previous day without getting into any trouble with her mother. All she could do from this point forward is forget that she ever met Patch and his family and friends, and continue with her lessons for manners and etiquette with Beau, as expected by her mother. This big change that she is about to go through begins when she heard her mother's voice just outside her bedroom.
"Priscilla!" Claire called through the closed door.
Priscilla turned to face her bedroom door to respond to her mother.
"Yes, Mother!" Priscilla called back.
"Beau is coming over here later to help you with your lessons for manners and etiquette!" said Claire. "I want you to be ready for your lessons and meet me downstairs in the drawing room in an hour!"
"All right, Mother!"
After Priscilla and Claire finished talking to each other through Priscilla's bedroom door, Claire makes her way downstairs to check if everything is in order before Beau arrives. Meanwhile, Priscilla hopped off the stool, went over to her bed, and climbed up to get her Patch plush doll. She pulled the plush doll close to her, held it in a way that it is facing her, and sadly stared into its eyes, still missing the real pup she fell in love with. After about fifteen seconds, she shedded a few tears and released the plush doll.
"Time for a big change for both of us, Patch," sobbed Priscilla, still staring at the plush doll, and she used her front left leg to dry off her tears. "If we never met and fell in love with each other, then we would have saved all this trouble."
Priscilla then picked up the plush doll with her teeth and hopped off the bed with it. As soon as she made it back on the floor of her bedroom, she dropped the plush doll and sadly stared at it one last time.
"This is something I have to do, I'm afraid," sobbed Priscilla. "If I see anything that resembles you, it will only make me think of you, which will only make me very sad considering my mother had forbidden me from seeing you ever again. We have no choice but to live the rest of our lives separately without even thinking about each other ever again. I'm sorry."
After saying her final words while looking at her plush doll, she shedded one more tear and hid the plush doll under the bed, where she will keep it out of her sight forever.
Almost an hour later, Priscilla went downstairs and made her way to the drawing room where Claire is waiting for her. Claire is happy to see that Priscilla came downstairs to the in the drawing room just in time. The two female Dalmatians sat down together on the sofa and waited for Beau to arrive and help Priscilla with her lessons for manners and etiquette. By then, Patch and his family and friends are about to be taken home from the park by their masters.
"See you at work tomorrow, Patch," said Thunderbolt.
"All right, Thunderbolt," said Patch, and he turned to face Lightning and Amber to say goodbye to them for the day. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, too, Lightning. And I'll see you here at the park again next weekend, Amber."
"Bye, sweetie," said Amber. "Take care."
"And be just as focused on your work as you were the week before when you get to the studio tomorrow, kid," said Lightning. "If we're gonna have that spin-off of your show and Thunderbolt's, then you're gonna have to spend more time focusing on your work and less time thinking about Pri--"
"NO, DON'T SAY IT!" Thunderbolt shouted, placing a front paw over Lightning's mouth as soon as he heard him begin to mention Priscilla's name, and he started to calm down after a few seconds. "Please, Lightning, don't say the name."
After another few seconds, Thunderbolt removed his paw from Lightning's mouth.
"Yeah, Lightning," said Amber. "Don't you remember what we've all agreed on just now?"
Lightning turned his head to face Patch, who scowled at him for starting to saying Priscilla's name.
"Of course, I remember," said Lightning. "After what Patch and his brothers and sisters told us today, we've all agreed to forget that any of us have ever met this one pup, and not mention her name or anything that had to do with her."
"That's right," said Patch, nodding his head and still scowling.
"Come on, kids," Pongo said to all the Dalmatian pups. "We gotta go. Roger and Anita are waiting for us."
All ninety-nine of the Dalmatian pups followed Pongo and Perdita to Roger and Anita to be taken home by them. Patch, who is no longer scowling, turned his head back to say one more thing to his friends before leaving the park with his family.
"See you tomorrow, you guys," Patch said to Thunderbolt and Lightning. "And remember not to mention her name, or anyone or anything that had to do with her."
"You have our word, Patch," said Thunderbolt. "No mention of the pup, or anyone or anything that had to do with her."
"Got it," Lightning said to Patch, and he turned to face Thunderbolt and Amber. "Let's go home, now. We've got a lot of work to do at the studio first thing in the morning."
Patch and his family and friends then left the park to go home, unaware that Beau had been eavesdropping on their conversation from behind a building that is just a block away from Priscilla's mansion. After Patch and his family and friends were all out of sight and earshot, Beau smirked and nodded in delight.
"You made a smart choice, Patch," said Beau quietly. "I thought you still would think about Priscilla after you've last seen each other yesterday and forever be sad about not being able to see her ever again. But instead, you've decided that you and your family and your friends should all forget that you all have ever met her, and you've probably decided to get your mind back on your work with Thunderbolt and Lightning just to make sure that you'll live the rest of your life happy. But it doesn't matter what you'll be doing from now on. I no longer feel bothered by you, now that you and Priscilla have separated, and now that you're no longer thinking or talking about her starting now. Thank you for giving her to me. She and I will soon become a very lovely couple."
Beau then made his way to Priscilla's mansion. Back inside the drawing room of the mansion, Claire looked through the window to see Beau approaching the mansion doors. Priscilla, however, had her back facing the window, still feeling depressed about having to be separated from Patch forever and continue with her lessons for manners and etiquette with Beau from this point forward.
"Beau is here, Priscilla," said Claire, turning away from the window and looking down at Priscilla, who is still depressed and has her back facing the window. "I want you to be on your best behavior and show some cooperation during your lessons for manners and etiquette when I let him in. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Mother," said Priscilla sadly.
Claire did not even bother to comment about Priscilla not giving her eye contact while the two of them were talking to each other, as she got herself up from the sofa and made her way to the mansion doors to let Beau in.
"Remember, Priscilla, to act like a lady," said Claire, turning her head back at the drawing room. "Do not make a repeat of the day I first let him in here."
"All right, Mother," said Priscilla, still feeling sad and not looking at Claire.
Claire pulled open one of the mansion doors by the handle with her front left leg and saw Beau patiently waiting right outside.
"Beau, how nice it is to see you here!" Claire said with a pleasant smile. "Please, come in."
"Thank you, Claire," said Beau, and he stepped inside the mansion.
Claire pushed the opened mansion door closed.
"Priscilla is waiting in the drawing room, as I instructed," said Claire. "Now, if you will follow me to the drawing room, we'll get started on Priscilla's lessons for manners and etiquette."
Claire and Beau made their way to the drawing room together. The second Priscilla saw Claire and Beau enter the drawing room, she lowered her head and took a deep sigh, showing how upset she is about seeing Beau in her mansion again and having to work on her lessons for manners and etiquette with help from him in the process.
"Priscilla, Beau is here to help you with your lessons," Claire said after she and Beau stopped in front of Priscilla.
"Hello, Priscilla," said Beau kindly. "It's very lovely to see you in your wonderful mansion again. Today is the day that I finally get to help you with your lessons."
Priscilla did not want to respond to Beau before beginning her lessons, but she had no choice but to do so, as not responding to Beau after he greeted her would be found rude by Claire.
"Welcome back to my mansion, Beau," Priscilla said while sitting up to an appropriate seating posture, giving Beau eye contact, and trying to sound polite as possible while speaking to him. "I apologize for my behavior the other day you came in here."
"Apology accepted," said Beau. "So, now that I'm here again, I hope you won't mind me coming here everyday from now on to help you with your lessons."
"I will make sure she won't, Beau," said Claire. "I want her to grow up as a well-mannered and very respectful lady. And now that we're all here in the drawing room, we will begin the lessons immediately."
Starting from this moment, Priscilla began working on her lessons for manners and etiquette with help from Beau. While working on her lessons, she refrained from getting into a single argument with her mother about having to work on her lessons with Beau everyday and not getting to see Patch ever again. As weeks went by, Priscilla improved her manners and behavior, and she became more respectful to her mother and Beau. During the time Priscilla took to work on her lessons, Patch had been working harder on his job with Thunderbolt and Lightning at the studio in Kent; none of his family and friends had ever mentioned or even thought about Priscilla or anything about her at all during this time, and neither did Patch himself.
Not thinking about each other any longer, Patch and Priscilla had been doing much better on their respective responsibilities. Claire and Beau were very proud of Priscilla after seeing how well-mannered she became from all the lessons she took, while Patch's family and friends were very proud of him after seeing how well he performed on the newest episodes of his show and how high the ratings have gotten. Patch did very well on his job that the producer started paying Roger, Anita, and Nanny even more money each week than he did before. Despite the separation of Priscilla and himself, everything went well for Patch as of late until one Friday night when yet another new episide of The Thunderbolt And Patch Adventure Hour finished airing on television.
"That was great, Patch!" Rolly said excitedly.
"Yes!" said Penny. "Absolutely brilliant!"
"Yeah!" said Freckles. "You've truly outdone yourself!"
"Yeah, Patch!" said Lucky. "You sure have been working even harder than ever on your show with Thunderbolt after the last time you saw--"
"No, Lucky!" Pepper shouted before Lucky could finish his sentence. "Don't you dare say the name!"
Lucky, however, ignored Pepper and went on to finish his sentence to Patch.
"Priscilla!" Lucky blurted out.
All of the other pups became very shocked when they heard Lucky mention Priscilla's name. Hearing Priscilla's name also caused Patch to shed tears.
"Lucky!" sobbed Patch. "How could you?!"
Patch ran inside the barn, sobbing, while Lucky looked around to see the rest of the pups glaring at him.
"Nice going, Lucky!" said Penny sarcastically. "Now, you're making Patch feel the pain of losing the pup he loves to someone else all over again!"
Feeling a bit guilty for hurting Patch by mentioning Priscilla's name, Lucky sat down on the ground and watched the rest of the pups walk inside the barn. On the way to the barn, Rolly stopped to turn his head and look back at Lucky.
"You just had to say that name, eh?" said Rolly angrily, and he turned his head away from Lucky and continued walking into the barn with the rest of the pups.
Inside the barn, Patch is on a hay bale, lying on the front of his body, his paws placed over his eyes; all of his siblings except Lucky saw him in this position while still sobbing the moment they all were inside the barn.
"Patch, we're sorry that Lucky said your girlfriend's name," said Penny as she walked towards the hay bale that Patch is on. "We really are."
"Patch, I'm really sorry," came Lucky's voice.
Patch stopped sobbing, removed his paws from his eyes, and turned his head to see Lucky standing at the opened barn doors.
"Lucky, why did you do it?" Patch asked as he dried off his tears. "Why did you say the name?"
Lucky looked down to the ground, feeling a bit more guilty for hurting Patch by mentioning Priscilla's name than he felt a moment ago.
"Look, Patch," said Lucky. "I understand that thinking about your girlfriend and hearing someone say her name makes you sad after her mother had forbidden her to see you ever again, but forgetting that you and your girlfriend ever met each other just doesn't feel right to me."
"Well, what could I do, Lucky?" asked Patch. "What could anyone do? My girlfriend's mother had made up her mind, and there's nothing any of us could do about it. My girlfriend would end up getting into even more trouble with her mother if we try to do anything about it."
"I know, Patch. Still, it just doesn't feel right. I mean, you and the others have forced me to agree with you that forgetting that we ever met this girl is the right thing to do. And since then, you have been doing a lot better than ever at work with Thunderbolt, yes. But it all just made me think that you don't care about her anymore."
"But I do still care about her, Lucky! And after that agreement, you should know by now why I can't think about my girlfriend or hear anyone say her name! I have responsibilities, and Mum, Dad, and everyone I work with at the studio are all expecting me to take it very seriously. My girlfriend has responsibilities of her own; she has to take lessons for manners and etiquette, and I'm sure that her mother is expecting her to take that very seriously, too."
"But Patch--"
"No, Lucky," said Penny sharply. "Patch is right. He and his girlfriend have responsibilities that they need to focus on, and they could get in serious trouble if they don't focus on their responsibilities."
"Penny's right, Lucky," said Patch, and he started shedding tears again. "Priscilla and I could get in a lot of trouble if we don't focus on our responsibilities. Not to mention that even on the weekends when we see Thunderbolt, Lightning, and Amber at the park in London, I still can't think about my girlfriend or hear someone say her name. That will only make me feel the pain of losing the pup I love to another pup that her mother has chosen for her all over again, and I don't want to feel that pain ever again."
Lucky lowered his head in shame after hearing everything Patch told him.
"It's not that I want to stop thinking about my girlfriend," Patch continued. "And it's not that I want to stop hearing her name, either. I just have to. I mean, think about it, Lucky. How would you feel if you have a girlfriend whose mother had forbidden her to see you ever again, and there was nothing you two could do to get back together without getting that girl into more trouble with her mother than she already was? What would you have done, especially when you have responsibilities that your family and friends have expected you to take seriously, and your girlfriend's mother said very terrible things about you, and she picked an arrogant pup to be the girl's mate?"
After hearing even more from Patch, Lucky took some time to think it all over and imagined himself going through all the same situations that Patch went through. A moment later, Lucky took a deep sigh and nodded his head, indicating that he clearly understood everything Patch told him.
"Okay, Patch," said Lucky, looking back up at Patch. "I get it, now."
"So, now, do you understand?" said Patch. "Now, do you understand why I can't even think about my girlfriend or hear her name? Now, do you understand why we agreed to forget that we ever met her? It's all because of her mother. And with my girlfriend living her life with a mother like that, none of us have a choice. It's not that I want something like this to happen. I was just hoping that it never did. I was hoping that my girlfriend's mother would be much nicer to me and just accept me for who I am. I was hopimg that my girlfriend's mother would let her see me whenever I get to the park in London with my family and friends. I was hoping that my girlfriend's mother would allow me to be that girl's mate instead of pick another pup who believes that only beauty matters."
Patched stopped and took a moment to calm down.
"But none of it is happening, now, and it all never will," Patch continued quietly. "I don't know if my girlfriend is still thinking about me or not, but I think we shouldn't be wondering about that. We have to continue on with our own lives separately, just like what we have been doing in the past few weeks. So, from now on, no more talking about my girlfriend, her mother, or the pup that the girl's mother had chosen to be the girl's mate. And no more saying any of their names, either. And this is not just a reminder to you, Lucky. It's a reminder to all of us. Is that clear?"
Lucky did not even bother to say another word to Patch. Instead, he responded by simply nodding his head.
"Thank you," said Patch. "Now, Mum and Dad will be here any minute, so I'm going to sleep, right now. Good night."
A second after saying his last words of the night, Patch turned himself around, facing away from his siblings. All of Patch's siblings lied down in different spots in the barn and went to sleep, while Patch himself is still awake, wondering how well Priscilla is doing on her lessons for manners and etiquette with Beau helping her, and also wondering if she had forgotten all about Patch. However, as curious as he was about what is currently going on with Priscilla, he tried hard not to think about her any longer and keep his mind on only his responsibilities; that happened to be difficult for Patch, though, after hearing Lucky mention Priscilla's name and explaining to him why all the Dalmatians in the family and their friends had to forget that they ever met her. Because of all this, Patch had a hard time trying to sleep.
Finally, after almost one minute, Patch fell asleep, no longer having Priscilla on his mind.
***
End of chapter seven.
|
|
|
Post by babclayman on Aug 16, 2012 10:07:20 GMT -5
Seems an interesting chapter, although I do feel that you did get a bit repetitive with explaining what Patch & Priscilla agreed to do.
I am not sure whether you are portraying Lucky to be in the right or in the wrong, Since you seem to say they been doing better apart.
I do hope however that something is done to get them together again…that doesn’t involve the death of anyone. O.o
Still, Interesting Chapter, Flo. Looking forward to seeing how it continues. ;3
|
|
|
Post by Flowgli on Aug 16, 2012 11:40:25 GMT -5
I know I get repetitive of explaining what Patch and Priscilla have to do, but it's only a little bit and not going overboard. And the way Lucky is portrayed in the fic, he thinks that Patch and Priscilla being apart is no good, even though it was the only way for Patch and Priscilla to get better on their responsibilities.
There will be a way for Patch and Priscilla to get back together, and don't mention death in this. Just read the chapters that will come later, and don't leave comments that talk or ask much about them.
|
|
|
Post by Two-Tone on Aug 16, 2012 18:15:07 GMT -5
I got a hunch it might involve Patch and Beau getting into a fight. Especially if Patch catches Beau disrespecting Priscilla
|
|
|
Post by Flowgli on Jan 13, 2015 11:01:55 GMT -5
Chapter Eight: Priscilla's Nightmare
***
Later that night, back in Priscilla's mansion, Priscilla's lessons for manners and etiquette for the day have come to an end. Priscilla, Claire, and Beau were all standing at the front doors, briefly talking to each other about how well the lessons that day went.
"Today has been very lovely," said Claire. "Everything went perfectly, and Priscilla has been successful on her lessons as she had been for the past few weeks."
"It seems to me that Priscilla has been doing much better on her lessons each time I am with her to help out," said Beau.
"Indeed, she has."
Claire and Beau then turned to face Priscilla to hear what she had to say about how well the lessons that day went.
"I really like to thank you for helping me do much better on my lessons for manners and etiquette," Priscilla said to Claire and Beau in the politest tone of voice she had ever used when talking to them. "I am grateful for all the help you've given me to succeed, Mother and Beau."
Claire and Beau pleasantly smiled at Priscilla after hearing what she just said and the tone of voice she used to say it.
"You're very welcome, Priscilla," said Claire, "and I'm glad to finally have a daughter who is respectful and talks to me and her guest politely."
Priscilla nodded and turned to face Beau.
"I really like you to come and see us again, Beau," she said.
"I will, Priscilla," said Beau. "I'll be here tomorrow to help you more with your lessons, and by the time you're finished, you and I will start a relationship together."
Beau slowly moved himself closer to Priscilla, who was wondering if he was about to give her a good night kiss or show any signs of physical affection to her but not showing any signs of being against whatever he was about to do to her. A moment later, Beau pulled himself away from Priscilla.
"Of course, I'm a patient pup," said Beau, turning to the mansion doors, "and patience is something a gentleman must know. No one should rush or be rushed into a relationship, after all."
"Well, I'm sure that judging by how Priscilla is behaving herself today," Claire said as she reached out her front left leg to pull open one of the mansion doors by the handle, "it shouldn't take her too long to get through her lessons as it did before."
The door was now wide open for Beau to leave the mansion.
"Thank you, Claire," said Beau. "I best be on my way, but I'll see you and Priscilla tomorrow afternoon."
"We'll be looking forward to seeing you here tomorrow afternoon, Beau," said Claire. "Good night."
"Good night, Claire."
Beau turned to Priscilla again.
"Good night, Priscilla," he said.
"Good night, Beau," said Priscilla.
Beau turned around and walked out of the mansion through the open door. Claire smiled at Beau as she watched him make his way home. After five seconds, she closed the door and turned to Priscilla.
"Priscilla, I am very proud of you," said Claire. "You made another day a very splendid one for the three of us."
"Thank you, Mother," said Priscilla. "I am happy that everyone is happy."
"And you still will be happy with Beau here with you, will you?"
"Yes, I will. He has been a wonderful and helpful pup around here, and he will make a terrific mate for me."
Claire smiled pleasantly at what Priscilla just said.
"I knew you would come to your senses," said Claire kindly. "Now, it's time for bed. Good night."
"Good night, Mother," said Priscilla, and she went up a spiral staircase to get ready for bed.
As soon as Priscilla reached the top of the staircase, she walked to her bedroom, thinking about all the success she made on her lessons for manners and etiquette with help from Beau in the past few weeks and the happiness she brought to Claire within that same time by changing her own ways from all the lessons she went through. The moment she went inside her bedroom, she gently pushed the door closed, walked to her vanity mirror, and hopped up the stool.
"Well, Priscilla," Priscilla said quietly to herself as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, "you've managed to make everyone happy yet again, especially yourself. Your mother is happy, Beau is happy, and you're happy...that they're happy."
She finished that last sentence in a way that she felt that there was something troubling her. In fact, there actually was something troubling her, and it was the fact that she had been forbidden by her mother to see Patch ever again; however, the thought of Patch never came to her since the day after when they last met each other.
"Well, everyone's happy today," she continued, now feeling bright and happy again, "and everyone will be happy again tomorrow."
She then turned away from the mirror, hopped off the stool, walked to her bed, and climbed up it.
"You're a good girl, Priscilla," she said to herself as she got herself under the covers and lied her head down on one of the pillows, "and you'll continue to be for your mother and your future mate. Good night."
Priscilla then closed her eyes and fell fast asleep. Everyone in the mansion was asleep for the next four hours, and everything was completely quiet around there during the course of those four hours. The only sounds made around the mansion during that time are those of chirping crickets, which helped Priscilla sleep every night. Moments after those four hours have passed, the sounds of the chirping crickets were gone, and a tap on the doors to Priscilla's balcony was heard. The tap on the balcony doors caused Priscilla to wake up.
"Huh?" said Priscilla groggily.
"Priscilla?" a voice whispered through the balcony doors. "Priscilla, are you awake?"
Priscilla rubbed her eyes with her front right paw and sat up on her bed.
"Who is it?" Priscilla yawned.
"It's me," the voice whispered. "It's Patch."
Hearing the name of who was at her balcony, Priscilla became fully awake and gasped in surprise.
"Patch?" Priscilla whispered in surprise, and she shook her head, thinking that she was just hearing things. "No. It can't be."
Patch started tapping on the door again.
"Priscilla, please, come out," Patch begged quietly. "I miss you."
Priscilla then stood up on all fours, hopped off the bed, walked towards the balcony doors, and moved one of the curtains with her front left paw to take a peek through one of the glass panels on one of the doors. What she saw through the glass was Patch indeed.
"Patch," said Priscilla quietly, surprised. "It really is you."
Priscilla rushed from the balcony doors and to a chiffonier, where she pulled each drawer of it open, starting with the one at the bottom and working her way up, in a certain width so that they all resemble steps, and walked up them. Once she got on the topmost drawer, she got herself ready in a way that she was about to jump to the top of the chiffonier. The moment she got enough energy to make the jump, she jumped high enough to reach the top of the chiffonier and pulled herself up to get up there. With her now at the top of the chiffonier, she turned to her left and got herself ready to make a jump for the latch and knobs on the balcony doors. She then jumped toward the knobs on the balcony doors, grabbed on to the knob on the right hand balcony door with her front paws, and unlatched the balcony doors with her front left paw.
"Okay," said Priscilla quietly, "now, all I have to do is--"
She turned the knob on the right hand balcony door with both front paws and pushed herself from the left hand balcony door with her hind paws to get the former door open. With the door now open enough for either pup to go through it, Priscilla let go of the door knob, which caused her to fall to the floor.
"Priscilla?" Patch said quietly, peeking through the open door as he saw Priscilla fall down and heard her make a small grunt the moment she hit the floor. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Patch," Priscilla said as she stood back up, and she stepped into the balcony to meet Patch. "What are you doing here, even at this time of night? My mother had forbidden me from seeing you ever again. I could end up in trouble again. And how did you get up here?"
"Shh," Patch whispered as he reached out a front paw to gently stroke the back of Priscilla's head. "Priscilla, I miss you, and I came up here to see you just one more time before you go."
Priscilla raised an eyebrow at what Patch just said. What she just heard from Patch did not make any sense to her, for it was Patch who came to Priscilla in her own home and not the other way around.
"Huh?" said Priscilla, confused. "Before I go? You mean before you go."
"No, Priscilla, he's right," said another voice in the room. "Before you go."
The voice that just spoke to Priscilla sounded undoubtedly familiar to her. She turned around to find that the voice came from Claire, who somehow got into her bedroom with the bedroom door still closed.
"Mother?" Priscilla gasped. "What do you mean, before I go? What is going on here?"
"I knew that Patch would come up here to see you again," said Claire.
Priscilla gasped in shock at this.
"You knew?" asked Priscilla. "How?"
"Oh, she's got her ways," said yet another voice in the room.
"Huh?"
Priscilla looked around the room to find where in it the voice was coming from.
"Who else is in my bedroom?!" Priscilla shouted.
"Me," said the voice.
Priscilla looked around the room again until she spotted a pup who was walking out of the shadows in one of the corners of the room. That pup was Beau.
"Beau?" Priscilla gasped.
"Yes, my dear, sweet Priscilla," said Beau. "Your mother and I understand that Patch came here to deliver some news to you, and we decided that it's best to join in and hear it."
"News?" said Priscilla, and she turned to face Patch. "Patch, what kind of news?"
Patch's facial expression changed from loving and concerned to angry and evil.
"Bad news for you, Priscilla," said Patch. "The news is, you'll be living the rest of your life very miserable. You've forgotten all about me, and you've chosen to be Beau's mate, just like your mother wanted. You now rather be with someone like Beau than with someone like me! Once upon a time, I loved you, and it's not just because you're beautiful; it's because you're sweet and kind to me, my family, and my friends, and you accept me for the kind of pup that I am. But now, the love is gone. You now decided to fulfill your mother's wishes and fall in love with a pup who loves you only because you're beautiful, nothing else. So, since you've made a choice that will only make your mother happy, you won't live happily ever after!"
Priscilla stared at Patch in shock after hearing everything he just said. After weeks of having forgotten all about Patch since the last time they saw each other and having gotten used to Beau, Priscilla finally remembered all the good times she had with Patch and how much the two pups loved each other, and she realized how Patch and Beau each really were in terms of personality. She clearly remembered how happy she was with Patch and how miserable she was with Beau. Thinking about all this made her realize that Patch is her true love and the pup that she wanted to be with.
"No!" Priscilla cried. "If there's any pup I want to be with, it's you, Patch! I just don't want to get in trouble again! But I don't want to live a miserable life. Please, Patch! I'm so sorry!"
"You're too late!" Patch roared, his voice echoing in the room.
Priscilla started to shed tears.
"Patch, no!" Priscilla begged. "Please! You are everything I wanted! You really are!"
"I've heard enough!" boomed Patch, his voice echoing in the room again.
On those last words Patch said to Priscilla, the night sky changed its color to blood red. Patch then grinned evilly at Priscilla.
"Priscilla, there's something I like to show you," said Patch. "It's right below the balcony."
Shaking, Priscilla followed Patch to the edge of the balcony, with Claire and Beau walking right behind her. The balcony was white, large, circular, and made of stone, with Baroque balusters.
"Look down there," Patch said to Priscilla as he pointed a front paw to the ground below the balcony.
Priscilla got on her hind legs, placed her front paws firmly on the railing, and looked down right at where Patch was pointing. On the ground below the balcony were Patch's family, Thunderbolt, Lightning, and Amber, looking vicious and ready to attack.
"Patch, those are your family and friends," said Priscilla.
"Exactly," said Patch.
Patch's family and friends looked up at Priscilla, growling, chomping their teeth, and scratching the ground.
"They don't look like they're happy to see me," said Priscilla, shaking.
"But they'll be happy to have you down there with them," said Patch. "Now, I'll let Beau and your mother take it from here."
Something strange then started happening to Patch, which caused Priscilla to gasp in shock. Patch started to disappear.
"Patch, what's happening to you?!" Priscilla cried. "You're--you're turning into a ghost!"
Patch's body was now transparent like a ghost. In fact, Patch's body became very much transparent that Priscilla could clearly see other buildings in London right through it.
"No, Priscilla," said Patch. "I'm leaving. Goodbye."
Patch continued to disappear, while Priscilla stared at him in shock. After a few moments, Patch was completely out of sight. Priscilla blinked a few times at Patch's disappearance, not beliving what she just saw happen to Patch.
"Patch?" Priscilla called out. "Patch!"
Priscilla waited for Patch to reappear. After about ten seconds of waiting, she became very scared to see that Patch did not reappear.
"Patch, come back!" Priscilla cried. "Please, come back! Don't leave me! Patch!"
Priscilla waited another ten seconds for Patch to reappear. After the wait, Patch still did not reappear. Priscilla then realized that Patch was never coming back. This caused her to drop herself down on the balcony floor and start crying. Claire and Beau then walked closer to Priscilla, and Claire gently patted Priscilla's head.
"It was bound to happen, Priscilla," said Claire softly. "By now, you should realize that you and Patch were never meant to be. By now, you should realize that Beau is the right pup for you."
Priscilla stopped crying and looked up at Claire.
"No, Mother," Priscilla said as she dried off her tears with her front right leg. "I want Patch, not Beau."
"Patch is gone," said Claire. "He's never coming back. Thank goodness."
"I am just as glad as your mother is about Patch being gone forever, Priscilla," said Beau. "Now, you have no choice but to accept that I am going to be your mate."
"Actually, Beau, Priscilla does have a choice."
Claire looked down furiously at Priscilla.
"All right, Priscilla," she said sharply. "Listen well. You can accept Beau as your mate. But if you don't, well, Patch's family and friends are down there, waiting for you, and they don't look friendly at all."
In the middle of her last sentence, Claire pointed her front right paw towards the edge of the balcony. Priscilla got back up on all fours, went back to the railing, and looked down at Patch's family and friends again. Patch's family and friends were all still looking vicious.
"They may look cruel, right now," Priscilla said to Claire, "but they won't harm me. They really never will do anything to hurt me."
"Are you positive about that?" smirked Claire.
Priscilla looked back down at Patch's family and friends, who were all barking angrily and excessively at her. As Priscilla looked down at them, she was thinking that the cruel and vicious behavior that they were exhibiting was all just an act to please Claire and Beau, and not really harm her. Patch's family and friends could look vicious and still be friendly; they have never have harmed her, and they never would. But then again, there might be a possibility that they could harm her in this case.
"It's your decision, Priscilla," said Claire. "You either accept Beau as your mate or get attacked brutally by Patch's family and friends."
Priscilla showed a terrified look on her face at the decisions that Claire gave her. She did not want to accept Beau as her mate, but she did not want to get viciously attacked by Patch's family and friends, either. She then looked down at the balcony floor and took a moment to think about her decision. Afterwards, she made up her mind and looked up at Claire to announce her decision.
"I have decided to be down there with Patch's family and friends," said Priscilla, jerking her head at the edge of the balcony.
"Really, my dear?" said Beau. "That's a shame. You could've had a better life with me. You could've had all the riches brought to you, no questions asked. You could've had me, who would compliment you on your beauty everyday."
"But she has made her decision," said Claire. "I was hoping that she would choose you and not Patch's family and friends. But since she chose what I hope she wouldn't choose, that's the choice we'll have to respect. There's no turning back, now."
Claire picked Priscilla up by the collar with her teeth and hung her over the edge of the balcony.
"It really pains me to see you get dropped to your doom like this," Beau said to Priscilla. "It really does. But you've made your choice, Priscilla, and we'll respect that. If getting attacked brutally by Patch's family and friends is what you want, then that's what you're going to get. Goodbye, my love."
Looking down at Priscilla and still holding on to her by the collar with her teeth, Claire grinned evilly at her daughter and let out an evil chuckle, with Priscilla looking up at her mother and gulping in fear as all this happened. After a moment, Claire let go of Priscilla's collar, dropping Priscilla to the spot where Patch's family and friends were waiting for her. Priscilla screamed very loudly as she was falling to her doom. She stopped screaming the moment she hit the ground really hard. All of Patch's siblings were sitting in a circle around Priscilla, while Pongo, Perdita, Thunderbolt, Lightning, and Amber were all sitting in a row behind the circle. Priscilla was in so much pain from how hard she had hit the ground after the fall she took that she had a hard time getting back up on her feet. She looked up at Patch's siblings, all of whom were staring at her with angry eyes that were glowing red.
"Please, don't hurt me!" Priscilla said to Patch's siblings as she blocked her face in fear by raising her front right leg in front of it. "I'm begging you guys! Please!"
"Why shouldn't we hurt you, Priscilla?" Lucky said with an evil tone in his voice, and everyone else confronting Priscilla spoke to her with that same evil tone in their voices.
"You don't love our brother anymore!" said Penny.
"You don't love our friend anymore!" said Thunderbolt.
"You don't love our son anymore!" said Pongo.
"And, now, he's gone..." Lightning began, and he raised his voice by a lot for the rest of his sentence, "...FOREVER!"
On that last word, fire spreaded all around the one hundred and four dogs. Priscilla gasped in horror at the sight of the flames as she watched them grow.
"You'd rather love a pup who loves you for just your looks than a pup who loves you for a whole lot more!" said Pepper.
"No!" cried Priscilla. "That's not true! I had to make my mother happy! I had no choice! I couldn't do anything about it without getting into trouble!"
"Silence!" shouted Perdita.
Priscilla stared at Perdita, looking terrified.
"You know, Priscilla," said Amber, "we've all liked you from the start. When we saw you play with Patch and kiss him, we all believed that you were the one for him. He was hoping that he and you would be together forever. He had his hopes up, and what did you do? You crushed his little heart by telling him that you two can never see each other again because of your mother. You are afraid of your mother. You let your mother push you around when she heard that Patch was your boyfriend. You had a chance to escape your mother's cruelty and selfishness, and keep Patch by your side, yet you never put it to use. Why? 'Cause you're a coward! A doggone coward! She may be your mother, but she's been making you do things that only fits her own selfish needs. She has no business choosing a pup to be your mate and forcing you to just accept it. The choice of which pup you want to be with should be yours, and yours alone. You should've taken the chance to fight your way out of the darkness that your mother has been keeping you in for what you want, but you didn't, and you just accepted a pup you don't love to be your mate. You see, Priscilla? When you find yourself in a fight you believe you can never win, you just give up easily. Well, let's see how easily you'll give up when you find yourself in a fight with Patch's brothers and sisters!"
Priscilla looked very scared after hearing everything Amber had to say to her. She shook her head and looked around Patch's siblings, who all looked ready for a fight.
"Children, attack Priscilla," Pongo ordered the ninety-eight pups, who all then charged at Priscilla.
"No!" Priscilla pleaded, still in too much pain to get back on her feet as she saw Patch's siblings running toward her. "Please, don't!"
But Patch's siblings kept charging at Priscilla, and they attacked her. The pups bit her with their sharp teeth, scratched her with their claws, spanked her with their front paws, and kicked her around with their hind paws. Priscilla was screaming in pain throughout the attack.
"NOOOOOOO!!!" Priscilla screamed as she continued getting attacked by Patch's siblings. "HEEEEEEELP!!!"
And with one more attack pulled on her, which was a spank on the left cheek from Freckles, Priscilla ended up lying spread-eagled on her back. All of Patch's siblings grinned evilly at Priscilla's defeat. Moments later, Rolly approached Priscilla.
"All this attacking Priscilla is making me hungry," said Rolly. "I'd like to have Priscilla for a midnight snack."
"Me, too," said Lucky, joining in.
"We all should eat Priscilla," said Penny. "Once she is eaten up, she will be gone, and Patch will be brought back..."
Penny looked down threateningly at Priscilla, who was still lying down, and now slowly opening her eyes.
"...without any memory of her."
All of Patch's siblings laughed evilly together, while Priscilla softly groaned in pain. Patch's siblings then slowly approached Priscilla, who struggled to lift her head to see them approaching her with their mouths open wide enough to show their sharp teeth.
"No," Priscilla said weakly, and her head dropped back down on the ground. "Please, don't."
Patch's siblings continued approaching Priscilla and laughing evilly, while Priscilla slowly closed her eyes. The mouths of many of the pups circled Priscilla, grew bigger, and moved even closer to her.
"Please, don't do this to me," Priscilla said as she moved her head and paws around on the ground in a struggling manner. "No. Please."
The mouths of the many siblings of Patch had gotten even closer together and even closer to Priscilla, right to the point where Priscilla became completely covered in darkness. As Priscilla continued moving her head and paws around, the ground she was lying on turned soft, her head was lifted a number of inches from the ground with a soft object right under it, and her body was covered warmly with another object. All this time, she was in bed, her head lying down on a pillow, and her body covered with a blanket. Everything that just happened was all a nightmare, which she had yet to wake up from.
"No, please, don't eat me," Priscilla groaned in her sleep as she rolled back and forth around the bed. "Somebody, help me. Please, help."
Priscilla kept rolling back and forth in her bed and groaning in her sleep until she reached the edge on her left side of that bed. At this point, she was completely wrapped up in her blanket except for her head. She then fell off her bed and hit the floor, which finally woke her up from the nightmare she just had.
"Ohh," Priscilla groaned. "It was all just a bad dream."
She then sighed in relief and made her way out of her blanket.
"Patch hasn't been here tonight, has he?" Priscilla asked herself quietly.
Priscilla walked across the room to the balcony doors and looked up to see that they were still latched. She then looked down at one of the glass panels on the left balcony door and moved the curtain with her front left paw to get a peek outside at her balcony. Patch was nowhere to be seen out there.
"No, he hasn't," Priscilla said quietly to herself.
Priscilla turned around and walked back to the other side of the room. She took a good look around there, seeing that the bedroom door was still closed, and that Claire and Beau were nowhere in the room.
"Oh, good," said Priscilla. "Mother and Beau haven't come here."
Priscilla took a few moments to think over the nightmare she just had. In that nightmare, Patch somehow got on Priscilla's balcony without using anything to get up there, and later disappeared in her eyesight. Also, in that nightmare, Claire and Beau somehow got into Priscilla's bedroom without opening the bedroom door. Priscilla was relieved that she was awake at this time, for there was no way that someone could actually get to a balcony without using anything to climb up there, or go into a room with a closed door without opening that door first. There was more to the nightmare for Priscilla to think over, so she turned around and headed over to her vanity mirror and hopped up the stool. She then stared at her reflection in the mirror and took a few moments to think about all that everyone in her nightmare said to her. After those moments, she blinked at her reflection in shock, seeing the kind of pup she became.
"Is that really me?" Priscilla asked herself softly. "A pup that my mother always wanted me to be? A pup who knows all about manners and etiquette? A pup who accepts a pup who doesn't care about anything about me but my looks...chosen by my mother...to be my mate?"
After asking herself all those questions, Priscilla stared at her reflection again. After ten seconds, she blinked again and shook her head.
"No," Priscilla gasped. "No, that's not me. I'm not like that. No."
She sadly looked down from the mirror to the table.
"I have become someone I'm not," she said, "and it's all because of Mother. She wanted me to accept someone I don't love to be my mate. She made me do everything that only makes her happy. None of the things I had to do for her made me happy. She has been making me miserable for a long time."
After a few seconds, she looked back up, now with an angry look on her face.
"Well, I've had enough," she said. "Being with Patch is the happiest thing that's ever happened to me. When I'm with him and his family and friends, I'm happy. And when I'm with Mother and Beau, I'm not happy. I've had enough of trying to be what Mother wants me to be. I'm not living my life this way anymore. I'm going to be what I want to be, and that is my own pup. I'm getting out of here."
She hopped off the stool and ran towards her bed. However, instead of getting back on the bed, she went under it, and she used her front paws to pull her Patch plush doll from there. The moment she got the plush doll from under the bed, she turned it around so that it was facing her.
"Patch, I love you," she said softly to the plush doll. "I don't love Beau. I can't stand being with Beau for even one more day. I'm leaving home and coming for you. I don't want to be with any other pup but you."
She then set the plush doll down on the floor and headed back to her vanity mirror. This time, instead of hopping up the stool, she pushed it towards the closet with her front paws. She stopped pushing the stool the moment it blocked the right bifold closet door. She then hopped up the stool, getting herself ready to open the left bifold closet door the way she did with one of the balcony doors in the nightmare she just had.
"All right," she said to herself. "Here I go."
She jumped off the stool, grabbed on to the handle on the left bifold closet door with her front paws, and and pushed herself from the right bifold closet door with her hind paws to get the former door open.
"Got it," she said, and she let go of the door handle and fell to the floor on her behind.
The left bifold closet door was open by a bit over an inch. Priscilla got back on her feet and used her front paws to push that door open even wider. The closet was a walk-in closet. Everything in that closet was placed neatly; they were all folded neatly, placed in their properly-labeled boxes, and arranged in order according to size and the alphabet. Priscilla stepped into the closet and moved her head back and forth to look for something that could help her leave home without Claire and anyone else in the mansion finding out. After about five seconds of looking around, she spotted a stack of sheets folded neatly on the lowest storage shelf. She then took all the sheets out of the closet and took them over to the blanket that was still rolled up on the floor. The moment the sheets were in place, Priscilla took the rolled up blanket, unrolled it, and smoothed it out.
"I got what I need to get out of here," said Priscilla softly.
Priscilla then took one of the folded sheets and tied one of the corners of that sheet with one of the corners of the blanket she just unrolled and smoothed out. She did the same thing with all the other sheets, tying them with each other by the corners, until they all made one long escape rope. She lied the tied sheets down on the floor and pulled each tied end with her front paws to make sure that they were all secured. She then stepped off the escape rope of sheets and turned to the chiffonier. She then did what she did in the nightmare she had: she went over to the chiffonier, pulled each drawer open at a certain width so that they all resembled steps, walked up the drawers, jumped high enough to climb up to the top of the chiffonier, turned to her left where the balcony doors were, made a jump for the latch and knobs on the balcony doors, grabbed on to the knob on the right hand balcony door with her front paws, used one front paw to unlatch the balcony doors, turned the knob on the right hand balcony door with both front paws, and got the door a couple of inches open by pushing herself from the left hand balcony door with her hind paws. She then let go of the door knob and fell to the floor on her front.
"Oh, I hope I never have to do something like this again," Priscilla groaned as she got back on her feet.
She ran back to the escape rope of sheets, balled it up, and pushed it toward the balcony doors. She then pulled the right hand balcony door open wider so she could get the escape rope of sheets out into the balcony. As soon as the escape rope of sheets were pushed all the way to the edge of the balcony, Priscilla took one end of the rope and took some time to wrap it around one of the balusters and tightly tie it to a knot. She then took the other end of the rope, threw it over the railing, and lowered it to the ground.
"I'm almost there," Priscilla whispered excitedly.
Priscilla then hopped up the railing, grabbed the escape rope of sheets with her front paws, held it close to her, and used it to climb down to the ground. The moment she reached the bottom end of the rope, she reached out her hind paws to touch the grass, and she let go of the rope, landing on the grass on all fours.
"I'm free!" Priscilla whispered triumphantly.
She ran several feet away from the mansion and stopped to look back at it.
"Goodbye, Mother," she said softly. "I'm going as far away from you as possible. I'll spend the rest of the night somewhere else in London. And when I see Patch tomorrow, I'm going with him to his home, where I will be happy and free to do what I want. You and Beau will never see me again."
Priscilla then turned away from the mansion and started running again. She ran several blocks, going left and right, not caring where else in London she would go or how tired she got from running later on, as long as she was so far away from her home that she could no longer even see it.
***
End of chapter eight.
|
|
|
Post by Flowgli on Feb 11, 2015 19:59:30 GMT -5
Chapter Nine: On The Streets Of London
***
Priscilla continued running down one street to another, trying her best to lose sight of her mansion completely. After what seemed to be fifteen minutes of running down the streets in London, Priscilla panted and started to slow down. Nearly out of breath and getting very tired from all that running, she had gotten slower with every few seconds that went by. She finally stopped when she stepped into an alley and collapsed into the ground.
"Oh, how far am I away from home?" said Priscilla, sounding exhausted.
Priscilla lied her head down on the ground and closed her eyes so she could rest. The rest, however, was over after only a few seconds when she heard a low growl coming from one of the corners in the back of the alley. She lifted her head up from the ground and opened her eyes in shock to see that the low growl came from a Doberman Pinscher.
"You, there," the Doberman Pinscher barked at Priscilla. "What do you think you're doing here in my alley?"
Priscilla quickly got back up on all fours.
"Your alley?" said Priscilla, shaking in fear.
"Yes, little puppy," the Doberman Pinscher growled. "My alley."
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know that anyone was here. You see, I just ran away from home because of how badly my mother treated me, and I got so tired from running from one street to another that I need to stop somewhere so I can rest for a few minutes."
"Well, you're gonna have to get moving and find someplace else to rest, because you're not gonna rest here."
The Doberman Pinscher glared and growled at Priscilla, baring his huge, sharp teeth in the process.
"This isn't a place for a pretty little pup like you, especially at night," he said in a low, threatening tone of voice. "And if you don't leave my alley, I'll tear you up with these big teeth of mine."
Priscilla gasped in horror at what the Doberman Pinscher just said as she took several steps away from him.
"All right, sir," said Priscilla. "I'm sorry. I'll leave."
Priscilla turned to her left and walked away quickly. As she continued walking down the streets, she saw more dogs from other places in London looking right at her. Each dog she passed by made a remark that made her feel uncomfortable.
"Hey, there," said a pug. "What's a nice pup like you doing out here in the middle of the night?"
Priscilla let out an uncomfortable chuckle and turned her attention away from the pug as she continued walking.
"Hey, cutie," said a Rottweiler. "Nice bows."
The Rottweiler then let out a chuckle that sounded evil to Priscilla, while Priscilla turned her attention away from him and continued making her way down the streets.
"Hey, little lady," said a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. "Are you some rich pup or something?"
Priscilla gave the Staffordshire Bull Terrier an annoyed look and tried focusing on where she was going yet again.
"Hey, you!" said a Boxer. "You shouldn't be walking about out here in the middle of the night, young lady! Go home, right now! Go home to your mother!"
Priscilla scoffed at the Boxer as she gave him an irritated look at what he just said. She then sharply turned her head away from the Boxer and started picking up the pace as she kept on walking down the streets.
"You, there!" a black Great Dane barked at Priscilla. "You shouldn't be wondering around the streets all alone after dark! Don't you have a nice, big home to go back to?"
Priscilla shut her eyes tightly and turned her head away from the black Great Dane, frustrated at what he just said to her. What all the dogs that Priscilla just passed by just said sounded to her like hints that they knew who she was, though she did not know any of them herself.
"Will you all just leave me alone?!" Priscilla shouted, and she ran away from the other dogs, trying to get as far away from them and her home as possible.
Priscilla kept running for about another five minutes. She then stopped and turned around to see if any of the dogs she just ran away from were following her. It turned out that none of those dogs followed her, and she sighed in relief for that. She faced forward and started walking.
"Good," Priscilla said to herself. "They're not following me. Oh, I hope no one else would come out and say anything that sounds bothersome to me."
Priscilla was completely alone for another five minutes as she continued walking. There were no more dogs around to bother her. All was quiet in London. Priscilla stopped on a corner of a pavement to take a break from all the traveling she did in London so far.
"Oh, I wish Patch was here, right now," she said.
After resting for a few minutes, Priscilla started walking again. She was glad to be far away from her mother and Beau, and she was relieved that no other dogs came over to bother her, but she was feeling lonely, and she was hoping that Patch would be right by her side to accompany and comfort her. Other than the fact that Patch was not there with her for the rest of her walk in the night, there was nothing out there to bother her. That later changed when she heard a car approaching while crossing a street. She then stopped dead in her tracks, turned her head to face the approaching car, and stared at it with a frightened look on her face for a couple of seconds. As soon as she saw the headlights pointing right at her, she screamed very loudly and quickly reached the pavement on the other side of the street.
"Oh, if only you were here with me, right now!" Priscilla cried, wishing that Patch was now with her as she lied down on the pavement. "I need you! I really need you, now!"
Priscilla then started sobbing. She no longer felt the desire to continue walking around London to get away from Claire and Beau as possible. All she could think about was Patch being with her. Moments later, she stopped sobbing when she heard a voice speaking from a building behind her.
"Who's out there?!" the voice called out. "Who's making all that noise out there?! My family and I are trying to sleep!"
Priscilla raised her head from the pavement in surprise.
"Who said that?" she gasped as she looked from her left to her right to find out where the voice was coming from.
"I did, young lady!" said the voice. "Can you please keep it down?"
Priscilla got back on all fours and took a better look around to find out who was speaking to her and where whoever was speaking to her was. She stopped looking around when she spotted a gray mouse standing several feet away from her. The mouse was also standing next to a large hole in a wall of a building to his right.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir," said Priscilla, trying to calm herself down. "I just ran away from home, and I can't go back. I'm looking for a place to stay for the rest of the night, and I got scared along the way."
"Scared?" said the mouse. "Really?"
"Yes. I came across some strange dogs, and I almost got ran over by a car."
"Oh, dear. Why did you run away from home anyway?"
"My mother is very cruel, and she doesn't like the pup I love. I need to stay someplace where the pup I love will find me so I can go away with him without my mother finding out."
The mouse seemed uncertain about Priscilla running away from home and waiting in another place in London for someone to take her even further away from home, but he did not know Priscilla or what happened in her life, so he knew that he was in no position to judge her.
"All right," said the mouse softly, and he gestured Priscilla to come closer to him. "Come here."
Priscilla walked towards the mouse and sat down as soon as she got close enough to him.
"Now, tell me about this pup you love," said the mouse. "What is he like?"
"Well, he's kind and loving," said Priscilla. "He likes to play with me, and he loves me for my kindness and for being myself."
"Those are really good qualities to me. I don't understand why your mother doesn't like a pup like that."
Priscilla lowered her head in sadness on the next thing she was about to say.
"My mother doesn't like him because she thinks he's not manly enough," she said sadly.
"Not manly enough?" said the mouse, raising an eyebrow. "What does your mother mean by that, exactly?"
"My mother thinks that he's weak and pathetic, but he's not. He's brave, and he's a hard worker. But my mother doesn't care. She doesn't care anything about him."
Priscilla then shedded a couple of tears, turned away from the mouse, and looked up at the stars in the night sky.
"Oh, if only the pup I love was here," she said softly. "He would be happy to see me again, just like I would be happy to see him again. He would see how much I missed him. I've forgotten about him for some time after the last time we saw each other, but everything about him came back to me tonight. Oh, I hope he has never forgotten about me."
She dried off her tears with her front right paw, and music for a song started playing in the background. After Priscilla managed to calm herself, she started singing to express how much she loved and missed Patch:
"It's been a while since we've seen each other, And it is all because of my mother. I really hope you know I really missed you so And wondered if you missed me, too.
I've been alone for each day that went by. I've been so sad, and I tried not to cry. Don't be forever gone. I really can't go on For one more minute without you."
Priscilla walked closer to the pavement and looked back up at the stars as she sang the next lines:
"I really need you here with me. Don't leave me all alone. Yes, you and I were meant to be. I can't live on my own."
The mouse walked closer to Priscilla to hear her sing more of her song. With the mouse now standing next to her, Priscilla continued singing:
"You're what I have been dreaming of. You really are the one I love. There's nothing else I could be wishing for. And with your kindness and strong heart, We'll never again be apart. You're all I need; I couldn't ask for more."
It was now the mouse's turn to shed a couple of tears. He dried off his tears with the palm of his right hand as Priscilla continued singing:
"When we first met, we've had such a great time. But we were forced to separate. Now, I'm Wishing that you were here. I will not shed a tear Of sadness; only tears of joy.
Please, come and find me, and take me away. I really know that you will find your way. Together, we will go And let the whole world know That I'm your girl and you're my boy."
The mouse put his hands over his heart, closed his eyes, and smiled, taking everything that was sung so far into account. He remained in this position as Priscilla sang the next lines:
"I'm hoping not to wait so long. I need you here, right now. I hope you'll come when things go wrong And make them right somehow!"
The mouse quickly opened his eyes when he heard Priscilla now singing with pride, and it really showed when Priscilla sang the next lines:
"You're what I have been dreaming of. You really are the one I love. There's nothing else I could be wishing for! And with your kindness and strong heart, We'll never again be apart. You're all I need; I couldn't ask for more!"
Priscilla's song was coming closer to an end, and the mouse dropped his hands from his heart and had a worried look on his face when he saw Priscilla sadly looking down to the ground. Priscilla softly sang the last line while trying her best not to shed any more tears:
"No, really, I just couldn't ask for more."
After her song ended, Priscilla shedded a few more tears, and the mouse walked closer to her to pet her on her front left leg to comfort her.
"There, there, now," said the mouse gently. "This pup you love will come for you soon. Please, tell me more about him. What does he look like? Where does he live? Who are his friends?"
Priscilla dried off her tears again and sniffed.
"Well, he's a Dalmatian like me," said Priscilla, "and one of his spots is on his right eye."
The mouse blinked in surprise at how Priscilla described Patch's appearance so far.
"Hang on," said the mouse. "A Dalmatian with a spot on his right eye?"
Hearing this, Priscilla's face lit up. She started to get the feeling that the mouse knew Patch.
"Yes," said Priscilla. "You know him?"
"I met him only once," said the mouse, "but that was months ago. He saved me from getting eaten by a cat."
"He did?"
"Yes, he did. This cat was owned by a woman who dognapped nearly all the dogs in London and planned to have them all shipped to Antarctica. After the cat caught me, the pup squashed her to death with a grandfather clock."
Priscilla was surprised at what she just heard from the mouse.
"Really?" she said, intrigued by the mouse's story.
"Yes," said the mouse. "He was behind the grandfather clock, and he managed to push it and make it collapse on the cat."
Priscilla gasped in surprise at what the mouse just said. She completely brightened up.
"He really did!" the mouse continued excitedly. "I thanked him, and he said 'don't mention it', and he left. I haven't heard from him ever since. He really was a strong pup if he could make a grandfather clock fall down like that."
Priscilla nodded in agreement.
"I knew he wasn't weak!" she said. "If my mother and I were a couple of all those dogs that were dognapped that day, it would be an amazing thing to see him do, and my mother would realize that he is not weak!"
"Absolutely!" said the mouse cheerfully.
"He also lives in a farm in Devon, but his pets were kind enough to bring him and his family from there to here so he could see his friends, Thunderbolt, Amber, and Lightning."
The mouse nodded once, happy to know that Priscilla came around to answering his other questions without him having to ask them again.
"I have just one more question," said the mouse. "What is the pup's name?"
"His name is Patch," said Priscilla. "Oh, and my name is Priscilla. What's your name?"
"Timothy!" a new voice called out angrily.
Priscilla and the mouse named Timothy turned around in surprise to see where the new voice came from. That new voice came from another gray mouse, who was standing next to the hole in the wall with an angry look on her face, her arms crossed, and her left foot tapping impatiently.
"Oh!" Timothy exclaimed in embarrassment. "Sorry, Gertrude. I guess I got so excited while talking to this pup here that I have forgotten that I was supposed to make sure that everything out here is quiet."
"Yes, I can tell," the mouse named Gertrude said angrily as she stomped toward Timothy and Priscilla. "While you were out here, I was hoping that everything would be quiet, but instead, I had to stay awake and hear even more noise. I had to hear screaming, crying, singing, and loud talking."
"I'm sorry, madam," Priscilla said to Gertrude softly, hanging her head in sadness.
"Gertrude, I'd like you to meet Priscilla," said Timothy, and he turned to Priscilla. "Priscilla, this is Gertrude, my wife."
Priscilla lifted her head up a bit to look at Gertrude and smiled at her.
"Pleased to meet you, Gertrude," she said, and she turned to Timothy. "Exactly how many of you are there, sir?"
"Please, my name is Timothy," said Timothy. "There are four of us mice living here. There's me, Gertrude, and our two children."
"And our children are probably still awake, right now," said Gertrude sharply, and she turned around to go back into the hole.
Priscilla and Timothy followed Gertrude to the hole, but then stopped when they saw Gertrude stop and turn around to face them.
"This pup is not to come into our home," said Gertrude, pointing at Priscilla.
Hearing this, Priscilla flinched and took a good look at the hole in the wall. The wall looked big enough for Priscilla and any creature her size to easily walk in and out of.
"Why not?" Priscilla asked Gertrude. "The hole looks like I can easily fit through it."
"No, young lady," snapped Gertrude. "You're not coming in here. Four mice is enough. Four mice and a pup is too much."
"But I need a place to stay for tonight. I've been walking and running a lot on the streets tonight, and I'm tired."
"Come on, Gertrude, let Priscilla stay," Timothy pleaded.
"Please, Gertrude. Just let me stay for one night."
Gertrude glared at Priscilla for a moment, while Priscilla sadly stared at Gertrude. As seconds went by, the look on Gertrude's face slowly changed to a resigned one.
"What were you doing wandering around the streets at night anyway?" Gertrude asked Priscilla, trying her best to calm down.
Priscilla was tired of being asked what she was doing outside on the streets in the middle of the night, but she felt that it was best of her to answer Gertrude's question in the politest way possible, so that the mouse would be more accepting to the pup.
"I ran away from home," said Priscilla. "I'm far away from home, now, but I don't think I'm far enough."
"But why did you run away from home?" Gertrude asked as she took a good look at the collar and ribbons on Priscilla. "You look like you live in a very nice home with a very nice family."
"The home I live in is nice. It's a mansion. But the only family I have is my mother, and she's not nice at all."
Gertrude raised an eyebrow at this.
"Oh, really?" she said.
"Yes," said Priscilla. "My mother is cruel to Patch, a pup I really love. She hates him. She doesn't care that he works hard with Thunderbolt and Lightning on their television show, she doesn't care that he did a lot of real life heroic deeds, and she doesn't care that he loves me for more than my looks. She thinks that he's not good enough for me, and she'll put me under eternal punishment if she catches me with him again. Patch comes here in London every Saturday and Sunday with his family and friends. When I see him tomorrow, I'll leave London with him, and I'll be gone from here forever. So, will you let me in, please?"
After hearing everything that Priscilla had to say, Gertrude took a few moments to think it over. After those moments have passed, she looked up at Priscilla, who was sadly looking down at her. Gertrude had finally reached her decision.
"Oh, all right," Gertrude said wearily. "You can stay, but for one night only. Come in."
Priscilla brightened up again after hearing what Gertrude just said.
"Really?" Priscilla said happily. "Oh, thank you, Gertrude."
"You're welcome," said Gertrude sternly. "Just don't make any more noise."
Priscilla then started to feel embarrassed about how loud she was being to Gertrude.
"Right," Priscilla said in a hushed tone. "Sorry."
Gertrude turned around and walked back into the hole in the wall, with Priscilla and Timothy following her. The hole lead to the mice's home, which was below the floor of the building that the hole was in, and the height of the mice's home was two feet. All that was in the mice's home are a lit candle, a stack of cheese, a stack of crackers, four pin cushions used for seats, four empty thread spools used for tables, and five matchboxes, one of which was filled with matches and four of which were empty and used for beds.
"Well, here it is," Timothy whispered to Priscilla. "This is our home. Not much here, though."
Two smaller, younger gray mice then walked into the sights of Timothy, Gertrude, and Priscilla from one side of the mice's home.
"Mum, Dad, what happened outside?" the young male mouse asked Timothy and Gertrude.
"Is that a puppy?" the young female mouse asked Timothy and Gertrude as she looked up at Priscilla excitedly.
"Yes, this is a puppy," Gertrude said to the young mice, "and she's the one who woke us all up."
"Priscilla, these are the children," said Timothy, beckoning Priscilla towards the young mice. "Our son, Jack, and our daughter, Brie."
"Hello," said Priscilla, smiling as she took a few steps closer to the two young mice and looked down at them.
"Hi," the young female mouse named Brie said to Priscilla she went closer to her and reached out a hand to pet her on the front left paw. "You're really pretty."
"Thank you, Brie."
The young male mouse named Jack then angrily walked towards Priscilla.
"You know, we were sleeping very well tonight," said Jack, "but thanks to you making all that noise out there, we all have to spend the rest of the night putting up with you."
"Calm yourself, Jack," said Gertrude calmly. "We won't have to put up with her for too long. She's only gonna be here tonight, and by tomorrow, she'll be out of here."
Brie looked up at Gertrude, not liking the sound of what the latter mouse just said.
"She has to leave tomorrow?" Brie asked Gertrude sadly as she hugged Priscilla's front left leg. "But why? I always wanted a puppy."
"Dogs don't make good pets for mice, Brie," said Gertrude. "We can't keep her."
"I don't plan to stay here after tonight anyway," Priscilla said to Brie.
"Really?" said Jack, sounding relieved. "Good."
"But why?" Brie asked Priscilla.
"Because there's a pup I love, and I'll be leaving London with him tomorrow," said Priscilla.
Brie smiled at Priscilla after hearing what she just said.
"You're in love with someone?" she asked Priscilla.
"Yes," said Priscilla. "His name is Patch, and he lives in Devon. That's miles away from here. It takes hours to get here from there and vice versa, but he and his family are able to manage it every Saturday and Sunday, and it's worth it. He'll be here tomorrow, and I'll go to Devon with him. And once I leave London, I'm never coming back."
Hearing this, Brie frowned.
"Never?" said Brie.
"Never," said Priscilla. "I'm sorry."
"All right, everyone," Gertrude called to Priscilla, Brie, Jack, and Timothy. "I think we all should be going back to sleep. Come on, now."
"Yes, Mum," said Jack, and he went into one of the empty matchboxes for bed.
Gertrude turned around to see Brie still hugging Priscilla's front left leg and headed towards her.
"Come along, now, Brie," Gertrude said as she brandished her hands at Brie.
Brie reluctantly let go of Priscilla's leg and headed towards another one of the empty matchboxes. While Priscilla was watching Brie, Jack, and Gertrude get ready for bed, Timothy was putting a slice of cheese between two crackers. Timothy then took the cheese and crackers over to Priscilla.
"Priscilla?" said Timothy softly, and Priscilla turned to her left to see him hold the cheese and crackers towards her. "I just thought I'd offer you something to eat before we go to sleep. Do you eat cheese and crackers?"
"Yes, I do," said Priscilla. "I'll eat anything, as long as it's not caviar."
Timothy chuckled as Priscilla took the cheese and crackers out of his hands with her mouth and ate them.
"Well, you're in luck," Timothy said as he watched Priscilla eat the cheese and crackers, "because we don't have any caviar here."
After chewing her food, Priscilla swallowed it and nuzzled Timothy.
"Thank you, Timothy," she said.
"You're very welcome, Priscilla," said Timothy, stroking Priscilla's nose with one of his little hands.
Gertrude, who was now occupying one of the remaining two empty matchboxes, took a deep sigh, getting impatient with Timothy and Priscilla keeping her awake.
"All right, you two," said Gertrude impatiently. "Are you ready for bed, now?"
"Yes, Gertrude, we're ready," said Timothy, and he turned to Priscilla. "I'm sorry we don't have anything that you can use for a bed around."
"It's all right," said Priscilla. "I'll be fine."
Gertrude then clapped her hands angrily, signaling Timothy to get into bed.
"Get a move on, Timothy!" she snapped. "Don't keep your family up any longer!"
Timothy rushed to the remaining empty matchbox and went in it for bed.
"Thank you," huffed Gertrude. "Now, good night."
"Good night, Gertrude," Timothy said as he lied down in his matchbox.
"Good night, children," Gertrude said to Jack and Brie.
"Good night, Mum," Jack and Brie said in unison as they lied down in their matchboxes.
Priscilla lied down by the lit candle, while Gertrude was sitting up in her matchbox, glaring at Priscilla.
"And you, Priscilla," said Gertrude sharply, pointing a finger at Priscilla. "Blow out that candle."
Priscilla took a deep sigh, getting annoyed by Gertrude's attitude.
"Yes, Gertrude," Priscilla said in an annoyed tone, and she blew out the candle. "Good night."
"Good night," Timothy, Brie, and Jack said to Priscilla, and they all fell asleep.
Gertrude was the only one still awake at this time. She was still sitting up in her matchbox, and she now had her arms crossed. She looked left and right to see if there was anything else nearby that would make any noise and wake the whole mouse family up again. She waited for another minute. Nothing happened. There was no more noise. All was quiet. Gertrude was happy about this for a moment, but when she looked at Priscilla and watched her sleep, she began to feel bad for the way she acted towards the pup. The expression on her face then changed to that of regret, and she sighed in shame.
"Good night, Priscilla," said Gertrude softly, and she lied down in her matchbox and fell asleep.
From this point on until the next morning, everyone in the hole was sound asleep. There was no noise and no one coming near the hole for the rest of the night. Priscilla was happy that she was able to find a place where she could get some sleep that night so she would not have to spend the rest of it running down the streets of London.
***
End of chapter nine.
|
|