Hazel and Sam hit the ground hard. Luckily they had not been tossed too far up in the air, and the road was dirt, not gravel or pavement, so they were not hurt at all.
Fall was in the air. Pumpkins were growing ripe on their vines, a breeze was starting to blow with just the faintest hint of chill, and the leaves were getting more and more tinged with red, gold, and brown every day.
In the morning, they shared breakfast, and Annie was persuaded to partake of some of the bottled water they had, even though it was tap water from the sink and thus could, as she had said earlier, make her sick.
“What do we do?” MiMee shuddered. “What does it want?” Louey shivered. “Put the flashlight on,” Sadie Lynn suggested. “No! It will know we’re here!” protested Louey. “What if it already does?” MiMee’s voice was a tiny squeak.
Sadie Lynn blinked, feeling a bit confused as she awoke. Something didn’t feel right. For one thing, she was on a hard surface, nothing like her nice bed at home.
Even though it was late September, Georgia was still warm and sunny and a certain trio of pet pooches had decided to make the most of this by renting a rowboat at the park.
Sam the rat had never felt more big and adult. Here she was, traipsing about town all on her own, just like a grownup, and at this time of evening too!
"Now that you have seen Squirrel City, you cannot leave,” explained Scurrius. “But do not despair! Our world is beautiful, free from the loud noises and scary smells of the city!
The troupe of squirrels led Louey, Sadie Lynn, and Sam further into the woods. Scurrius and a few others stayed with them on the ground, but most remained in the trees.
“Well, that settles it,” said Louey. “I think we’re lost.” They had now been walking for hours trying to find their way back to the trail entrance, but they’d had no luck. In fact, they seemed to be deeper into the woods than ever.
“Thank you for agreeing to do this, Sadie Lynn,” said Miss Blatz to her terrier friend, who was standing on the porch of Miss Blatz' country home. She had come to pick Sam up for an outing.
The ferry crew was baffled as to what to do. Whatever was gumming up the paddle wheel was deep in there, and human hands couldn’t reach down far enough or maneuver finely enough to fix it.
Sadie Lynn, the black Scottish terrier, was taking a lovely paddlewheel ferry cruise with her friends, a pair of rats named Miss Blatz and Sam. Miss Blatz was a lovely plump albino lady-rat, while the tomboyish black-and-white young Sam was her adopted ward.
“Now, now,” Miss Blatz gently chided Jenner to get his attention. “You’ll absolutely ruin your nice white suit if you do that.” Jenner straightened up at the sight of Miss Blatz, and tried to look tough again, as if he didn’t care about having been shooed away from the party.
The strange rat looked a bit confused, and asked Miss Blatz, “You’re friends with this mutt? She’s not bothering you?” “No, but you are!” Sam was ready to fight now herself...
A Jazz Age/1920s-themed garden party was being held in the park today for all local pets, and the trio of Miss Blatz the rat, Sadie Lynn the black Scottish terrier, and Blatz’s ward, a young fellow rat named Sam, were, of course, in attendance.