Grampy
Admin: Hearing about Melanie’s dad got us thinking about the tough old guys of that generation. Here’s Grampy from Into The Dark.
What was that? Voices? Yes, some commotion outside: angry voices. Ingrid went to a window, wiped away the grime. From there she could see the front of the house, about twenty or thirty yards away. A green van stood in the driveway, with stenciled words on the side: Department of Conservation. Grampy stood in the doorway of the house, facing a man about his own size, white-haired like Grampy but younger, dressed in a uniform, same color as the van. He had some papers in his hand and shook them at Grampy. Grampy batted them away with the back of his hand, scattering the papers in the snow. The man in green jumped back and snatched something from his pocket.
A camera?
Yes. The man in green stooped over and started taking close-ups of the scattered papers. That seemed to infuriate Grampy. He spun around and disappeared in the house. But not for long: A moment or two later, he was back, the .22 rifle in his hands, barrel pointed to the ground. Ingrid banged open the barn door and raced outside.
“Grampy! Grampy!”
The men turned to her. They both froze for a moment. Then Grampy took the rifle and stuck it inside the house, out of sight. The man in green put his camera away and picked up the papers. Ingrid came to a halt, a few steps away.
“What’s happening?” she said. “What’s wrong?”
The man in green – much younger than Grampy, one of those prematurely gray guys – turned back to Grampy and said, “I’m trying to do my lawful duty.”
Grampy said: “This is my land. Get off.”
The man in green folded the papers. “I’ll be back,” he said. “With a warrant and police protection if necessary.”
Grampy started trembling. I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said.
They glared at each other. Then the man in green got in his van and drove away, spraying gravel. Ingrid went over to Grampy. She hated to see him trembling like that, but the look in his eye – so fierce – made the notion of hugging him or even touching his arm out of the question.
“Grampy?” she said. “What’s going on?”
He turned to her, the look in his eye slowly fading, as though he was coming out of some sort of trance. He took a deep breath. “Total breakdown of society,” he said.
Tags: Echo Falls Series
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 at 9:07 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
5:10 am on April 13th, 2010
"Total breakdown of society."
I hate when that happens!
5:12 am on April 13th, 2010
Nice!…. I can see why Abbie enjoys the Ingrid series so much….snort!… I bet old Grampy would have shot the camera right out of that guys hand if Ingrid hadn’t shown up… grunt!
5:20 am on April 13th, 2010
Melanie — so glad that things went well last night, but with Wolfie, I'm keeping those thoughts and prayers going today as well.
Rio, you asked for some pictures, so here they are. This one is me, not in disguise, but at least in my formal attire. The next one (in the next post) is me on vacation in Vermont.
Wookie
[img ]http://chetthedog.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/1271168415-Holiday Portrait.jpg[/img]
5:21 am on April 13th, 2010
And me in Vermont.
[img ]http://chetthedog.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/1271168474-Wookie 1.jpg[/img]
5:32 am on April 13th, 2010
Thank you Admin . . . I gave Dad The Tutor for his stay in the hospital, you know that book by the other guy. Now I'm going to have to get the Echo Falls series!
Thanks all and thanks Chet for your posts . . Dan talked a nurse into calling us around 6:30 am because he was concerned about the cell phone. He's going to be sitting up today and probably moved to a regular room today.
Zoë called down. Not saying we're a little tired here, but she realized she was using the remote instead of the phone. She's now taking a nap before she goes.
The Newf Pack was a great help. No really! They knew something was up and stayed right by my side until Zoë got home and then they all went to bed with her. Yup, ten Newfs trying to sleep on the bed. Luckily, they took turns.
Thank you all, Melanie
PS Wookie, you are a handsome dude. I image when Rio loses that 10 pounds he will give you a run for your money.
PS Of course, no one beats the picture of Chet in my mind. Which no matter how he is described has a lot of Newfoundland in him.
5:36 am on April 13th, 2010
Hey!… Thanks Wookie!… snort!… I just love seeing your smiling face….grunt!… It warms the cockles of my heart!… wheeze!
Psst!… How did the recon job go?… snort!… I still haven’t gotten any definite information on this side yet… grunt!
5:57 am on April 13th, 2010
Melanie, good news about your dad! Thanks for the update!
Wookie, you are so handsome. I love goldens! One of my best friends, Sandy, was a golden girl who is now dancing on the steps of the rainbow bridge.
Ahem…..Rio and Wookie, it sounds as if you two are up to No Good! That is fabulous! Although I am a Good Dog, sometimes it is great fun to be a dog that isn't so good. Like when my friend Baxter invites me to roam the neighborhood. I love the freedom! (Baxter lives next door, but he lives with us on the third shift, nights and weekends.) He isn't tutored (or neutered, or something, I can't remember) and mom and dad are always talking talking about sneaking the Baxboy to the doctor for an Operation. I'm glad I had my operation when I was a young pup!
So, Rio and Wookie, can you give up a hint or two? I promise not to tell a soul!
5:58 am on April 13th, 2010
The Wookster! So handsome!
6:19 am on April 13th, 2010
Wookie! Nice coat you got there! So shiny! Right now, I got the shivers. I'm afraid for Grampy and Ingrid!
"Total breakdown of society." What does that even mean? I'm a dog, not Congress, whoever that is…
6:28 am on April 13th, 2010
Don’t worry Lil Lexi… snort!…Grampy has a gun and knows how to use it!… grunt!… To know what he means by “Total breakdown of society” we would have to read the whole story… wheeze!… Or get Abbie to tell us what happened….hic!
Dubya!… No.
7:03 am on April 13th, 2010
Thanks, Rio! Chet, are we going to get the whole story to understand what "Total breakdown of society" mean?
And Spencer, when are we going to see the cover of To Fetch A Theif, if we are ever going to?
7:06 am on April 13th, 2010
Wooks! Lookin' good!
7:54 am on April 13th, 2010
Good!… question about the book cover….snort!… I wander who the artist is? …. Grunt!… Maybe it will be the back of Chet sitting in the audience at the circus while Peanut performs in the Ring… heh!
8:10 am on April 13th, 2010
The scene with Ingrid and Grampy reminds me of a similar scene in To Kill a Mockingbird when Scout brings relief to a tense and potentially explosive situation. I really liked Grampy in Down the Rabbit Hole, especially in the sinkhole episode.
Melanie: I'm glad things are going well.
Wookie: You are beautiful.
8:12 am on April 13th, 2010
Chet, have now order the Echo Falls series, let the PA guy know.
Looking forward to what happens with Gramps.
I have noticed the Slide Show now shows a lot of different pictures. Congrats to the Admin!
(aside) Rio, you can tell us, what are you and Wookie up to?
8:17 am on April 13th, 2010
Stover!… When I read that scene this morning it reminded me of something but I couldn’t quite grasp the memory… snort!… That’s what it was – To Kill a Mockingbird!… sigh… I can rest easy now… thanks!
Melanie!… No.
9:21 am on April 13th, 2010
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ChetTheDog. ChetTheDog said: Grampy: Admin: Hearing about Melanie’s dad got us thinking about the tough old guys of that generation. Here’s Gra… http://bit.ly/9RT2b8 […]
8:26 am on April 13th, 2010
Rio: Please?
8:30 am on April 13th, 2010
Are we the only ones to see a resemblance between 007 Bond and Wookie in his formal attire? Has he been a spy of long standing and just now joined ranks with Commander Rio? Or is there history in Rio's organization kept top secret on a need to know basis only? No wonder the innocent Audrey fell so quickly under Wookie's spell. Spill all,Rio, inquiring minds want to know ALL
8:34 am on April 13th, 2010
Department of Conservation…..sounds like Ingrid and Grampy are being evicted……
……eminent domain????
8:38 am on April 13th, 2010
Regarding the book cover…..
you mean to tell me that the previous covers were drawings?
as in art?
Well shiver me timbers….I had assumed that they were well executed photographs?
I am stunned. They look so much like Chets profile that I, well, I'm speechless.
8:42 am on April 13th, 2010
Thanks for keeping us updated Melanie. It was a big relief when I read your post last night. Sounds like they are going to have your dad up and back on his feet in no time. Mom says a ruptured appendix is no fun. She had that happen when she was 22. There is no comparison, though, because of the age difference.
I knew the pack would be a big help to you. Mom really believes in the healing power of dog company. I'm a dog. I know that is true.
I think mom gets as much out of going to the dog park as I do, but I don't let on to her that I know that.
8:43 am on April 13th, 2010
I decided to close my mouth before a fly flew into it. (Not that that would be a bad thing. I'm fiece with bothersome flies. Fierce!)
00-Wookie?
Commando Rio?
Shaken, not stirred?
Wookie, you handsome devil, you, maybe you could whisper it to us. We know how to keep a secret, right guys?
8:44 am on April 13th, 2010
SH: You mom is right. Dogs are magic. Cats too.
8:48 am on April 13th, 2010
Nothing!… is afoot… yet!
But!… There are many things we do not know at this time and would like to know:
T-FAT: When is the 100% Pub date?
T-FAT: Where is the 1st draft hidden?
T-FAT: What does the cover look like?
T-FAT: Will Leda mess things up for Bernie and Susie?
T-FAT: Will Chet have a girlfriend? (hope not!)
And last but not least: Why hasn’t Admin arranged for the Charming Mr. Abrahams website to be updated yet???
8:50 am on April 13th, 2010
What a beautiful Golden you are Wookie!! Mom loves the pictures–she loves Goldens, but she has never had one. One look at you and Audrey's heart would melt.
We are ordering the Echo Falls series within the next few days.
8:53 am on April 13th, 2010
Rio:
This is why you are the Commander. You are keeping us on task!
This is good.
We dogs tend to get a little scatterb….say, is that a butterfly I see? Oops, catch ya later, aligator! I need to go investigate…………zoom, dust flies, Wolfie is a blur.
8:58 am on April 13th, 2010
Siber-H and Wolf Dog, dogs are magic. Let's face it what is dog spelled backwards?
Rio, Chet sitting in the audience? I don't see it. Riding Peanut maybe. I guess though the artist would have to stick with the same cover type as the last two.
9:05 am on April 13th, 2010
Wha!?… Why would Chet be riding an elephant?… grump!
9:46 am on April 13th, 2010
Rio, Chet is an action dog full of joy. Just think what happened at the dog show . . and he is a great leaper . . I bet he could make it to Peanut's back no problem!
9:50 am on April 13th, 2010
Rio, are you keeping mum on Wookie's spy alias? Did he break protocal posting his pic in evening wear?
10:01 am on April 13th, 2010
Agent!…Wookie is well known on the East Coast as the debonair bachelor extraordinaire …. snort!… He has connections within the most elite of canine society…. wheeze!… He is the most interesting male dog in the world…. grunt!…. His favorite saying is, “Stay thirsty my friends”….gruff!
10:10 am on April 13th, 2010
Rio. I just finished encrypting the report (using the special woof encryptor you sent me) and you should have the report shortly. It's still a bit early for a martini (shaken, not stirred, of course), so maybe I'll just settle for a quick nap. Cheers, Wookie
11:24 am on April 13th, 2010
You guys are hilarious! Rio: You have to let Wolfie be an agent if he isn't one already….he's a blur!
11:54 am on April 13th, 2010
Stover!… He isn’t an agent yet… snort!… As far as I can tell, he has no discipline training… grunt!… It would be way to dangerous to have him chasing butterflies around when he is supposed to be following strict orders….wheeze!…. plus I just don’t know the fellow very well yet…gasp!
1:11 pm on April 13th, 2010
Rio – Commander – We need Wolfie on our next mission because he's such a fast runner. We also need my cousin Sam. She is so little, she can sneak in anywhere.
What an awesome team we will be – well we already were but now we have even more talent.
2:30 pm on April 13th, 2010
I’ve always thought that it was no accident what dog spelled backwards is.
I love the covers of Chet’s first two books. They are perfect!
We just ordered the Echo Falls series. Got that done sooner than we thought we would.
1:33 pm on April 13th, 2010
Thank goodness for google. I put in detective, synchronicity, fiction and found it!
I read it back in 1987 when it first came out.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams with a sequel called The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.
He's the dude who wrote the Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe (with my favorite) So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish.
3:26 pm on April 13th, 2010
Wha!? ….Fast Runner?… cough!… Siber-H is a fast runner and an upstanding fellow…snort!… Little? We have lil Lexi and she did her job to perfection on the last mission…grunt!…I’m not seeing the need to train another Agent yet….wheeze!
Lets!… give it a little more time and see what happens… snort!… You guys all had to wait a very long time for your opportunity, remember?… grunt!… I need more time to decide what to do…gasp!
4:11 pm on April 13th, 2010
Hi there everyone. Glad to know that Melanie's Dad is doing so well. We will keep the good vibes flowing towards him.
~~Wow, just a little blurb from "Into the Dark" and you all see the reason I liked Ingrid so much. Grampy too of course.
~~Wookster! Whew, is it warm in here or what? No wonder Audrey was such a pushover. He is too sexy for his tie!
~~The one who is not called Zippy is traveling today. She should be coming into the US tonight and then on Thursday (or early Friday) will arrive here. Whoopeee!!! Then we can quadruple team you. Alice, Abbie, Staff and notZippy.
4:18 pm on April 13th, 2010
Hmmm….. I have a feeling this is not a good thing for anybody!…snort!.. Triple teamed by Alice, Abby and ole what’s her name?…. grunt!… Hey! Just in time for the weekend though!…heh! … I hope there’s not baseball going on…heh!
4:29 pm on April 13th, 2010
The Twins home opener in their new Ballpark yesterday.
Whooeee what a nice game. Too bad I had to work. Drat it.
Yes there will be baseball going on but we won't be going there.
(((Snifff)))
~Staff
4:47 pm on April 13th, 2010
Guys, chasing butterflies is only one of vast array of talents! And it would be quite handy in diverting Admins and Spences attention.
It COULD go down like this……
Spence and Admin are working away in the office. Tap tap tapity tap. Spence puts his feet up. (again)
And then, say, they glance out the window. "Wow, Spence, look at that handsome dude out there chasing butterflies. Look, he is a blur!"
And the Chet wakes up from another dream of Mexico, one in which (for example) Princess is doing her princessy thing.
Chet leaps up with joy and rushes outside to join in the chase. Admin and Spence rush outside, notice that it's a beautiful day,
and decide to have a glass of iced tea. Spence lays down in the hammock and takes a nap. Not Admin, he brings his laptop outside and tappity taps along with the birds.
IN THE MEANTIME, THE REAL AGENTS HAVE A CLEAR SHOT AT GRABBING THE MANUSCRIPT AND THE PAINTING OF THE COVER!!!!
Chet takes another nap. We all go home, safe and sound. Paperwork is scanned as a pdf, and no one is the wiser.
I'm not trying to overstep my boundries, C. Rio, I am merely pointing that a butterfly chaser has his usefullness.
WW, BFF (beautiful butterfly chaser!)
5:49 pm on April 13th, 2010
There was a detective who believed in synchronicity. It was a long while back. Can’t remember the name of the character, book or author. I’m working on no sleep here.
BUT, I could see Wolfie-Dog being an agent like that. He chases the butterfly, that leads him to a rabbit that leads him to a hole where something important is hidden.
So, Commander Rio, you might think about telling Wolfie-Dog what you need and then just let him loose and see what happens. Could be fascinating! Scary though.
4:56 pm on April 13th, 2010
*quiet cough*
I meant to say:
WW, BBC
oops
6:02 pm on April 13th, 2010
Scary! Indeed!…snort!.. but that is an idea to mull around… thanks!
5:03 pm on April 13th, 2010
Dubya BFC! …Nice interview…snort!… And you have got a few high-powered references backing you up. …. Grunt!… Right now, it’s all in the planning stage, so I’ll call you if I need you. ….wheeze! … For the time being, don’t concentrate so much on the mission ….snorkel!… Just be yourself … mmmm.
5:14 pm on April 13th, 2010
I'm glad that Rio is the brains behind the missions. When the time is right, Rio will get it all figured out. I don't have to think about it and can just enjoy the ball game. I think I can go to sleep tonight before the game is over and know who won before I open the newspaper in the morning.
5:19 pm on April 13th, 2010
Woooo… Top of the 5th and its already 8-0 Rockies leading….snort!… Blowing through this team like diarrhea … heh!…Rocks got the Mets out in the time it took me to write this little thing….sigh!…bye, bye NY Mets!… bottom of the 6th. Heh.
5:21 pm on April 13th, 2010
you know what I meant… snort!…bottom of the 5th!…heh! beer here!
6:15 pm on April 13th, 2010
Well!… I just think it is amazing we here at this blog get to read parts of other books that have been written by the Charming Mr. Abrahams…. Heh!… That is simply a wonderful and special thing… snort!… We may all be taking this for granted… grunt!… I just don’t know!…gasp!… It’s all pretty amazing to me! …wheeze!
Almost as amazing as this baseball game!…heh…. 11 to 2 right now, bottom of the 7th. Snort!… AND bases are Loaded (all by Rockies)… Tulo’s up!.. cackle!…clap clap clap-clap-clap!!,, honestly….just go home METS!
6:43 pm on April 13th, 2010
Okay!… I know how it will end!…Heh… So I am off to bed early, I feel the need to be at my best this weekend!….snort!… when the Ya Ya Sisters come together with their Kitty Kats…. Ha!… Can life get much better?
Good Night All!… Hope Mel’s Dad is doing just fine!