Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘biplane’

Two Questions, No Answers

“Here’s a couple questions,” Bernie said. “One – did Ezra Printz know how to fly a plane? Two – did he have mental problems?”

Portia, Trimmer and Freddie all looked at one another. Two questions – and two’s a number I can handle – but their meaning zipped right by me. I did have a memory of that wrecked old biplane in the box canyon, the box canyon where we found a film can, the film can with film in it. And somewhere else we’d found another film can, the one with the Martin Ramirez painting inside. All of a sudden I thought of this baseball player with dreads that Bernie likes to watch – Manny Ramirez. How confusing was that?

“What the point of these questions?” Freddie said.

“The point is,” Bernie said, “that whoever gives us the answers gets a break. The other two go down.”

“A break like walking out of here?” Freddie said.

Bernie laughed. The laugh is the best human sound, and Bernie’s is tops. I just listened.

Answer for Mollypop: Yes, there will be Kindle for Thereby Hangs A Tail. Admin is very curious about how many people are reading for pleasure on Kindle.

Shootout!

Crack! Zing! Splintering wood. “Nope,” Bernie said, “I don’t find this exhilarating at all.” He lost me there, but I don’t expect to understand Bernie all the time. His job is to be the smartest human in the room. My job is to do the rest. 

Bernie, real quick, rolled out from under the biplane wreckage protecting us and, lying on his back, fired the .38 Special practically straight up in the air. The .38 Special was always exciting, and all of a sudden there I was, out in the open. From high above on the rocky cliff came a cry of pain, and something came spinning down through the air, landing close to me and raising a small cloud of dust. Hey! A rifle! I went to pick it up, and at that moment heard another crack from above.

Friends of Chet still at the repair shop. Will be up and working soon. 

All That Glitters

We made our way down the steep slope, me and Bernie. That kind of thing is easier for me than for him. Two legs and no tail: how does that work, exactly? Bernie ended up sliding down the last bit on his butt, yelling things like ow and damn. By that time I was on the floor of the tiny box canyon, sniffing my way around the wreckage of the old wooden biplane. I found that glittering gold bar right away, not from the smell – gold isn’t like copper that way – but just by how bright it was. Bernie came over, dusting himself off. The sight of those little dust clouds in the sunlight, kind of beautiful, but this wasn’t the time for lollygagging, whatever that may be. I’ve gotten hold of lollipops on more than one occasion. Very, very interesting. In fact, a lollipop at that moment would have been – 

“Chet? What have you got there?” Bernie picked up the gold bar. “Hey, hey.” He hefted it in his hand. I always like it when humans do that hefting thing – it’s one of their best. “Got to weigh four pounds at least. What’s the price of gold these days?”

No clue, but all of a sudden I got this very hopeful feeling inside. That actually happens a lot.

“Down, big guy,” Bernie said.

Glitches at Friends of Chet being sorted out by those who know how. Soon, we hope.

Back at the Ranch

Actually not a ranch, although I’ve been to ranches. Isn’t there a horse ranch in Thereby Hangs A Tail? I remember that white horse real well. Horses and I don’t hit it off, let’s leave it like that. Anyway, back at the ranch is something humans say, not sure why, but it’s at times like this.

So, not a ranch, but in fact this steep rocky hillside in the middle of nowhere. Another human expression. The truth is nowhere’s ever really felt like nowhere to me. Whoa! What was that about nowhere? I’m a little confused. Sometimes at a moment like this a good shake does the trick. Ah. Got my ears just about flapping that time.

We moved down the steep hillside, me and Bernie, down toward the wreckage of the old wooden biplane in the tiny box canyon. Something small and golden glittered in the sunshine. “All that glitters is not gold, Chet – just remember that.”

I forgot right away, in fact just as fast as those puzzling words came out of Bernie’s mouth.