I am gearing up for the release of The Adventures of Zelda: Pug and Peach at the end of August, and I thought you might need to get in the Zelda spirit. Here's the last chapter of the second Zelda book. More Zelda teasers and spotlights are coming to the blog over the next month. Get ready!
Zelda Meets Peach
After the incident with the fake pug, I am staying low key around the house. Honestly, I am a little embarrassed at my mistake. My family, on the other hand, is busy with activity. Hannah is covering boxes during the day and placing them under the tree. I notice Hannah and Nate talking in hushed voices about “presents.” Lucy is running around the house mumbling about “Santa Claus.” Even Ben is more talkative and playful than normal. He keeps telling me how much I am going to love my Christmas present.
I watch and listen from my perch on top of the couch. I can tell we are getting close to the big day, the day when everyone unwraps all the presents under the pine tree.
“Okay, Zelda, we will be back later,” Ben says. “Tomorrow is the big day.” The family leaves without me. I watch the white stuff fall on the grass from the window. I hope I will get a new owl. Or Milk-Bones. Or a Nylabone. Or all of them. Christmas is the best.
When my family returns home, the snow is illuminating the darkness outside. My family greets me. Hannah and Nate send Ben and Lucy to bed. I am warm and toasty in my blanket, so I stay downstairs with Hannah and Nate. After a few minutes of conversation, Nate gets up and leaves the house.
“Zelda, it’s bedtime,” Hannah says. We walk upstairs together. I jump onto Lucy’s bed while Hannah checks on Ben. When Hannah returns, she gives Lucy a kiss and pets me. She says goodnight to us and closes the door.
I wake up in the middle of the night to a scratching noise. I want to bark, but everyone is sleeping. I don’t want to get in trouble. I listen for a few more minutes to the scratching. I hear a few whispers and the scratching stops. I fall back asleep.
The next time I wake up, Lucy is moving out of bed. It must be early; only a few streams of light are peaking through the window. As we walk down the stairs, Lucy is mumbling about Christmas and Santa.
Hannah and Nate are waiting downstairs. The pine tree is lit, and the number of gifts under the tree has doubled.
“Merry Christmas,” Nate shouts to Lucy and me.
“Shhhh,” Hannah says. “You will wake up Ben.”
“It’s time for him to get up anyway. It’s Christmas morning—time for gifts!” he replies. Lucy wanders down the stairs and sits in front of the tree.
“Wow, look at all these presents Santa brought,” she says. I hear a few creaks from above, and a few minutes later, Ben appears on the stairs.
“Merry Christmas,” Nate shouts again.
“Merry Christmas,” Ben replies. He walks down the stairs and takes a seat on the couch.
The fun begins. Presents are passed around, and the family opens the gifts. I run around and investigate all the new toys and objects. So far, there isn’t much for me. Only a few gifts remain when I hear a whimper from upstairs. And then, the scratching noise returns.
What is upstairs?
I run up the stairs. The whimpering and scratching is originating from Hannah and Nate’s room, but the door is closed. Hannah and Nate appear next to me.
“You grab Zelda,” Nate says, “And I will get Peach.” Hannah bends over and picks me up. Nate opens the door, and a dog runs out.
What?
I squirm and break loose from Hannah’s arms and chase the dog down the stairs. When I arrive downstairs, the dog is licking Ben’s face. She is dark brown and white with tall ears. She is bigger than me, but not by much. She doesn’t have a long snout, but she also doesn’t have wrinkles.
“Merry Christmas, Lucy and Zelda—meet Peach, the Boston terrier, our new dog,” Nate says. Peach wanders over to Lucy and starts licking her face. I stand motionless, unsure what to do.
Did I hear Nate correctly? Is Peach here to stay?
I walk up to Peach and bark a few times. She doesn’t seem to mind. When I get close, she backs away from Lucy. I nip at her front leg, and she allows it. She reciprocates, and we start rolling on the floor together. I find my owl and she chases me, trying to get it from me. When she finally grabs hold, we play tug-of-war.
“Well, I think they will get along fine,” Hannah says.
“Lucy, do you like Peach?” Nate asks.
“Yes, she’s nice. And now Zelda has a friend.” Lucy says.
“Yes, she does,” Nate replies.
“She’s so friendly and sweet,” Ben says.
“We definitely got lucky with Peach,” Hannah replies. “And with Zelda. She’s turned out to be a pretty good dog.”
“Yes, she is,” Ben says. I take a break from tug-of-war and wander over to Hannah, who is sitting on the couch again. I jump in her lap and give her a kiss. Peach follows my lead, and we both are in Hannah’s lap and giving her kisses. I have a friend to play with all the time. Even better, I have a family who loves me enough to find me a friend. My pug life is awesome. It’s another merry Christmas!