“Hey Mom, woke up uneasy but shook it off with Vegas’s charm. Our day started off normal with poker chips, Pupperoni Pizza, and laughs over tofu with Russ. Odd day, though. Sinatra’s ghostly howl from Choco Castle gave a spook but we just rolled with it. Spencerville charm, you see. Vega, and I are doing fine. Love, your Lucky Dog 🐶”

Listen to the story here

I woke up with a start that morning, feeling a deep sense of unease. Shaking off remnants of a half-remembered dream, I looked down to see Vegas – the white Boxer with an impossible level of charm. It’s always her twinkling eyes that catch my attention first. A bit rumpled, still sleepy, and yet radiating a sense of delight that’s not even remotely human, and somehow entirely so, she was already up and ready to tackle our day.

Of all God’s creatures, Vegas was the most playful, delighting in ordinary dog toys you might think of, but also things like… poker chips. Rolling them around, gnawing with a contented determination that was darned near zen. And so it began, another day in Spencerville.

Headed to the town square, Vegas running ahead, me trailing slowly behind. She leaped her way through the Fawn Cream Maltese Meadow, wild freedom in her eyes, and then we found ourselves at Pupperoni Pizza – her favorite hangout. She devoured her Doggie Shrimp cocktail with a relish one rarely sees, even amongst gourmands. Tofu however, never failed to prompt a guffaw from Vegas. No sir, no tofu for her.

While she was munching away, her buddy “Fat Russell” serviceably plodded into view. The friendship between those two was a remarkable affair to witness – two distinct breeds, worlds apart in capabilities, and yet best buddies. They both shared a stout heart, filled with loyalty and a desire to please their human companions.

However, that day was not like any other day in Spencerville. A chill ran down my spine when I glanced at the Northern Choco Chihuahua Castle. An eeriness that I hadn’t felt before started to tingle my emotions. I felt a strange pull, Vegas and Fat Russell too, their ears stood erect and their tails twitched.

A ghostly howl echoed from the castle, it was Sinatra. Sinatra, her wise elder brother, was not usually known for his vocal expressions. The reality of this, well, supernatural happening was now slowly creeping in on us, strangely though, this formidable horror wasn’t frightening at all. It was more like a quirky parody of a horror scene, rather left Vegas, Fat Russel and I a bit bemused than terrified.

As night descended, Spencerville was filled with its usual sense of calm. We quietly retreated to our daily haunts as if nothing had happened. Ghostly apparitions aside, it was just another day in Spencerville. We found solace in our routine and unsophisticated pleasures, and I can tell ya, things roll on pretty steady in Spencerville. Even in the face of the unexplainable perhaps supernatural, we find comfort in our uniquely quaint pet existence, always knowing that our human folks are out there somewhere, waiting to be reunited with us.

Because, mates, that’s life here in Spencerville – unexpected, occasionally baffling, and always turning up something new. Despite all this, there’s no place like it in all the world, and Vegas and me… well, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The End.