The Changing of the Guard Read online

  Of course Jaylee and Henry could not say no. Arrangements were made to have Emma transported to them. Now they had Willie and Emma. Their home and their hearts were full. Grief was replaced with joy. How sweet it was!

  If there was any caveat in their situation, it was that Willie hated Emma. He had been theirs alone for two months and did not take too kindly to this intrusion of his space. Emma was just as sweet as she could be, but Willie antagonized her any chance he could get. This stirred up the badger hound in her. Willie had met his match.

  A loud noise in the kitchen sent Henry and Jaylee running there as quickly as possible. This was one of those “Kodak” moments when they wished they had a camera. Henry got there first. Willie had a mouse by the tail. There was nothing unusual about that except that the mouse was alive and in the house. Emma wanted to get in on the game and grabbed Willie by the tail. What happened next defies description. Henry took Emma by the tail. Jaylee observed this real life “Farmer in the Dell” scene before her very eyes and was cracking up laughing. Henry was not laughing. He wanted the dog to let go of the cat so the cat could kill the mouse. But Willie let go first and the mouse got away. No, he was not happy at all.

  It took Henry a bit to see the humor in it all, but when he did they laughed together. As they recollected the chase scene together they would laugh so hard their sides would ache and the tears would roll down their cheeks. Laughter is the best medicine and it felt so good to be laughing again.

  Willie and Emma never really did like each other. But they also both liked to be in Henry’s and Jaylee’s good graces. For their sakes they at least gave a pretence of tolerance most of the time. What are a Mom and Dad supposed to do? They would just shake their heads and laugh. You cannot discipline a cat and how could you fault an antagonized dog for retaliating, especially a Dachshund? The two were kept apart as much as humanly possible.

  Chapter 8 – Another Home

  One evening as Henry and Jaylee were going about their routine, Willie began meowing at the door to go outside. He never ventured too far and always made his way back to the house, so dad let him out figuring he would soon be hollering to get back in as bedtime approached. But he figured wrong. Willie took off across the street, down the steep bank on the other side and followed the creek down to the bridge before Henry lost sight of him. They never saw Willie again. He did not return home.

  They were so glad they had Emma. Although Henry and Jaylee grieved their loss of Willie, she did not. She actually was glad to have the peace of not having the antagonistic cat around; plus she could have Mom and Dad all to herself. She was determined to prove to them she was all they needed. It worked. They submitted an application to the Dachshund Rescue Team for her adoption. Score one for Emma!

  Emma’s adoption was followed by a decision to sell the house. Henry and Jaylee could not take a chance on losing Emma from abuse by neighborhood bullies. There were a couple of articles in the local newspaper about animal abuse in the area. Both cats and dogs were being killed or seriously injured. Who would do such a thing to an animal? For Emma’s sake and their own, they needed to move. The handwriting was on the wall.

  Henry and Jaylee had an excellent realtor and the house sold in 9 days. A young couple with a baby and no pets bought it as a first home. The realtor took them around to find their next house; the third one they looked at was “theirs.” It was a beautiful home in the country. It would be safe for Emma. It was slightly larger than their current house and had everything they both wanted in a home. It was perfect.

  Henry and Jaylee began the process of sorting out their furnishings and household belongings. They had way too much stuff. And some things did not go well with the decorum of their new home. They sorted through everything, took things they would not be moving to the thrift store and stored the rest in boxes. Once the closings on both homes were done, they could load everything up to move to their new house. They were very excited. Emma watched them, wondering what they were doing. She was confused and she was curious. And she was not so sure that whatever was happening was a good thing. This whole moving scene was rather upsetting for her.

  Chapter 9 – Country Living

  Everything had been moved out of the house and into the U-haul for the move to their new home. Henry and Jaylee meticulously went through the house giving it a deep cleaning. They wanted the young couple’s first home to be ready for them. They wanted the whole house to be white-glove clean.

  When Henry and Jaylee finished cleaning they headed for the front door to leave and called for Emma. When Emma did not come to their calls they went searching for her and found her parked in the middle of the living room. She went into stubborn mule mode in the seated position and she would not budge. No! She was NOT leaving this house. They had taken all of their stuff out of the house and had not brought it back. She was not going to be next…it was not going to happen if it were up to her.

  Henry went out on the deck and called for her. He came in and Jaylee went out on the deck and called for her. She was scared and she was not leaving her home. Period! As far as she was concerned, It was not open for discussion. After vain attempts to get her out, dad finally went over and scooped her up. They went out the front door together meeting Mom on the deck. Henry locked the door on the way out and shut it. Emma did not whine or try to get away. At this point she seemed resigned about the whole thing. Besides, if Henry and Jaylee were going it must be okay. They were not abandoning her. After they dropped the house keys off at the realtor, they headed to their new home with their new keys in hand.

  Henry and Jaylee had help from friends in unloading the U-haul at their new home. The boxes had been well-labeled, so the move itself was organized and went smoothly. Now they began the unpacking and settling in process while Emma went sniffing around. Her previous consternation was gone. She approved of the new home. Chock up another one for Emma!

  Emma also approved of the new home. The yard was fenced-in like it was at their previous place, only this yard was much larger. It was out in the country. There were many trees and bushes. There was a larger grass area. It was a dog’s haven. There was much to see and much to do. Oh yes; this home was going to do quite nicely.

  This was the life. Their new home in the country was indeed absolutely perfect for them. And perfect for Emma, too. Most of all, it was safe. Henry and Jaylee could relax, enjoy their new home and relish the peace and quiet the country offered. They could also kiss their horrid memories of Samson’s death and Willie’s disappearance from their previous home good-bye and enjoy their blissful country life.

  Chapter 10 – The Last Laugh

  Emma was making the transition to her senior years. The country life had been so good for her. She had blossomed in that environment. She was also doing better without Willie around. Henry and Jaylee still missed him. But as hard as it was to lose him, they both agreed it was the best for Emma. She loved having them to herself.

  The frosty face from newly acquired graying fur was quite becoming on Emma. She was starting to slow down as she aged, sleeping more and eating less. Playtime was becoming more snuggle time. And instead of exploring, sniffing and checking things out, Emma would fall into step behind Jaylee and follow her everywhere.

  When Emma was outside it was a different story. The outdoors stirred up the puppy in her, it was invigorating to get out into the fresh, clean air and in her element. It stirred up the badger hound as well. When Jaylee showed her a baby garter snake Emma grasped it by the neck and started shaking. The snake never knew what hit it. It was part of her breeding and genes, as was her digging. All efforts on Henry’s and Jaylee’s part to get Emma to stop digging were futile. Dachshunds are diggers and even though Henry and Jaylee got tired of seeing their precious plants and flowers dug up, they could not get Emma to give up what came natural to her.

  Henry and Jaylee had only been settled into their new home for several months when Emma suddenly got ill. There was no warning, but they both instinctivel
y knew whatever it was required immediate vet care. This was beyond their ability to fix. They took her to the vet and he took her back to the exam room. He informed them that it was her kidneys and yes, more often than not, the onset is quite sudden. She was in kidney failure. He kept her overnight, putting her on dialysis. He checked on her every hour during the night. In spite of his efforts Emma died shortly before they arrived the next morning. They could tell when they saw him it was not good news. As gently as he could the vet told them she did not make it; it was quite a shock.

  They buried Emma in the corner of the garden. Henry looked at Jaylee and smiled. It was a grin she had seen many times during the years they had been married and she wondered what he was thinking right now. Then he said “shall we plant some catnip?” They both laughed. In spite of their grief, they laughed. They ordered a square slab to place over the place where she was buried. It read “Willie’s sister Emma lays here.” The wind whipped around them in a soft purr.

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  Other books by Stella Dillenbeck:

  Uncle Trucky’s Sidekick, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/512336

  Sir Walter Raleigh, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/516656

  Gold Rush, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/521481

  Finding Gold, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/525024

  Modoc Point Pups, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/528948

  A Salute to Sparky, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/533307

  Deserted in the Desert, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/536725

  Sherman, the German, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/540406

  From Tears to Triumph, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/544477

  The Dream Team, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/548450

  The Chuckwagon Gang, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/552534

  In the Eye of the Storm, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/556846

  Out of this World, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/601482

  Reaching the Last Frontier, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/621408

  Once Upon a Shining Star, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/624177

  The Tough Lumberjack Dog, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/657572

  From Splinters to Splendor, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/662338