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"Oh,
hey there son. Could you come out to the garage and help me with something for
a minute?"
"Uh... sure, Dad. Stacy, do you wanna-"
"Stacy! So glad you could make it," interrupted his mother, "I could really use your help in the kitchen if you don't mind."
"Sure thing, Mrs. Thornton." The couple shared an apprehensive look before being dragged through separate doors to have identical conversations.
"Listen, don't tell anyone,
but I've lost Frenchy."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I let her out to go to the bathroom, and she never came back. You have to help me find her before anybody notices!"
If Mr. and Mrs. Thornton had not been afraid to admit this apparent wrongdoing to one another, disaster may have been averted. But each one was sure that the other would blame them for the
loss of their beloved dog, and they could not have that hanging over their heads. With varying degrees of enthusiasm, the four set out to find the worst dog in the world.
Two hours later, they were all still frantically whispering Frenchy's name into the night, when three of them heard the fourth let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"FRENCHY!!!!!" Mrs. Thornton half yelled, half sobbed. The other three sprinted in the direction of her voice, and found her doubled over on the ground, wailing uncontrollably. It was Mickey who first saw what had caused this outburst. Just ten yards away sat a very contented looking crocodile, and from his mouth dangled a bright pink collar and a tuft of woolly fur. There could be little doubt that this was all that remained of Frenchy. It briefly occurred to Mickey that the crocodile looked green, but then he dismissed the thought out of hand.
Of course it looks green, Mickey.It’s a crocodile.
It took the three of them nearly an hour of consoling, begging, cajoling, and finally some heavy lifting to get the disheveled woman home and into her bed. Mickey and Stacy went through their respective bedroom doors before he crossed the connecting balcony and they fell into the guest room bed, hoping to finally get some sleep. Alas, sleep would be a long time coming, as Mrs. Thornton’s sobs echoed through the house until just before daylight. When they finally ended in an abrupt manner, the resulting silence was even more unsettling than the crying had been. A sense of dread welled up in Mickey as he pieced together what was happening. He rose from the bed with a groan and made his way toward the den, hoping against hope that his suspicions would not be confirmed.