Part 4

Despite the enormous odds against being located by my human, Einstein found me. He approached slowly and not so quietly, however my focus was the dirt under my paws. It felt soft, like the outer skin on week old Jell-O. Too late, I caught a flash of an arm out of the corner of my eye. I tried to duck but he fastened a leash to my collar.

"I'm busy," I barked, lunging for the hole.

"Bad dog, bad dog!" Einstein skated on the dirt-coated grass.

My collar pressed against my windpipe and, unable to breathe, I started wheezing and coughing like Papa Angleton. I stopped to vomit a mouthful of drool.

"Hey, a camera," Einstein said.

The leash slacked as he bent to retrieve it. This camera would cause me lots of trouble in the future. But I didn't know that yet. Seizing the opportunity, I jerked free and raced back to the hole. Fingers poked out of the dirt! And they wiggled!