Wag, You're It!

by Kristin Earhart

  “First you have to show him the treat,” Mr. Power said. “Then place it on his nose.” The man held the treat between his thumb and finger and carefully set it on the puppy’s short snout. Bear watched Mr. Power closely and did not move. “Wait, Bear. Wait.”

  The puppy sat still, balancing the treat. He watched Mr. Power closely, his shiny black eyes filled with trust.

  “Yes, good boy, Bear!” As soon as the puppy heard the word yes, he jerked his head back. The treat flew into the air and then dropped right into the puppy’s open mouth. Bear wagged his tail as he chomped.

  Max smiled and clapped. It was such a great trick that it took him a moment to notice a weird shimmer floating around the puppy. Blue and gold sparkles seemed to dance all around the room. Max turned to look for his dad and his friends. They had to see this! That’s when he heard the voice.

  “Don’t worry about anyone else. It’s time to focus on Bear and his trick. It’s important you get it right.”

  Max looked around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. Lexi was all the way on the other side of the store, and her voice didn’t sound anything like that! The voice was deep and kind of gravelly, and it echoed in Max’s head. It sounded like Mr. Power, but the older man’s mouth wasn’t moving. As soon as the voice stopped talking, there was a loud POP. The sparkles disappeared.

  “You got that, Max?” Mr. Power asked in a kind, upbeat tone.

  Max remembered what the voice had said, and he realized he needed to hear the directions again. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat the steps, so I can be sure?”

  “Of course,” the store owner said, scratching Bear behind the ears. He repeated the directions. “Does that make sense?” he asked when he was done.

  Max nodded. “Yeah, I think so,” he replied. The trick seemed very important to Mr. Power. Max wondered why.

  Mr. Power gave Max a reassuring smile. “You and Bear will be great. You’ll take good care of each other, I know.”

  When Mr. Power stood up and walked over to Mr. Harding, Henry and Sadie rushed to Max’s side.

  “He’s so cute, Max!” Henry exclaimed. “Are you really getting that puppy?”

  “I guess so,” Max said as Bear climbed into his lap.

  “Wow,” said Sadie. “First Lexi, now you. Lucky!”

  Henry and Sadie bent down to pet the content puppy. Max was content, too. He forgot all about the odd voice in his head. Nothing else really mattered, now that he had Bear.

  “Thanks again, Dad,” Max said as the two left the store. Bear was at their side, looking spiffy with his new red collar and leash. Mr. Harding had signed all the papers, and Max had his page of Puppy Pointers. It told him how to care for Bear. Even though he volunteered at the pet center, Max had not realized how much work a puppy would be. He wondered if his parents understood.

  Max’s friends followed them out of the store. They all waved good-bye. “I’m really happy for you, Max,” Lexi said. Luna pricked her ears forward and added a cheery bark of congratulations.

  Arf, arf! Bear replied.

  Max waved back. He was really happy, too, at least until he saw Jason. The older boy was straight across the town square. He was playing ball with some friends in the grassy area by the school. His back was to them, but Max still knew it was the boy from the Bulldogs — the boy who used to be on his team.

  Max gritted his teeth.

  “I had to park in the school lot,” Max’s dad said. He pointed to the dark green station wagon.

  “Come on, Bear,” Max said. The puppy bounded along next to him. The clip on his leash jangled.

  “You sure got yourself one happy pup,” Max’s dad said. “We’ll have to send a picture to your grandparents. They’ll like him.”

  Max was about to respond when a football came zooming toward them. Max quickly ducked and pulled Bear out of the way. Without losing stride, his dad reached up and snagged the ball from the air.

  Jason jogged up. “Good catch,” he said to Mr. Harding. “Thanks for getting it.” Jason glanced over and seemed surprised to see Max. “Hi, Max,” he said. Jason then looked down and seemed even more surprised to see Bear. “Oh, you have a dog.”

  “Yeah,” Max said. “We just got him. His name is Bear.”

  “He doesn’t look like a bear,” Jason said with a laugh. “He’s too small.”

  “How do you boys know each other?” Max’s dad asked.

  “We’re in the same flag football league,” Jason answered.

  “Jason was on our team last year, but he switched to be with his friends,” Max added. He didn’t mention that Jason had been their quarterback, and now the Walruses didn’t have a great passer.

  “Yeah,” Jason confirmed. “Our teams are actually playing each other next week. The Bulldogs better practice for the Walruses.” Jason talked to Mr. Harding and didn’t look at Max. “We might have to come up with some trick plays.”

  “Sports are a lot different than when I played,” Max’s dad said. “We just threw the ball after school. Pickup games, you know?” Mr. Harding tossed the ball back to Jason.

  “Well, that was a great catch. You’ve still got the skills,” Jason said, spinning the ball in his hand. He smiled without showing his teeth.

  Max rolled his eyes. Bear, who had been sitting by Max’s side, stood up and took a step toward Jason. He sniffed the older boy’s leg.

  “Hey, no,” Jason muttered. He jerked away.

  Grrruff, Bear barked. It wasn’t the happy yip from earlier. This bark started with a growl. To Max, it sounded like a warning. Jason took several quick steps away. Grrruff. Grrruff. Grrruff. Bear stood his ground and barked.

  “Man, you better learn to control your baby dog,” Jason said, backing up farther. He passed the football from one hand to the other but kept an eye on Bear. “I’ll see you at the game on Saturday, Max.” He turned around and threw a long pass that soared through the air.

  Max sighed with relief.

  “I’m glad you’re meeting new kids through football,” his dad said. “I was surprised when you didn’t want to go back to soccer this year.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s Kazu’s thing,” Max replied. His big brother had been playing soccer since he was Rina’s age, and he was good. Kazu was on his high-school team and a traveling team. Their parents were always driving him to practice or a game. Max just thought flag football was fun. At least it would be if his team could score.

  “Well, I’ll bet you’re glad you stayed with football, now that you’re quarterback. That’s a big deal,” Mr. Harding said, patting him on the shoulder.

  Max didn’t say anything. After Jason left the team, they needed a new quarterback. When no one had volunteered, Max felt like it was his responsibility. He felt like he had to do it for the team.

  “Well, Jason seems nice,” his dad added. Max didn’t have anything to say to that either. Jason was one of those kids who was good at being polite to parents. “But he’s right. You are going to have to teach your puppy some manners.”

  Max frowned. That wasn’t fair. Bear was just sharing how he felt. Max had read that a dog’s bark could tell the owner how the dog was feeling. He wondered if Bear was trying to tell him something. “Bear’s just getting used to us and being around new people,” Max tried to explain. “He’s a good dog. I can tell. And he can do a supercool trick.”

  Max reached down and lifted Bear into his arms. In less than a year, Bear would be almost as big as he was. It was hard to believe. But for now, the puppy snuggled up to his neck. Max got into the backseat of the car, still holding Bear. “I can show you our neighborhood,” Max whispered as his dad started the car.

  All the way home, Max pointed out the places he and Bear would go together. He showed the puppy Miles and Lara’s street, the playground, and the bike path. Once, when Max wasn’t paying attention, Bear licked his boy’s face. The puppy wanted to celebrate all the fun yet to come.

  * * *

  When they arrived home
, there was not a lot of time to fuss over the newest family member. Mom lifted Bear up, swung him around, and laughed out loud. (Bear smiled and wagged his tail.) Rina let Bear crawl all over her and got green finger paint on his blond belly fur. (Bear tried to lick the paint off her hands with his sloppy pink tongue, but Max stopped him.) Kazu put the pieces of his dirty uniform in the laundry to keep them away from the puppy. (Bear found the socks Kazu missed under the bed. He slobbered on them, but only a little. He was just trying to be helpful.)

  But it was almost dinnertime, and everyone had a nightly chore to get ready. Dinner was special because it was the one time when everyone in the family was together. Bear was tired from the excitement of the day and crawled under the coffee table for a nap. Life was always busy at the Harding house. With Bear, it would be a little bit busier.

  On Monday, it started to rain as Max raced home from school. He couldn’t wait to see Bear. He was surprised when the puppy didn’t meet him at the door.

  “Hello?” Max called, hanging up his sweatshirt. “Bear?” A shrill scream was the only answer. It sounded like his sister. It sounded like his sister when she was very, very upset. “Rina?” Max called with concern.

  Jolie, Rina’s sitter, rushed into the family room with the little girl in her arms. “She’s been crying like this since she woke up from her nap,” Jolie explained. “Do you know what she wants?”

  Max looked at his sister’s red face. Her orange T-shirt was drizzled with tears. Max shook his head. It was hard for him to understand Rina, even when she was speaking clearly.

  A hiccup jolted Rina’s tiny body, and more tears leaked out of her eyes. “Milk?” Max suggested, but Rina just cried louder.

  Max heard a scratching sound and realized that Bear was in the backyard.

  “He was chewing on all of Rina’s toys,” Jolie tried to explain, but Max was already heading for the back door. Lexi had warned Max that puppies like to chew on everything. They do it because they are teething, and because they want to investigate things.

  Max took a deep breath and knelt down on the deck. Bear pounced onto his legs, with joyful whines. The puppy struggled to lick Max, aiming for his hands or face. He eventually just attacked Max’s ankles. After a moment, he looked up at his special new friend and barked.

  Max tried to figure out what kind of bark it might be. It wasn’t the quick, playful yip from the pet center. It wasn’t the lower, longer bark from meeting Jason. It was a bark that seemed to say that Bear wanted something. The puppy glanced in the family room window and whimpered. He looked into Max’s eyes. Arrf, the puppy repeated.

  “Are you hungry?” Max looked inside and could see the puppy’s dish in the kitchen. It was still half full. “Do you want a treat?” Max asked.

  Arf, arf!

  Max was certain that was it. “I’ll give you a treat if you do your special trick.”

  Arf, arf!

  Max pulled a bag of treats from his pocket. He’d only had a dog for a couple days, and he already had his goodie bag at the ready. “See the treat, Bear?” Max placed the treat flat on the puppy’s nose. “Wait, Bear,” he directed. Max locked eyes with the puppy and counted to five. He could see the ring of white around the shiny black of Bear’s eyes. It made Bear look very wise. “Yes, Bear. Good boy!” Max exclaimed.

  At once, the puppy gave his nose a jerk, and the treat flipped into the air before falling into his mouth.

  Max laughed out loud. He reached forward and scratched the puppy around the neck. It took him a moment to realize that the air was once again filled with sparkles, and he could hear a voice in his head. He was certain it was his sister. “No milk. Water,” the voice said. “Water and new buddy eggplant.”

  “Rina?” Max said, looking around.

  “Water and new buddy eggplant,” the voice said again. Max could not see his little sister anywhere, but he couldn’t really see that much with all the sparkles swirling around. “Water and new buddy eggplant,” the voice repeated, and then there was a POP!

  Max wasn’t sure what had happened, but he was sure that he had to find his sister. He gave Bear a pat on the head. “You can come in with me, but you have to leave Rina’s toys alone. Okay?” He picked up the pup in one arm and opened the door with the other.

  Inside, Max could still hear Rina hiccupping between cries. “Rina? Jolie?” he called. He didn’t know how he had heard his little sister when he was all the way on the deck, but it had sounded like her. The babysitter appeared in the kitchen doorway. Max thought she looked tired. She was holding a sippy cup full of milk. Rina peeked out from the doorway, sucking on her Binky.

  “I was thinking,” Max began, “that she might want water.”

  “Water?” Jolie asked.

  “Yeah, she sometimes likes that instead of milk,” Max said. “And I’m going to her bedroom to look for her new toy.”

  “Thanks,” Jolie said. “And you’ll keep track of that cute dog?”

  “Yes, I will,” Max said, giving Bear a squeeze. “No chewing,” he said, tapping Bear on the nose.

  Still holding the puppy, Max ran upstairs. He went into Rina’s room. His grandparents had sent Rina a silly stuffed eggplant toy, and she loved it. The eggplant was not in her toddler bed. Max looked at the toy box, which was overflowing “If I put you down, will you be good?” Max asked. Bear seemed to smile as he gave a yip.

  Max put Bear on the floor and started searching. The toy box contained enough animals to fill a zoo, but there was no eggplant. It wasn’t until Max was done looking in the closet that he realized Bear was gone.

  He heard barks coming from his parents’ room. Oh, no, he thought. What if Bear had gotten ahold of one of his dad’s work shirts or his mom’s good shoes? Max ran into the room. He couldn’t see Bear, but he could see something scrambling under the covers on the bed. “Bear!” he yelled. “You promised!”

  The puppy growled playfully and backed out from under the comforter, rump first. When he turned around, there was a fuzzy purple eggplant hanging from his mouth.

  “Oh, Bear, you didn’t get it too wet, did you? Let go,” Max demanded. He smoothed the covers. The puppy dropped the eggplant in front of Max and wagged his tail. “Good boy” was all that Max could say.

  At dinner that night, Max’s mom told his dad the story. “Jolie was so grateful. She said it was as if Max could read Rina’s mind.”

  “It wasn’t me,” Max insisted. “It was Bear. He’s the one who found the eggplant.”

  “Buddy,” Rina said between bites of noodles.

  “Yes, Buddy. That’s what you named your new eggplant, isn’t it?” Mr. Harding said.

  Rina nodded.

  “Max, we appreciate you helping Jolie and Rina. It’s how we make things work in this family,” his mom said. She smiled at him.

  Max still wasn’t sure what had happened that afternoon. How could he have heard Rina so clearly when he was all the way outside? He was trying to figure that out when he heard his dad make an announcement.

  “We should all go to Max’s football game this weekend,” Mr. Harding said. “He’s playing quarterback.” Their dad pointed his chopsticks as he talked. He always started with chopsticks when they had noodles. Then he usually switched to a fork and spoon halfway through.

  “That sounds good. We can take a picnic,” their mom said. “It’ll be fun.”

  “I don’t know how fun it will be,” Max mumbled, swirling his noodles in the broth. Adults always made a big deal about how sports should be fun.

  “What was that, honey?” his mom asked. “Aren’t the Walruses doing well this season?”

  Max sighed. How could he explain everything that was wrong with his team? “I just wish we weren’t the Walruses. Some kids were making fun of us. They were saying that walruses aren’t tough enough. I want a cooler mascot.”

  “If you want something more intense, how about the Walloping Walruses?” Kazu asked, making himself laugh.

  Mr. Harding laughed, too.r />
  “Well, I’ve read that walruses can be downright fierce,” his mom said. “The mothers will do anything to protect their little walrus cubs, so I think it’s a great team name. Besides, walruses can pull themselves out of the water with their tusks. That’s cool.”

  Max gave a small smile. His mom was funny. He had no idea why she thought those walrus facts would be helpful, but it was nice that she was trying.

  “Walloping Walruses,” Kazu repeated, pumping his fist in the air. Mr. Harding cracked up again. This time, Max had to laugh, too.

  Before school the next day, Max and Kazu picked up anything that Bear might try to chew. The puppy was napping in his crate, so it was a good time. Otherwise, Bear would have challenged them to a game of tug-of-war over every single sock and shoe.

  “I don’t see why I have to pick up when it’s your puppy,” Kazu complained, leaning over to grab a napkin from under the table. Kazu wasn’t much for picking up. The only thing that was neat in his room was the shelf of soccer trophies.

  “He’s not only mine,” Max explained. “Bear is the family dog. I just promised to do most of the work.” He really did want Bear to belong to the whole family. It would be more fun that way.

  “Well, Rina leaves toys lying around all day long. We can’t do anything about that,” Kazu said, motioning to all the plastic play food on the floor. “She’s worse than I am.”

  “But she’s two,” Max insisted, putting the remote on the TV stand. “And you’re fourteen!”

  “Yeah, well, she should still do her part,” Kazu complained, but Max knew his big brother was kidding.

  Max was in a good mood all the way to school. He was thinking about Bear’s playful growl when someone bumped into him. It was Jason.

  “Sorry, dude,” Jason said. A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I was just thinking about your cute little dog and your cute little football team.”