Dressed as cats.
With a pack of dogs and a real werewolf right behind us.
I mean, even Desmond’s stray puppy from the park was after us! How did we end up in this situation?
At least the dogs were quiet. I always thought dogs were supposed to bark at cats, but not these dogs. Instead, they were silently chasing us through the streets of Kersville.
Wait, maybe if they were barking, someone would have noticed.
Plus, there were so many dogs loose on the streets, how did nobody notice! Where was the dogcatcher when you really needed him?
Oh yeah, that’s right. He was a werewolf, and he was chasing us too!
Ever since I moved to Kersville, I’ve had to run away from a lot of really weird things: mummies, mersurfers, zombie zookeepers—you name it!
But dogs are different. They’re fast! I mean, they have four legs, and I’ve got only two. There’s no way to compete with that.
Desmond and I had a head start, but the pack was catching up to us.
There was nowhere to go. No chance to escape. The Ghost Patrol was doomed!
But then, as we rounded a corner, a door to a store opened up, and something pulled Desmond and me inside.
It was Zax. I had never been so happy to see a ghost in my whole life!
The dogs and the werewolf turned the corner and flew right by the store. We could even see the were-wolf’s shiny, pointy teeth through the front window.
Zax locked the door, and I tried to catch my breath.
Sure, that werewolf was really friendly to the dogs, but I didn’t know why he was chasing us.
And I didn’t want to find out!
CHAPTER EIGHT FLEAS, PLEASE!
I was shaking. I was scared. Our close call with the werewolf made me want to curl up into a ball and hide.
Even Desmond looked a bit more worried than I’d seen before.
And do you think that stopped Zax from laughing at us?
Absolutely not—he was cracking up! And if you’ve never heard a ghost laugh, well, you’re lucky!
“This isn’t funny, Zax,” I said. I didn’t want to be mad at him, because he saved us, but I couldn’t help it.
Zax pulled out a mirror and held it in front of me.
“Oh,” I said, seeing myself in the cat costume. I looked at Desmond, and we both smiled. “I guess we do look really silly.”
Suddenly, we were all laughing, and I started to calm down.
Desmond and I took off our cat costumes and thanked Zax for saving our lives.
“What were you doing out here?” Desmond asked.
“I was buying these.” Zax held up two cat collars with little bells on them. “They were supposed to be for your costumes, but I guess you don’t need them. Those dogs totally thought you were cats!”
“Wait, what kind of store is this?” Desmond looked around. The walls were filled with chewy balls, rubber bones, pull-ropes, plastic squeakers, doggy treats, and more. Zax had pulled us into a pet shop!
This store was a doggy dreamland!
Desmond grabbed some dog toys from the wall and said, “Andres, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Here’s a tip: If Desmond Cole ever asks you a question like that, let me tell you, the answer is always no.
Always!
CHAPTER NINE PLAY FETCH
Desmond and I loaded up all the doggy toys we could carry while Zax paid for everything. I really don’t know how ghosts get money, but Zax had a lot of it.
Anyway, we had to find that pack… and it didn’t take us long.
They were at the dog park, of course. It looked like they were having a dog-tastic time!
“Maybe we should leave them alone,” I whispered to Desmond. “Look at how much fun they’re having.”
Desmond’s puppy was rolling around in the grass, having a blast with some of the other dogs.
Desmond whispered back, “Sure, they’re having fun, but we need to find out what this werewolf wants. Follow me.”
Then Desmond and I did the unthinkable. We walked right into the dog park. The moonlight was so bright that it looked like daytime. Of course, that didn’t help me feel any less afraid. My legs wobbled more and more like taffy with each step.
The dogs stopped playing when they saw us. They sat quietly as the werewolf stalked to the front of the pack.
“Now can we leave?” I whimpered as the werewolf inched closer.
“Not yet,” Desmond replied. “I need to know what’s going on.”
Why does he always need to know things?
That was when the werewolf started to sniff the air around us. Desmond and I kept as still as we possibly could.
Desmond slowly said, “Good boy. Good boy. We brought you some toys.”
Desmond squeezed a toy, and a loud squeak rang out in the night.
I gulped, waiting for whatever the werewolf was going to do next.
And what he did was… smile!
“Toys?” the werewolf asked with a low growl.
Desmond held up a squeaker ball, squeezed it again, and a high-pitched squeak squealed. The werewolf’s tail started to wag wildly.
Desmond threw the ball, and the werewolf darted after it.
I started throwing toys in the other direction. While the werewolf chased Desmond’s ball, the rest of the dogs chased my toys… right out of the dog park and into an empty playground!
I closed a gate behind them. They would be safe there for now, but Desmond and I still had a werewolf to deal with!
The werewolf came bounding happily back to Desmond holding the ball in his jaws. He dropped it and looked around.
“Wait, where did my pack go?” he asked.
“They’re all safe,” Desmond told him. “Now it’s time for us to talk. What are you up to, werewolf?”
The werewolf glared at us.
“If I tell you,” he began, “will you bring the dogs back?”
Desmond nodded. “It’s a deal.”
And let me tell you that I wasn’t prepared for what happened next, which is saying a lot when you live in Kersville.
CHAPTER TEN PUPPY PALS
A familiar song echoed through the park. I knew it by heart. It was the ice-cream truck!
“Before I start, would you like a frozen treat?” the werewolf asked us. “My friend owns the truck, and I’m really hungry.”
The Itsy-Bitsy Ice-Cream truck rolled up by the dog park, and its side window slid open.
“Hi, John. I’ve got your frozen bones,” said the ice-cream driver. Then he said, “Oh, you have friends.”
“Thanks, Anthony,” growled the werewolf. “Will you give these two anything they want?”
Wait, did that werewolf just say anything they want?
After Desmond and I let the dogs back into the dog park, we ate ice cream and listened to John the werewolf as he talked about his life.
“It’s hard to make friends as a werewolf,” he said. “People are too scared, cats are too scared, and even lions at the zoo are too scared.”
“You got that right,” I told him.
Then John the werewolf howled. “Sorry, it’s a habit. Anyway, I spent a long time looking for friends, until I realized something. Who loves you no matter what? I mean, other than your family.”
Maybe the ice cream was clouding my mind, but I couldn’t think of anyone.
But Desmond knew right away. “Dogs!” he said. “Dogs love everyone!”
“That’s right!” snarled John the werewolf. “So I became an animal control officer—um, we’re not called ‘dogcatcher’ anymore. Now, before every full moon, I round up as many dogs as possible, and we hang out all night.”
I had to admit that it was kind of brilliant. I guess dogs don’t ever judge people or werewolves. Then, once the werewolf was friends with the dogs, other dog people—like Anthony became friends with John too!
So that night we played with the pups, and it was amazing. Desmond was as happy as a kid with a million dogs could be! A
nd me? I had my ice cream!
Now, every time there’s a full moon, John lets us join the pack as honorary members. Not only that—he lets us help out at the pound, too. Or actually it’s called the shelter. Desmond loves it!
And me? Okay. Maybe, just maybe, I’m becoming a dog person. I mean, they’re all so cute! I even think Desmond’s puppy is adorable in his own way.
But don’t worry. I’ll probably never ever ever become a werewolf person, except for maybe once in a full moon.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR
Andres Miedoso is still afraid of everything as a grown-up, even after all his adventures with Desmond Cole. He lives in New York City with his family, and he remains very close friends with Desmond but returns to Kersville only when he’s needed.
Victor Rivas was born and raised in Vigo, Spain, and he lives outside of Barcelona. He has been a freelance illustrator for thirty years, illustrating children’s and teen books, concept art for multimedia and animation, and comics.
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Andres-Miedoso
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Victor-Rivas
Little Simon
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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First Little Simon hardcover edition October 2020
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ISBN 978-1-5344-7956-2 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-5344-7955-5 (pbk)
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