Free Flash by Ellen Miles Page A

Charles, and the Bean had begged, they had never been allowed to keep a puppy themselves. Until Buddy came along, that is.
    The Petersons had taken care of Buddy and his two sisters when they were all just tiny puppies, and everyone in the family had fallen in love with him. Buddy was the runt of the litter, smaller and more timid than his sisters, and he needed extra care.
    Buddy was mostly tan, with chocolate-brown markings and a white heart on his chest. Hewas the sweetest, smartest, funniest puppy ever. Charles never got tired of playing with him, holding him, and even just watching while Buddy did regular puppy things like eating his breakfast or chewing on a puppy toy.
    As soon as dinner was over, Charles and Becky asked to be excused. “We’ll take Buddy for a walk,” offered Charles. The puppy jumped up as soon as he heard that word. He wagged his tail so hard that his whole body wriggled. “Hold on, hold on!” Charles laughed as Buddy licked his face while he tried to clip on the squirmy pup’s leash. Outside, Buddy pulled Charles this way and that as he ran to sniff all the new, exciting smells. It was already almost dark, and the air was cold and clear.
    “Let’s pretend Buddy is a pirate and he’s leading us to where his treasure is buried,” said Becky.
    “Because we captured his ship,” Charles added, getting into the game. “And now he has to showus the hiding place, or we’ll make him walk the plank.”
    Buddy made a pretty silly pirate. He kept sniffing every bush and fence post he came across. His leash was getting all tangled as he darted here and there through the yard. “Wait up!” said Charles as Buddy circled back toward the house.
    “Look! It’s another pirate ship!” Becky said, pointing to a car that was coming up the long dirt road that led to the farm. Its headlights lit up the house as it drew closer. It pulled right up to where Charles and Becky were standing, near the front door.
    The car stopped, and a lady got out. She was holding a bundle in her arms, a bundle that wriggled and moved. It was something wrapped in a blanket. Charles couldn’t figure out what it might be.
    The lady started talking —
fast.
“Sorry to drop Flash off in such a hurry, but we’re in a terrible rush,” she said, her words tumbling over oneanother. “Murray’s father took sick, so we’re leaving much sooner than we thought. We’ll be driving all night long as it is! Of course he’s had all his shots and everything, as you can tell by his tags — oops! I forgot his collar. Oh, well. Anyway, I’m sure he’ll be a big help to you, and we sure do appreciate that he has a good place to stay and all, and —”
    “Dot! Let’s go already!” said a man’s voice from inside the car.
    “Okay, okay!” The woman gave the bundle in her arms a big kiss. “We’ll miss you, Flash,” she said. Then she gently put it down on the ground and hopped back into the car. “He’s a little shy! Just give him time and you’ll see how sweet he is,” was the last thing the woman called out as the car turned around in the driveway. A moment later, the car was on its way back down the driveway, leaving Charles and Becky staring at each other — and at the bundle. Buddy strained at his leash, trying to get a sniff of whatever it was.
    “What was
that
all about?” Charles asked. “I have no idea,” said Becky. She stepped forward and unfolded the blanket. “Oh!” said Charles.
    There, looking up at him, was the cutest black-and-white puppy he had ever seen.

CHAPTER TWO
    Flash wasn’t a small, roly-poly puppy like Buddy. He was a sleek, long-legged, pointy-nosed dog. But Charles could tell by the way he sprang to his feet when Becky unwrapped the blanket that he wasn’t a grown-up dog. He was black and white, with a silky coat and a long, feathered tail. His black eyes were shiny and bright. This puppy had obviously been loved and well cared for.
    “Oh, my gosh!” said Becky. “He’s so