Chapter Ten
In the living room of 101, Pongo and Perdita were seated in front of the television set, surrounded on all sides by their great-great-great-grandchildren, with the exception of Dawkins. The TV was just playing a commercial break, but the elder dogs in particular were watching the set with a vested interest. Pongo broke his silence, "How can they make a television this big? Ours back home is tiny by comparison." Perdita nodded, "And in color no less! I didn't think that was even possible." Dylan, seated to the left of his ancestors, smiled and nodded, "Just about everyone has color TVs nowadays. Come to think of it, I don't think they even make black-and-white TVs anymore." Dolly, seated to the right of her elders, chuckled in agreement, "And that's just the tip of the iceberg."
As if spurred on by Dolly's remark, Dylan said "I have an idea." He then rushed out of the room and up the stairs. Approaching the bedroom door, Dylan knocked gently, "Dawkins, are you in there?" The partially open door creaked even wider open, but the younger Dalmatian was nowhere in sight. Eyeing his brother's cubby, Dylan climbed to the top of the ladder and stood in front of the curtain, "Dawkins, you okay?" No response. Pulling the curtain open, Dylan looked inside with concern but then breathed a sigh of relief.
Dawkins was sound asleep in front of the dormant tablet; no doubt having worn himself out from his nonstop data crunching. The bowl that Dylan had left his brother that morning was empty, confirming that Dawkins had at least taken time to eat. Rolling his eyes amusedly at his sibling, Dylan said, "Even the biggest brain on the planet needs a break sometimes." Spotting Princess Positron II near Dawkins's resting spot, Dylan nudged it next to his younger brother. Dawkins seemed to sense her presence instinctively, reaching out and wrapping his foreleg around her, smiling contently. Dylan then quietly grabbed the tablet and closed the curtain before heading back downstairs.
Dolly, Pongo and Perdita were waiting at the base of the stairs when Dylan appeared, tablet held in his mouth. Pongo looked excited, while Perdita looked a bit uneasy. "Oh dear, that silly block thing again! That one we found in the park was bad enough, and it was less than half that size." Setting the tablet down, Dylan spoke, "I don't know what happened to you guys in the park, but I can assure you that these things are both harmless and incredibly useful."
Pongo gave his mate a playful lick, "Don't worry Perdy. Humans use these things all the time, don't they? And it can't be all that different from a television or a radio." Perdita's look of skeptical worry faded just slightly, "Well, what exactly do you use this thing for again?" Dylan beamed with confidence, "Allow me to demonstrate." Dylan pressed the only visible button on the tablet, causing the screen to light up. Using his paw, Dylan made the images on the screen move, an action which Pongo and Perdita couldn't help but watch with mild amazement.
Dylan looked up, "Is anybody hungry?" The other three Dalmatians nodded, to which Dylan responded, "Ok, let's order some food." Dylan pressed down of the screen, which beeped in response. Smirking, Dylan said, "And now we wait!" Less than sixty seconds later, a buzzing sound was heard outside the front door while another ping came from the tablet. Dylan opened the door, revealing a package of dog food lying on the front porch. Pongo and Perdita were wowed by the sudden appearance, with Perdita asking, "Where in the world did that come from?" Dolly smirked and pointed up in the air. Following her lead, Pongo and Perdita looked up and spotted what looked like a black box with a small propellor on each of its four corners flying off into the sky.
The elder Dalmatians watched the hovering contraption disappear from view, squinting their eyes with their mouths gaping slightly. Pongo spoke, "Is that some kind of flying saucer?" Dylan chuckled as he shook his head, "It's a drone, specifically a drone used to deliver packages almost instantly." Perdita looked down at the bag of dog food, "Well, they've certainly accomplished that goal!" Eyeing the brand name on the bag, she asked, "I'm curious, do 'Kanine Krunchies' still exist?" Dolly tilted her head a bit, "Never heard of them." Dylan made a similar face but then said, "Wait, that sounds familiar, one second."
He then went back through the front door and emerged a moment later with the tablet. Holding it close to his chest, Dylan tapped on the screen several times before asking, "Is this what you meant?" He then placed the tablet in front of the elder Dalmatians. The screen was blank for a second, but then simple black and white animations appeared, and a familiar jingle began playing: Kanine Krunchies can't be beat, they make each meal a special treat. Happy dogs are those who eat nutritious Kanine Krunchies . Pongo and Perdita couldn't help but bob their heads along as the catchy tune continued.
When the song ended, Perdita spoke, "Yes, that's it." Dylan nodded, "According to the Internet, the company that makes them had some money problems back in the late 1970s and went bankrupt." Pongo kept his eyes aimed at the tablet, "Well, that's definitely a shame. How did you cue up that old advertisement so quickly?" Dylan responded, "It's called YouTube, it has practically every type of video under the sun." Dolly interjected, "Even if there are WAY too many dumb clips of allegedly cute cats on there!" Dylan rolled his eyes at his sister's remark but did not offer any rebuttal.
Pongo whistled in amazement at the concept, while Perdita remarked, "If I had to sum this time in one word, it would be 'convenient'." Dylan nodded, "Yes, technology is truly amazing, at least when it's working." Dolly spoke up, "But there's plenty more to do around here than stare at screens all day, follow me!" Dolly rushed back inside, trailed by the other three.
For the next several hours, Pongo and Perdita were subjected to a whirlwind of activities. First, Dolly brought them to the pup named Deepak, who's facial spots resembled a yin-yang symbol. Dolly spoke to her young brother, "You know, your Aunt and Uncle have never meditated before. How about a crash course?" Deepak was ecstatic, "Oh goodie! I've always wanted to help someone find inner peace for the first time." Deepak then positioned himself on a large floor pillow, sitting upright his hind paws placed together and his forelegs at his side. Following the youngster's example, Pongo and Perdita awkwardly tried to poise themselves on matching pillows, chuckling as they repeatedly lost their balance and fell over.
Second, Dolly brought the elder couple to the pup named DJ, who had a large pair of red headphones over his ears. DJ was seated behind what looked like a metal box with piano keys on it. Pongo asked, "Is that some kind of piano?" DJ nodded, "It's an electronic keyboard. It can make all sorts of sounds that a regular piano can't make." DJ then played on his instrument, using the switches and buttons above the keys as he played to add a variety of flourishes to his music. Pongo chuckled, "My pet would love a gadget like that." Perdita added, "And it certainly takes ups less space than the old-fashioned kind."
Third, Dolly led her "Aunt" and "Uncle" out to the backyard. Off to the side was another of the family's contraptions, this one similar to the bowl-dispenser in the dining room. Positioning herself next to a large lever on the machine's side, Dolly exclaimed, "Let's play fetch. Heads up!" Dolly pulled the lever with gusto, and the machine began to grind and rumble. Pongo and Perdita jumped back and assumed defensive positions. The rumbling stopped and two green tennis balls came flying out of machine. Their domesticated instincts kicking in, the pair leapt into the air and grabbed the flying spheres. Dolly laughed out loud, and her elders soon joined in.
At that moment, a voice came from the back door, "Oh there you are, Dolly!" The three Dalmatians looked in the direction of the voice, spotting a human male in the doorway. He was about twenty years old, with curly blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing red jacket, a white undershirt and a black tie with matching pants and shoes. Approaching Dolly, he spoke in a friendly tone, "Sorry to drop by unannounced. I just wanted to see if Dylan was free to hang out today. Is he around?"
Dolly was visibly taken aback by his appearance, worriedly glancing back and forth between him and her relatives. Noticing Pongo and Perdita, the human added, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had company. I take it their family?" Pongo was also surprised, asking Dolly, "You're friends with a human who's not your pet." The human responded, "Well, what's so unusual about that?" Perdita's eyes widened with shock, "He can understand us?" Just then, Pongo began sniffing the air, having noticed a familiar scent. Perdita started doing the same, "That's the same smell as…but it can't be…unless…"
Dolly finally overcame her surprise and was able to speak again, "I'm so sorry! I can explain!" The human, unsure of what to make of the canines' reactions, spoke up, "I think introductions would be a good place to start, Dolly." Leaning forward and extending his hand in greeting, "Hello, my name is Hunter. Hunter DeVil."