Chapter 58: Something's in the Air

Ralph felt his eyes widen as he desperately looked around his feet, lifting one front paw and the other. Not seeing the collar down below him, he felt his heart sink like a stone.

"Oh no," he panicked. "My collar! My good dog collar!"

In pure disbelief, the dog frantically began sniffing the ground for any trance of the collar, his nose quickly failing to pick up any other scent than that of the scorpion...and that of some nasty-smelling garbage close by.

"Wha-where-," Ralph stuttered as he began hyperventilating, pointlessly turning in quick circles as he hopelessly looked around for his collar.

Suddenly (and thankfully) remembering the collar had flew out of his mouth when he had tripped on the road, the mastiff twisted around again and looked at the road behind him...

To see a huge, deep skid mark that was left in the pavement by the rolling scorpion...included right where Ralph had last seen his good dog collar.

Freezing, Ralph sniffed the air before slowly turning to stare at the scorpion once again.

No, my collar can't be under that thing somehow, he pieced to together slowly before filling with horror. If it is... then my good dog collar is gone forever in the mud and underneath that dumb ole scorpion!

Throwing his head back in despair, Ralph flattened his ears up against his head as a low growl escaped his lips...

Right before his eyes caught something shiny up on the tall street pole to the left the deep mud pit on the sidewalk.

Walking a little closer to the pole and peering closer at the object on it, Ralph could see that the small, shiny things were attached to some sort of material that was loosely hanging on the street light fixture.. and the dog felt his mouth hang open in awe.

No, Ralph gawked, it can't be...

But there his good dog collar was, having somehow been flung up and caught on the long light fixture of the light pole and shining brightly right underneath a long, horizontal light bulb.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Ralph gasped out in distress. "My collar! Doh!"

He quickly darted towards the the light pole, tripping yet again. Frantically picking himself up off the ground, he quickly raced straight up to the pole's base, involuntary groans and whining of panic flooding out of his mouth as he did.

Looking up and seeing just how tall the street light really was now, Ralph's mind reeled on trying to figure out just how he was going to get that collar down from way up there.

Seeing that there seemed no possible way, Ralph thought for a split moment on just giving up, that it was pointless- right before he reprimanded himself.

No, he growled determinedly, I have not come this far just to lose my hard earned, stolen collar...whether I can make it back in time to win the bet or not, I am going home with that good dog collar- no matter what.

An idea hit him then- the only idea that seemed possible to work.

Using his bulky, hard, heavy build to crash against the bottom of street pole's based, Ralph could possibly inch the collar to the end of the fixture and knock to collar off the light entirely- somehow without accidentally knocking it into the mud pit with the scorpion right beside the pole.

Using as much force as he could muster, Ralph crashed hard into the side of the pole, his already aching side aching that much more.

The tall yet flimsy light pole wobbled back and forth near the top, causing the collar hanging there to slide to and fro on the light fixture. It'd slide towards the edge as the light pole tripped to the front, then go sliding backwards as the pole tipped back straight up again.

Banging against the pole's side again, even harder this time, Ralph felt his rib cage creak in protest, but he ignored it. Instead, he watched up at his precious collar finally teetered right to the end of the huge light fixture, hanging taunting right on the edge as the pole straighted once more.

A smile surfaced on Ralph's face as he peered up at his collar, seeing that it was just one more good, strong push away from being knocked off completely. His eyes focus solely on the collar, he inched away from the pole for a good distance for the one last, powerful push.

I will go home with this collar...

"Alright," he breathed out and up to the collar as he backed up slowly. "There you go...You can just come on down here to papa now..."

Smirking purposefully, Ralph had just took off to ram up against the pole again when-

"Hey Mister!" a loud, sudden, startling voice echo out close by the pole.