Ode to Oddity
by the Chronicler
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Chapter Three
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Buckaroo nearly lost his balance as Oddity raced down the hall, a leather loafer locked securely in his jaws.
"You mutt!" Perfect Tommy hollered, taking chase. "Come back here!"
The Austrian Shepherd paused at the top of the stairs and looked back. Hunkering down playfully, he growled and shook the shoe. He waited until his pursuer was nearly on top of him before leaping back, under Perfect Tommy's tackle and headed back down the hall.
Missing his target, the young Cavalier hit, shoulder first on the top step, then proceeded to roll down the stairs with a series of "ouch", "Umf!" "Son of a..." "Damn..." "Mutt!" And finally a loud thud marked the hitting of the bottom step and a snarled "That hurt."
Oddity dropped the shoe and stuck his head through the rails to bark at his victim. He waited for an answering growl, assuring him that the game was not yet up, then spun about, snatched up his prize, and pranced back down the hall, passing Buckaroo and Peggy who, smartly, were now plastered against the wall.
Peggy grinned and looked up at her husband. "I just can't think of anything that could possibly describe what just happened." she admitted.
Buckaroo shrugged, equally at a loss for words.
But, as Perfect Tommy climbed back up the stairs, bumped and bruised, he had a description to offer. "That was a royal pain in the butt and MY $76 shoe." he growled, stomping pass them, following the path he knew his nemesis had taken.
"Um... Didn't he already eat the other one?" Buckaroo inquired.
Perfect Tommy's head snapped around to lock smoldering eyes on his employer. "It! Is! The! Principle! Of! It!" he snarled.
Buckaroo lifted his head slightly. "Ah... o-kay." he waved the younger man on. "Carry on."
Tommy's eyes snapped around to lock on Oddity who waited patiently for him at the end of the hall. "Hey, Oddity... did you know in some cultures, folks actually EAT dogs?"
Once on his way, Peggy wondered "You think he's gonna hurt him?"
"Perfect Tommy or Oddity?"
Again, Peggy was left unsure of what to say.
Rawhide poked his head out of the BunkHouse. "Safe?"
"For now." Buckaroo and Peggy ducked in. "How long has that been going on?" Buckaroo wondered indicating the hall with a nod.
"Oh, since I picked up Oddity... what? Four hours ago?" Rawhide glanced at Reno for confirmation.
Reno turned the page of his newspaper, offering a simple "Yup."
Buckaroo rubbed his the bridge of his nose as a crash and a startled cry from Mrs Johnson came from down the hall. "And how long will Knuckles be out of town?" he wondered.
"A week."
"Oh.... Goody." Buckaroo groaned.
Peggy elbowed him in the ribs. "Aw, come on. You love having someone around to keep Perfect Tommy occupied. At least we know where he is by the tell tale crashes and curses."
Reno set his paper down and tilted his head to one side, listening. "Which has, suspiciously, ceased." he pointed out. Rising to his feet, he went to the door. "Um... Rawhide?"
"Um.... what?" Rawhide responded sounding suddenly concerned. He came up to look over the writer's shoulder.
Reno pointed to Oddity who was standing at the head of the stairs, a new prize clutched in his teeth. "Isn't that your boot?"
"Hey!" Rawhide took chase, which Oddity excitedly responded to by spinning about and racing down the stairs and out the front door.
The three Cavaliers left in the Bunkhouse raced to the window and looked out just in time to see the big cowboy take a rather undignified leap at the dog.
"Oooh." Peggy winced as Rawhide nailed the dog and the two went rolling across the ground.
"I bet on Rawhide." Reno offered.
"Hmm... I think I'll have to go with Oddity." Buckaroo responded.
Peggy leaned out the window between the two men. "I bet on the boot."
"Hey, Boss." Billy called coming into the room and headed straight for the computer center. He paused when he noticed the three at the window. "Um... boss, if there isn't a war going on out there.... I have something you need to see."
Buckaroo sighed and turned from the window. "There is a war, but I have a feeling we'll see plenty of reruns over the next week."
Billy frowned.
Buckaroo chuckled, crossing the room to stand behind his computer. "Don't worry about it." He waved to the computer. "What do you have?"
"Ouch!" Reno hissed from the window. "Can I change my bet?"
"No, no.... wait..." Peggy said excitedly. "Ha! He's got it! He.... never mind."
Billy's frown deepened. It took some amount of self control to tare his attention away from the window and to the subject he had felt most urgant.
"You know how I was running a search for Lectroids?" Fingers danced across the key board. "Crossing probable targets with Johns with odd sur-names and such?"
Buckaroo pulled up a chair to sit beside him. "That must have come up with a pretty long list."
"No, not really." Billy answered, his fingers still typing away. "Threw in a few dates and locations and the Yoyodyne info and I get very few names with very percise information." With a final swat at the enter key, Billy leaned back. "Like now."
Buckaroo looked the screen over. After a moment, he sighed. "So, you think this John Dork is going to go after the spent fuel rods?"
Billy shrugged. "I'd bet good money on it." He hit another key. "And they are right now sitting at a New York train yard in which John Dork works."
Dr Banzai slowly nodded. he tapped his go-phone. "Mrs Johnson? Call in the troops."
"Woe!" Peggy ducked under the window sill and looked up at Reno. "I didn't know a boot could do that."
Reno simply stared out the window, jaw hanging open.
by the Chronicler
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Chapter Three
----------
Buckaroo nearly lost his balance as Oddity raced down the hall, a leather loafer locked securely in his jaws.
"You mutt!" Perfect Tommy hollered, taking chase. "Come back here!"
The Austrian Shepherd paused at the top of the stairs and looked back. Hunkering down playfully, he growled and shook the shoe. He waited until his pursuer was nearly on top of him before leaping back, under Perfect Tommy's tackle and headed back down the hall.
Missing his target, the young Cavalier hit, shoulder first on the top step, then proceeded to roll down the stairs with a series of "ouch", "Umf!" "Son of a..." "Damn..." "Mutt!" And finally a loud thud marked the hitting of the bottom step and a snarled "That hurt."
Oddity dropped the shoe and stuck his head through the rails to bark at his victim. He waited for an answering growl, assuring him that the game was not yet up, then spun about, snatched up his prize, and pranced back down the hall, passing Buckaroo and Peggy who, smartly, were now plastered against the wall.
Peggy grinned and looked up at her husband. "I just can't think of anything that could possibly describe what just happened." she admitted.
Buckaroo shrugged, equally at a loss for words.
But, as Perfect Tommy climbed back up the stairs, bumped and bruised, he had a description to offer. "That was a royal pain in the butt and MY $76 shoe." he growled, stomping pass them, following the path he knew his nemesis had taken.
"Um... Didn't he already eat the other one?" Buckaroo inquired.
Perfect Tommy's head snapped around to lock smoldering eyes on his employer. "It! Is! The! Principle! Of! It!" he snarled.
Buckaroo lifted his head slightly. "Ah... o-kay." he waved the younger man on. "Carry on."
Tommy's eyes snapped around to lock on Oddity who waited patiently for him at the end of the hall. "Hey, Oddity... did you know in some cultures, folks actually EAT dogs?"
Once on his way, Peggy wondered "You think he's gonna hurt him?"
"Perfect Tommy or Oddity?"
Again, Peggy was left unsure of what to say.
Rawhide poked his head out of the BunkHouse. "Safe?"
"For now." Buckaroo and Peggy ducked in. "How long has that been going on?" Buckaroo wondered indicating the hall with a nod.
"Oh, since I picked up Oddity... what? Four hours ago?" Rawhide glanced at Reno for confirmation.
Reno turned the page of his newspaper, offering a simple "Yup."
Buckaroo rubbed his the bridge of his nose as a crash and a startled cry from Mrs Johnson came from down the hall. "And how long will Knuckles be out of town?" he wondered.
"A week."
"Oh.... Goody." Buckaroo groaned.
Peggy elbowed him in the ribs. "Aw, come on. You love having someone around to keep Perfect Tommy occupied. At least we know where he is by the tell tale crashes and curses."
Reno set his paper down and tilted his head to one side, listening. "Which has, suspiciously, ceased." he pointed out. Rising to his feet, he went to the door. "Um... Rawhide?"
"Um.... what?" Rawhide responded sounding suddenly concerned. He came up to look over the writer's shoulder.
Reno pointed to Oddity who was standing at the head of the stairs, a new prize clutched in his teeth. "Isn't that your boot?"
"Hey!" Rawhide took chase, which Oddity excitedly responded to by spinning about and racing down the stairs and out the front door.
The three Cavaliers left in the Bunkhouse raced to the window and looked out just in time to see the big cowboy take a rather undignified leap at the dog.
"Oooh." Peggy winced as Rawhide nailed the dog and the two went rolling across the ground.
"I bet on Rawhide." Reno offered.
"Hmm... I think I'll have to go with Oddity." Buckaroo responded.
Peggy leaned out the window between the two men. "I bet on the boot."
"Hey, Boss." Billy called coming into the room and headed straight for the computer center. He paused when he noticed the three at the window. "Um... boss, if there isn't a war going on out there.... I have something you need to see."
Buckaroo sighed and turned from the window. "There is a war, but I have a feeling we'll see plenty of reruns over the next week."
Billy frowned.
Buckaroo chuckled, crossing the room to stand behind his computer. "Don't worry about it." He waved to the computer. "What do you have?"
"Ouch!" Reno hissed from the window. "Can I change my bet?"
"No, no.... wait..." Peggy said excitedly. "Ha! He's got it! He.... never mind."
Billy's frown deepened. It took some amount of self control to tare his attention away from the window and to the subject he had felt most urgant.
"You know how I was running a search for Lectroids?" Fingers danced across the key board. "Crossing probable targets with Johns with odd sur-names and such?"
Buckaroo pulled up a chair to sit beside him. "That must have come up with a pretty long list."
"No, not really." Billy answered, his fingers still typing away. "Threw in a few dates and locations and the Yoyodyne info and I get very few names with very percise information." With a final swat at the enter key, Billy leaned back. "Like now."
Buckaroo looked the screen over. After a moment, he sighed. "So, you think this John Dork is going to go after the spent fuel rods?"
Billy shrugged. "I'd bet good money on it." He hit another key. "And they are right now sitting at a New York train yard in which John Dork works."
Dr Banzai slowly nodded. he tapped his go-phone. "Mrs Johnson? Call in the troops."
"Woe!" Peggy ducked under the window sill and looked up at Reno. "I didn't know a boot could do that."
Reno simply stared out the window, jaw hanging open.