Chapter Three
The house was in the middle of a row of brownstones, structurally the same as homes to its left and right. However, said houses' façade was far more festive than that of its counterparts. The top half consisted of bright red bricks, with some bright pink streaks mixed in. By contrast, the lower half was made of white wooden paneling, with large purple spots spray painted across the surface. The windows were particularly of note, with balloons, parasols, strings of lights and even a hammock protruding out of them. Even from the exterior, the house gave off a wild, almost chaotic vibe.
It was in front of this bohemian-looking structure that the adolescent pup on the wooden board came skidding to a halt. After stopping, she tucked the board under her left front leg and carried it up the stoop. She then placed her right paw to the left side of the door. The door then opened, the pup went inside and the door closed behind her. Across the street, peaking from behind a pillar at the park's entrance, Pongo and Perdita watched this event unfold with a keen interest.
Pongo was the first to speak, "That must be where she lives, quite the unusual abode." Perdita nodded in agreement, "It reminds me of our old house, but with quite a lot more personality." Pongo looked from his left to his right, then headed across the road with Perdita trailing close behind him. The spotted couple quietly approached the house's front door, still trying to avoid drawing attention. Upon reaching the top of the stoop, both dogs noticed the house number above the door, 101, but quickly shrugged it off. Eager to get inside, Pongo asked his mate, "How do we get inside?" Perdita looked to the left side of the doorframe and spotted a small, black square, "I think we have to use this thing."
Perdita hesitantly placed her right paw on the square. The device lit up, making a whirring sound while a white line moved up and down beneath her paw. Perdita jumped back slightly, caught off guard by the sudden activity. The square then ceased whirring and briefly flashed red before it returned to its original appearance. Frustrated by the failure, Perdita placed her paw to the square again, this time firmly holding it in place despite the noise and flashing. Again, the device flashed red and went silent. Determined as ever, Perdita tried it several more times to no avail.
Meanwhile, Pongo had his ear up against the wooden door. From inside, he could hear the distinct sounds of puppies running and barking. He could also hear what sounded like teenage voices amongst the plethora of younger ones, but couldn't make out exactly what was being said. Turning to his mate, Pongo said, "Perdy, come and listen." Shaking off her annoyance at the black square, Perdita did as Pongo suggested. Her ears perked up at the familiar sounds, "Reminds me of home." Pongo nodded, "Most definitely. Come on. Let's find out more." Pongo led his mate to the nearby front window, where both were able to peer inside the home while resting their paws on the exterior windowsill.
Looking through the window, Pongo and Perdita immediately saw spots. There were Dalmatian puppies everywhere, all engaged in various acts of play. Among the dotty menagerie, several of the puppies stood out in terms of both appearance and activity. One was seated upright in what looked like a small spherical alcove, with his hind legs crossed and front paws placed on tops his knees. Half his face was pure black and the other pure white, with a curvy line dividing the two. Another was in the process of splashing paint onto a canvas. She had little spots of various colors in addition to her natural black ones. By far, however, the most visually distinctive pup was the one sulking in corner. He appeared to be a Dalmatian like the others, but his fur was black and his spots were white. This inverted color palette, along with his sulking and spiked collar, gave him a very distinct appearance.
Both Pongo and Perdita's eyes widened at the sight before them, their heads instinctively tilting in puzzlement. Remembering the number above the front door, Pongo shook off his wonderment and turned his head to double check. Seeing that the house number was indeed "101," Pongo looked back towards Perdita. "I don't understand it, Perdy, but I think there's one hundred and one of them in there." Perdita continued to look through the window, "How can that be, Pongo? We, of all dogs, should've heard about such a thing! Two dog families that size would've at least been mentioned on the Twilight Bark."
At that moment, something caught Perdita's eye. She turned her head to her right and squinted her eyes somewhat, only to widen them again in surprise. "Pongo, look!" Perdita said pointing her snout towards the house's main staircase. Pongo again turned his head in the direction Perdita was looking, "What is it, Perdy?" Perdita spoke up again, "By the staircase. That picture in the middle of the wall!" placing her paw on the window to further direct her mate's attention. Pongo focused his vision in said direction, and after a moment of scanning the wall he spotted what Perdita had no doubt seen. In the center of a wall of framed pictures was a photograph of two adult Dalmatians, a male with a red collar and a female with a blue collar. There was no mistaking it; Pongo and Perdita were looking at a photo of themselves.
After a moment of staring in disbelief, the Dalmatian pair turned to face one another. "How…how can they possibly have that picture of us?" Perdita said in a confused tone. Pongo shook his head in disbelief, "I don't know Perdy, I just don't kn-"
"Excuse me, but can we help you?" a female voice suddenly said from behind the couple. Pongo and Perdita both whirled their heads around in surprise. Now facing their sidewalk, in front of them stood another Dalmatian couple. The male, had a broad chest and face, and wore a yellow fire helmet and matching shield dog tag. By contrast, the female had a very slender body and limbs, with longer snout and what looked like a blue medical badge on her collar. Both looked at Pongo and Perdita curiously but without any visible hostility.
After a quiet moment, Pongo and Perdita turned around to fully face the other couple. Perdita was the first to speak up, "Oh, hello. Please forgive us, we didn't mean to intrude." Pongo shook his head to reinforce his mate's point, "No, nothing of the sort. We were actually hoping you could help us." The other male tilted his head slightly, "Well, we'd be happy to help, but who are you, exactly?" The other female also titled her head, but looked at the strange canine couple more closely, as if she had seen them before but couldn't pinpoint exactly where.
Pongo and Perdita both briefly looked down at the ground, unsure of how to answer that question. Perdita broke the awkward silence, "My name is Perdita, and this is Pongo. We live out on our pets' farm in Devonshire with our puppies." Pongo nodded, "We woke up here in London today, and we've no idea how we got here." The other male's expression changed from curious to sympathetic, "Oh wow that sounds kind of scary. Maybe we can help you find your way home. My name is Doug and this is my sweetheart, Delilah." Doug turned to look at his mate as he introduced her, only to see her staring at Pongo and Perdita in disbelief.
Delilah's mouth hung open, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "It…it can't be!" she stammered through her shock. She shook off her disbelief, and then hurried up the stoop and through the front door. After a few minutes, she rushed back outside with a framed photo clenched between her teeth. She slid to a stop between Doug, Pongo and Perdita, gently placing the frame on the sidewalk for all four of them to see.
The quartet looked at the photograph of Pongo and Perdita silently for a moment. Doug had a look of shock similar to that of Delilah's, "But…but…those are your…" he stammered. Delilah chimed in, "My great-great-grandparents, Pongo and Perdita!" The other two looked up at Doug and Delilah in surprise, unsure if they heard her correctly. "I beg your pardon, did you say 'great-great-grandparents'?" Delilah nodded shakily, "Which would make them our children's great-great-great-grandparents!" Pongo and Perdita's eyes widened even further, baffled by this statement.
Shaking off his look of disbelief, Doug asked of his counterparts, "Wait a minute, what year is it?" Tilting his head, Pongo replied, "1961, of course," to which Perdita nodded in agreement. Doug and Delilah exchanged glances, before turning back towards their counterparts. "I don't know how to tell you this, but…" Doug said before breaking eye contact with Pongo and Perdita. Delilah, her face making a sympathetic expression, finished, "It's the year 2020." Pongo stared at them with his mouth gaping open, while Perdita shook her head and muttered "No, no, that can't be!" Doug, still avoiding full eye contact, said "I don't how this happened but…welcome to the future, heh heh."