Chapter 14

"We found him!" Baljeet called out with waving hands as he and Buford entered in through the backyard's gate. "Phineas, we found him!"

"You did?" Phineas exclaimed, looking left and right. "Where is he?"

"Well, we couldn't actually rescue him," Buford pointed out. "Because his cage was locked. But he was at one of those doggie day care places."

"But Phineas," Baljeet mentioned. "The worker there told us that he had an owner."

"You're positive it was him?" Isabella requested. "It could have just been somebody's pet."

"We're... pretty sure," replied Baljeet. "He had the green fur, like Phineas said. Not too many dogs have that."

Buford pushed Baljeet aside to offer his own observation. "And when we asked him if he was Ferb, he nodded. A lot."

"It MUST'VE been him!" Phineas concluded. "All day we've been looking under bushes and behind buildings, when he's been inside someone's house this whole time!"

"At least now we know he's okay," came Isabella's reassuring voice. "See, Phineas. He didn't fall in a hole. I'm sure that whoever took him is really nice and is keeping him safe."

"Yeah, but I want him home here with me," Phineas said sadly. "...As a person."

Then Phineas drew out a palm, and held it flat, eight inches above his head and looked at it. He still had on a frown as he spoke. "That's where he's supposed to be."

He turned back towards Baljeet and Buford. "Do you have any idea where he might have went afterwards?"

"Sorry, Dude..." Buford murmured. "They shuffled us out of there in a hurry."

"Well tomorrow is Sunday," Phineas sighed, looking distantly out to the front yard. "We only have a little more than a day and a half left."

Morning at Martha and David's house was like morning anywhere else. Besides the fact that Ferb woke up on a dog bed.

Martha was heading out again, this time to do flower shopping. But today David had the day off from work, and was staying home to watch over their new dog.

But as David waved goodbye to his wife, Ferb noticed him slide a single key off the ring by the front door. He was pushing his feet into his shoes.

Ferb grew attentive, and watched David's movements. He was using slip-on shoes, and hadn't bothered to put on socks. He was going to get the mail.

Ferb's heart started to pound. He would be alone in the house. For five minutes, but alone nonetheless.

What could he do? Try to escape? No, he had tried that several times before, to no avail. Write them a note? No, he would need opposable thumbs for that.

But the phone. The phone was sitting on the kitchen table within easy grasp.

Ferb leapt into a chair, and knocked the device onto the floor. It rolled with a bounce, but stayed unharmed. Dropping down next to it, Ferb somehow managed to draw out a claw and press down a few numbers.

Walking through the Danville streets with his friends beside him, Phineas hollered at the top of his lungs, "Feeerrrbbb?"

He huffed loudly and commented, "Do you think he can even hear us through the walls if he's in one of these houses?"

"It's worth trying," Isabella answered.

Then Phineas felt a vibration in his pocket and heard the ringing song of his cell phone.

Baljeet leaned curiously over. "Who is it?"

Phineas reached down and drew out his phone. He flipped it open and looked at the number. "Nobody that I recognize."

"Answer it anyway," Buford told him. "My mom got these white doilies from an infomercial phone call that she uses now all the time."

Everybody stopped and stared at Buford, as Phineas' phone kept chiming in his hand.

"What? She likes them..." he replied quietly. Then he straightened dominantly and pointed hard at the cell phone. "Just answer it, Dinner Bell."

Phineas shrugged, and pressed the accept button, holding it to his ear. "Hello?"

He had to pull it away from his head as a loud barking erupted from the other side. Phineas' face got a look of realization. "It's Ferb!"

"You can recognize his barks now?" Baljeet asked, curiously.

"Well, no. It sounds like any other dog's bark to me," Phineas replied. "But I mean really, what other dog would call me on my cell phone just to bark at me?"

Phineas put his ear back on the phone and listened. He scrunched up his face in frustration.

"Ferb, bro, slow down. I have no idea what you're saying!" Phineas interrupted him. Then he turned to Baljeet saying, "Run home and grab the translator! Maybe it'll work through the phone."

Baljeet nodded and turned around to sprint in the opposite direction.

"Ferb! Where are you, man?" Phineas fretted on the line. Ferb gave a bit of an impatient groan. Phineas replied, "You're right, I know, I don't know why I asked you that."

But Ferb still couldn't stop himself from continuing his barking, directed at his brother. Phineas fidgeted in place as he tried to contain himself.

"Oohhh! I bet he's giving me directions and street names and numbers and everything right now! I seriously can't understand you, Ferb!"

But then Ferb's barking stopped. Phineas could hear a rustling as the phone was handled. Then a man's voice came through.

Hello? Is there somebody on the phone?

"Ummm, yeah. Hi?" Phineas replied. "Who is this?"

This is David. How did you get this number?

"Oh I didn't call," Phineas explained. "Ferb called me."

Ferb? David responded. There's nobody here by that name. You must be mistaken.

"What? No, I was just-" Phineas tried to reply.

I'm sorry that I can't help you. You have a wrong number.

The dial tone resonated mockingly in Phineas' ear. He pulled off his phone and left it sitting in his hand.

A couple of minutes later, Baljeet reappeared after a sprint, panting and sweating with his hands on his knees. He collided the translator he was carrying into Phineas' shoulder as he stood up.

Phineas turned around and took the device in his free hand. Baljeet looked with heavy breaths and silent confusion at the closed cell phone.

"No luck, Baljeet," Phineas answered dejectedly. "Ferb was using somebody's house phone, and they misunderstood us."

"Try pressing redial," Isabella suggested. "You have the number there in your phone's recent calls."

Ferb heard the house phone ringing from its place on the kitchen wall. He jumped up to look at it. "David! David! Come pick it up, it's Phineas again!"

David came over and looked at the number. He sighed when he realized that it was the same one he had just hung up. "Poor kid is never going to reach whoever he's trying to call, if he keeps ringing my house."

He picked up the phone and held it up. After a moment, he replied, "No, I told you, this is David. Whoever gave you this number wrote it down wrong. … No, I'm sorry. I do hope you reach him, but he's not here."

David clicked the device back onto the receiver, and walked away into the back room. Ferb pushed his head against the floor in frustration. Would his brother ever find this one house in the whole city of Danville?