001Dog Town, Chapter 100. The dog who Could read. We were halfway to the grocery store by the time I remembered Green Eggs and Ham. We forgot the book. I'll go find it. Meet you outside the furniture store. I hurried back to search behind the dumpster by the cars on the sidewalk. I finally found Green Eggs and ham in front of the fish market. I picked it up with my teeth and began hopping back to Metalhead and Mouse. By now the market was closed and two of the market guys were leaving. The guy with the ponytail who had chased mouse and a tall guy who rireed of garlic. There's that lame dog again. Garlic breath said that raised my hackles. It's true I'm missing a leg, but there's so much more to me than that. He
002was a friend of the stupid mouse that made me run into the lady. Ponytail said. He was a friend of the mouse. Garlic Breath snickered. Yeah. What's he got in his mouth? Ponytail asked. Wait. It's a book. I think it's Green Eggs and Ham. Remember that one. Let's see. A dog who can read has a friend who's a mouse. What did you eat for lunch, man? Garlic Breath asked as he got in the car. Ponytail laughed and I wagged my tail because I wasn't just a lame dog to them now. I was a dog who could read and had a mouse as a friend. A book and a friend. What could be better than that? Chapter 101. The furniture store. When I caught up with Metal Head and Mouse, they were tucked behind an arrangement
003of pots outside the furniture store. The lights were still on, but the store looked closed. We went around the back and found the door propped open. What luck. I stuck my nose through the doorway and inhaled the aroma of varnish, styrofoam, and burnt popcorn. It sounded like a television was on. a dance show of some kind. Pounding feet followed the dance beat cadence. I told Mouse and Metalhead to wait near some bushes. Then I hopped in to check out the situation. It probably would have been smarter to have mouse scout things out because he's so much smaller, but he was still working on his shrimp scrap and I hated to interrupt his dinner. The furniture store was even bigger than it had looked from the outside. I saw a room full of couches. Oh, how
004I love a good couch. In case you didn't know, the world is made up of two kinds of humans. Those that allow their dogs on the couch and those that don't. Professor Besser let me sleep on the couch. Of course, she did. In the mattress section, I noticed an unused electrical outlet. It was perfect. Well, it would have been if there had been something decent to eat in this store besides burnt popcorn, but it was getting late. I didn't think we should be picky. Chapter 102. Turn of the luck. I scooted out to get Metal Head and Mouse. They've got couches. Let's go. Mouse nodded and darted in the door. Metal head moved slower than ever. I got a better grip of green eggs and ham as I waited for him to make his way
005inside. I was trying hard not to slobber on the cover when the door slammed. The lock turned, the lights flicked off, metal head and mouse were inside, and I was out. Chapter 103. The cold, hard pavement. I listened to the footsteps inside the store. The furniture store employee was clearly locking up for the night. When I peeked through the window, I saw a girl with a backpack and a big purple lace up boots. She'd already locked the back door, so she must be planning to leave from the front. I'd have to sneak in the door when she came out. Otherwise, I'd be spending the night on the cold, hard pavement when mouse and metal head curled up on the couches inside. I ran around to the front, lurking in the building's shadows, but there was
006a bright light shining by the door and nothing to hide behind. As I tried to figure out how to get closer without her seeing me, the girl slipped out and closed the door behind her, checking to make sure it was locked. Chapter 104. Bed versus couch. When the furniture store girl had driven away, I went to the window and peered in. Metalhead was already charging in the mattress department. Mouse saw me and motioned me to come inside. I shook my head and he ran to the window. I'm locked out. I barked. Mouse's eyes widened. His little hands shot up. His finger spled. I have an idea. I'll talk you through it. Unplug. Metal head. Find some string and both of you meet me at the back door. Mouse snotted then took off. A few minutes
007later, I heard them moving around by the back door. Did you find packing string? I barked. Affirmative. Metalhead said, "Mouse, you loop it over the lock. Metal head, you pull one in like you did with the leash in your pen at dog town." There was some scurrying and muffled words from Metal Head. Unspool more string, I think, he said. Then a click click and the lock slid open. So far so good. Mouse moved the string to the door handle. I barked wondering how much charge Metal Head had been able to get. Got it, Metalhead said. Now pull the door open. I heard some clanking and groaning. The door shuddered a little. Do whatever you just did again, I barked. There was more clatter, but this time the door didn't budge. Uhoh, Metalhead said. I knew
008what the problem was. I could hear it in his voice. He didn't have enough charge. Get back to the outlet. Charge for an hour. I'll wait outside. Roger that, Metal Head draw. The wind whispered through the trees and it began to snow. I curled up under a bush and tried to sleep. Every few minutes I had to get up and run around to keep myself warm. Finally, I heard them scurrying on the other side of the door. Metal head said something I couldn't make out. The door groaned. It creaked and shuddered. Opened a hair, then closed again. Almost got it, I barked. More groaning and creaking. Then the door opened two hairs and I wedged my nail in the opening, leaning on the door frame so I didn't fall over. Then I punched my paw
009through and I came flying after it. In less than a minute, I was inside. It was warm in the furniture store, and I was exhausted. All I could think about was, did I want to sleep on a bed or a couch? I dragged the book to the closet bed I could find. I dragged the bed the book to the closest bed I could find, which happened to be in the window display. I didn't care if anyone saw me. I didn't care about anything. I just wanted to find a comfy spot.