The Wall

(This wall was actually part of the stage for the Mudde Show at the Ohio Renaissance Festival. I'm not sure why...)

Rocky had a racket going on in the neighborhood. All the dogs knew it. He was a scruffy beagle/pit bull mix with a baby face and an eager tail, but he also had a snarl and bite that most of the neighborhood dogs knew to avoid. And if that wasn’t enough, his sidekick, Guido, a nasty little Chihuahua, made sure that nobody messed with Rocky. Because at some point, they all needed Rocky’s services.


Rocky was the mastermind of what the dogs called “The Wall.” The Wall was the candy shop of the dog world, where a dog could find any type of stuffed babies his heart desired. They were displayed in all their glory along a wooden fence. Even when the dogs couldn’t afford the goods, they stopped by to window shop. Rocky hung up new goods every few days.

He was a master at his game. He waited for the neighborhood kids to bring their stuffed animals outside. Sometimes the kids left their babies in their bike baskets, or resting beneath trees as they ran off to play other games. Just yesterday, Rocky made off with a whole tea party of stuffed babies when the little girl who owned them had to go inside for lunch. They were hanging on The Wall now, a little damp from spilled tea, now advertised as “juicy”. Word got around.

“I need one,” Duchess growled. She was a white German Shepherd with a real baby problem. Rocky always hiked his leg when he saw Duchess coming. Her owners never seemed to keep her on a leash.

Rocky froze in a formidable stance, Guido yapping excitedly beside him and lunging at Duchess.

“Can you pay?” Rocky asked.

Duchess dropped a tough, new bone at her feet. Rocky reluctantly sniffed at it, then stepped back to guard his wall.

“That’s brand new. It’ll only get you one a’ the beanie babies.”

Duchess panted and licked her chops. Her eyes darted across the rows of babies hanging just beyond her reach. So many fluffy ones, and some with matted fur. She wanted one of those, not the beanie babies that were displayed at the bottom where any old dog could get them.

“Do they squeak?”

Rocky leaned back on his haunches.

“No, they don’t squeak. You want one that squeaks, you gotta bring me a good bone. One that’s been buried for a while, not one of these new chew toys that still smells like plastic.”

“But Rocky, I gotta have a squeaker.”

Rocky turned in circles and lay down. He knew Guido would watch the store. They went through the same thing with Duchess every day. She went through babies in a matter of minutes. She had no self-control at all, and as usual she needed a fix.

“Either take one of the small ones or get out!” Guido barked.

Duchess pushed the bone toward Rocky with her paw and waited while Guido got a striped kitten beanie baby from The Wall. He slobbered on it a little as he brought it over and laid it at her feet. She pounced on it immediately, pulling it head off and spilling little beads everywhere.

“Get outta here. You’re bad for business!” Guido snarled.

Baxter was next. He waited until Duchess was around the block before he dropped his well-worn bone at Rocky’s feet. Even with his eyes closed, Rocky could smell bits of ham that once flavored the bone. Now, specks of dirt and decay mottled the bone black and brown. This was a good one. Rocky snapped to his feet and gave the bone a good once-over.

“Pick whatever you like,” he told Baxter.

Baxter wagged his tail as his eyes roamed The Wall.

“I want one with big eyes that I can pull out,” he yipped excitedly. He spotted a potential teddy bear. He let out a little whine. “And it has to have a lot of stuffing. And fabric that doesn’t rip open right away!”

Drool dripped out of Baxter’s mouth as he panted with excitement.

“I see the one you’re lookin’ at,” Rocky said. “That’s the best one I got. I found that one in a baby carriage and it had milk spilled all over it. It plays music, too.”

Baxter yowled with longing and ran in tight circles. He barked and threw his head back, then reared back on his hind legs and begged.

“I want it! I want it!”

Rocky sat still, with Guido at his side. He twitched his head toward The Wall and growled out the words that Baxter longed to hear.

“Go get it, boy. Fetch!”

Baxter trotted to The Wall and grabbed ahold of the bear’s left leg. He pulled and tugged as the animal held its resistance. Finally, it tore free from The Wall and Baxter clutched the baby in his mouth. His tail wagged ferociously as he carried the baby down the sidewalk, past other dogs chained in their yards, with “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” playing all the way home.