A Close Call  
 

"Help me guys, quick!  I am in BIG trouble!" said Hank in a panic.

"What's wrong?" asked Patrick and Cricket at the same time.

"There is someone here to ADOPT me!" said Hank.  "I do NOT want to go!  I want to stay HERE!  Why do I have to get adopted?  Why can't I stay here with you?"

Hank was even more distraught than when his first family left him off.

"Let's find Henry," said Patrick. "He'll know what to do."

Everyone was tired from their adventure the night before.  Everyone but Patrick and Cricket who were too excited to feel tired.

Henry was fast asleep on the bed, but woke up from his nap when he heard the commotion. 

"Henry, HELP! There is someone here to adopt me!  I don't WANT to leave.  I want to stay here with all of you.  I don't know why I have to go! I have been a GOOD dog!   I don't know what to do!"

Henry blinked a few times and looked around the room.

"No one will adopt you today, Hank.  There is no rescue dust in the air.  It's definitely not time for you to leave."

 

"Why do I have to leave at all?" asked Hank.

Henry remembered back to his rescue angel Ingrid.  He remembered the tears in her eyes when she said good bye to him.  He remembered the words that Dallas had told him his last day in Tennessee.

 

"All dogs have an important mission in life," said Henry, (in the exact words that Dallas had spoken to him once upawn a time)... 

Henry pawsed for a moment, remembering the confident way that Dallas sat on the bed explaining these things to him.

"Your mission is just beginning.  You will go to your next destination and find Uprights and Animals that need you." 

"How will I know what to do?" sniffled Hank, wondering how Henry knew so much about so many things. 

"Follow your heart," Henry said.  "And always look for the Rescue Dust.  It will show you the way."

"Dust?" questioned Hank.  The thought of it made him want to sneeze.

 

"Not sneezy dust," continued Henry. 

"Rescue Dust is like magic dust.  You will feel it when seemingly impawsible things happen.  You will know that there are Rescue Angels watching over you and guiding you."

"That lady out there seems nice enough.  But she has no other pets.  I don't want to be alone.  I want a big family, just like I have here.  I thought the uprights really liked me here.  Why can't I just stay?"

"Have you seen how sad they looked today?" Henry asked Hank.  "I was wondering what was going on with them.  They must have thought you might leave them today."

"Why can't I just stay here?" Hank asked again.

"The uprights know you have a mission somewhere.  They are watching for the rescue dust too.  They'll know when the time is right.


 
The whole conversation with Hank made Henry homesick for his Rescue Angel and his Tennessee friends.

Funny that the uprights here all had that same sad, brave look on their face that he had first seen on Ingrid.  "I wonder if my uprights could be rescue angels too?" Henry pawndered.

Then he started to laugh.  "Nah... they are just regular uprights.  They could not be angels.  Could they?"
 
 
 

As usual, Henry was right about the rescue dust.

The sound of uprights talking filled the air.

"I can't take him if he used to be called Horrible Horrible," said the nice lady, and with that, she drove away.