Stick Dog Dreams of Ice Cream by Tom Watson

                            
Chapter 1
ESCAPE FROM THE HEAT
    It was really, really hot.
    Stick Dog, Stripes, and Poo-Poo looked forward to some brief relief from the heat.
    And Mutt was just back from the creek to provide it.
    He was sopping wet. He didn’t say anything at all but simply sidled up close to the others. They all knew the routine. This was, after all, Mutt’s fourth trip to the creek in the past hour. Stick Dog, Stripes, and Poo-Poo stood at the ready.

    And then Mutt began to shake. He started slowly at first, spraying the others with big droplets of water from his shaggy fur. But then his shaking sped up, until he trembled and vibrated so hard the dry dirt around his paws puffed up in little brown clouds. With this vigorous shaking, Mutt was able to spray hiscompanions not with big droplets of creek water but with a fine, cooling mist.
    The other three sighed as they felt the wet, cool relief.
    â€œThat feels wonderful,” whispered Stripes when Mutt finally stopped shaking.
    â€œI never get tired of that smell,” Poo-Poo said.
    Stick Dog enjoyed the temporary respite. He needed a little break from the dry, hot day as much as anyone. “Thank you again, Mutt. That really does feel great,” he said. “Come on, you guys. Let’s help him retrieve some of this stuff. That’s the least we can do.”
    Immediately, Poo-Poo and Stripes helped Stick Dog gather all the things that had comeflying out of Mutt’s fur with the water. They picked up a crushed Ping-Pong ball, a blue marker, two bottle caps, and an old gray sock. They returned them all to Mutt, who tucked everything back into his fur except the old gray sock. He took that to the shade of a beech tree and began to chew on it.

    Poo-Poo and Stripes shared some shade under an old oak tree. And Stick Dog settled beneath a leafy maple. Unlike Mutt’s shaking, the shadeprovided little help. They all heated up again quickly.
    â€œStick Dog,” Poo-Poo said. “We have got to do something about this heat.”
    â€œThere’s not much we can do,” Stick Dog answered. He seemed to be conserving his energy as he spoke. He didn’t even turn to address Poo-Poo. “My pipe is even warmer than out here. The air doesn’t circulate in there. We’re not going to find better shade anywhere. I guess we could go down to the creek and get another drink of water. That always helps a little.”
    â€œI’m sick of drinking creek water,” Stripes said. She sounded frustrated. “It’s too sandyand gritty. And on a day like this, it’s not even cold.”
    â€œLet’s go look for some new water,” suggested Mutt. “Maybe we can find a better place to get it.”
    Stick Dog considered this. “A new water source, hmm? Cleaner, colder. I think it’s a good idea.”
    â€œYou do?” said Mutt. “Really?!”
    Stick Dog nodded. “Let’s just wait for Karen to get here and then we’ll go look.”
    â€œDid you hear that, you guys?” Mutt asked Poo-Poo and Stripes. There was genuine excitement in his voice. “Stick Dog thinkswe should go find a new place to get water. It was my idea! Did you hear me suggest that?”
    Poo-Poo nodded his head, and Stripes closed her eyes.

    â€œAnother great idea by yours truly,” Mutt whispered to himself as he shifted arounda little in the shade. “Old Mutt comes through again.”
    Stick Dog took pleasure in seeing Mutt act this way. And he took even greater pleasure when a random summer breeze whooshed through the woods for a few seconds. He closed his eyes and waited for Karen.
    He didn’t have to wait long.

Chapter 2
GOING NOWHERE

    Karen soon came through the woods and entered the small clearing at Stick Dog’s pipe. She joined him beneath the maple tree.
    â€œCan you believe how hot