Hooray for Pookie!

Sasha padded silently down the hard stone hallways, up stairs, looking for a way back to the lab and Misha.  Her mind wandered years

back to that time at the swimming hole.



“I can do it daddy!”  Sasha squealed.

“I do believe that you can with that much enthusiasm, kitten!”  smiled Daddy as he handed her the deflated innertube.  Sasha looked at the

valve stem dubiously.

“What is wrong?”

“That has boy germs on it, Can I use the big brass pump that you used on Misha's tire?”

Both Mommy and Daddy laughed.  “Such a wise little girl, yes, you do not want to get boy germs!”

In a moment, Sasha was busy pumping away to inflate her favorite water toy.  Soon she had it fully inflated, but she kept pumping in her

excitement.  “Look, Daddy, I can make it bigger!”

“Yes you can, but be careful!”

“I can make it bigger than you can!” she purred.

“It is bigger than you now!  That should be enough...”

But Sasha continued pumping.  “Hee, hee, look, one side is getting bigger than the other, it's like a chair now!”

“You should stop before...”  Daddy cautioned a little too late.  One of the patches was stretched too far and peeled loose.  Soon the

innertube began to hiss loudly and shrink back down.

“Aw, no!  I killed it!”  tears began to well up in Sasha's eyes.

Daddy reached down and hugged her.  “You made a mistake, but the damage isn't permanent.  Here I will show you how to fix it.  Then you

will know.”  He wiped the tears away from her muzzle.  “We all make mistakes.  Some can be fixed, and some can't.  What is important is

that we learn from them, and we will be better people.”

“I'm sorry, Daddy.”

“It is ok, now Sasha.  You are a smart little girl.  You will grow up into a smart woman!”




Sasha finally made it to the entrance to the lab.  She blinked when she saw what was going on.

Misha's rear tires were inflated, but her front tires were mostly flat, but they had enough air in them to allow her to shake easily from side to

side.  Like a dog might when it has a rabbit in its mouth.  Which is exactly where the Doctor was, wedged under her hood and struggling to

escape.

“Grrr, grrr, grrr!”  Misha growled from withing her engine compartment, close to the struggling Echidna's face.

“Do something Igor, get me out of here!”

“Your spines...”  Igor already had several spines in his clothing and a few more lay on the floor.  He teared up as he pulled another from his

chest.

“Get the crowbar!”

“What are you two idiots doing to my car!?!”

Igor fell over backwards, and the Doctor tried to stand up straight, but instead hit his head against Misha's hood.  “Ow!”

“Misha, trunk!”  

“Yes, Mistress!”  Misha's trunk promptly opened.

“Oh, and spit him out, you have no idea where he has been...”  Sasha began to rummage inside Misha's trunk.

“Bleah!”  Misha released the staggered echidna.  “He tastes like feet anyways!”

“How do you know what feet even taste like?” Igor cocked his head.

“Uh...”  Misha squeaked her front tires.

The Doctor regained his composure and began to walk towards Sasha around the car.  “What are you getting in there?  I assure you there

is no help available to you at this...  Oh dear...”

Sasha emerged from the trunk holding a spectacularly-sized revolver in her paws.  It's gaping maw pointed directly at the doctor's head.  

Sasha cocked the hammer back.  The pistol made three subdued clicks as if to say: “You are in a lot of trouble.”

“Please meet my little friend, the Hawk and Morrison .505 ultra-mag.  The pinnacle of Hawk-Morrison technology.  Capable of moving one

ounce of copper jacketed lead from zero to 2500 feet per second in the span of only eight inches.  I named mine Pookie, because he's

such a good little pookie gun, yes he is!” Sasha purred.

“She's nuts...”  Igor stated flatly.

“She's Mistress!”  Misha beamed.