Episode 13: Dangerous games...

Back in Cooperville...

Two Labrador puppies scampered from the Cooperville Toy, Treat & Toothbrush Emporium, squealing with delight.

"Quick Ben, pass it to me! C'mon, c'mon!" yipped the first puppy.

"Okay, stand back a bit then!" Ben laughed. "Ready Jerry? Go long!"

Jerry raced down the street as Ben flipped the shiny new Indestructoball high into the air. Flecks of slobber flew from the ball as it bounced once, then twice, and was caught by Jerry mid air before it could hit the ground again.

Both puppies yelped with excitement. "Cool!" Ben squealed, crouching into a play bow. "My turn now, throw it back to me!"

Jerry flung the Indestructoball back towards Ben as hard as he could, tripping over his own feet as he let the ball go. The last minute stumble sent the ball off course, and it hit the wall of a nearby building before bouncing two more times along the sidewalk, rolling to a stop well short of Ben.

"What was that?" Ben laughed.

"Do over!" Jerry yelled as he bolted for the ball.

"No way!" Ben yipped as he raced for the ball as well, crashing into Jerry and bowling him over into a squirming heap.

The giggling puppies wrestled for several moments before flopping to the ground to catch their breath.
"Hey flea breath, I think your watch is broken!" panted Jerry.

"I don't have a watch bug brains!" said Ben.

"Then what's that ticking?"

"Maybe your brain finally snapped!" said Ben as he leapt away from Jerry. Jerry sprang after him, tackling him back to the ground.

The puppies tumbled over each other, knocking into the Indestructoball and sending it rolling down the street. The loud ticking sound coming from the ball became faster as it rolled, and it headed for the mail box on the corner.

"Hey mister!" Ben yelled to the postdog emptying the mail box. "Can you please throw my ball back?"

"Sure thing kid." As the postdog stooped to retrieve the ball the ticking suddenly stopped. The ball exploded with a loud pop, knocking the postdog off his feet and sending letters high into the air.

With letters fluttering down around them the puppies stood in stunned silence for a moment, before leaping into the air, whooping with delight.

"That was awesome!" shrieked Ben.

"Let's get another one!" yelled Jerry, "and let's make it a big one this time!"

The two puppies raced each other back into the shop, almost knocking Dash and Chase over as they came around the corner.

"Watch it!" Dash snapped before tripping over the dazed postdog sprawled on the footpath. "What the halibut happened here...? Oh no!"

"What is it?" asked Chase.

"We've got a problem. I've got to get to a phone, now!"...

Episode 12: Total recall

Meanwhile over at The Wan Ju Toy Factory ……

Percival Carruthers adjusted his monocle with one manicured wing as he read an email from yet another half-witted customer wittering on about the ‘old days’ when his grandfather had started The Wan Ju Toy Factory after WWII. The fact that his grandfather had called the Factory The Wan Ju Toy Factory was a source of constant irritation to Percy.

‘Grandfather, you do know that you have called the factory The Toy Toy Factory?’ he’d sighed for the thousandth when he was trying to get him to drop the Wan Ju from their company name.

‘Yes Percy that’s the point! It’s just a bit fun. This is a toy factory, yes?’ Archie responded in his usual irritatingly cheerful manner. “And we make toys! So, we are a toy toy factory. It always brings a smile to my face every time I say it”.

Archibald Carruthers, Archie to his friends, of which he had many, had handed over the running of his beloved factory to his grandson two years previously. His beloved son, Jimmy, had been killed in a tragic hunting accident several years ago when Percy was only a year old and Archie was left with a one year old to bring up on his own.

They were from a long line of London racing and carrier pigeons and in his early years Archie had flown missions during WWII all across Europe. He’d had a few close calls and ended up falling in love with a beautiful American dove working at the Ministry stationed in London. When the war was over, they decided to go back to her native America and set up home.

Percy really missed the old man and knew Archie would probably be turning in his grave if he saw what Percy was about to do with the factory. A brief flicker of guilt passed over him and he shook out his wings as if he was just stretching them.

He pressed a button on the office intercom and heard his secretary immediately respond ‘Yes, Mr Carruthers?’

‘Get in here’ he snapped. He leant back in his executive leather chair and thought about how in a few weeks he was going to be the richest pigeon in Cooperville, maybe even the richest pigeon in the world! And all thanks to some rotten mangy cat that had the audacity to wander around HIS factory at night! A cat that was now dead, poisoned by an insane dog on roller skates, if you believed the newspapers.

His secretary sauntered into his office and perched pertly on the seat in front of his desk.

‘There’s a problem with the batch of Indestructoball we produced for Cooperville, I want a total product recall on that batch, and I want it now, Miss French!’ he barked at his secretary.

‘Yes sir, right away! I’ll get Bill straight on it’. Suzie thought it strange they were only recalling the Cooperville batch.

She hastily left the office and, after locating the batch number in the database, picked up the phone. ‘Hi Bill, it’s Suzie. Can you arrange a recall on the Indestructoball batch 537113 right away?'

After a brief discussion with Bill, she hung up the phone. She stared at the computer screen. Her boss had been acting very weird lately and she decided it was time to find exactly out what was going on.