“Yuck, that’s rough, boy that is really, really rough” said the dachshund.

 

“Dash!” both greeted him simultaneously. “How are you? Didn't think you would be back here so early. What are you up to, you old puppy?” asked Mr. Sea 

 

Mr. Sea had this unique way of greeting his friends. He always called them “old” despite them being younger and full of spirit. It was just his old fashioned familiar way I suppose. 

 

“I wanted to try this small red thing,” said Dash, “it looked like a tasty piece of fruit, but it tasted rough! So rough, not smooth and sweet as I had expected.

 

“What, the spike horned tomato?” asked Apollo. “No, I wouldn’t think you would enjoy those very much”. 

 

“No I didn’t” responded Dash. “It tasted like someone took the inside of an old shoe and stuffed it full of sticky, slimy snails and left it out in the sun for two weeks, then put that inside the big old belly of a tuna fish and then had left that outside for another two weeks and then had put all of  that inside of a huge…

 

“Yeah, ok, we get it. It’s not delicious”. Said Mr. Sea. “Come in, enjoy a cup of tea. Perhaps you could help us clean up a bit? We are expecting a new guest, we have someone renting the upstairs bedroom for three weeks. He will be a visiting professor at the university. Some hot shot cat from Siberia”.

 

“Oooh, a kitty cat?” Cooed Dash.” I love Kitties, so soft and fluffy, just tiny fluff balls”. Dash said with a mischievous dachshund smile. “ I adore tormenting them from time to time you know”. 

 

“You will not be tormenting our house guest Dash” Apollo said, trying his best to raise an eyebrow in disapproval but stopping when he realized that chickens do not have eyebrows. 

 

“Besides, he’s a Siberian house cat, very dissimilar to the ordinary house cats down here. Those Siberian house cats are rather fierce, you know. Strong and tough.”

 

“Oh yeah?” said Mr. Sea “And how come you are such an expert on Siberia felines?” he asked almost sarcastically. “ You have never even left the city limits, now you’re an expert on Siberian house cats?”

 

Apollo just looked at  him with deeply resentful and dark little eyes. He tried to squint a mean look at him but quickly abandoned this when he realized that chickens could not squint. 

 

The three old friends sat in the kitchen of The Old Book House and had some old tea, ate some old biscuits and chatted listlessly for a while. Dash, Apollo and Mr. Sea then quickly cleaned up the mess, restored some of the dull leather volumes with a special leather cleaner and prepared the guest bedroom for their special visitor.

 

It was nearly 6 pm in the evening when they had finished and Apollo, never being one who required (or even liked) much rest, went back into the kitchen to prepare everyone a scrumptious meal. Apollo wondered to himself what a Siberian house cat would like to eat? Fish? Meat? Corn?

 

Dash and Mr. Sea had settled into the warm living room and had lit a fire in the old fireplace and awaited the arrival of their very special guest.

 

“He should be arriving in about two hours,” said Mr. Sea. “Stay awhile Dash and meet our guest. I am sure he will be happy to meet you. The more the merrier I always say”. 

 

Dash, settled comfortably in the old leather chair near the science fiction section of the wall. He was in no hurry to leave. He reached back and pulled a Jules Verne from the wall and fumbled through the pages. 

As the pair were enjoying their repose and as Apollo was busily preparing a meal for four, the doorbell chimes could be heard chiming, chiming, chiming a lovely little tune.

 

“Someone’s here” said Dash, absentmindedly thumbing through the pages of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. 

 

“It appears so, but it can’t be our visitor. He would be two hours too early.” said Mr. Sea.