This is Ria. Welcome to Little Stories for Tiny People.
I've got a stack of letters here, mostly from lizards, but a few from chipmunks.
And all of them say the same thing.
I'll just give you a sampling.
Dear Ria, you need more dog stories.
Dear Ria, please make a dog story, or I will eat my own hat.
Dear Ria, why don't you like dogs?
You never write stories about them.
Also, why don't you wear shoes?
Huh? I wear shoes. It just so happens, and this is a total coincidence, and has nothing to do with the volume of letters I've received on this topic, that I do have a dog story to share with you today.
It's called Rufus' First Halloween.
Take it away, Betsy and Emma.
Remember, there are no pictures.
You have to imagine the pictures in your mind.
You can imagine them however you want.
Okay, here we go. For the first few days in the lady's house, Rufus had to keep biting his foot to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
He knew it didn't give off the best first impression to gnaw on his own foot, but he couldn't seem to stop.
After living in the shelter for so long, it was hard to believe he finally had a home.
So Rufus did not quite believe it.
Occasionally, he'd seen dogs leave the shelter only to be brought back weeks later, looking more sullen than when they'd left.
Before Rufus had left, in fact, O 'Keeffe, an old doberman who had been there longer than anyone, had put it bluntly, He'll be back.
I give it three weeks tops.
So even though the lady seemed nice, Rufus, this is your new bed.
And the other dog, Frankie, was exceedingly friendly.
Good morning, Rufus.
I think today is gonna be fantastic, don't you?
I'm just feeling so optimistic today.
Who am I kidding? I always feel optimistic.
Rufus made sure to keep them at pause length.
You never quite knew who you could trust.
Better to trust no one at all.
It was easy to avoid the lady.
Sure he went on walks, because he had to.
There was no getting out of them.
Otherwise she invited him to sit with her on the couch.
Rufus? Come here, buddy.
But when he refused, she didn't press the issue.
We'll get there. It was a lot more difficult to avoid Frankie.
She was always around.
Hello Rufus, boy you are looking sharp today.
What's your secret?
We're failing now, as you have to tell me.
It was hard to relate to Frankie.
For one thing, she was a completely different breed.
Rufus was a wiry terrier, small and skinny, with scruffy silver fur and a little whip of a tail.
His left eye was slow to follow the right one.
The people at the shelter had called it the straggler.
He'd also heard a number of people comment aloud in his presence on his bedraggled appearance, as if he couldn't hear them.
In contrast, Frankie was an elegant golden retriever with a beautiful thick strawberry blonde coat of fur.
She smiled a lot and wagged her tail incessantly.
And she loved everyone.
Seriously, everyone.
Rufus, what are you doing?
That guy is coming to the door.
Stop barking at him.
What if he never comes back?
That's the idea. No, no.
We love him. But we love Mr.
Mailman Rufus. Do you hear me?
Rufus pretended not to hear her.
Strangely, Rufus felt he had more in common with the cat of all animals.
Lamont was a secretive creature with a missing tail and a skeptical look in his eye.
He kept to himself, often retreating to the basement during the day.
Rufus had made a few overtures, just a few nods here and there that Lamont did not reciprocate, but Frankie was quick to confront Rufus about it.
Rufus, I've noticed that you seem to be trying to befriend Lamont.
Rufus was silent. How is it her business who he befriended?
I tried to make friends with Lamont too.
When I came here as a puppy, I was itching to make friends with, well, anyone.
I even spent an entire week sitting in front of the fish tank, but they just do not want to be friends.
Anyway, look, Rufus, look me in the eye.
Okay, Lamont is very old.
Probably like, I don't know, 86.
Lamont was actually 16, but to Frankie, who was five, and Rufus, who was three, he might as well have been 86.
I wasn't going to show you this because I didn't want to upset you, but see for yourself.
Frankie held out her front left leg and turned it so that Rufus could see a lengthy scar running up and down it.
Lamont did that? Frankie nodded solemnly.
Then she started prattling on again.
We love Lamont, Rufus.
He's family. It's not that you shouldn't be sick.
But Rufus couldn't focus on what she was saying.
He was surprised to feel a pang of sympathy for Frankie.
It was a strange feeling, not entirely welcome.
Plenty of dogs were scratched and bitten at the shelter.
He'd never thought much about it.
Frankie had gone quiet.
She was looking at Rufus with wide eyes, waiting for him to say something.
And he nearly did. He nearly said, that's terrible.
Thank you for warning me.
But he stopped himself.
No, Rufus thought, that couldn't be what happened.
If Lamont had lashed out at Frankie, he would probably be at the shelter, not in this cozy house.
Frankie was giving him a funny, curious look.
She has to be twisting this Lamont story in some way.
Rufus thought, he glanced briefly at the scar, then looked away, like he didn't care at all.
Still, Rufus stopped trying to hang out with Lamont.
On a chilly fall day, two and a half weeks after Rufus moved in, Frankie casually mentioned, needing to prepare for Halls of Beans.
Rufus was busy pawing in one of the ladies many potted plants.
He'd seen something moving in there, a bug of some kind, and he wanted to find it.
What do you mean Halls of Beans?
Huh? Frankie was nosing along the central seam in the sofa, looking for crumbs.
Halls of Beans. What does that mean?
I told you about that, silly.
Rufus cocked his head.
No, now it was Frankie's turn to cock her head.
I told you about how to win treats.
Yeah, how we are not friends with Lamont.
Right, but we are friends with Mr.
Mailman. Okay, the pros and cons of going to the vet.
I still don't understand the pros.
We discussed how we do not dig through the trash.
Except on special occasions.
And I told you about Halls of Beans.
No, no, that's not right.
Frankie laughed with embarrassment.
Halls in Queens. No, no, that's not it.
Halla, halla -pween.
Halla -pween, halla...
That's it, Halloween.
Halloween, Rufus repeated.
The lady was apparently a very big fan of this Halloween thing.
During their afternoon walk, Frankie brought it up again.
It's definitely soon.
She already got pumpkins.
Those big orange things?
But that's not all.
She goes all out on decorations.
And we don't even know what our costumes will be this year.
Oh, look at that squirrel.
Isn't he darling? I wanna be friends with him.
Our costumes, Rufus asked.
But Frankie was too busy fawning over the squirrel.
By the end of the walk, Rufus was deeply confused.
Whatever this Halloween thing was, he wanted nothing to do with it.
More and more, he felt like he did not belong in this house.
Over the next few days, Rufus watched the lady cover the shrubs out front with wispy cobwebs.
She carved pumpkins in the kitchen and set up a large wooden structure in the front yard.
I was hoping for this, Frankie said when she saw it wagging her tail, hoping for.
That's the ship, Rufus.
It's been three years since she got out the ship.
Oftentimes, Rufus thought Frankie was speaking in some kind of a code.
She seemed to know so many things he didn't.
What do you mean? Rufus, Rufus, stop gnawing on your foot.
Look at me. Yeah? We're going to be, you know what?
It's more fun if it's a surprise.
A surprise, like when the lady showed up at the shelter and said, well, look at this charmer and took him home with her.
That was a surprise.
He smiled at the memory, but then another one bubbled up in his mind.
Don't worry. We'll keep your bed warm for you, for when you come back.
Tomorrow would be three weeks to the day since the lady had taken him home.
That night, Rufus had a terrible dream.
In the dream, he was back in the shelter, but in a smaller cage than he'd been in before.
Look at him. He's so bedraggled.
Ah, Rufus woke up with a lump in his throat.
Three weeks. He whispered, dread settled in his stomach.
At breakfast, he could barely eat a kibble.
Rufus, what's wrong?
Rufus didn't reply.
What was the point?
Frankie couldn't possibly understand.
The lady noticed too.
Rufus, honey, you need to eat.
Rufus retreated to the couch in the living room.
Let him go, Frankie.
It's okay. Later, Rufus was awakened from a nap by Frankie barking happily.
She was on the living room rug, just feet away.
How rude, Rufus thought.
Then he saw what she was barking at.
The lady was there, holding up a little black and red outfit.
Frankie calmed down enough to allow the lady to pull it around her shoulders.
The lady placed a hat on Frankie's head.
She even placed an eye patch over one eye.
Oh, you look perfect.
Rufus watched as the lady lovingly scruffed the fur around Frankie's neck.
And she barked that happy bark of hers in response.
How sweet, they looked together.
How perfect. The lady stepped back from Frankie.
Okay, sit like that, show off your costume.
I just want to get one good photo.
Frankie, Frankie, put your paw down.
There you go. You look so cute, I can't stand it.
Okay, okay, I got it.
Good job, Frankie. Watching them in this heartwarming scene all Rufus could think was, I don't belong here.
He glanced down at his foot.
The one he'd been gnawing on for weeks.
It looked like someone had been gnawing on it.
It looked like it needed a bandage.
It looked like the kind of paw you'd find on a shelter dog.
Rufus had barely eaten.
Yet somehow he still felt a bit sick to his stomach.
Like whatever small amount was in there was rattling around.
Okay Rufus, the lady came towards him.
Are you ready for your pirate costume?
Didn't she see he couldn't do this?
He couldn't be like Frankie.
He couldn't be carefree and fun and wear a pirate costume.
Come on. The lady said, you're gonna look so cute.
The kids are gonna love you.
Rufus couldn't take it anymore.
The lady took one step closer and Rufus let out a growl.
A real guttural growl.
A, you better stay away from me growl.
Rufus, everything's fine.
Frankie started barking.
Rufus, what are you doing?
You've gotta stop this right now.
We're gonna be pirates.
But all Rufus could focus on was the lady right there in front of him.
The costume in her hands.
Don't you see I don't belong here?
The lady took another final step towards Rufus and he lunged, snapping at her hand.
All at once the lady staggered back, Frankie started barking like crazy and Rufus scrambled away under the couch.
Come on, Frankie. I know, I know.
It's okay. Leave him be.
Rufus heard the lady usher Frankie out of the room.
There was a long silence during which all Rufus could hear was his heart fluttering in his chest.
Then he heard the two of them moving around in the next room.
He exhaled for the first time in what felt like minutes.
Rufus's teeth had not met anything but air.
He had not bitten the lady, but he had tried.
Time seems to stretch out when you are hiding under a couch.
Every minute feels like an eternity under there.
That's how Rufus felt, uncomfortably hunched with his head resting on his front paws and his shoulder blades against the upholstery.
He imagined the lady would come with a cage at some point aiming to wrestle him into it, but he would go in willingly.
He would just walk in.
He'd accept his fate.
Meantime he waited.
The music was back on drifting in from the porch.
The lady had gone in and out a few times, putting things just outside the door.
She was dressed in a costume now, a tattered looking outfit and a hat on her head.
He could see his own rumpled costume on the rug nearby.
The lady must have dropped it when he lunged at her hand.
I shouldn't have scared her.
The doorbell rang. The lady strode to the door with Frankie following, wagging her tail.
Rufus inched backwards, further under the couch.
Oh my. Oh, you look scary.
Are you ready for a treat?
Yes please. Rufus listened closely, but could not quite figure out what was going on.
There were people on the doorstep, small people, but they left as quickly as they'd arrived.
Happy Halloween. Thank you.
Rufus inched forward just enough that he could see a sliver of the window in the living room.
The sky had dimmed.
It wasn't night yet, but it would be soon.
Excuse me. Rufus startled at the sound of a voice very close by.
It was Lamont. He was underneath the couch too.
Ah, my apologies. I didn't intend to scare you.
Although it is Halloween.
I suppose that would be appropriate.
This was the first time Rufus had heard Lamont's voice.
It was not what he'd expected.
Hi. You know, you won't be able to see the kiddies from under here.
The kiddies? Rufus asked, imagining a herd of baby cats milling around.
The kiddies, the kiddos, the children, the boys and girls that will be stomping up to the door expecting treats.
It is rather entertaining.
Rufus was so startled by Lamont's voice, he hadn't noticed the ridiculous outfit the cat was wearing.
He wore red bandana wrapped around his head, a puffy white shirt, a black vest and a tiny stuffed parrot doll affixed to one shoulder.
Lamont noticed him looking.
I do enjoy my costume more than last year's.
Cats are really not meant to have wings.
Anyway, what are you doing under here?
Why aren't you dressed?
Lamont licked his paw, trying to get a curl of fur to lay flat.
I, well, I'm headed back to the shelter.
What? Why would you go back there?
I don't think I have a choice.
I growled at the lady.
Really? And well, I tried to bite her hand.
I see. Lamont kept licking the curl of fur, but it kept springing back.
And that's it. Hmm, Lamont murmured, keeping his focus on his paw.
You shouldn't growl at the lady.
I realize that now.
You shouldn't try to bite her either.
Just a piece of advice.
Understood. But, Lamont said, looking up and meeting Rufus's eyes.
What does this have to do with the shelter?
Rufus furrowed his brow.
Well, the lady will send me back.
Lamont looked skeptical, and for some reason Rufus felt like he had to defend this assertion.
I don't belong here.
Frankie belongs here.
Perfect Frankie. At this, Lamont burst out laughing.
Oh, that is funny. You're funny.
Perfect Frankie. Rufus stared at Lamont perplexed.
I don't see why that's funny.
Look how perfect she is.
At this, Lamont laughed harder.
He wiped tears from his eyes.
Oh, Rupert. Rufus. Oh, Rufus.
Frankie is not perfect.
At least she wasn't for a long time.
What do you mean? Under the couch in the living room, Lamont told Rufus about Frankie's puppy years.
She ate, oh, I don't know, at least six pairs of the lady's shoes.
And they were nice shoes.
Really? Oh, that was the time she dragged every piece of trash out of the bin and deposited them on the lady's bed.
You're kidding. Once she jumped through the screen door.
Huh? She just jumped right through it.
It was ruined. The lady was rather annoyed at that one.
Yes, Lamont said thoughtfully.
Frankie was an absolute nightmare.
The doorbell rang. But it doesn't sound like she ever growled at the lady or tried to bite her, Rufus said.
Lamont cocked his head, thinking, suppose not, but we all have our foibles.
Rufus suddenly remembered Frankie's scar.
You scratched Frankie on her paw.
Did I? She showed me the scar.
But the lady doesn't know about that, does she?
She wouldn't have kept you if she knew Lamont gave a little laugh.
Oh, that. Yes, yes, I did scratch her.
It was years ago. She was tormenting me with good cheer that day.
It is possible, you know, to torment someone with too much cheerfulness.
But the lady, she was the one who bandaged Frankie's leg, told me not to do it again.
I never did. So she knew about it.
Of course. And she didn't send you away.
For that? I've done worse.
I've scratched the lady and hissed at her on occasion.
Oh, let me guess. You are a frog?
And you are a giraffe.
Now, if you'll excuse me, Lamont said, I'm a school.
I admit I enjoy watching the children.
With that, Lamont shimmied out from under the couch and slunk towards the front door.
Rufus listened to the sounds of the festive music, the happy children of Frankie barking playfully, of the lady's jubilant laughter, of Lamont's occasional meow.
Before talking to Lamont, he had been very sure he didn't belong in this house.
Now, all he could think was, what am I doing under the couch?
Rufus stared out at the rumpled costume, forgotten on the rug.
Am I seriously going to do this?
It's so ridiculous.
It's too ridiculous.
But wasn't hiding under the couch alone while everyone else was having a great time?
Even more ridiculous.
Before Rufus could overthink it, he scrambled out from under the couch.
He went to the costume and picked it up in his teeth.
And he carried it, dragging on the ground to the lady.
Oh, Rufus. Hey, buddy.
It turned out Rufus was right to be worried.
The costume was ridiculous.
He wore a red and white striped shirt, a tri -cornered black hat adorned with a skull and crossbones, and a hook on the end of his front right paw.
He looked very silly.
Oh, you look so good, Rufus.
The lady had to be lying, but Rufus smiled all the same.
Rufus, we're going to have so much fun.
The kids love us in costumes.
Oh, come on, it's show time.
Oh, look at the doggies.
That one's so cute.
Look at that one, he's got a hook for a paw.
I see that cat glaring at us.
Frankie was right. It was fun.
The children's enthusiasm was infectious.
Rufus found himself nosing his way out the door, allowing the kids to fawn over him on the front stoop.
Rufus had expected the lady would solemnly accept him back into the fold, put him on a sort of probation, hold him at arm's length for a while until he proved himself.
But she didn't. In fact, she held him for a good portion of the evening, cradling him in her left arm as she passed out candy.
Here you go, Superman.
And here you go, Wonder Woman.
And here you go, what are you exactly?
I'm a snail. Okay, snail.
Are you ready for a treat?
Yes, please. Rufus thoroughly enjoyed his first halls of beans.
I mean, Halloween. As he went to sleep that night, exhausted, he allowed himself to wonder what his costume might be next year.
Rufus settled in nicely to his new home and Frankie provided him with daily tutoring on important topics such as emergency preparedness.
If you hear thunder, immediately run to the bathtub.
For a bath? I don't like bath.
No! To wait out the storm, silly.
Alternatively, we can squeeze into the lower cabinets in the kitchen.
Social etiquette. When the lady gets home, we charge, okay?
I'll run around her like six times while you get in your hind legs and hop around with your tongue hanging out.
And health and wellness.
If the lady gives you anything covered in peanut butter, it means she's trying to hide something in there.
Why would she do that?
I don't know, it's very mysterious.
What do I do? Carefully, very carefully eat all the peanut butter, then spit out whatever's in the middle.
Won't you be upset?
She eventually gives up and gives you a piece of cheese for some reason.
Anyway, Lamont continued to stay in the basement most of the time, but occasionally when he slunk upstairs, he caught Rufus's eye and they shared a knowing nod.
As for the lady, Rufus never growled or nipped at her again.
It turned out, there were some people you could trust.
Not only did Rufus trust the lady, he fell in love with her.
Good boy, good boy.
Frankie wasn't so bad either.
Good morning Rufus, I am so excited today.
Well, let's be honest, I'm excited every day.
What do you want to do?
You want to play? Should I get the rope toy?
Why don't I get the rope toy?
Okay, okay. I hope you have a very fun Halloween.
Little Stories for Tiny People is written, performed, and produced by me, Rhea Pekter.
My in -house tech director, Peter Kay, runs my website and puts my stories on the internet for all of you to enjoy.
Thank you to my Little Stories premium subscribers who are making it possible for me to keep doing this.
If you'd like to get more of the stories you love, access to Little Stories for Sleep, an exclusive bedtime podcast, and ad -free listening.
You can join or gift a subscription by visiting littlestoriespremium .com.
Thank you to Betsy and Emma for the super important reminder message at the beginning.
And thank you to the premium subscribers who supplied sound effects used in this story.
Thank you to Addie, Sophia Claire, Willow, Lucia, Celine, Pozy, Porter, Peggy Sue, Riley, Clancy, Crystal, Alethea, Mileyce, Sophie, Juniper, Lisa, Claire Anne, Moja, Yowin, Vivian, Mia, Dean, Killian, Eva, Taya, Olali, Sylvia, and Oliver.
And thank you, as always, for listening in.
