The Adventures of Puppy Jim & Raz the Wonder Dog

Chapter 1

 

What possible place could that be?

 

Now that Puppy Jim had emerged from his self induced daze brought on by way too much open space and finding himself in a state the size of Western Europe, he knocked on the door, only to find there was no one at home. He crept in by way of a dirt track. He was right in thinking that no one would notice, it was empty. But the trees and birds and other natural things that stand around doing natural things, stood around doing natural things and everything was good: Until the soft sand.

 

Puppy Jim was an experienced vehicle operator, but this tested even his mettle. Upon the Balladonia track not far from the entrance to the state he now found himself in was an unsuspecting pile of soft sand cunningly hidden amongst all the other sand laid out upon the track. Gallantly, Puppy Jim ploughed along the Balladonia Track, made famous by nobody, in his thoroughly unsuitable 2WD station wagon while Raz the Wonder Dog took it all in his stride acting like some kind of canine spirit level as they rounded corners and Puppy Jim (PJ) needed some commonsense input to correct speed in relation to conditions.

 

The sand was there, spread wide, ready to capture those without warning. PJ came upon the sand with the gusto of a chef chopping onion and in a loud operatic vocal style, declared his chagrin at having been duped so easily by some so sly and launched the anchors. With the natural air-conditioning in the vehicle open by way of its glass panels and the sudden change in velocity, dust that was following along behind filled the vehicle reducing vision in the vehicle to something similar to 600m below sea level.

PJ and Raz the Wonder Dog were the Jacques Cousteau team to rival. Extracting himself from the vehicle, PJ coughed and choked a moment. Raz the Wonder Dog followed suit, but his was merely a sneeze; a satisfied, "I told you so" kind of sneeze and PJ glared at Raz the Wonder Dog with a glare that glared glaringly. They now both stood on the non-famous Balladonia Track looking at their vehicle which resembled something of an hour glass. As the dust began to settle, the situation was evident: they would have to get back in the car and drive on. So was the day of their life.

 

Towards the end of the Balladonia Track, PJ and Raz the Wonder Dog had the hallmarks of intrepid travellers, or to the locals of Esperance: "There's another easterner gone got himself lost in the quest for inner peace." As they frolicked in the warm waters of the Southern Ocean at Great White Tea Time (GWTT has replaced GMT in this area to numb the effect that an actual attack has on locals. Don't ask me).

PJ remarked to Raz the Wonder Dog that dogs give off a good deal of splashing in the water and they should repair to the white, sparkling sand to avoid an inconvenient afternoon death. Raz the Wonder Dog was undeterred by PJ's trivial concerns and continued in his quest to put his head under water for about 20 seconds, bring up a rock, drop it and repeat the whole exercise.

 

Later that evening as PJ and Raz the Wonder Dog enjoyed a meal of copious individual portions all mixed together so that the portions were no longer the portions they had once been. The moon in a state of intoxication, began its ascent into the night sky. Big and square it was too, like moons are occasionally. This one was especially so. The man in it had obviously remembered to turn the yellow light on this time, because it was yellow and not white. PJ and Raz the Wonder Dog stared up at it. PJ then turned to Raz the Wonder Dog and announced confidently: "See! It is square." At which Raz the Wonder Dog cast a look at PJ and thought to himself: "I'm glad I'll be driving tomorrow."

 

The Adventures of Puppy Jim and Raz the Wonder Dog will continue..........eventually.