Walden quickly came to enjoy life with his family. He learned that he had hundreds of siblings and that they were everywhere. Flea families can be very big!
Walden spent most of his time with Febes. The two were inseparable. Sometimes they sat on top of Thor’s head. Sometimes they sat on his neck. They laughed and played games. Their favorite was “I Spy” which they played often when Thor walked through Backyard.
“I spy something green,” Walden would say.
“The grass!” declared Febes.
Walden chuckled and shook his head.
“Those leaves over there?” offered Febes, nodding toward a nearby bush.
Again, Walden shook his head and smiled. He was always proud of himself if he made Febes guess more than twice.
Febes looked around carefully once more. “Oh, I know!” she said. “That beautiful hummingbird flying around those flowers there.” Again, Febes nodded her head toward the object of her guessing.
“Great job, Febes! You got it!” announced Walden.
Back and forth they went, each one spying something, each one guessing what they other spied. They could do it all day.
And sometimes they did.
Other times, however, they explored the curious world of Dogville, which, of course, just meant walking around Thor’s back and crawling through his fur. Walden and Febes regularly crawled from one end of the big furry host to the other.
The friends always followed the simple rules laid down by Walden’s father. They never left Dogville without permission, and they didn’t climb down onto Thor’s tail. On occasion, however, they did walk to the very back end of Thor and stand at the place where his tail started. That’s where they watched other fleas, ones who were a bit older, climb down the dog’s long tail and jump off. This always happened when Thor made stops out in Backyard.
One day, when Walden and Febes were standing there watching, one such flea stopped and talked to them. “I’m Puck. What’s your names?”
Febes introduced herself first. Walden followed next. When he had finished, he added, “So, where do you all go when you jump off?”
“We mostly explore the Lowlands,” said Puck.
“What are they like?” asked Walden, before adding, “The Lowlands, I mean.”
“They’re lots of fun. There’s so much to see and do.”
“Like what?” asked Walden.
“Well,” said Puck, “there’s Big Pond and lots of dirt hills to play in.”
“How do you get there?”
“Sometimes we just jump and crawl, but mostly we hop on one of the rabbits that live nearby. They spend a lot of time near Big Pond. The grass there is extra sweet. And, the best thing is, we can snack while riding on top of them. They are much smaller than Thor, of course, but they make great hosts, too.”
Febes gave a nervous smile in Puck’s direction. Then she looked at Walden. “I think it’s time we head back home,” she said to her friend. “Your parents are going to be wondering where we are.”
Walden wanted to hear more about the Lowlands and the adventures there, but Febes was right. “Hope you have lots of fun in the Lowlands today,” said Walden, glancing back over at Puck.
After saying goodbye to Puck, who hopped down the dog’s tail, Walden and Febes started making their way back toward Thor’s shoulders. “You really shouldn’t be talking to Puck,” said Febes as they walked.
Walden heard the concern in his friend’s voice, but he didn’t understand it. “Why?” he asked.
“He’s trouble. That’s what my friends say. He’s always trying to talk fleas into jumping off Dogville.” Febes paused for a moment and then added, “And Pond’s a dangerous place. There’s all kind of creatures like ants and spiders that can hurt you.”
Walden gulped hard as he remembered seeing the big red fire ant.
“There’s also frogs and toads all around Big Pond. They love to eat fleas.”
Walden said nothing more on the journey back to the big dog’s broad shoulders. The thought of being dinner for another creature made Walden stop and think. The Backyard and Pond were suddenly the last place that he wanted to explore.
And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about all the fun that Puck and his friends must experience while crawling around in that sweet grass.