The humble beginnings and true life tale of Sparky, hero of the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series: Chapter 8

Sparky, my decorated golf cart.

Chapter 8

It’s Christmas!

“¡Feliz Navidad! said Driver.

“Merry Christmas, everyone,” Servant said, and then she kissed Driver. “Happy Christmas, my love.”

Tucked into the king-sized bed, between our humans, Tommy sleepily opened one eye. Being the most senior animal in the family, he was allowed to sleep in their bed.

Chica stretched and yawned. She liked her cozy little nest on the nightstand beside Servant. She jumped onto the bed to say good morning.

I was curled up in my comfy bed on the floor beside Driver. It was a good place for me to sleep because I could keep an eye on both entrances: the bedroom door and the patio door. As the only dog in the house, it was my job to protect everyone.

Christmas Day. I had forgotten this was the day I had planned to hide outside in the bushes, in case the cats were going to play a trick on me. I quietly slithered towards the entrance, hoping I could zip past when someone opened the bedroom door.

Servant hopped out of bed and opened the patio door. “What a beautiful day, warm and sunny. Just look at that view!” she said, pointing towards the turquoise Caribbean Sea. “I’ll go get our coffees and be right back.”

“Sparky, where are you going?” Driver asked. “Come here, little buddy.” He patted the bed.

I tucked my tail and slunk back towards Driver.

“¡Feliz Navidad, Sparky!” Driver said as he scratched my ears and rubbed my tummy. “We have presents for everyone, including you.”

Presents? For me? I gazed hopefully at his kind face.

Servant returned with a tray holding two cups of coffee and a pile of goodies; some were for our humans, and some were for us. She handed one cup of coffee to Driver, then distributed the treats to everyone.

“Okay, time for presents!” Driver said, pulling several objects out from their hiding place. Two were wide red sacks that were filled with colourfully wrapped items. Two were long and looked like oversized socks, and another was shaped like a large red paw.

Servant held up the fuzzy red paw, “Sparky, it has your name on it!”

For me? Just for me! I carefully took it from her hand and set it on the floor. I grinned happily as my tail swished back and forth. A present. A fuzzy red paw with my name on it.

Tommy looked over the edge of the bed to see what I was doing. “Silly dog, open your gifts,” he said.

“I did. It’s a big red paw.”

“That’s just the container. The gifts are inside.” He reached into his sock and snagged a brightly decorated parcel with his claws. Then he pulled it out and ripped off the paper. “See, this is a bag of cat snacks, and there are more things inside.”

I stuck my nose deep inside the fluffy paw and pulled out a stuffed toy. Oh my, I’d never had a toy. It was beautiful, a black-and-white dog that looked like my younger brother. We hadn’t seen each other since we were puppies, and I hoped he was having a good Christmas too.

Chica said, “Look inside again, Sparky. I think you have another present.”

I put my nose inside again, and yes, there was another toy, a silly yellow cat. This one didn’t have big, sharp claws. Two toys!

I like Christmas.

The Isla Mujeres Mysteries starring Sparky

Available in online book stores, public libraries, Coles, and Indigo.

The humble beginnings and true-life tale of Sparky, hero of the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

 

Chapter 6

Home!

“Oh, you’re back,” Tommy said. He stood up, arched his back, and stretched out his front feet. “Did you enjoy your visit to the cat-doctor?”

My bushy eyebrows shot upwards, “It was awful,” I replied. “The only good thing is these nice people came back for me.”

“Yes, we’re lucky, we have people who love us,” Tommy said.

“What do I call our humans?”

“They have people names, however,” Tommy replied with a bored sigh, “I call the woman Servant and the man Driver.”

“Why did you pick those names?” I asked.

“Because when I first met our humans, that’s how I thought of them. They swap jobs frequently. Sometimes Servant is the driver, and Driver is the servant, but I don’t change their titles.”

“Should I do the same?” I asked.

“Yes. Humans aren’t very smart,” he answered. “It took me fourteen years to properly train them.”

“Okay, I think I understand,” I said. I was not quite two years old in people years; that’s around twenty years old in doggie years. Tommy had already lived fourteen people-years, and that made him an expert.

Eager to learn more from Tommy’s experiences, I carefully studied his actions. He licked his right front paw with his long, rough tongue and wiped the damp paw across his right ear, then repeated the process.

“Are you self-cleaning now?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, then switched to cleaning himself with his left paw, “it’s called grooming.”

“Could teach me how to do grooming?”

“No, I’m sorry. Cats groom. Dogs get bathed by their humans. That’s how it works.”

“Oh,” I was disappointed. I wanted to be self-cleaning too, like a cat. Then I thought of the many cats still at the clinic. “Do all the animals at the cat-doctor’s place have people?”

Tommy yawned widely, displaying his tongue, sharp white fangs, and pointy teeth. “No, most of the cats are looking for humans to adopt them,” he answered.

“What about the doggies?”

“Some have owners, some are strays,” he said.

I watched in fascination as he stretched his front paws forward, then bowed his head, and arched his back. It seemed to relax him.

“I wish every doggie and kitty had nice people like we do,” I said.

“Me, too, but the cat-doctor and his staff make sure the animals under his care get food, medications, and a safe place to sleep,” Tommy said. “Princess Chica and I were both homeless before we adopted our humans.”

“Oh! ¿Hablas español? Do you speak Spanish?” I hopefully asked. It would be wonderful to be able to communicate in my language.

“No,” Tommy shook his head, “I’m Canadian. Our humans found me in a vineyard in Canada when I was a tiny kitten. I was so small I could fit in the palm of Servant’s hand.”

“You’re lucky,” I said, then scrunched up my face as I thought about what he had said. “How did you get to Mexico?”

“My people didn’t like the cold Canadian winters, so we moved here when I was nine.”

“Wow, that’s amazing,” I said. “I’ve heard that some of my doggie friends have been adopted to homes in Canada.” I shivered at the thought. “I’m sure they don’t like the cold.”

“It’s not cold all the time in Canada, only part of the year. Plus, their people dress them in warm sweaters and jackets, and in time they adjust to the colder weather,” Tommy said. “It’s no different than me with my thick fur moving from Canada to the hotter weather here in Mexico.”

“True,” I agreed, then I thought of something else I wanted to ask. “Is Princess Chica a Mexicana?”

“Yes, she entered our house from the beach. Just like you.”

“Does she speak Spanish?”

“A little, she was very young when she moved in with us, and she has forgotten most of her original language. She still speaks a bit of cat-Spanish. She says it’s different from dog-Spanish.” Tommy said with a shrug. “I don’t understand the difference.”

I thought about that for a bit, then said, “Mexican Spanish is a bit different from the words that people use in other countries, so Chica’s cat-Spanish may be a little different, but it would still be understandable.” I felt quite proud that I could explain something to a much older and wiser cat.

Tommy slowly turned his head and studied me for a moment, “Probably,” he finally agreed. He jumped off the sofa and wandered into the house. He didn’t seem impressed by my knowledge.

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The humble beginnings and true-life tale of Sparky, hero of the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series: Gotcha Day!

 

Chapter 2: December 2013

That smells so good!

A few weeks later, I was exploring the beach, looking for something to put in my tummy. I caught the delicious scent of chicken cooking, and I followed my nose. The smell took me back to the nice white house on the beach and toward the kind man.

I was about to step inside the house when I noticed that a woman with short, curly hair was preparing the food. She wasn’t the friend who had been feeding me.

I was a little afraid, but I was so very hungry I had to take the risk. I lay down on a mat under the kitchen table and politely waited for the new woman to notice me. Please don’t chase me away.

The woman finally saw me and made a funny noise, “Hmph!” She pointed at the smaller cat and said, “Well, that’s Chica,” then pointed at the larger one. “This is Thomas, and who are you?” tilting her head like a puzzled dog.

I swished my short, bristly tail back and forth on the tile floor. I tried to answer her, “guau-guau, jau-jau.” It roughly translates to “woof-woof, ruff-ruff,” but she didn’t understand.

She laughed and picked up a square black object from the kitchen counter, then started talking to it. “So. A dog?”

I could hear the man’s happy voice coming from the black thing, “Yeah, his name is Sparky, and he’s yours. I’m returning to Japan, and I can’t take him with me.”

Chuckling at the man's words, she put the device back on the kitchen counter. She looked over at a bald man who was quietly sitting at the table. “This is Sparky, and he’s now our responsibility.”

Her laughter gave me hope. Maybe she wouldn’t yell at me or shoo me away.

The man leaned back in his chair so that he could see me hiding under the table. He smiled at me and said, “Hola, Sparky, you look hungry. I’m sure we have enough food to feed you, too.”

“Of course, we do,” the curly-haired woman said, with another chuckle.

She took three little white plates from a cupboard. She placed one scoop of food on each of two plates and a lot more on the third. I was so happy when she set the larger portion in front of me instead of giving it to the cats. It tasted awesome.

I ate and ate and ate until my tummy bulged, then I carefully scrubbed the plate clean with my tongue. Nearby was a bowl of fresh water, and I lapped up the cool liquid. My belly was full, and I felt so sleepy.

I didn’t want the friendly people to be mad at me for bringing beach sand and creepy crawlies into their home, so I went back outside to the patio. I crawled into a shady spot, under the sofa, where I felt safe.

I snoozed and had a pleasant siesta, a nap. I dreamed about being adopted by these kind people and never worrying again about my next meal or where I could safely sleep. It was a very restful siesta.

Isla Mujeres Mysteries

Or

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (hanging out in the Digby NS area)

June 19th: I check my computer every single day to see what the actual date is... I lost track a few weeks ago. And today is Monday? Right?

We have one more night at the Seawinds Motel and Cabins on the waterfront of Digby, Nova Scotia, before turning back towards Wolfville. When I tweaked my reservations because of the enormous wildfire in the Shelburne area, I ended up backtracking for a bit before we continued on to the south shore later in the week.

And then my travel partner made this face when I was catching up on emails this morning.

Bored. Bored. Bored. Soooo bored. 

Shortly after his eleventeenth massive sigh, I gave in, "Do you want to go on an adventure?" I asked him.

Judging by his happy dance and perky ears, "Yes!" was the answer.  

I pulled out my old-school paper map (Rob Goth, you'd appreciate that) and checked for nearby communities. The long spit of land, or Digby Neck, looked interesting. We gave Miss Google the day off and headed out in a south-westerly direction and found the road leading to the Digby Neck. It is a long, narrow peninsula running parallel to the southwest shore of mainland Nova Scotia. It measures roughly 40 km long and 5 km wide. With Saint Mary's Bay on one side and the Bay of Fundy on the other, Digby Neck is nearly surrounded by water. 

At the Petite Passage, between East Ferry and Tiverton, a free ferry between the two communities allows travelers to continue on to the second ferry running between Freeport and Westport. The total distance from Digby to Brier Island is about 70 kilometers. I stopped our journey at East Ferry. My travel partner isn't thrilled with ferries after his ordeal traveling to and from Grand Manan a few days ago. He was stressed by the loud and incessant foghorn.

We arrived at the East Ferry crossing close to lunchtime. While I watched the car ferry loading, I ordered scallops on a roll from Robyn and Barb at the Petite Passage Cafe and Whale Tours. The scallops were fresh and yummy! The ladies were welcoming and friendly. 

Then Sparky and I turned back, heading north towards Digby. Small communities with names like Gulliver's Cove, Sandy Cove, and Mink Cove dot the shorelines. In every cove, there are historic homes, a dozen fishing boats tied up to sturdy wharves, usually a church or two, and sometimes a restaurant.

It's a pretty area. I'm happy my travel partner was bored, so bored, this morning.

Cheers 

Lynda and The Sparkinator 

Lake Midland

The downside of a fishing industry

Sandy Cove, Digby Neck, Nova Scotia

Little River, Digby Neck, Nova Scotia

Quite a few homes in this location at Little River

Free ferry, Petite Passage, Digby Neck NS

Sparky's first Christmas - final excerpt Chapter 9

 

Chapter 9

Life is good!

What an exciting day. I played gently with my Christmas gifts because I didn’t want to hurt them. Tommy and Chica raced around the bedroom, shredding the wrapping paper and chasing the pieces blown by the warm tropical wind. Servant and Driver laughed at their silly antics.

Chica batted her catnip mouse and her little foam balls across the room, back and forth, until they got stuck under furniture. She was only five years old and had a lot of energy.

“Never mind, Chica, Servant said. “I’ll get them for you later.”

Tommy discovered canned shrimp and a bag of catnip in his stocking. The catnip made him very playful for a few minutes, and then he fell asleep. Maybe because he is fourteen years old, he gets tired faster.

Later in the morning, we had breakfast, played together in the kitchen, and then everyone, including Servant and Driver had a siesta. Early in the afternoon, I could smell delicious aromas coming from the barbecue in the courtyard. Driver was slowly roasting the turkey for our Christmas dinner. In my previous home, I didn’t know what that smell was or where it was coming from, and it made me drool with hunger. Now I was here, in this house, and I am going to eat some of that delicious meat. What a lucky doggie.

After sundown, the festive lights on our palm trees created a fairyland of light and color in our yard. Beautiful music drifted through the house, and our people sang about funny things I had never heard of: snowmen, one-horse sleighs, and jingle bells.

A few of Servant and Driver’s friends came over, and we ate a tasty dinner exactly like Chica had described. Turkey is amazing! It was the best meal I had ever eaten. The humans talked, laughed, clinked their glasses together, and wished each other a Merry Christmas. ¡Feliz Navidad!

I slowly drifted off to sleep, clutching my new stuffed toy. I was grateful, happy, and very sleepy. I thought about all the people and animals who had never known so much love.

Merry Christmas. ¡Feliz Navidad!

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Sparky's 1st Christmas with us - excerpt from A Surprise Gift

          Sparky in his golf cart on Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

Chapter 8

It’s Christmas!

“¡Feliz Navidad! said Driver.

“Merry Christmas, everyone,” Servant said, and then she kissed Driver. “Happy Christmas, my love.”

Tucked into the king-sized bed, between our humans, Tommy sleepily opened one eye. Being the most senior animal in the family, he was allowed to sleep in their bed.

Chica stretched and yawned. She liked her cozy little nest on the nightstand beside Servant. She jumped onto the bed to say good morning.

I was curled up in my comfy bed on the floor beside Driver. It was a good place for me to sleep because I could keep an eye on both entrances: the bedroom door and the patio door. As the only dog in the house, it was my job to protect everyone.

Christmas Day. I had forgotten this was the day I had planned to hide outside in the bushes, in case the cats were going to play a trick on me. I quietly slithered towards the entrance, hoping I could zip past when someone opened the bedroom door.

Servant hopped out of bed and opened the patio door. “What a beautiful day, warm and sunny. Just look at that view!” she said, pointing towards the turquoise Caribbean Sea. “I’ll go get our coffees and be right back.”

“Sparky, where are you going?” Driver asked. “Come here, little buddy,” he patted the bed.

I tucked my tail and slunk back towards Driver.

“¡Feliz Navidad, Sparky!” Driver said as he scratched my ears and rubbed my tummy. “We have presents for everyone, including you.”

Presents? For me? I gazed hopefully at his kind face.

Servant returned with a tray holding two cups of coffee and a pile of goodies; some were for our humans and some were for us. She handed one cup of coffee to Driver, then distributed the treats to everyone.

“Okay, time for presents!” Driver said, pulling several objects out from their hiding place. Two were wide red sacks that were filled with colorfully wrapped items. Two were long and looked like oversized socks, and another was shaped like a large red paw.

Servant held up the fuzzy red paw, “Sparky, it has your name on it!”

For me? Just for me! I carefully took it from her hand and then set it on the floor. I grinned happily, as my tail swished back and forth. A present. A red fuzzy paw, with my name on it.

Tommy looked over the edge of the bed to see what I was doing, “Silly dog, open your gifts,” he said.

“I did. It’s a big red paw.”

“That’s just the container. The gifts are inside.” He reached into his sock and snagged a brightly decorated parcel with his claws. Then he pulled it out and ripped off the paper. “See, this is a bag of cat snacks, and there are more things inside.”

I stuck my nose deep inside the fluffy paw and pulled out a stuffed toy. Oh my, I’d never had a toy. It was beautiful, a black and white dog that looked like my younger brother. We hadn’t seen each other since we were puppies, and I hoped he was having a good Christmas too.

Chica said, “Look inside again, Sparky. I think you have another present.”

I put my nose inside again, and yes, there was another toy, a silly yellow cat. This one didn’t have big, sharp claws. Two toys!

I really like Christmas.

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Learning the rules - excerpt from A Surprise Gift, Sparky's story

 

Chapter 7

Learning the rules

“Buen diá Princesa Chica. ¿Cómo está?” I said, “Good day, Princess Chica. How are you?”

“¿Estoy bien, gracias, y tú?” Chica answered me in cat-Spanish, and I understood. She had said she was doing well, thank you, and then asked how I was.

I was so pleased I couldn’t stop my tail from doing its helicopter-spin of happiness. “I’m very well, thank you,” I replied, then I noticed she was sitting beside a little tree that was covered in cute decorations.

“Oh, that’s a good idea, an indoor bathroom for pets,” I said. “But why is it sitting on a table? It should be on the floor.”

“No!” Chica quickly said. “This is our Christmas tree, un árbol de Navidad. Our humans would be upset if you peed on it.”

“Really?” I put my front paws on the low wooden table and gave the tree a sniff. It didn’t smell anything like a real tree. “What’s a Christmas tree?” I asked.

“It is part of the decorations our humans display at this time of the year.”

“So, Servant and Driver are also Decorators? Do we call them Decorator One and Decorator Two?” The rules of my new home were very puzzling. And why shouldn’t I pee on the tree? That’s what trees were for.

“No,” Chica answered, “she’s always Servant and he’s always Driver. Tommy says we don’t want to confuse them.”

“Si, now I remember. He told me that humans are difficult to train.” I agreed.

“Si, very difficult,” she agreed. “Tommy is very smart, and you should always listen to his advice.”

“I will,” I said, carefully studying the fancy tree. I still didn’t understand why I couldn’t use it for my indoor bathroom.

“We are extra lucky because we were born in Mexico and there are many winter celebrations, not just Christmas,” Chica said. “The holiday season starts with December 12th, Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe- Virgin of Guadalupe Day. Then, December 16^th to the 24^th is the Posadas, the procession recreating the journey of Mary and Joseph, and December 24^th, Nochebuena or Christmas Eve, is when Mexican families have their special feasts. Our people and many of their friends are called Gringos, and they have their feast on December 25^th.”

“Is that when the people create loud noises?  Lots of booms and bangs?”

“Yes, fireworks scare me,” Chica answered.

“I usually just hide under something and try to sleep,” I said.

“Me too!” Chica said. “The best part of the holiday season is that our people like to invite their friends and some of their cat-friendly dogs to a party at our house. They laugh, play music, sing, and eat lots of yummy foods.”

“I don’t think my first human had a lot of money. We never had a party,” I said, wistfully. “Parties sound like a lot of fun.”

“Si,” she agreed, “and our humans also go to our friends’ houses to celebrate.”

“Do you get invited too?” I asked.

“Tommy and I are invited to the parties that are close by,” she said, “We follow Servant and Driver along the beach.”

“What else do you do to celebrate?” I asked.

“My goodness, you ask a lot of silly questions!” Chica flicked her tail and glared at me.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t understand everything about my new life yet.” I said, “Please be patient with me.”

She sighed, “Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry. We were all strays at one time.” She licked one paw and cleaned her whiskers.

I was fascinated. She knew how to self-clean just like Tommy. Maybe she could teach me, but not right now, because she was still talking about the holidays.

“And there are parades with funny costumes,” she said, “and music, and people tossing candy for the children and their parents. Many people go to a building called a church and sing nice songs,” she added. “It’s a very busy time on the island, but we enjoy the excitement. My favorite day is Christmas Day. We get presents in the morning, then we eat turkey and sweet potatoes at dinner time.”

“Turkey? What’s that?” I asked.

“Turkey is awesome! It’s a huge bird that is roasted for hours, and then we feast on it. Servant, Driver, Tommy, me, and of course you this year. We eat and eat, and then fall asleep.” Just thinking about the upcoming feast made Chica feel sleepy. She stretched and yawned, “The celebrations continue until January 6^th, Día de Reyes, when the Mexican children receive their presents from the three kings.”

“Presents? What are presents?”

“Presents are my favorite,” she replied with a sly grin. “You’ll see.”

Oh no, I really don’t like it when a cat gives me a sneaky smile. I am pretty sure it means something bad for me, like another visit to the cat-doctor.

Maybe I should just hide outside in the bushes on Christmas Day.

 To be continued ...

Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings

A Surprise Gift - Sparky

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Woof, woof, Sparky