Emmett was sitting on a big rock beside the flower bed in his backyard. He was watching a plump green caterpillar climbing among the flowers. The caterpillar was an excellent climber. It could crawl straight up the tallest flower stems without any trouble at all . It could even hang upside down while happily chewing on leaves and flower petals. Emmett thought it was fascinating to watch.
“I wonder when you’ll become a butterfly,” he said softly.
It was already the middle of summer, and summertime was the season for butterflies. “Probably soon,” he thought.
Just then, Emmett heard a car pulling into the driveway.
“Dad’s home!”
He ran toward the front yard as his father climbed out of the car.
“Hi, Dad!” called Emmett.
“Hi, son!” Dad replied. “Can you give me a hand?”
“Sure!” said Emmett as he hurried over.
“Need some help carrying things?”
“Not exactly,” Dad said with a grin.
When Dad opened the trunk, Emmett expected to see bags of groceries. Instead, he saw several food bowls, a few squeaky toys, and something that looked like a little bed.
“What’s all this?” Emmett asked.
Dad smiled.
“Well, your mom and I talked it over and decided it was time to make an addition to our family.”
“What do you mean?” asked Emmett.
Dad pointed toward the back seat.
“Take a look.”
Emmett opened the car’s rear passenger door. There, sitting on a soft blanket, was a small pet crate. As he leaned closer, a tiny black nose poked through the slats. Then two bright eyes looked up at him.
A little puppy wagged his tail so hard that the whole crate shook.
“No way!” shouted Emmett. “We got a dog?”
“That we did,” Dad laughed. “Why don’t you carry him inside while I bring in the rest of his things?”
Emmett could hardly believe it.
He had dreamed of having a dog for such a long time, and now, his dream had finally come true!
As soon as he reached for the crate, the little puppy began bouncing excitedly inside, making every happy puppy noise imaginable.
Emmett carefully carried the crate into the house while Dad followed with the bowls, toys and the rest of the puppy supplies.
“Mom! Mom!” Emmett called excitedly. “Come and see what Dad brought home!”
Mom came into the living room with a big smile on her face, wiping her hands on her apron.
“What have you got there, Em?” she asked.
“It’s a puppy!” Emmett exclaimed.
“Well,” Dad said, “let’s open the crate and let him introduce himself.”
The moment Emmett unlatched the door, the puppy burst out of the crate.
He immediately jumped up, trying to lick Emmett’s face.
Then he bounded over to Mom and Dad, greeting them just as enthusiastically before racing around the living room to investigate every corner.
“Wow!” Emmett laughed. “He’s beautiful!”
The puppy’s fur was shiny black and as soft as velvet. All four of his little paws were bright white. He even had a small white patch on his chest and forehead.
He sniffed the couch.
He sniffed the coffee table.
He sniffed the curtains.
Then he hurried over to sniff Emmett’s shoes.
“Come here, puppy!” Emmett laughed. “Come here, boy!”
“What shall we call him?” Mom asked.
“Well, he’s a boy, so how about Rex?” Dad winked.
“Today is Tuesday,” Mom said. “Maybe we should call him Tuesday?”
“What do you think, Em?”
Emmett watched the puppy for a moment as he explored the room.
Then he smiled.
“I think we should call him Socks.”
Dad looked down at the puppy’s white paws.
“I think that’s perfect,” he said. “He really does look like he’s wearing little white socks on his paws.”
“I agree,” Mom said with a smile.
“Socks it is.”
At supper time, Mom placed a bowl of puppy food and a fresh bowl of water on the floor in the laundry room for Socks.
Mom, Dad, and Emmett sat down together at the dining room table for supper. They talked excitedly about the newest member of their family.
“Having a dog is a big responsibility,” Dad said. “Socks is just a puppy, and we all have to help take care of him.”
“I’ll take care of everything!” Emmett said eagerly.
“I know you would, son. But Socks is part of our family now, and it will take all of us to keep him safe, happy, and healthy.”
“We’re going to take him to the veterinarian on Monday for a checkup,” Mom added. “Then we’ll buy him a nice collar with an ID tag, just in case he ever gets lost.”
“What can I do?” Emmett asked.
Mom smiled.
“You can help feed him every morning and every evening. We can all take turns taking him outside for walks, and making sure he always has plenty of fresh, clean water whenever he’s thirsty.”
“I can do that!” Emmett said proudly.
Then he looked at his parents.
“Can Socks sleep in my room tonight?”
Mom and Dad looked at one another and smiled.
“I think we can give it a try,” Mom said. “We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
Emmett spent the rest of the evening playing with Socks and all of his new puppy toys.
They rolled a bright red ball across the living room floor.
They played tug-of-war with a sturdy rope toy.
They chased each other around the coffee table until they were both out of breath.
Every few minutes, Socks would stop to investigate something new before racing back to play again.
When bedtime finally arrived, Emmett took Socks outside one last time.
The evening air was cool and quiet, and Socks raised his head and sniffed the air. Then he quickly explored, sniffing every tree, every flower, and every corner of the yard.
Finally, he stopped.
When he finished, Emmett smiled.
“Good boy, Socks!”
The little puppy looked up proudly and wagged his tail.
“Come on, boy,” Emmett said. “Let’s go inside.”
Socks happily trotted beside him all the way back to the house.
“All right,” Mom called. “It’s getting late. Time for bed.”
“Okay, Mom,” Emmett answered.
“Come on, Socks!”
Emmett hurried upstairs with Socks close behind, his little paws making soft tapping sounds on each step.
While Emmett changed into his pajamas, Socks carefully sniffed every corner of the bedroom.
When Emmett went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, Socks quietly lay down in the doorway and watched him.
“What’s the matter, boy?” Emmett asked. “Are you getting sleepy?”
Socks tilted his head to one side, as though he were trying to understand every word.
A few minutes later, Dad came upstairs carrying the puppy bed.
He placed it in the corner of Emmett’s room.
“I thought this would be a good spot,” Dad said. “That way, if you get up during the night, you won’t accidentally step on him.”
The bed was a little too big for Socks, but Dad knew he would grow into it before long.
He fluffed the little pillow and placed it in the center of the bed.
Socks walked over and sniffed everything carefully.
Then he circled once…
…twice…
…and finally flopped down with a satisfied sigh, resting his head on the little pillow.
Dad smiled. “I think he approves.”
“I think so too,” Emmett laughed.
Dad leaned over and gently ruffled Emmett’s hair.
“Good night, son,” he said. “Good night, Dad,” Emmett replied.
Socks lifted his head for a moment, watched Dad leave the room, then settled back onto his pillow with another long, sleepy sigh.
He looked completely comfortable.
Or so Emmett thought…
Emmett pulled up the covers and switched off the lamp on his nightstand.
The room became quiet. For a few minutes, everything was peaceful. Then…
Emmett heard a strange little sound. “Mmm… mmm…”
He opened his eyes and listened.
The sound came again. “Mmm… mmm…”
Emmett switched on the lamp and sat up to find Socks sitting beside his bed.
The little puppy looked up at him with sad eyes, tilted his head, and let out another tiny whine.
“What’s the matter, boy?” Emmett asked softly. “Can’t you sleep?”
Socks didn’t answer, of course. He simply looked at Emmett and whimpered again.
A moment later, there was a gentle knock at the bedroom door.
Mom stepped quietly into the room.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Emmett said. “Did Socks wake you?”
Mom smiled. “No, sweetheart. I wasn’t asleep yet. But I heard him crying, and I think I know something that might help.”
She was carrying an old-fashioned wind-up alarm clock.
Emmett recognized it right away.
It had been sitting on the top shelf in the garage for as long as Emmett could remember.
“What are you going to do with that?” he asked.
Mom smiled as she held up the old clock.
“My mother taught me a little trick when I got my very first puppy.”
She turned the large brass key on the back of the clock.
At first, nothing happened.
Then…
Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…
The old clock had come back to life.
Socks lifted his ears.
He heard it too.
Mom wound the clock a few more turns and gently slipped it underneath the little pillow in puppy’s bed.
“Socks,” she said softly, “come here, boy.”
The little puppy walked over and sniffed the pillow.
He listened.
Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…
Then he curled up beside it.
After a few moments, he rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.
“Thanks, Mom,” Emmett whispered. “How did you know that would work?”
Mom sat on the edge of the bed.
“You know,” she said, “before puppies come to live with their new families, they usually sleep close to their mothers, brothers and sisters every night.”
Emmett nodded.
“When I was about your age, my new puppy cried just like Socks is crying tonight. So my mother put an old ticking clock beside her bed. She said to a puppy, it sounded a little like another puppy’s heartbeat.”
Emmett looked over at Socks.
The little puppy seemed completely relaxed and content.
“I guess he doesn’t feel so lonely anymore,” Emmett said quietly.
“I think he’ll be fine now,” Mom replied.
She gently kissed Emmett on the forehead and walked to the door.
“Good night, boys.”
“Good night, Mom,” said Emmett.
“And thanks.”
Mom turned and smiled.
“You know, Em, your dad was right. Socks is a part of our family now and we all have to help take care of him.”
She quietly closed the bedroom door behind her.
Emmett switched off the lamp once again and lay quietly beneath the blankets, listening.
Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…
Everything was still except for the ticking of the clock and Emmett began drifting off to sleep.
Then… He heard another sound.
This time it was a soft little rumble.
“Rrrrr… Rrrrr… Rrrrr…”
“What now?” Emmett wondered. He sat up again and switched on the lamp.
It didn’t take him long to discover the source of the mysterious noise.
Socks lay in his little puppy bed, sleeping peacefully and softly snoring!
His little puppy’s paws twitched as he dreamed, and the corners of his mouth curled into what looked very much like a smile.
“Do puppies smile?” Emmett wondered. That thought made him smile. “Sweet dreams, Socks,” said Emmett softly. Then he switched off the light, pulled the covers all the way up to his chin, and closed his eyes.
The gentle ticking of the old alarm clock…
and the soft snoring of his new best friend…
soon carried Emmett peacefully off to sleep.
