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(Editor’s Note: This is part three of a four series)

Bill found himself back in his bed with a start.

“It had to be another bad dream. Perhaps those rawhides gave my tummy a ache.” he thought

He started to go back to sleep when he heard a huff. His head went up and he saw at the gate his mom, Jada, looking at him.

“Are you the next spirit?”

Jada nodded.

“I am the spirit of Christmas presents. Or something like that.”

“Hurry up and get over here. We haven’t got all night” she huffed.

He waddled over and put his front paws on the gate and used his weight to pop it open.

Jada walked into the living room. She looked over at the sleeping Roswell.

“See this silly boy,” Jada said. Then she huffed.

“I mean, poor Roswell,” she stated.

“See how he suffers because you take his treats?’

Bill looked over at his sleeping brother. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary about Roswell. Then a scary thought crossed his mind, he looked over at the rawhide stash and looked relieved when he saw there were still two over there.

“Focus,” Jada went on.

“He is sad. Trust me,” Jada stated, then turned to head back to her bed.

“Follow me.”

Bill followed her and soon they were in the bedroom of his hoomans. Jada pointed to her bed.

“See this empty comfy bed?”

Bill looked at the dog bed then questioningly at his mother.

“This is where I would be sleeping soundly right now if I were not dragged into this adventure.”

Jada huffed angrily.

“But no, I am here, awake. Having to save you or something.”

Bill cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“Look, the hoomans are on to you. They know you are taking his treats. They were talking earlier about stopping giving us the rawhides and other treats because of you.”

She walked over to him till her snout was in front of his.

“If I lose the tasty treats because of you, then you will pay,” she snarled.

“Now go to bed.”

Bill felt the world go black.

He awoke in his bed. Standing over him was a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

Bill looked at her.

“Are you the doggie of Christmases yet to come?”

The Corgi merely glared at him

“I fear you most of all.”

The corgi gave a grin and said, “Yes. But before we begin, I have to tell you….”

She pulled out a card and read from it. “We know you have many choices to be haunted by during the holidays, we thank you for choosing Hades Inc. We don’t make the afterlife, we make it scarier.”

She barked happily.

“I am Foxy. Follow me”

They both walked to the kitchen and it was the next morning.

“Do you see what you have done?”

Bill looked to the living room and saw him and Jada sitting on the couch. He saw Roswell spinning around in the corner chasing his tail.

“Nothing seems to be different”

Foxy looked up at the counter

“Look there”

Bill looked up and noticed that the treat jar was missing.

He was shaking with fear.

“What happened?” Bill asked

“Your hoomans got tired of you stealing Roswell’s treats and decided no more treats.”

Bill cried with anguish.

“Tell me spirit, are these things that will happen or may happen!?”

Foxy looked at him, before she could answer, the room went dark.

Bill found himself alone in the kitchen.

He howled.

Michael Cole is a syndicated columnist that when he is not writing, and Roswell plot for global domination. His trusted dog, Bill, rewrites tales from his viewpoint. You can follow him at www.storyoveracup.com