Ringo’s Big Adventure

(Chapter 9)

Tortoise Location Expert
Available for Gigs

by Dallas Doctor

 

If you need a tortoise located, call BR-549 and Ringo will find it. 

Did you know tortoises stink?  Evidently they do; in fact, they must reek!  Ringo always knows where they are long before he gets close enough to actually see them.  He’s especially good at finding large tortoises, but sometimes he find small ones too.  He’s also expert at finding snakes, lizards, all varieties of animal droppings, and any form of edible garbage.  In the event you need to find anything disgusting, simply call the number above.

Yesterday, Ringo found an entire flock of sheep. 

Ringo moved up the mountain exactly one month ago today and in those 30-days (that’s 120 doggie-walks), he’d never encountered the sheep before.  Once Doc thought he heard something that sounded like a cowbell, but he couldn’t determine the source.  And now in hindsight, Doc recalls there was one fleeting moment, about a week ago, when a single, solitary “baa” drifted up from the valley below.  But there hadn’t been any telltale signs, unless the impeccable way the grass was always so short in the olive grove was a clue.

But that all changed yesterday.  As he approached the fork in the road at the top of the hill, Ringo alerted.  It was unmistakeable.  He’d discovered something.  (And Doc’s slow to learn, but he’s finally able to recognize that when Ringo alerts in a certain way, it means there’s something interesting to discover nearby.)

Ringo stopped, stood tall, lifted his head straight up, and indicated a specific direction that required investigation.  Doc noticed.  And wondered.  So in the spirit of adventure, he allowed Ringo a bit of exploring.   

Ringo indicated a path never taken before.  He was animated and enthusiastic about this particular direction — completely confident this was the way.  So Doc went along.  The path climbed a little rise, turned left around an old knotty olive tree and then opened into a meadow.  As he entered the meadow, Ringo spotted a dozen wooly butts, each with a short wooly tail, scampering over the ridge directly ahead.

It was all Doc could do to hold Ringo back.  Ringo had rarely been so excited.  Ringo’s never had any formal training in the ancient art of sheep-herding, but he clearly didn’t think he needed any.  Ringo wanted to run and play. 

And Doc almost let him go.  He thought about it.  It was tempting.  Ringo obviously wanted so badly to chase the sheep.  But Doc didn’t imagine the owner of the flock (and the property) would take kindly to a big brown dog chasing frightened sheep around the olive grove.  Doc did the boring, responsible, disappointing thing and held Ringo back.  But it wasn’t easy.

Doc held Ringo with one hand and fumbled for his camera with the other.  He hoped to get a few photos of the receding sheep, but Ringo didn’t cooperate.  Ringo couldn’t stop himself from pulling and jumping and getting in the way.  All the while, the sheep continued disappearing further and further out of view.  Doc never did get a decent photo.  (But he finally got the one posted above.)  At least now that he knows the sheep are there, he’ll be on the lookout from now on.

Ringo found two more tortoises on the way back down the hill.  He stopped and sniffed for a few moments each.  But Doc noticed a marked decrease in Ringo’s level of enthusiasm.  Evidently tortoises are not as fun to chase as sheep.  Who knew?  But no matter.  Ringo is an expert locator in any case.  So if you need to find anything smelly, nasty, slippery, slimy, or just-plain disgusting, give Ringo a call.  Because that’s the main thing Doc is learning about Ringo:  He’s always up for an adventure…

 

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Please feel free to share this story in any way you consider appropriate.  This is part of a collection of simple short stories called: “Ringo’s Big Adventure” which is NOT to be confused with a similarly titled, but entirely different set of (hopefully) more-literary stories with the working title “Conversations Overheard While Traveling with Ringo” which are ONLY available to the awesome humans who are making these adventures possible.  Please visit patreon.com/dockity/overview to learn more… Thank You!   Sincerely, dockity.

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