“And when I leave, should I put you outside? I said, should I put you outside? . . . Are you pretending that your supersensitive dog ears can’t hear a simple question?”

—Were you talking to me?

“Yes.”

—Sorry, I must have been so exhausted from working yesterday . . .

“Working? You were inside most of the day, though admittedly it must have been difficult wading through all that snow when we let you out to do your . . . chores.”

—That was indeed difficult, but I’m referring to all the energy I expended being worried about all of you out there in the cold.

“Hold on, working equals being worried?”

—Absolutely! You have no idea how tiring it is being the ever-vigilant, fierce but loyal (Barkmark still pending) dog pacing the house back and for and back and forth while those he has sworn to protect—even with his own life—are trapped in an icy slippery world of darkness . . .

“Okay, okay, I get the picture, though probably you expend more energy coming up with your overwrought speeches.”

—Well, that takes some doing also . . . which reminds me, given how cold it is, shouldn’t you be doubling my rations and biscuits?