Specker smartypaws book 3

super adventures of Specker Smartypaws

a thrilling and wizzwopping series of Specker Smartypaws

Book 3

The case of the stolen money

It was so hot a morning that Specker Smartypaws had to put his AC at the lowest temperature. Poor him- he had to search every inch of Dogoppia.  this time it was not the invisibleizer or the beacon. He said, "Oh even going to every house to look for the beacon was not this tiring". Just then the newest member of the group Crackedy Crack Bones came in and said, "What happened?". Smartypaws replied, "Oh just everything, almost all the money of Dogoppia has disappeared and then the dogizens say that it is all MY fault!”. Dogizens are how they call citizens in Dogoppia. Just then Dummypaws entered the scene. Crack Bones said casually, "Umm no offense but we have found 2 very hard things to find - the invisibleizer and the beacon! So I don't think the money should be too hard to find." Dummypaws said, “You really think so? This is plain stealing and money is the hardest to find. They may have hidden the money very well and for all, you know they may have spent it all”. Crackedy Crack Bones said, “ Well what are we waiting for then! Let’s go and find the money”. Smartypaws said, “Not so fast! We have to get Buckler and Snuckler and Apex and another 3 friends of mine”. Dummypaws asked surprised, “Who are they?!!" Smartypaws responded, “My first friend’s name is Wreckingball, second Dummyheart, oh just like you Dummypaws, and thirdly Scratchblood.”. Crackedy Crack Bones said, “Oh those names sound rude”. Smartypaws ignored what Crack Bones said and told Dummypaws, “You know Dummypaws, my third friend’s actually our cousin”. Dummypaws replied, “What? oh, and by the way, Crackedy Crack Bones was saying something”. Smartypaws asked Crackedy Crack Bones, "What is it, Bones"? Bones replied, "Oh I was just saying that those 3 friends of yours - their names sound rude but that does not mean I can not make friends with them". Smartypaws said, "Oh they are not rude at all, in fact, they are the kindest dogs in Dogoppia". Dummypaws said, “Ok, so let’s go and get them! We cannot just sit around here”. So they all went and got Apex who was one of Smartypaws’ guards, Buckler and Snuckler who were Dummypaws’ guards, and Wreckingball, Dummyheart, and Scratchblood. 

The team went searching everywhere in Dogoppia. No luck though. Dummypaws suggested, “Why not we look in our forest - Doggest?That's where bandits love hiding!" Crackedy Crack Bones replied, “Good idea! Let’s go, everybody, come on!”. Smartypaws agreed and they all hurried to Doggest. In Doggest, they saw all kinds of birds and wolves, but they were not scared of the wolves because they are all types of dogs after all. Then they spotted a doce on a log. A doce is the currency in Dogoppia. Smartypaws looked at the doce and said, “Even only a doce is worth it” and then picked it up. There was a stream nearby and a very wide one. There were many planks near it. Scratchblood said, “Well maybe with these planks we can make a boat and 2 oars”. Dummyheart said, “Well they don’t look like they are enough and even if they were, it would take ages to make it”. Smartypaws replied, “He’s right. It would take ages and ages to make it and we do not even know how to swim”. Dummypaws said, “Actually we do know how to swim but we would sink because it is too deep.” He pondered a little and continued, “I think Swimming would be the best option”. 

Smartypaws stepped out of the subject declaring, “I am feeling very thirsty and we did not bring any water”. Wreckingball replied, “Wait, the stream’s water looks fresh and looks crystal clear. Surely you can drink this water you Smarty”. Smartypaws lapped up some fresh and crystal clear water and they were good to go. Then Buckler said, “Wait I've got an idea! We can take a plank each since they are wide and big enough for a dog to fit in and sit on. We’ll float to the other side. Surely there are enough for 9 dogs”. 

So they took a plank each and paddled their way to the other side. Snuckler asked, “What is the time?” Dummypaws looked at his watch and said, “it’s only 10 am. We left at 9:30; it has barely been an hour”. Snuckler replied, “Oh I feel like it has been such a long time”. Finally, they reached the other side. Apex noticed a sheet of Dogia code. Dogia is an ancient Dogoppian language, but now they speak English. Apex caught hold of their attention and read the message. He translated it to English, which said:

"THE MONEY YOU ARE TRYING TO FIND IS NOT EASY" 

-Dummypaws interrupted and said, “As if we did not know that”. Then Smartypaws said, “Stop interrupting! Let Apex read the message”. Then Apex continued-

"SO, ENTER THE CAVE IN FRONT OF THE STREAM AND GET IN AND FIND  THE DOCE AND RETURN TO DOGOPPIA WITH IT. BE CAREFUL."

Then Dummypaws started speaking in dogia, “Woof woo moof moo”. That meant “let’s go". Apex asked, “Why are you speaking dogia huh? Anyways let’s go!”. Then Smartypaws wondered aloud, “Who left the letter though it should surely have been a dog because only dogs know dogia”. Scratchblood simply replied in dogia, “Woof woo moof moo”. So they all went into the cave and it was very dark. Dummyheart said, “Oh no! we did not bring torches. How do we go in any further, and if we don’t, how will we know if the loot is in here? Smarty, do you have the doce we picked up on the log before the stream?”. Smartypaws replied, "I do have the doce we picked up earlier. Oh now that we are not so far from the stream yet, let's just go out and lap up some water because if we get thirsty, we cannot come out and drink it again. By the way, do we have our guns now?”. Wreckingball replied, “Smarty is right, we have to drink some water and even eat lunch. No Smarty, we don’t have guns”. Dummyheart Said, “I know how to make guns with wood that actually shoot”. 

So they rushed out, drank some water, ate lunch and made wooden guns for themselves. Dummypaws said, “ Can you make wooden torches for everyone before we get into the cave”. Dummyheart said, “No but the sun is coming right above it will shine bright in the cave for 1 hour, and then go down. So we must take only an hour or less”. Buckler said, “I am feeling very tired let’s take a nap and then go into the cave”. Snuckler said, “But the sun is coming to the middle - we have to go in when there is light!” They went into the cave. Smartypaws asked Dummypaws inside the cave, “What’s the time Dummy?”. Dummypaws replied, “12:00 Smarty”. 

They kept their eyes peeled for any doce. Scratchblood said, “Well we have been walking for half an hour it’s 12:30 my feet feel like rocks. Let’s sit on one of these rocks for 2 minutes”. Apex said, “No we cannot even waste a second we have only half-an-hour of sunlight! woof woo moof moo!”. Scratchblood said, “Okay I’ll sit here for 2 minutes and join ya later”. Smartypaws said, “Okay Scratch, join us soon don’t get lost!”. The others went further inside. That time the bandit who stole the doce came and kidnapped Scratchblood! Scratchblood started yelling for help. Help help. The bandit was a Falcon and he had sacks filled with doce. Scratchblood sneaked out some money and threw it on the ground as a trail for the team to follow if they came hearing his cries for help. Inside the cave, Smartypaws said, “I hear some echoes and they are saying help -  I think Scratchblood is in danger!”. Dummyheart said, “Woof woo moof moo!”.

They went out of the cave and then Wreckingball said, “Look traces of money and money. Let’s follow the trail and see where it leads to and at every step we can pick up the doce!”. Buckler and Snuckler said, “But we don’t know where to keep them”. So they kept following the money then the money stopped. They spotted Scratchblood’s wooden gun broken! Then they saw a humongous shadow of a falcon behind a humongous rock and they heard the falcon talking to Scratchblood. The falcon was Madfalcon. 

Madfalcon said to Scratchblood, “Where is the money? If you don’t tell me right away, I will kill you ya, hear me?”. Scratchblood begged, "Please let me go please I beg you”. Madfalcon said, “I will only let you go if you tell me where the money is’’. Smartypaws jumped in saying, “That’s enough! You let him go 'cause if you don’t, I think that you will be the one who will be killed!”. Then he showed his gun up to his head. Madfalcon said, “Okay I will let this mere dog go under 1 condition. You give me all the money he took”. Dummypaws said, “Can you just give our friend to us for a while? I’ll hand him back please”. Madfalcon said, “Ya, promise?”. Dummypaws declared, “I promise you to cross- my- heart- and- hope- to- die- stick- a- needle- in- my- eye! I pinky promise I will give him back to you, Madfalcon”. 

So Dummypaws took Scratch blood. Scratchblood whispered, “Why did you promise him you’ll give me back to him?!” Dummypaws said, “I have 2 plans but till the plans are in action, you’ll have to stay with Madfalcon, okay? So plan 1 - we will give him back say, a hundred doce and say this is all the money you took and then when he is staring at the doce, one of us, not you, will shoot him! Then we take all the sacks and we go home. Well, there is a plan 2 because if he does not start staring at the doces, plan 2 is to simply rage war! Okay now you know our plans, so just stay calm in his hands okay?”. Scratchblood replied, “Okay” in a rather panicky way. Dummypaws kept his promise and gave Scratchblood back to Madfalcon. Madfalcon was pleased. Dummypaws gave 100 doces to Madfalcon. Madfalcon said, "What!" and gave Scratchblood back. Then Dummypaws walked slowly and tried to shoot Madfalcon but Madfalcon raised his gun to Dummypaws's head and said, "So this was your plan ya? think ya can defeat me, you mere dog? Well, try that!". 

So plan 2 was in action. They raged war. Scratchblood freed himself and found his broken gun! Dummypaws said, "Well you'll just have to fight with bare hands!" So their war went on for 3 hours. Finally, a miracle happened. Apex had sneaked out to make a wooden gun for Scratchblood. Scratchblood took the gun and started to fight again! Finally, Madfalcon was shot down. 

The team took the sacks and went home. On their way home Crack Bones said, "Well where do we keep the money. Smartypaws said, "Well inside my house just like what we did with the beacon." Again Smartypaws was planning to keep it in his office which is not in Dogoppia. Well, he is one sneaky dog!

At midnight, he went to his office when no one was paying attention and hid it. He then rushed back home and started snoring away.

Well, that does not mean their adventures stop there...

                            -----------THE END----------

THEY WILL AWAKEN IN THE NEXT BOOK AND SO WILL ADVENTURE...