Plum, the golden retriever, was grazing in someone’s yard and playing with a ball. Plum belonged to a boy named James. Plum really wanted to go to the country, except they lived in the city, and Plum wanted to go to, well… Plum  didn’t know exactly where. The city was too noisy, and Plum didn’t like the smell of cigars.

It was decided he would run away. So Plum started the long walk east. On the way, he met a girl about nine years old. Plum liked the girl. She was much better than James. James was a twelve-year-old who was very annoying and loved to play mean tricks. The girl’s name was Stacy. She had a kind heart, and promised to help Plum go east. Plum caught sight of some trees and grass. Stacy had brought a knife, so she started chopping down the trees to make wood. When Stacy was done, they leaned the wood against the biggest tree in sight. It was tall and wide. Then, they started making something looking like a shelter. They dug a tunnel, and then cut the ground above. Stacy brought a bottle of water and some bread so they had some food.

Plum asked Stacy, “I’m running away from the city because I hate the smell of cigars, and it’s too noisy. Why are you running away?”  

Stacy replied, “It’s my dad. He’s always getting in the way. It was Sunday, one night, and I wanted to go to the playground. He said I had to do my homework. I’d already finished my homework, but my dad made some for me. More homework. Imagine it! So that’s why I ran away.”

Plum said he was hungry, and Stacey gave him a slice of bread, and he started snoring. Stacey made a door out of moist dirt, and went to bed.

The next morning, Stacey took the door down, let the air in, and woke Plum up. Plum was on a trail. At the end of the trail, there were luscious bushes filled with raspberries. Stacey filled her arms with raspberries, and Plum carried raspberries on his back.

That night, Stacey and Plum had a feast of raspberries. The raspberries tasted as good as Plum had ever eaten. When Plum lived with James, he was only fed with bread and water.

It was great sitting there in their small little den, eating a feast of raspberries. Stacey slurped water from her water bottle, and Plum started snoring again. Stacey and Plum went out of their den the next morning. They were walking into the stream to find fish. A wild horse trotted by, and Stacey ripped a hair from its tail. Then, Stacey cut a small piece of wood, tied the string to the wood, and went to the river. She lowered the line and waited for some fish. Plum started barking. A plump trout was swimming his way. Stacey told Plum to be quiet and, soon, they were going back to their den with three plump trout.

***

Back at home (I mean the home of James Barrely, the ex-owner of Plum), James was looking frantically for Plum. James’ mom and dad had spent a fortune on Plum. James was creeping along when he saw strands of golden hair and a golden tail. Then, he followed a long trail of wet footprints and pawprints until he was out of the city. He went around the corner, and saw a golden haired girl with Plum. Plum started barking, and Stacey soon found out why.

Plum was shouting at the top of his lungs, “It’s James!”

Stacy was running as fast as she could, and Plum was still shouting at the top of his lungs and sprinting at his top speed. Stacy and Plum ran until they lost sight of James. Stacy checked her compass, and it said they were on the border of Alabama. Stacy was horrified. Plum was also horrified, but he had a smile on his face. James would never find him in Alabama.

Stacy still had a few shillings in her pocket, so she went to the market in Alabama. She bought some fruits and some water. She also bought three tomatoes and two pieces of lettuce. Then, she had to beg on the street. At the end of the day, Stacy and Plum had thirty shillings due to the fact that Stacy was a very persuasive beggar.

They got a bedroom at a very cheap inn. Plum slept on the carpet, and Stacy slept in the bed. They ate a piece of lettuce for dinner. James had gone back home in despair. He had not found Plum, and he had no idea who or what the golden haired girl was. His mom and dad would yell at him. He slept in his comfortable bedroom, hoping that his mom and dad would not notice the missing Plum.

At the cheap inn, in Alabama, Stacey and Plum had awoken. They ate a very small piece of tomato for breakfast, and set off. Stacey and Plum wanted to get as far away from New York City as possible. Soon, they were at the rich part of the city in Alabama. They slept at a very comfortable bedroom that was lent to them by a very kind person.

***

All the birds were crowding around them. They were giving out very small pieces of bread. The next morning, they set off again. Suddenly, they saw a very big car, black as the night. Plum recognized it immediately. The Barrely’s were on their tail. James hopped out of the car and made friends with Stacey. Plum snuck into Stacey’s handbag, and ate all the food they had bought. The Barrely’s sent Stacey home. They all got into the Barrely’s black car, and drove back to New York.

Plum now really liked New York because Stacey was there. Stacey bought Plum a clothespin to put on his nose so he didn’t have to smell the cigars. And Plum had some headphones on his head to block out the sounds. The Barrely’s always fed Plum very sensible food.