round three...

Round one, Zacchi
Round two, Kay

Round three?

Zacchi knows that boots and hairspray means Mum goes without him. Tonight there was no pleading, no "give mum the guilts" - in fact, there was no Zacchi.

Odd, thought mum, and went looking.

Curled up pretending to be invisible on the mat by the couch was an unresponsive scruffy, hairy object. Very odd, thought Mum, why this unusual behaviour?

Mum went upstairs. Drat, keys not in their usual place. (Don't laugh, you guys, I am MUCH better with keys here!) Back downstairs, clomping round and about until she found the keys (yes, already in my handbag). The little blighter didn't move. Cunning, thought Mum. He's planning ahead, thought Mum, and she took action.

The blankets came off the couch and a towel went on it instead. Mum spoke to the round hairy thing on the mat, but it was still vainly pretending it wasn't there despite all her activity around it. "Don't you dare" she said sternly. It moved its ears, ever so slightly. It's eyes stayed down, under the hair.

She went upstairs. The round hairy thing didn't move. She came back down. It still it believed it was invisible. Patient, cunning, invisible. How dastardly is that?

***

When I got home Zacchi greeted me, not too enthusiastically, not at the top of the stairs. I smelt a rat... or at least a disobedient dog. I marched over to the couch in my most assertive footsteps manner and pointed at the couch. He cowered. I touched the lovely warm patch where the prickly burr was attached to the towel. "Who was on that?" I demanded? He flattened himself into the floor.

He knew that he was in the wrong. I knew that he would be in the wrong.

I figure that this round was a draw.