Pixie announced the arrival of the children and she was at the top of the stairs to greet them in a cream coloured blur of excitement. Her curled tail wagged exuberantly, and her long, soft fur was a delight to touch. Pixie had been bathed and dried. Her chocolate eyes shone, and she expressed her delight with a comical gurgling in the throat.
Penny, the fat golden retriever, was asleep in the afternoon sun on the veranda. She got up to greet them with a goofy grin and a gentle wag of her tail. Penny relished affection. She too, had been bathed.
The concrete veranda and paved area had been swept clear. It was the most immaculate that the Jones children had ever seen. As they entered the front door, they could see that the whole house had been given an exhaustive clean. The windows were s
