It was eight'o'clock in the morning and the sun was peeking over the hills, making the once dark skies turn a light pink. The sun's rays had made their way down the hill until they had finally hit their destination. A small town filled with dogs, cats, birds, and many other animals. All of whom were out and about greeting neighbors and ready to start the day.
Inside one house was a certain yellow pup still sleeping while the world around her was wide awake. Her name was Isabelle. Isabelle was the town's secretary, and assistant to the mayor. She was a polite young shih tzu, and an extremely hard worker. Eventually, Isabelle's eyes slowly opened. She sat up, let out a small yawn, and glanced at the clock. Her eyes then opened wider. "Oh no!" She shouted as she sprung out of bed. "I'm late for work!"
Isabelle ran to her closet and changed into her vest and skirt. "I can't believe I overslept! I can't believe I could be so careless!" Thoughts of disbelief and self-doubting were all that ran through her mind. She ran downstairs to the kitchen. "I can just bring an apple, and I might make better time if I skip teeth brushing." Isabelle was just a few inches away from the bag of apples lying on the kitchen table, when suddenly something got a hold of the collar on her vest. Next thing she knew, she was hoisted into the air and was brought face to face with the one who stopped her from bolting out the door.
Holding the little dog, towering at six feet in height, wearing dark green armor, and a helmet that concealed his face in an ocean blue visor was none other than Isabelle's best friend. The Doomslayer.
Isabelle started to squirm, hoping to slip out of her friend's grip. "Mr. Slayer!" She whined. "Put me down! I'm going to be late for-" Before she could finish, The Doomslayer raised his free arm and pointed at a calendar on the fridge. Written on it, in big bold letters for today and the next two days were the words "Day Off!"
Isabelle looked at the calendar, and back at her friend. "Oh." She then turned red as a
beet. "Sorry," she said embarrassed. The Doomslayer nodded in understanding and placed Isabelle gently on the ground. She sighed and plopped onto a chair.
Isabelle hated the thought of a vacation. There's no one asking for favors, no one wanting a task completed, and no paperwork to read or sign. For anyone, that sounds like a dream come true, but for Isabelle, it sounded like a nightmare. And she had to deal with three days of it.
"What am I going to do?" She groaned. "I've never had a day off before." She turned to The Doomslayer. "How are we going to make these days go by faster?" Her friend looked to the floor and shook his head in frustration. He then left the room and disappeared up the stairs. "Uh… Mr. Slayer?" Isabelle said, wondering what he was doing. A few seconds later, he came down with a fishing pole in each hand.
He handed one of them to her. "You want to go fishing?" she asked perplexed. The tall marine nodded and went towards the door, signaling the pup to come along. "I don't know, maybe I should stay and see if the mayor calls saying they need help. Running a town isn't meant for one-" Isabelle was interrupted by The Doomslayer picking her up and placing her on the back of his helmet. She was so shocked at how high she was off the ground. Her grip tightened around his helmet as he began to walk out of the house. "I guess fishing isn't such a bad idea," She said nervously, hoping she didn't fall.
Soon they arrived at the docks where they saw two fellow villagers Jay and Bam. They were out kicking a soccer ball around. "I wonder who's winning so far," Isabelle wondered. The two jocks were so busy with they're game, they didn't even notice the two person audience they had. "Hey Bam," Jay said, backing up from the ball. "See if you can block this!" He stopped and broke into a sprint. When he got close enough to the ball, he hurled a mighty kick and sent it flying. However, his aim wasn't great. Instead of kicking it to Bam, the ball soared past Bam and made impact with The Doomslayer's belly. Isabelle gasped. "Oh! Mr. Slayer! Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. The force was great, but he didn't show any signs of injury. It was as if nothing had hit him at all.
Isabelle looked back at the two jocks. Their faces both looked horror-stricken. "Let me go talk to them real quick," The Doomslayer understood and helped her down. She picked up the ball and handed it back to Jay. "That was an amazing kick Jay, but please be more careful next time." She politely asked. Jay shook his head vigorously to snap out of his look of awe. "Sorry Isabelle," he responded, rubbing the back of his head. He turned his attention to the tall marine. "S-Sorry Mr. Slayer...uh...sir." He said, trying not to run away in fear. The Doomslayer responded rather passively. He didn't seem to care whether Jay apologized or not.
The jocks went back to their soccer match, and Isabelle went to take a fishing spot on the dock. "So when we catch a fish," she began, "Who do we give it to?" Her giant friend sat down next to her, and immediately threw his fishing line into the lake. The bobber sat in the water, and all was still. "Is it for Apollo?" Isabelle whispered. "What about Rosie? Did she ask for a fish?" The Doomslayer gave no reply. He continued staring at the bobber. Isabelle had no idea what her friend was up to. If no one asked for a fish, then why were they out here in the first place?
Suddenly, the bobber sank. Something caught on the hook! The Doomslayer started reeling the fish in. He took one big tug, and his catch flew out of the water and straight into the palm of his massive hand. Isabelle took a look at the fish.
"A Crucian Carp. Not bad." She beamed. "I don't know anyone who might've asked for one, but I'm sure if we ask around-" Before Isabelle could finish her thought, Her friend took the fish off the hook, and tossed it back in the water. She stared at him in disbelief. "Why did you do that?" She demanded. "We could've used that to fulfill someone's request!" Isabelle didn't understand why her friend came here to catch a fish only to throw it back in the lake. The Doomslayer stared at the little shih tzu silently. "That is why we're here. Right?" She asked, a little annoyed. The tall marine shook his head in denial. He then pointed at the fishing rod, and then at Jay and Bam. Isabelle looked over at them. The two were still playing soccer. "What are you trying to say?" She asked him, wondering. The Doomslayer continued to point at the miniature soccer game. Isabelle looked closer this time. The two were playing soccer, and laughing. They acted like they didn't have a care in the world about who was watching them, or who would judge them. They both just smiled, as if they were having….fun.
Isabelle looked back at her friend. "You mean we're here just to have fun?" She asked. The Doomslayer nodded and gave her a thumbs up. Isabelle didn't know how to feel about this. She had always considered carrying out tasks like planting a certain plant in a certain place, or getting a certain item for someone, "fun." But then she thought if that was what she considered fun, why was she getting days off from it? Was there more to fun than just paperwork and labor?
"L-Let me try," she said nervously. Her friend gestured to the lake as if to say: "Knock yourself out." Isabelle threw out her line, and waited for something to bite. She had fished thousands of times, but this time it felt different. Normally she would feel pressure whenever she didn't get the right fish, or she would get nervous about missing her chance to pull the line out in time and possibly losing a good catch. But today, she felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt at ease. No one had requested a certain sea creature, and she had no reason to worry about missing a catch. It was just her and The Doomslayer...having fun.
"So, this is having fun," she rambled. "I'm not familiar with this feeling," she looked up at her fishing buddy and smiled warmly. "But I love it!" Her friend rubbed her head vigorously until her tail wagged. She giggled. "Thank you Mr. Slayer." For the next few hours, the two had fun catching and releasing. Some catches were common, and some were even rare enough to get a picture with.
After a while, it was almost noon. Isabelle's stomach started to growl. "I think it's time we head home," she said. The Doomslayer tossed in his catch and proceeded to pick up Isabelle, and put her on the back of his helmet. "Whoa," Isabelle shuddered when she saw she was once again six feet off the ground. "Just so you know," she began, as she held on for dear life. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this." The Doomslayer didn't respond, but Isabelle knew he heard her. And somehow, she just knew that under the helmet was a smirk.