The sun was bright in the noonday sky when the quartet reached the front porch of the House of Love and Animal Husbandry. The Carnivale was in full swing, and this little shack wasn't too far from the center of the action, but the cluster of trees around the place provided a shelter of sorts from the storm. The Albert Hansell was docked within view, and the bar next door had Kestrel Light on tap. Who could ask for anything more?

JenEllen pushed open the door and wiped away a few of the vacant cobwebs. "Ugh," she muttered to herself, "vacation starting with cleaning is a stone drag." However, it wasn't too long before she was wrestling open old windows and letting the sea air in.
"You gotta see your mama every night
or you can't see your mama at all.
Kiss-kiss, Mama. Treat her right, or
She won't be home when you call.
Mama don't like that kind of man
Does his lovin' on an installment plan
You gotta see your mama every night
Or you can't see your mama at all…"

During the time that JenEllen was busily tidying up the joint, Angus was busy running from window to window, snuffling at the tantalizing array of aromas coming in the windows. The cats, thoroughly satisfied with their Certificates of Completion from Madame Seizemore's Correspondence School for Psychics, were busy taking turns holding down the various pieces of furniture in the House of Love.   They planned on using their advanced skills over the vacation by reading minds and quickly jumping in the lap of anyone sitting in the House of Love who thought for a moment that they might get up.

Their little vacation from the Land of ThreeDee was interrupted by Angus the WonderDog, who in fine form, heard the obvious knock at the screendoor and hurdled the couch to see who his new friend was going to be.

"Hello?" said the young woman at the front door. "Anyone home?"

"C'mon in." replied Jen, "and YOU," she admonished the still-woofing hound "Go park it."

The young woman entered the HOLAAH (aside for a minute: I LOVE that! "Holaah!") dressed in the most hideous poncho-type beach cover-up that Jen had ever seen. She was madly scratching her arms and legs and appeared to be ready to cry.

"Are you okay?" asked JenEllen, immediately feeling like an idiot for asking.

"Sandfleas." replied the scratching woman, who was by this time using the doorjamb as a back scratcher. "I can't seem to get rid of the damn things and the lifeguard told me to come here."

"I have just the thing!" and with that, JenEllen reached into the cupboard and pulled out what appeared to be the latest bestselling beach read of the year, but when open it unfolded into a miniature replica of the Boardwalk and Carnival grounds, complete with amusement park and taco stand. JenEllen held the book near the woman's arm and as if by magic, the fleas marched right down the woman's hand and into the book. They began ordering food, buying cotton candy, and riding all of the rides.

"How amazing!" said the young woman. "And you mean to tell me that I can keep this and watch them play?"

"Nope." said JenEllen, slamming the book shut. "They'll get bored with this soon enough. I suggest you give this book as a present to someone you don't like very much."

"Oh, like the crazy aunt that gave me this poncho. Gotcha. How much do I owe you?" asked the still-astonished young woman.

"Oh, a gazillion dollars should cover it."

"I only have five bucks and a dirty postcard."

"That'll do."

After they shook hands and the young woman left holding her book at a cautious distance from her body, JenEllen retreated to the kitchen and taped the postcard to the fridge among last year's models. She then took the fiver and tucked it in Angus' collar.   "Good boy! Now go get us a funnel cake!" Angus bounded out of the yard and towards the boardwalk.

Wonderful hound that he was, he bought two and ate one on the way home.