Yvonne had not yet returned. Angelica was still locked in the barren closet, not because Savio wanted to keep her there all that time, but because he had actually forgotten about her when, after the first couple hours being trapped in the closet, she got tired of whining incessantly. So when Angelica began to whine again that day, Savio remembered her and rushed to the closet.

He was just about to let her out when he remembered why she had been in the closet and the first place, and then he got a great idea as she whined, "Let me out! I don't want to be in here anymore! It's awful!"

"The grass isn't always greener on the other side," Savio said, thinking he was very wise. 

"But at least on the other side I'm not in a closet!" complained Angelica.

"Then let me tell you a story," said Savio. He loved to tell stories because he thought that when he did he was making Yvonne proud by being like her.

Angelica was concerned that Yvonne was not back yet, even though she had said it would only be a week. Savio was sometimes concerned and then he forgot about all that and went on about his doggy business, like right now, when he was telling Angelica a story. She did not hear all of the story particularly well, since Savio's voice was a bit muffled through the closet door. It was a nice closet door. Actually it was rather like a dungeon door. In fact, most of the doors in that house were like dungeon doors, now that Angelica thought about it.

"Listen! Listen! Listen!" panted Savio from the other side of the closet dungeon door.

Savio sat in front of the door, watching it, waiting for Yvonne to come in. But she didn't come. Savio sat and waited all day, but Yvonne did not come that day.

"She said she'd be gone for a week," said Angelica. 

"It has been a week," said Savio.

"But she hasn't been gone for a whole week. By tomorrow she'll have been gone for an entire week," argued Angelica, thinking she was very smart. 

"I guess I'll just have to tell you a story!" said Savio, jumping up on the sofa even though Yvonne didn't like him sitting on the sofa. He got his hair all over.

"But I don't want to hear a story!" whined Angelica.

"I thought you loved stories," said Savio. "So you have to hear a story!"

"But I don't like your stories!" said Angelica.

"That was not nice," said Savio sadly.

"Fine," grumbled Angelica.

Savio was instantly happy once again, and started his story immediately. He spoke very quickly, wagging his tail the whole time, sometimes stopping to scratch behind his ear.

Yvonne stuffed a stack of books into a suitcase. She put her new oracle ball, who did not throw tennis balls, into another suitcase.

"What are you doing?" asked Angelica. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes. I'll be gone for about a week," answered Yvonne.

"But you don't have any clothes or hygiene products in those suitcases," said Angelica.

"If you have books and prophecies, you don't need hygiene," said Yvonne. "And, you know, I'm a rabbit. I don't need clothes." 

Savio looked sad. Then he suddenly perked up and said, "Can I come? Can I come?"

"No, Savi, you stay here," said Yvonne. Savio became sad again. "Savio, you're in charge of the house, okay?" she added. Again Savio perked up. He started spinning in circles.

"I'm in charge! I'm in charge!" he said. 

"What? The dog?" exclaimed Angelica, almost in disgust. "But I'm more responsible than him!"

"Personally, I don't think so. You guys take care now," Yvonne said as she grabbed her suitcases. Before she disappeared out the door, she added, "Oh, Savio, why don't you tell Angelica a story?" Then she was gone.

Savio's eyes lit up. "A story!" he gasped. "I always wanted to tell someone a story!" He ran to his room, grabbed a notebook, in which were notes scrawled in a dog's handwriting, and sat down in front of Angelica. Savio began to read his story to her.

"SAVIO!!!"

Savio came slinking into the house. He did not like it when Yvonne yelled at him. He came slowly up to her and sat down, but would not look her in the face. Instead he stared at the ground. For a few seconds Yvonne said nothing, and during those few seconds Angelica slipped out of the closet into which she had hidden when Yvonne yelled.

"So, Savio..." said Yvonne in a lilting voice -- the one which Savio did not like much more than the yelling -- "I had this ball the other day. This shiny ball. Someone seems to have misplaced it."

Almost as if in reply, Savio was thrown into a coughing fit. He coughed and coughed until finally he coughed up little shiny blue pieces. Then he sat down, looked up at Yvonne, and wagged his tail.

"Well," said Yvonne, "at least you won't have indigestion now."

"What was so important about that ball, anyway?" asked Angelica.

"It was my oracle," replied Yvonne.

"Your what...?" said Angelica.

"Oh, you ignorant little coney!" exclaimed Yvonne. "I have many skills, including foretelling the future. But I can't do that without my oracle ball."

"So you're a fortune-teller?" asked Angelica.

"I didn't say that," answered Yvonne. Then she turned to Savio. "Now, you've been a very bad puppy" -- at this Savio looked at her with sad eyes -- "so today it's your job to go grocery shopping. And while you're at it, buy me a new oracle."