Gertrude's Dogs

Aunt Gertrude won't budge. She wants to stay at the home where she and my mother grew up. It doesn't matter that the town's dead, that everyone's gone, that she's all alone... She wants to live and die there. What a sad, old woman... she'd rather be with her bundle of strays than with the rest of her family! I can't stand those dogs she lets into her house. They're always pregnant and full of fleas, like that "Pompom" she loves. I'm giving up. Tell your children not to wander to Shorewatch, or they might catch rabies! Or worse, fleas!

I knew something was up when I picked her up last! My little girl, Pompom, is pregnant! I've set up a small, cozy space in my basement for her. She looks tired, but I trust everything will go well. I still remember when I took care of her mother, picking scrap metal from her spotted fur. Her family is hardy, and they've survived worse! With some luck, they'll even outlive little old me! I'll have to set out many more doggy bowls. I want them to be safe and sound long after I'm gone!