“This is doing my head in,” moaned Officer Howler, who had been constantly pacing circuits around the prison cell they were locked in.

“You’re doing my head in,” snapped Rosemary. “Just sit down, you’re making me dizzy.”

Melissa just sighed. She’d had to get used to little disagreements which had been commonplace on their journey. Even if you were best friends – and they weren’t, eventually you’d get exasperated with each other if you were constantly cooped up in one place. The prison cell had taken the cabin fever to a new extreme, and it hadn’t taken long for there to be fallings out.

“When are they going to let us out?” whined Officer Howler. “I can’t stand this!”

“It’ll happen,” said Melissa. “Let’s just try and keep calm.”

“What’s that?” asked Rosemary. They all fell silent. Officer Howler cocked his head to one side, annoyed that he hadn’t heard the noises first. Sure enough, they could hear footsteps.

“I can hear talking,” said Officer Howler. He had much better hearing than the others of course, he was from an ancient canine civilisation.

“What are they saying?”

“I can’t really tell. They are quite a long way off, and one of them is slurring, a lot. I heard some names though. There’s a Green_Turtle_Boy and your old friend, Melissa. Eric Smythe.”

“Eric Smythe? Oh no… that’s tops off the worst day ever. If crashing into a hotel, killing all the pupils in a school, and ending up in jail wasn’t enough - now I’m going to be pestered by the King of Sleaze, Eric Smythe.”

“You can get us out,” stated Rosemary.

“Yes, you can!” agreed Officer Howler.

“No… I can’t” said Melissa. “I’m not going there.”

“You don’t have to,” said Rosemary. “You just need to make him think there’s a chance.”

“No!” Melissa shuddered at the thought. “He’s bad enough when I tell him he has no chance, I’d never get rid of him.”

“Except,” said Rosemary. “It’s Friday afternoon, which means…”

“He’ll already be drunk.” Melissa finished off Rosemary’s train of thought. “And by now he would normally be pretty close to passing out.”

“It sounds like he is definitely close to it,” Officer Howler said hurriedly.

“There you go.” Rosemary folded her arms smugly as if it was all decided.

“I’ll… err… see how he looks,” said Melissa. “I can’t guarantee anything.”

The footsteps got louder and louder, they could hear them echoing down the corridor. They came towards their cell, slowing down… and went right past.

“Hi Dave,” said Eric Smythe to the inhabitants of the cell next to them. “What’chya been up to? Oooh Chanelle, you’re looking fine today. A bit hairy, I suppose, but for a dog you’re pretty hot.”

That was enough.

“Eric!” shouted Melissa. “Eric! Is that you? It’s Melissa. I’ve really missed you!”

Melissa desperately wanted to get out of this cell, and she could tell that Eric was right on the cusp between intoxicated, and unconscious.

There was silence, and a tentative footstep.

“Melissa?” Eric’s face peered into the cell, and a beaming smile slowly spread across his face. “It’s really you! Come here my dear, I’ve missed you too.”

Melissa put her arms around Eric gently. For a couple of uncomfortable minutes, she was glad to be in prison as the bars kept him at a slight distance.

“Well, my dear, we really need a catch up don’t we?” He leered that over-familiar grin that she hadn’t missed at all, and Melissa suddenly dreaded what she had got herself into.

“Yes, Eric, we do. But only if my friends can come too.”