Marmaduke walks along the snowy road, muttering to himself. I shouldn’t have trusted him, he thinks sourly. He never cared; I should’ve known he’d throw me out soon.
He steps off the sidewalk and onto the snow-edged gutter. A car drives by, splashing some half-melted snow at him. He turns and snarls, only to see his owner’s angry face staring back at him. He hops back onto the curb to avoid further conflict.
Suddenly, he hears a chorus of voices, then- “Look mommy, a kitty. Can we take him home?” “Well, he doesn’t have a collar. He looks like a stray. Alright then.” The woman turns to the others and says, “I think we’re leaving early, ok?” No one answers. “Whatever.” She picks him up and they trudge home.
As soon as they get inside, he sees the tree, and knows something bad has happened. He squirms and jumps to the floor. He says to them, “I don’t think this is going to work. You see, I’m not like you.” “Aw, look at the cat meowing,” the woman says. “Can I go back to being ignored, please?” Marmaduke asks.