The Christmas Shepherd

GRAHAM, THAT'S WONDERFUL.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

I... I-I'M THRILLED.

YEAH, IT'LL BE GREAT, IT'LL BE GREAT.

I'M SO EXCITED, I'M THRILLED,

AND BUDDY IS, TOO.

YEAH, I'VE GOT SOME ILLUSTRATIONS ALREADY STARTED,

AND, UH, I THINK YOU'LL BE VERY HAPPY.

OKAY,

WELL, I'LL GET YOU THE SIGNED CONTRACTS ASAP.

SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED.

OKAY, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN, GRAHAM.

BUDDY THANKS YOU, I THANK YOU.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT, YOU TAKE CARE.

BYE.

BUDDY, GUESS WHAT?

GUESS WHAT?

YOU'RE GONNA BE A STAR! THEY LOVED IT!

COME ON, BUDDY.

GOOD BOY.

UP YOU GO.

SO YOU SOLD THE PUBLISHER

THE CONCEPT?

YEAH. YEAH, IT'S GOING TO BE ABOUT A DOG NAMED BUDDY

BORN ON CHRISTMAS DAY. THANK YOU.

I'VE GOT SOME OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS DONE.

I DON'T HAVE THE STORY,

BUT BUDDY'S GOING TO HELP WITH THAT.

WILL YOU GIVE ME SOME CELERY, PLEASE?

I'M SO PROUD OF YOU, SALLY.

DYLAN WOULD BE OVER THE MOON.

YEAH.

ARE THOSE FOR MOM'S STUFFING?

YEAH, IT WOULDN'T BE THANKSGIVING WITHOUT IT,

PLEASE? I NEED HELP.

YEAH, I'M TAKING WEDNESDAY OFF.

I WILL BE YOUR SOUS CHEF.

OKAY, GOOD.

IT'S BEEN SO WARM,

IT'S KIND OF HARD TO GET INTO THE HOLIDAY MOOD.

NOT FOR BUDDY.

YEAH?

OH, YEAH, YOU WANT THIS ONE?

OR THIS ONE? WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT?

THIS ONE'S MUCH PRETTIER. YOU LIKE THAT ONE?

IS THAT THE ONE YOU WANT?

OH, DON'T CHEW IT UP! YOU DON'T CHEW IT UP...

BUDDY, COME HERE.

LET'S GO PAY FOR IT.

WE CAN'T STEAL IT, YOU LITTLE MONKEY.

UNBELIEVABLE.

WHAT IS IT, BUDDY?

OH, HE DOES THIS EVERY TIME WE'RE IN TOWN.

I KNOW.

PAPA'S ON AN ADVENTURE, HONEY.

HE'S ON AN ADVENTURE.

WE'LL BE TOGETHER SOMETIME, I PROMISE.

YEAH...

I MISS HIM, TOO, BUD.

COME ON, BUD, LET'S GO.

ALL RIGHT?

GOOD BOY.

YOU GO HOME.

GOOD BOY.

PARDON ME.

HEY.

WHAT HAPPENED TO PHOTO CLUB?

I DECIDED NOT TO JOIN.

THEY ONLY SHOOT DIGITAL.

IT'S TOUGH BEING THE NEW KID, HUH?

YOU KNOW, THEY MADE FUN OF MY "ANCIENT" CAMERA.

OLD-SCHOOL IS GOOD.

YOUR OLD MAN IS OLD-SCHOOL.

YOU'RE NOT THAT OLD, DAD.

AH, I'M PRETTY OLD.

COME ON, INSIDE, I'LL MAKE YOU SOMETHING.

DAD, WE'VE BEEN OPEN A MONTH.

I DON'T GET IT, WHERE IS EVERYBODY?

WELL, THEY ARE CURRENTLY DOWN THE ROAD

AT THE NEW DRIVE-THRU STARBUCKS.

DON'T WORRY, WE'LL TURN IT AROUND.

CAN I GET YOU ANYTHING?

UH, SURE.

BANANA AND BLUEBERRY?

ALL RIGHT, YOU GOT IT.

DAD, NO!

NOT "THE SMOOTHIE DANCE."

SOMEONE MIGHT SEE YOU.

WHAT'S THAT, YOU CAN'T FEEL THE MUSIC, HUH?

I KNOW YOU DO THIS JUST TO EMBARRASS ME.

I LIVE TO EMBARRASS YOU.

DAD!

SAY, THAT CHRISTMAS TREE LOT,

IT JUST OPENED UP OVER ON MULBERRY.

WHAT DO YOU SAY WE GO OVER THERE AND PICK ONE UP?

YOU THINK IT'S A BIT EARLY?

I JUST THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE FUN, YOU KNOW?

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES.

IT'LL NEVER BE LIKE OLD TIMES, DAD.

WELL, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO MAKE DO, ALL RIGHT?

ALL RIGHT.

I'LL MAKE YOU ONE HERE.

ONE OF THESE DAYS,

THAT RUSTY OLD THING IS GOING TO BREAK DOWN

AND STRAND YOU SOMEWHERE.

I LOVE BIG RED.

SHE NEVER LETS ME DOWN.

HONEY, NO GROWN WOMAN EVER NAMES HER PICK-UP.

YOU'VE BEEN LIVING OUT IN THE STICKS TOO LONG.

YOU WORRY TOO MUCH.

I WAS GOING TO CALL YOU LAST NIGHT,

BECAUSE I HEARD

THE CULLEN HOUSE IS UP FOR SALE.

MM-HMM, AND IT'S SO CLOSE TO TOWN.

MARGIE, LISTEN,

I HAVE SPENT SO MUCH OF MY LIFE LIVING ON BASES.

WHEN WE BOUGHT THAT HOME, IT WAS TO SET DOWN ROOTS.

IT'S MY LITTLE ACRE OF HEAVEN.

THINK ABOUT YOUR SOCIAL LIFE.

MY WHAT?

MY WHAT? WHAT IS THAT?

WHAT'S MY SOCIAL LIFE...

WHAT SOCIAL LIFE IS THAT?

I HAVE MY ART STUDIO, MY GARDEN,

MY WORK, MY SOLITUDE,

I'VE GOT BUDDY, AND THAT'S ALL.

I'M HAPPY.

LIFE IS GOOD.

BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WORRYING ABOUT ME,

IT'S VERY SWEET.

THAT'S CRAZY.

IT SHOULD BE SNOWING THIS TIME OF YEAR.

BUDDY DOES NOT LIKE THIS KIND OF WEATHER.

: THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

FOR WHARTON CREEK AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES.

LIGHTNING, HIGH WINDS, RAIN, AND HAIL...

...ROAD VISIBILITY IS DIMINISHED

AS WIND AND LASHING RAIN HAVE BEEN REPORTED.

BUDDY?

HEY, BUDDY!

BUDDY?

BUDDY!

BUDDY!

BUDDY!

OH, NO.

OH, NO.

BUDDY?

BUDDY!

-HEY, SIS. -HI.

SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED TO BUDDY

AND I NEED YOUR HELP.

CAN YOU HELP ME FIND HIM, PLEASE?

I'M SORRY, YOU GUYS.

YES...

I'LL BE RIGHT BACK.

HEY, BABE, HI.

NO...

NO.

HI.

[DOGS BARKING AND WHINING MOURNFULLY]

NO, HE WASN'T MICRO-CHIPPED.

I MEAN, HE HAS A COLLAR ON THAT'S GOT HIS NAME ON IT.

IT'S JUST, EVERYBODY HERE KNOWS HIM.

I JUST NEVER THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN.

I'D ADVISE YOU TO KEEP MAKING THE ROUNDS.

MOST OF THE SHELTERS AROUND HERE

AREN'T SET UP TO BOARD ANIMALS

MORE THAN A WEEK.

OKAY.

UH, THANK YOU.

[RADIO CRACKLING WITH STATIC]

OH!

YOU SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME, LITTLE GUY.

BUDDY, HUH?

I'VE GOT SOME WATER IN THE BACK OF MY CHARIOT

AND HALF A TURKEY SANDWICH.

I BET YOU'RE STARVING, HUH?

COME ON.

COME ON...

GOOD BOY.

NO WAY.

HEY, BUDDY, COME ON, BOY.

COME HERE.

COME HERE, BOY.