[Character and art by BagelCollie @ bagelcollie.com]

[Created on 01/06/2024; remade on 03/02/2025]

You placed an order for one box of flavored bagels at your local bakery today. It's getting late — just before closing time, in fact — so you figure they should be done by now.

Upon entering the bakery, you greet the cashier and give them your information. They cheerfully retrieve a big box of baked goods from a nearby rack and set it on the counter. One brief exchange later, you've paid for the bread and head out.

As you leave, you wisely decide to check on the boiled-and-baked bread. What you find, however, perplexes you beyond anything. Somehow, there's some weird dog stuck between the bread loops!

Before you can question it, she proceeds to lick all the flavoring off your bagels. What the heck?! You slam the cardboard lid shut and try to re-enter the bakery for a refund… but it just closed. Great…

You look at your slobber-covered bagels, then over at the dog. She's just standing there, tail swaying, tongue out, and eyes watching you. Where do you go from here?