“Teddy, no!” Mom cried, lunging after our little golden doodle as he snuck past us and into the storage room.

Teddy, as usual too blissfully stupid to realize what he was doing wrong, skidded and slipped on the concrete floor, his nails scrabbling for purchase. He failed and slammed into one of the towers of cardboard boxes that dominated the storage room. It wobbled ominously.

“Teddy, get over here,” I said, hoping my calmer voice would convince him to get out before something fell.

Instead, he slipped again as he climbed to his paws, and fell back against the already teetering tower of boxes and plastic containers.

Mom and I both screamed as everything began to fall, rushing forward to try and catch the boxes before they hit the ground. Teddy yelped and slipped through our feet as he tried to escape. I tripped over him, falling onto my face and failing miserably at catching the box in front of me.

Eventually, the dust settled. Several of the boxes had burst open, scattering clothes and books everywhere. Teddy was now watching us from the doorway, wagging his tail stupidly as he watched us get to our feet.

“Teddy, you idiot,” Mom groaned, before turning and starting to pack up the boxes. She paused, and picked up a nearby shirt. “Hey, here’s the blouse I was looking for.”

I sighed and started to pack up the books.