BACON-MAS TIME
Part 1
The forest was quiet
except for the creak of trees groaning under the weight of ice they wore like a
clinging lover. The large black cat strode purposefully through the dusting of
snow; he was angry he’d been sent on this fool’s errand.
“I’m
a Gate Guardian, not a bloody babysitter,” Sebastian hissed. He had just become Azile’s familiar; it was strange that one of such importance as
himself would be relegated to what amounted to indenture, but, the powers that
be had been determined it likely she could become one of the very strongest to wield the craft.
It was important that she should have a
wise and powerful guide beside her. Puh, Sebastian thought. “Wise and powerful my whiskers; it’s wasted on
her. She’s a young girl pining away for a man she can’t have and a family that’s already forgotten about
her. How long must I stand watch
over these commoners?” He looked at the seemingly daunting wall to the compound and casually
licked a paw before dematerializing and materializing inside. “Not as safe as you think, humans.” He walked to the home he’d been watching for the past two weeks.
He was sitting still as
death, in a hedgerow, hidden from all but the most adept and diligent searcher.
“Hey,
you!” Ben-Ben yipped.
Sebastian hissed,
startled he smacked the top of his head on a low hanging branch. He spun
quickly to glare at the little dog. The Yorkshire Terrier was all mouth and
wagging tail.
“You
a cat?”
Before Sebastian could
answer the animal, asked if he had
any bacon. Then he launched into a rapid succession of questions that became
more and more inane.
Sebastian's whiskers
could grow no tighter. “Shut up,” he commanded quietly as he smacked his paw across Ben-Ben’s face.
“Patches
does that, but she usually uses her claws! Do you know Patches? She’s a cat, too!”
“Not
all cats know each other, lowly creature. Dog, right? Well? Do you know every dog?”
“Every
dog I need to," he answered proudly.
“We’re
done here,” Sebastian
said as he winked out, landing himself once again in the peace and quiet of the
forest that surrounded the base. He returned the next day, careful to find a
new spot to watch from. He’d just settled in when he was once again set upon.
“Did
you know it’s
Bacon Eve tomorrow?”
“How
are you doing this!?” Sebastian queried.
“You
smell like charcoal and charcoal means cooking meat and I’m very, very, very crazy about cooking meats.” Long lines of drool were
dripping from his mouth and pooling on the ground as his thoughts swept him
away.
“I
do not smell like charcoal!” Sebastian answered indignantly.
“Just
like it,” Ben-Ben
said as he sniffed the cat’s tail.
“I
will rip your face off, puny creature!”
“Patches
says the same thing! You sure you don’t know her?”
“I
don’t, but
she seems wise, and perhaps I should confer with her. Maybe she knows how to
get rid of you.”
“Rid
of? We’re
best friends! Well besides Riley, Henry, Chloe, Holly, Tracy, Michael, Justin,
Travis, Nicole, Wesley, BT….”
“I
get it, I get it.”
“But
she’s the one
that told me about Santa Claws and how he hides bacon all over the place on
Bacon Eve. Bacon is glorious!”
“Bacon Eve?”
“It’s the day before the
two-leggers celebrate Christmas Eve. I miss my Winke Santa.” Ben-Ben’s head sagged. “He died.”
“Got
a secret for you, dog.”
“Ben-Ben.”
“Whatever.
All of you are mortal and quite capable of dying. It’s easy, in fact.”
Ben-Ben tilted his
head. “I know
that, cat.”
“Sebastian.”
Ben-Ben sighed. “Whatever. I realize that
our lives are but a fleeting moment, therefore, I will do all in my power to
enjoy each and every moment I am granted on this most wonderful of planes. And
that, my feline friend, involves eating as much bacon as I can possibly find.”
Sebastian’s head tilted at an
answer he hadn’t
been expecting. “Strange to see a canine with more than three working brain cells. Well,
as you can see, there is no bacon or cooking meat here, so I will need you to
leave, preferably never to return.”
“Stop
smelling like charcoal then.”
Sebastian got angry. “I do not smell like…forget it.” An idea dawned in his
mind to get rid of the pest, if only for a little while. “I know of where this hidden bacon is.”
Ben-Ben eyed him
suspiciously. “You’re willing to share?”
“I’m a vegetarian,” Sebastian lied.
“The
place where they poke you with needles?” Ben-Ben shuddered. “They never have bacon there; it always smells
like fear and urine.”
“Apologies;
I misspoke when I said you had a working mind. Come with me.”
Sebastian led the
smaller dog to the wall.
“You
going to go over and bring it back? Ben-Ben was craning his neck to look up. “I could probably jump
over it…but I don’t know what’s on the other side.”
“Really?
You can jump twenty feet?”
“Twenty,
what now?”
“Just
reach out with your paw and touch my back.”
“This
a trick?”
“Sort
of.”
“It
doesn’t involve
your claws because I touched you, does it? Because Patches is very particular
about being touched, especially when she’s sleeping, and I’ll tell you what, she sleeps a LOT! Like, so
much I eat her food most of the time. Tastes horrible! But I get worried about it going to waste.
Usually get a stomachache then throw up on the soft inside floor, sometimes
it’s better if I get to eat it again before the two-leggers shoo me away and
pick it up. Did you know they throw it away!? Makes me sick even thinking about
it.”
“You
have problems, dog.”
“Ben-Ben.
Did you know I’m
a rescue dog?”
“Makes
sense someone would try to get rid of you.”
“What?”
“Rescue dog. That means
someone tossed you out with the garbage and another human foolishly brought you
back inside, along with all your
issues.”
PART 2
“That’s not what Riley says.
She says I rescued our family who took me away from the cold-cages.”
“Just
touch me so I can drop you off.”
“With
the bacon.”
“With
the bacon,” Sebastian
added.
Ben-Ben placed his paw
on Sebastian’s hindquarter. The cat immediately took them outside before
the dog could move away.
“I
told you I could jump it!” Ben-Ben did a small circle and yipped excitedly.
“Yes,
you did it. Congrats. Now, if you look straight ahead, you’ll see one tree that is much larger than the
rest.”
“Oh,
I see it. I must mark that to show how mighty I am!”
“You
do that. But be careful of the bacon; it is close to the base.”
“Bacon-topia!” Ben-Ben was off and running.
“Powerful
witch or not, this is ridiculous. I will let her know exactly how I feel about
this.” Sebastian
headed back over the wall to the house, convinced he would not be bothered
again. He summarily fell asleep, awakening as the first of the snowflakes fell
upon his nose. “None of this cold nonsense where I’m from.” He shook his head and stood. He did not think
at all of the dog he’d led outside as he trudged through the burgeoning snow to his shelter,
where he could get warm.
TALBOT HOUSEHOLD
“Hey
Holly, have you seen Ben-Ben?” Riley asked. “I have checked around the entire dwelling but I
cannot find him.”
“He
was looking for bacon the last I saw.” Holly stood and stretched her front legs.
“He’s
always looking for bacon; that doesn’t help.”
Riley went over to
Michael, who was sleeping on the floor, his head propped against the couch and
a book on his lap. She barked directly into his ear. “Need you to get up!” she told him.
“Holy
shit!” He
sent the book flying as he sat up. “What’s going on, girl?” Riley was peering at him from less than a foot
away.
“I’m
thinking she wants to play.” Tracy had come into the room to see what was
going on.
“Naw,
that’s not
it,” he told his wife. “She looks serious.”
“When
did you become the dog whisperer?”
“Don’t need to be one with a dog this smart; she’s a people whisperer. What’s going on, pup?” he asked, gently
grabbing both sides of her face.
Riley pulled away and
barked a command. Holly nudged Chloe and they both came further into the room
and sat down next to Riley. Henry replied from the kitchen where he had been
dining on the scraps of a salad Tracy was preparing. Patches padded silently
into the room. “What’s
all the noise about?” she asked.
Mike looked around the
room in bewilderment. “I wish I knew what this….wait, where’s Ben-Ben?”
Riley barked at that.
Mike’s
attention snapped to her. “That’s
it, right?”
“Seriously,
Mike? Who are you? Dr. Doolittle?” Tracy laughed.
“Again,
it’s Riley
that’s the
smart one; I’m
just trying to figure it out.”
“Not
going to argue with you there.”
“Have
you seen the little monster?” Mike asked her.
“Funny…no, and I was just
thinking about how quiet the house was. He sure does make a lot of noise for
such a small dog. Probably locked himself in a closet again.”
Without saying another
word, they separated and began
searching throughout the house, calling his name repeatedly.
“Shit.” Mike was back in the living room, running his hand through his hair. He
opened the front door and was looking at a particularly nasty snowstorm. “He can’t be outside; I didn’t let him out.”
“Any
luck?” Tracy
asked as she came from her rounds. “Did you let him out and forget?”
“No,
I took them all out earlier, and you know how he is when he comes back in.
Fifteen-pound dog pushing to the front to get his good-boy cookie. I even
laughed more than usual because he sent Chloe skidding headfirst into the wall.” He absently rubbed the
wronged dog’s
head.
Riley turned to
Patches.
“What?”
“Patches.”
“He
wouldn’t
leave me alone! I just wanted to take a nap. I told him about Santa Claws and
how he leaves bacon around for all the good little dogs.”
“Leaves
bacon all around, where?”
“Outside,
of course! How could I be expected
to get enough sleep if he was overturning furniture looking for something that
wasn’t there?”
“And
how did he get out?” Riley asked.
“I
don’t like
your tone,” Patches
turned away and began grooming herself.
“You’ll like a lot less about
me if you don’t
tell me.”
Patches sighed loudly. “There’s a window in the
basement that opens up if you push against it.”
“It’s too high up.” Riley was suspicious.
“We
may have moved a few things around so he could reach.” Patches said, moving deftly to a higher perch, should Riley want to express her disapproval in a more physical
manner.
“If
anything has happened to him, Patches…” She left the rest unsaid.
“You
should all be thanking me. Tell me, have any of you slept that well recently?”
Riley had turned back
to Michael. She barked and stood, heading very deliberately for the basement
door.
“Oh
good...is he down there, girl?” Mike opened the door, expecting to be greeted
by a small dog whose entire rear end would be swinging back and forth in merriment.
His countenance slipped when that wasn’t the case. “Ben-Ben?” he called out as he turned the light on and
descended the stairs. “Shit, why is it so cold down here?” He immediately spotted the reason. Snow was pouring in through an open window, and
even more troubling was the makeshift ladder comprised of boxes and a table
that led to the opening. He stuck his head out and called. When he heard
nothing in return, he quickly dashed upstairs and began to dress for the
weather.
“What’s going on?” Tracy asked.
“He
got outside, crawled through a basement window.”
“Ben-Ben
did? Are you sure? That’s not something he’d do.”
PART 3
“Not
unless someone told him to,” Riley growled, looking at Patches, who was now
slouched into a small, humped furball.
“It
doesn’t, but
he’s not in
the house and there was an open window. It’s
snowing pretty hard out. We need to search outside; I’m going to scold the hell out of him when I
find him.”
“As
if. You’re going to give him cookies until his belly
drags on the floor.”
“True," he answered
as he pulled his boots on. Riley was nearly attached to his hip as he went for
the door. “I
take it you want to go?” Now he was looking at the entire pack. The dogs generally listened to
him, but not always, and he was already looking for one lost pup. “Sorry, girls, just Riley.” Henry let out a savage
bark. Mike got on one knee to hold the large dog’s head in his hands. “You sure? It’s cold out there.” Henry barked again. “Good enough. Hon, Riley and Henry are coming
with me.”
“I’ll
call the squad to keep a lookout,” she replied from the transition between the
kitchen and living room.
Mike and the dogs
slogged through the snow, looking for some signs.
“I’ve
got a faint scent of him,” Riley told Henry.
“And
something else,” Henry added as he was next to her.
“I
don’t see
anything,” Mike
said as he watched the two dogs investigate a nearby hedgerow.
“Something
was just here; see where the ground is disturbed?” Riley stated.
Henry was looking at
the pushed away snow, but was confused when he saw no prints leading away.
“Bird?” Riley asked.
Henry shook his head. “It would still have to
hop out from underneath before it flew,” he told her.
Riley put her nose to
the ground and followed Ben-Ben’s scent.
“You
got something, sweetie?” Mike stayed close behind.
Riley stopped at the
wall and looked up before whining. She did a few circles, trying to locate
another trail but was unsuccessful. “He was here, right here.”
“And
so was that other scent,” Henry said suspiciously.
“Did
a two-legger take him?” she asked.
“This
is different; I’ve never smelled anything like this.” Henry looked up as well.
“What’s going on guys?” Mike asked; both dogs
were staring at the top of the wall. “There’s no way he went up there.”
Riley went over and
placed her paw on the barricade.
“Are
you sure?” Mike
asked.
Henry barked in
response. Mike hurriedly headed back to the house. If he was going outside the gate, he was going
to need a hummer and his rifle.
“Nothing?” Tracy looked distressed
as Mike came in and shook off the excess snow.
“I
think, well, the dogs think he’s outside the gate.”
“They
tell you that?”
“Pretty
much, yeah.”
“What
are you going to do?”
Mike merely looked at
her.
“Not
even sure why I asked. This is supposed to be a nasty storm, Mike—it’s not safe out there.”
“Even
more reason to go now. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve; how am I possibly going to
enjoy myself if I know he’s all alone in the cold?”
Tracy bit her tongue;
she knew how much Mike loved his dogs. He’d no sooner leave one of them to fend for
themselves than he would his family, friends or squad.
“Want
me to tell, BT?” she asked.
Mike was surrounded by
the dogs. Chloe and Holly were not going to let him out without them this time.
“I think all
the seats are going to be taken.”
“Are
you coming?” Riley
asked Patches.
“You’re the ones with the big noses; what could I
possibly do besides get wet?”
“You
could help look for your friend.”
“Friend? Fine. Stop looking at me that
way. My eyesight is better than
all of yours; I’ll look from inside the vehicle.” Patches leapt gracefully down from her loft.
“You,
too?” Mike
asked as Patches padded for the door.
Mike helped Henry up
into the passenger’s seat; the rest piled in the back. Chloe and Holly were giving Patches
as wide a berth as possible, given the confines of the vehicle.
“Captain Talbot? Umm, strange day to head
out to the dog park.” Sergeant Ventz had bent down and was eyeballing all the occupants.
“I
know. I’ve
got my reasons.”
“I’m
going to have to radio this in.”
“Can
you give me an hour? One of my pups has gone missing; I’m just trying to find him.”
“How
many you have?”
“It’s been an adoption
process.”
“You
seriously think the dog is outside? In this shit storm?”
“I do.”
“And
this isn’t just
one of your crazy ass ideas or something?”
“It
isn’t.”
“One
hour, Captain, and then I’m going to have to notify the boss. Don’t go getting your ass killed while you’re out there or I’m going to get in
trouble.”
“Nice
to know you care.”
“Oh,
I care, sir. I care about that 12-year-old bottle of Scotch you’re going to get me on
your next run.”
“Deal.”
“And
sir, bring your dog back safely.”
Mike nodded before
speeding off as the gate opened. He immediately went to the place in the wall
where Ben-Ben had disappeared. He noticed when he stepped out, that the snow
completely covered his foot.
“Riley,
you going to be able to smell anything?” He opened the back door.
“I
don’t see
anything,” Patches
was peering through the snow.
“Henry,
he was here,” Riley
barked, waiting for Mike to help the other out. “And so was the other thing. Could it have flown
him over?”
“His
trail leads away.” Henry was doing his best to peer through the burgeoning blizzard.
The fur on Patches neck
bristled. She turned quickly to
see what had caused it; she immediately froze when she saw it. “Uh, oh.” She was looking
at a huge black cat, peering at the group. “Riiiiiiley!” she meowed, hoping the dog could hear her
through the closed door.
Riley wanted to ignore
the cat; she was still mad at her for letting Ben-Ben out, but when she looked
up and saw the fear in her eyes, she knew she needed to check it out. Once
Patches got her attention, she looked to where Sebastian had been, but the strange
cat was gone, leaving Riley to question what had got her riled up.
PART 4
BEN-BEN
Ben-Ben ran off in
happy search of his holiday prize. His tail moved quicker the closer he got to
the tree, and faster still as he circled the trunk. It was only on his third loop
that he began to slow his wag. “I don’t smell anything.” He looked up and then back to the cat, who was
no longer there. “It’s
got to be around here; that’s two cats that told me I could find bacon. What are the chances they’d both be lying?” And he wholly believed
his thoughts. “Maybe
he meant that tree!” He padded off quickly, his tail picking up steam. He was on his ninth
tree when he looked around and realized he had absolutely no clue where he was.
It was then that the snow, which had been threatening, began to fly and Ben-Ben
suddenly found himself chilly.
“I
need to get home, snuggle with Riley for a while!” He yipped excitedly and then whined; he had no clue how to get home. He should have
been able to pick his own scent up and work his way back, but he began to panic
when he figured out he was alone and beyond the gate. The wind had picked up
significantly, and he was having difficulty seeing through the thickness of the
snow falling.
SEBASTIAN
Meanwhile, Sebastian had entered into the dream world seamlessly, the blackness enshrouding
him, quickly evolving into a scene more to his liking. An endless field
unfolded before him, resplendent with tall grasses and his favorite flowers.
“Catnip,
my dear Sebastian? How quaint,” Azile laughed as she walked toward him,
dragging her fingertips across the tops of the bright green perennial.
“There’s a problem.”
The smile quickly
faded. “Is
Michael all right?”
“Yes,
yes, the half-vampire you adore for some misaligned reason is fine, as is his
wife, should that be of some concern to you.”
“I
wish none of them ill-will. Don’t start, Sebastian. Tell me why you
are here and what the problem is.”
“I
lost his dog.”
“What?
You lost Henry?”
“Not
the oaf; the noisy one. Len-Len or something.”
“Lost
him? How? Forget it. Just get him
back.”
“Oh
yes, you are correct. Now why didn’t I think of that?”
“You
can’t find
him.”
“I
can see your wisdom is beginning to catch up with your skills.”
“‘Get
a familiar,’ they said. ‘They’ll guide you and watch
out for you,’ they said. Not once did they say they’d cause you sarcastic grief, which I didn’t think was a thing until
I met you. How did you lose the dog?”
“I
don’t see how
that is relevant.”
“It’s relevant, Sebastian,
because maybe if I know how you lost him, I might be able to help you figure
out where to find him.”
“He
would not leave me alone.”
“Tell
me you did not send him to the underworld.”
Sebastian hesitated as
he thought upon that. “It would have been easier had I done that, but no. I merely led him away
so he would stop bothering me.”
“Sebastian!”
“Fine. They are living within a walled community now, which I don’t think will hold up
against a sustained attack, by the way.” He noticed the scowl Azile was giving him. “Oh, for purgatory’s sake. I brought the dog
outside to look for bacon, of all things. He followed, like a daft dog is apt
to when food is involved. Nearly as bad as human men being led by their…”
Azile waved away the
catnip. In its place was a lava
field. Sebastian was now perched upon a small outcropping; all around him, thick flows lapped against the
edges.
“I
can almost feel the heat,” he stated, staring passively.
“It’s real. Or real enough.”
Sebastian, who was
about to test the illusion, wisely thought better of it. “Oh, alright. When I realized your Michael was
frantically looking for the smelly beast, I decided it would be for the best if
I brought it back. Except when I went to get him, he was gone, something had
grabbed him.”
“A person? A zombie? A wolf? What grabbed him?”
“That’s the thing, I don’t know what it was; I
have never smelled it before. There was some familiarity, a mixture of many
things, perhaps, but nothing I could identify.”
“One
thing, Sebastian, I asked you to do one thing.” Azile was looking off
into the distance, the lava field faded away to a purplish sunset. She left
without saying another word.
BEN-BEN
Ben-Ben had begun to shake in earnest,
his teeth clacking together. “Need shelter, then maybe bacon.” He began to look frantically
for something that could be used to keep the worst of the weather away. With
his sight limited to ten feet, he wasn’t having much in the way of luck. The snowfall
was accumulating quickly, the powder already scraping the bottom of his belly, making the onset of
hypothermia quicken. He spun in a circle, clearing the precipitation away until
he was staring at the frozen ground consisting of pine needles and dirt.
Instinctually, he knew his only chance lay in using the snow as a cold thermal
blanket between himself and the howling wind. He let out a long sigh as he
curled up, covering his face as best he could under a paw and tucking his snout
into his shoulder. “So…cold.” He
couldn’t stop
shivering as the snow began to pile atop him, coming up over his sides. “R…R….Riley…where are you?”
PART 5
MIKE
“Shit!” Mike stuttered. “It’s cold out here. How are
you guys doing?” he asked his pack of dogs.
“I’ve
got a scent!” Chloe’s
nose was coated in snow as she lifted her head from the ground. She shoved her
face back down and was following the trail. Sometimes she had to backtrack to
pick it back up before heading off in a new direction.
“You
hanging in there?” Mike petted Henry’s head.
“Not
a fan of the snow,” Henry barked back.
Riley made sure she
could see Mike and Henry behind her while also keeping an eye on Chloe. “Not too far!” she warned the young
dogs.
Holly was keeping a
lookout for her sister, like she’d been doing their entire lives. She nosed the
others’ hindquarters to let her know to stay close.
“I’ve
got him!” Chloe
barked much too loudly, not realizing her volume because of her lack of
hearing.
“Inner
head voice, Chloe,” Holly told her.
Chloe’s tongue was lolling as
she happily sought out the funny little dog. “Getting closer!” She sniffed hard, shooting snow out of her
mouth. She made a large loop before settling back to an empty depression. “Right here, Holly, he was
right here.” She
had her head up and was looking around.
“And
now?” Holly
asked.
“Just
gone. He was lying down here—I’m sure of it.”
Riley got to the two
dogs first, then Mike and Henry caught up.
“I
can see where he was laying low, but there are no paw steps leading away. They’d still be visible, if
this depression is. Where you at, pup?” Mike placed his hand on the disturbed snow
before standing. His gaze was pulled to what looked like two, human-sized
footprints, but they were alone in a sea of pristine snowfall. “What the hell is going
on?” Mike
grabbed his rifle off his shoulder. He looked to the trees around him. Other
than a helo rescue, not much of this made sense. “Riley?” She looked and whined; that was all the answer
he needed.
“We
can’t stay
out here much longer; I didn’t realize it was going to be this bad. Shit.
Where are you at, Ben-Ben? We’ll never find him in this mess, and I can’t risk losing you
guys, too.” Mike
was weighing his options. He knew
he would have stayed until he couldn’t take it anymore, but this wasn’t like being out with his
squad; he couldn’t order the dogs to go home. He would bring them back and strike out
again.
“I
was just about to report this," the sergeant said as he waved Mike in. “Any luck?”
“No.”
“I’m
truly sorry, sir.”
“I’m
dropping them off and heading back.”
“Not
going to happen, sir, the base is on lockdown.”
“Maybe
we can do the same deal?”
“Sorry,
sir. It’s a shitty thing to lose a dog, but I’m not going to compound
it by having you get lost or me getting caught breaking the curfew. Military
food is bad enough; I’m not going to start eating jail food.”
“There
a less conspicuous way for me to get outside?”
“You
could get a ladder, but are you going to start walking around in this? You’d get turned around in
twenty feet.”
“Dammit.” Mike
pounded the steering wheel.
“Go
home, sir, get warm. Tomorrow when this blows over, I’ll get half the base to join you to look for
him. He’s
probably fine.”
“I
hope so," he said before reluctantly heading back empty-handed.
Tracy was standing at
the window as the Hummer pulled up; she didn’t have to ask how it had gone. The defeated body language of each of them as
they exited told her everything
she needed to know.
Mike opened the door,
gently letting Patches jump from his arms as the dogs padded in.
“Anything
at all?” she
asked, hopefully.
“We
saw where he had been, but it’s like he vanished.”
She didn’t press him on it. “Why don’t you get your wet
clothes off, get warm.”
Mike went to do as his
wife suggested.
“Okay,
out with it,” Riley
said to Patches.
“Yeah,
you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Henry added.
“I
always see spirits; that’s nothing new. This was different, though.”
“We’re
listening,” Riley
told her.
“I
think it was a Gate Guardian.”
“A
what?” Holly
asked.
“Ethereal
beings that are tasked with watching the gates between realms.” Patches shivered. She
looked like she wanted to crawl up into a dark hole and hide for a while.
“What’s it doing here?” Chloe asked.
“More importantly, did it have something more to do
with Ben-Ben’s
disappearance?” Riley’s tone let Patches know she was still angry about the cat’s part in all of this.
“How
could I know any of that?”
“I
smelled something funny when I found Ben-Ben’s bed and the Mike saw something, too.”
“Just, Mike.” Riley corrected.
“Just
Mike or The Mike?” Chloe asked.
“Forget
it,” Riley said.
“The
Mike saw footprints like a two-legger.”
“That
your guardian?” Riley asked of Patches.
“It’s not my guardian, and no, they appear as cats in this realm.”
“Something
strange is going on. A small dog somehow got over a huge barrier and then left
a spot without leaving any paw prints. None of this makes sense,” Henry said gruffly.
Mike came down a few
minutes later wearing sweatpants, heavy socks, and a hoodie, yet none of that
could keep the chill from his heart. He stopped short when he saw all the
animals in a circle.
“I’m
so sorry," he told them. “I thought we’d find him.” He sat down next to Henry and gripped the big
dog before burying his face into his fur.
“We
just haven’t
found him yet,” Henry offered as his Mike softly cried.
BEN-BEN
“Well,
what do we have here?”
Ben-Ben was surprised
he’d heard
anything, with how violently he was shivering. He shook the snow off his head
to look at a large pair of black boots that transitioned into a red
camouflage-patterned pair of pants. He had to crane his neck even further to
look up at the ruddy face peering down at him.
“You
look cold, little fellah. What’s a good doggo like you doing out in a storm
like this?”
Ben-Ben lapsed into
unconsciousness just as an impossibly-sized pair of white gloves reached down
and picked him up. He didn’t remember much beyond the sensation of floating; he thought this
perhaps was the feeling one got just before they went to the Forever Field.
PART 6
TALBOT HOUSEHOLD
“Come
and eat some dinner,” Tracy called from the kitchen. Mike was about to decline the offer, but
he figured he was going to be out all day tomorrow and would need all the
strength he could get. He reluctantly stood and went to the table. One by one,
the animals followed, partly to comfort their human and partly because he was
generous when it came to handing out treats under the table, even though the
alpha female scolded him for the action.
Mike’s sleep was fitful.
His legs twitched in anticipation of
getting back to the search. Riley stood a silent sentinel by the living room
window, waiting, watching, hoping her friend would come back. Mike arose early;
to say he “awoke” would imply he’d slept. He quietly grabbed his clothes and
headed out of the bedroom. The sun was sparkling brightly atop the new coating
of white. Riley was at the door waiting for him. Mike hesitated.
“All
right, just you and me.” Mike scribbled a quick note letting Tracy know he’d
taken her. He was outside and was
now realizing how much snow had accumulated. “Got to be over a foot.” He didn’t think Ben-Ben would be able to walk in it to
get anywhere safe, he didn’t voice his fear, as
Riley was adept at picking up verbal cues. “Ready?” He opened the passenger door and she hopped in,
her eyes staring straight out the front windshield as if to tell him to get
moving. Mike was glad for the heavy-duty diesel engine and the four-wheel
drive; he was going to need all of it to cut a path through the unplowed roads.
“Heading
out again?” Sergeant
Ventz asked.
“I
am.”
“Want
me to get some help?”
Mike shook his head.
“Good
luck, sir.”
“Appreciate
it,” he said
through tight lips.
Mike drove as close as
he dared to the last known place of Ben-Ben. He would have kept driving around,
hunting for some sign of the small dog,
but he was afraid he might drive right over him. Looking out, his mood soured,
thinking this might turn out to be more of a recovery than a rescue. Riley didn’t wait for him to come
around, jumping instead through
the driver’s side and landing next to him, the snow nearly covering her hips.
Four hours later, Mike was convinced he was going to lose some toes to
frostbite. He’d
put a reluctant Riley back in the Hummer with the heat on an hour ago when
she’d begun to limp.
“FUUUUCK!
Where are you, Ben-Ben?” he yelled before heading back. Riley’s tail was wagging as she saw him coming, but
it quickly ceased when she realized nobody was with him. “I’m so sorry, Riley.” His eyes wet with the news. He pressed his head
against the steering wheel for a few moments before composing himself enough to
drive, and even then, he was unwilling to move forward. Once he left, he would
be admitting to himself that they’d most likely lost Ben-Ben forever.
Sergeant Ventz, having
seen the captain’s face, wisely said nothing as
he saluted and let the Hummer in. Henry barked to let Tracy know she should
open the door. The mood in the household immediately changed, from hopefully
optimistic, to sullen. Even the apathetic Patches seemed affected.
“You’re freezing,” Tracy told her husband
as she hugged him.
“Inside
and out,” he replied.
“I’m
so sorry, Mike. We’re all going to miss him.”
“I
know, I know.” He
couldn’t stop
the flow of tears that fell. “I just, I’m going to get myself composed before the kids
come home.” It
was Christmas Eve, and Mike had never felt less like celebrating. It seemed the
day was a cursed one for the dogs in his family. He
thought sourly on the heroic loss of Bear, who had sacrificed himself so that
they all might live, on a not-so-distant Christmas Eve. Mike sobbed until his
head ached, then cried some more, his skull feeling like it had been filled
with expanding concrete. By the time he was done, night had settled and he made
his way downstairs. His kids were all home and helping Tracy prepare the
traditional Christmas feast. It wasn’t quite the spread they’d had in the past, but it was appreciated more.
No mention was made of Ben-Ben in the hopes that they could delay the topic, at
least, until after the Holiday.
Mike smiled at all the
appropriate times and did a reasonable facsimile of a happy man, but every time
he looked over to the dogs and the glaring omission of the loudest among them,
his mood quickly sank. Patches had, at some point, padded down to the basement
and her secret way out.
PATCHES
“Get
him back!” Patches
hissed. Sebastian jumped, his tail puffed huge. For
the first time in a very long time, he’d been scared.
“How
do you all keep finding me?” He was annoyed that she’d seen him startled.
“Get
him back!” she
repeated.
“Is
this about guilt for your part in his disappearance, or do you really want him
back?”
“He
is an obnoxious dullard, who, for the life of him, cannot be quiet for more
than five minutes. Yet, he has saved my life, and I love him for that and because he is an
obnoxious dullard who cannot be quiet for five minutes. So, to answer your
question, yes. I want him back, and you’re going to do that or so help me.”
“So
help you what, feline? You know what I am, do you believe yourself capable of
making good on your threat? Yet…that you would even dare to challenge me so
lends believability to your claim. I would gladly bring him back, for I, also,
in part, am responsible for him going missing, but I cannot. Some…thing has taken him, and
I do not know to where or for what reasons.”
“It
wasn’t you?”
“It
was not.”
“Why
are you watching this family?”
“A
favor for a friend.”
“You
are not doing a good job of it then,” Patches said before turning tail and leaving.
“You
would be correct,” Sebastian said quietly, “and for that, I am sorry.”
PART 7 - Conclusion
Christmas Eve
The night went well
enough; there were laughs aplenty among the team, family and friends. The party
broke up around midnight. Tracy was standing in the kitchen, her hands upon her
hips as she looked at the mess on the counter and sink.
“Want
some help?” Mike
asked, coming up behind her.
“I
was going to leave it for tomorrow. You should get some sleep.”
“You
are so full of it, woman. I’ve been married to you long enough to know that you won’t be able to sleep
knowing it looks like this down here.” He moved past her to start tossing trash. “I can’t believe you give me
crap about my OCD when you make a strong case for yourself.”
Tracy began to wash
dishes, and Mike was busy drying. “I find it strange that, in a house full of
guests and family, four dogs and a cat, it still feels silent. Do you know what
I mean?” She
handed him a large bowl.
“I
know exactly what you’re talking about. I almost tossed the bowl of candied bacon, couldn’t stand to look at it.
Ben-Ben would have harangued the hell out of me until I gave him damn near all
of it. As it is, I stashed a few pieces for when…” His words stalled as his throat constricted.
They both knew the odds of the small dog having survived the storm were as
minimal as they could be. “Damn dog…I’m
almost mad at him for making me feel this way. Does that make me a bad person?” Mike buried his face in
his wife’s
shoulder. They finished the chores in silence before heading up. Mike was first
up the stairs.
“Avalyn?
What are you still doing awake?” The little girl was sitting on the top step.
“Waiting
for Santa. I asked for a very special gift.”
“You
know he can tell if little kids are awake. He won’t come if you’re sitting here.”
“But
Ben-Ben might be cold when he brings him home; I wanted to give him my blanket.”
Mike had to swallow
back the emotions that threatened to flood out. “Come on, kiddo, let’s get you in bed.”
Tracy checked on the
little girl twenty minutes later so they could do their part and play Santa. “She’s out; let’s get the presents under the tree.”
“Next
year, could you remind me to find toys that don’t have stickers?” Mike bemoaned an hour later when he’d finished the
assembly-required gifts.
“You’ve said that every year.”
“Definitely
meant it every year.”
“You
love it.”
“I
know,” he replied. Mike gave each dog a healthy pat before heading upstairs to
get some sleep. He was so tired, bone-weary, really, the stress and loss had
drained him. Patches meowed loudly at him from the windowsill. “You too?” Mike gently petted her
head, she purred affectionately. “You know, you generally avoid me, right? I
think that’s
partly my fault and for that, I’m sorry.” She moved her head into his palm. “We’ll work on it going
forward. You cool with that?” She purred again. Mike took a long, wistful
look out the window, looking for a Christmas miracle. Sadly, he was not surprised when he did not
find one.
3:00 am.
Mike had fallen asleep.
Even in an unconscious state, he was thankful his dreams weren’t haunting him with all
the loss he’d
suffered. It was somehow comforting to sleep that of the dead. That changed
suddenly when he heard first one dog barking, then another, until finally it
sounded like an overcrowded kennel.
“What
the hell?” he
asked as he sat up. The echoes of the discord were dying down as he stood;
Tracy was still sound asleep. Did I imagine that? He grabbed his M-16 off the
dresser and headed to the top of the stairs. There was an unnatural, reddish
glow emanating from downstairs—his first thought was fire. He headed down fast,
to check on it first to see if an evacuation was warranted, taking the stairs two at a time. Just as he turned the corner into the living
room, the aura coming from the fireplace faded out.
“What
the hell?” he
said for the second time and would think it rapidly the next few moments. Then
his heart nearly stopped in his chest. He was looking at the back end of a
sitting dog that very much resembled a Yorkshire Terrier. “This is a fucking dream.” He was reasoning it out. He’d heard barking that no
one else had heard, he’d seen the light of a non-burning fire, and now he was having visions of
a dog that was gone. “Doesn’t
feel like a dream, though…Ben-Ben?”
The small dog turned
slowly around.
“Okay,
if this is a dream, he’s going to turn and I’m going to be looking at a clown face or
something equally as scary.” Instead, he saw a familiar, lolling tongue.
Mike almost dropped his rifle. “Is that you, boy?”
Ben-Ben looked
confused, like perhaps he had awoken from a very long and intense dream, and
was not quite sure what was real or not—pretty much the same thing Mike was
going through. Once he sorted out his feelings, he bounded toward his human,
tail wagging at an accelerated pace. The dog couldn’t have weighed more than fifteen pounds, but
struck Mike with enough momentum to bowl him over. The resounding thud was loud
enough to wake the nearby dogs, who began to bark in earnest, this loud enough
to wake up the rest of the family.
“Mike?” Tracy was coming down the stairs. “Is everything all right?”
“Fan-fucking-tastic!” he cried as Ben-Ben savagely licked his face.
“What…what is going on?” She stopped as she
looked at the scene unfolding before her. Riley was going crazy; it was strange
to see the usually so reserved dog spinning in circles and occasionally
stopping to lick her little friend.
“Don’t know, don’t care!” Mike was flat on his back, the animal pack celebrating all around him.
“I
knew it! I knew it!” Avalyn clapped before clasping her hands together.
Mike was absolutely
sick of crying, yet did so again. It was rare in this world, especially now, to
lose something and then get it back.
“I
was saving this…seriously never thought I was going to use it, but…” Mike headed to the
fridge and grabbed the candied bacon. Ben-Ben sat patiently on his haunches; as
Mike approached, he turned his head when Mike extended the treat to him. “Are you sure you’re my dog?” Ben-Ben nudged Mike’s outstretched hand so
that the bacon was in front of Riley. “Sharing? Seriously? You? Fine.” Mike broke up the bacon
and gave a piece to each of the dogs, coming full circle to the terrier, who
did not refuse his offering this time. “I feel like you learned a Christmas lesson,
boy. Maybe we’ll
get you a Lifetime movie or something.” Mike hugged the dog again.
“Mike,
the mantle.” Tracy
was pointing.
Besides the candles and
the stocking holders and a small Christmas tree globe, there was a red envelope
with gold lettering, addressed to him.
“I
don’t have to
open it just yet,” he said.
“That’s the thing; it’s not from me.”
Mike turned to the
kids; they all shook their heads. There was no cause to be nervous, yet he was,
as he stood and grabbed it. He couldn’t be completely sure, but he would swear he
felt a small electrical spark when he touched it. His hands were shaking as he ripped the envelope open; there was a card inside with a picture of
coal on the front. He read it silently first, then aloud.
“Merry
Christmas, Michael! As I tallied my list for the year, you fell short of the
Nice column, the dolls you procure put you squarely within the Naughty.” Mike sheepishly looked
up at that part. It wasn’t like his black-market business was a secret, but he also didn’t advertise, nor talk
with his kids about it.
“You
have dolls?” Avalyn
asked.
“You
ever think about editing what you’re reading?” Tracy asked.
“He
doesn’t when
he’s talking,
why change now?” Travis asked.
Justin fist-bumped his
brother. Mike had a red hue of embarrassment flushing up his neck.
“Ahem," he cleared his
throat. “‘But
this isn’t
about you, this is about a good dog named Ben-Ben, and the family that loves
him. I have immensely enjoyed his company through this busiest of nights. Take
care of him as he would take care of you. I wish you all the Merriest of
Christmases.’ It’s signed with an S.” Mike held the card up to show.
“Santa’s
the best!” Avalyn yelled.
“You
had nothing to do with this?” Tracy asked as an aside.
“I
would never pretend not to have found a lost dog. I’m all for a practical joke, but that would be
cruel," he told her.
Patches slowly walked
up to Ben-Ben. “I am sorry.” Her head was down.
“Sorry?
You were right! I had more bacon than I’ve ever had before! Santa is so nice.” He gave the side of her
face a wet lick.
“It’s good to have you
back," she purred.
The Talbots celebrated
the day in earnest, remembering all they had lost and reveling in all they
had.
The Tufo family wishes
you the best of Holidays! Thanks
to you all for your love and support throughout the year(s)!
Pin It Now!
Mark! Amazing addition to the Christmas story tradition. Just one thing I need to say to you at this point, please let the Talbot's find Ben-Ben safe and happy. You can kill off all the humans but if another animal dies, it might break me. Thanks for treating my imagination this holiday season, Robby
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoyed the conclusion!
DeleteLove it!!! Thanks Mark.
ReplyDeleteMost welcome and thank you!
DeleteMerry Christmas ����
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
DeleteGreat read thank you and Merry Christmas
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and thank you!
DeleteGreat read thank you and Merry Christmas
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family. Keep writing!
ReplyDeleteThank you and Merry Christmas!
DeleteMerry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years to you and your family. Just what I needed to finish off this holiday season. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this story. I love animals of all kinds. Merry Christmas to all (belatedly); it's been busy, sorry. 😉
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteJust found this site ,I know I am a little and trail behind others. It's a dam good Christmas no matter when a person get's to read it. I just brought books 14 & 15 of Zombie fall out love your writing. I am in love with BT and Mr. T .I am Judy ,Laura Aline's sister . Take God Bless you and yours.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy the books and thank you for your support!
DeleteAwe. I thought I was have a heart attack. Poor beb-ben. But it all worked out as it should for doggies. Loved this story as I do them all. The best to you and yours.
ReplyDelete