"Stubby! Get your ah-OUCH!" George cried, cursing to the puppy pooch running away from him.
George was what one might call unlucky. The stars never did align for him. If there was any possible way to hurt yourself- he would do it. He was an awkward fellow to say the least. Girls would flirt because of the only lucky thing he ever got in life, his good looks, and he would manage to stumble over both his words and his feet. Sadly, his striking green eyes that contrasted well his lightly tanned skin, boyish dimples, and body that screamed not boyish but MANLY was not enough to hold onto a lady for longer than the night.
Girls always went for the cocky bad boys that would break their hearts into a million pieces. George on the other hand couldn't help but always feel self conscious because as mentioned before, he wasn't a lucky guy.
Now, at the age of 19, to pay for college he worked at the carnival. And on this particular weekend, it happened to be the Fall Festival. At the beginning of summer, people all across the state would come to see the new colors and clowns. It was quite a sight to even George and his cynical self. Unfortunately, the prettier it was, the more busy it was and George knew that he would be spending the rest of the night looking for the main act Stubby- a Small puppy Jack Russel Terrier.
The original act, Samson and Delilah - who were also Jack Russel Terriers - had given birth to a small litter of puppies but Samson, who turned out to be a girl and Delilah the boy, had died giving birth to three unhealthy creatures. Two of which died, leaving Stubby alone in the world. He never grew past his puppy form and continued to look no more than a month old even though he was reaching a year soon.
Stubby was one of the carnivals most prized possessions and now he was sure he'd lost him for good.
"Come back here you Spoiled brat!" George called out in frustration towards the disappearing dog, earning several dirty looks from surrounding people. He began his search by walking, or stumbling, through the crowd at a frantic pace in hopes to keep the dog in his line of vision.
He spotted stubby turning the corner, towards the tents where all the other animals were located. This was fantastic! Stubby would be out of the crowd because no one was allowed in the back. George could easily scoop the dog up, return it too it's kennel, and carry on with his day watching the kennel. Oh Joys.
Blinded by his own relief George didn't notice, until he was face first in it, the large pile of manure left by the elephant Paulie. Paulie did not hold back, nearly two days worth of food had to have now been smeared across George's face and outfit. The smell itself had him gagging, threatening to relieve himself of that days lunch as well.
"Forget the dog!" George shouted more to himself than anyone else, adding a few choice words into the mix. This was not how this day was supposed to go. He had chosen the easiest job. Watch the dog. Let the dog use the restroom. Get dog on stage. And Bam, George's job would be done. At the time, it had seemed well worth $19 an hour. The dog was that special. But the stupid pooch was tricky and had escaped the moment the gate was unlatched. No wonder they were willing to pay so much.
As George was wiping the poop off his face, he heard the barking of a particular animal. Stubby. Viciously he tore towards the noise, determined to get the dog and get the money. The stupid dog was probably taunting him. More than likely, it was some sort of robot that everyone used to watch others make fools out of themselves chasing the thing. But now, George would stop at nothing to get that animal back. He ripped open the sheets to the curtain and saw what he thought he'd never.
A petite lady, with multicolored hair and a plain white half dress and tights stood in front of the tiger cage with her hand stuck inside the large cat's mouth. Her pale complexion was made paler by the sheer terror on her face. Stubby stood in between the cage and the lady barking at her as if she was to blame. Tears floated in her eyes threatening to smear the little makeup she had on.
