𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗼 Shorts

♔ DtM x OC - 1

Number Three in the The Follies of Baby-Face Finlayson series.

RILEY

Beanotown high was buzzing; which was surprising, since it was a Saturday, but unsurprising when the banner overhead denoted the cause: DOG SHOW.

I was positive I would get a place on that podium. My little brown terrier Trixie might not be beautiful, but she was smart.

Then again, I thought as I walked through the gates to join the crowd, she's not as smart as Gnasher.

People of all ages lined the edges of the stage and obstacle course. I pushed my way to the contestants area, Trixie in tow, and stopped in front of the stage.

The headmaster cleared his threat importantly, and everyone became silent. I eyed the side of the stage, where a large object was covered by a blue cloth.

"And as your headmaster," he said, "it gives me great pleasure to pronounce this 13th annual dog show: open!"

A chorus of clapping ensued, and I bent down to pat Trixie's head.

"Alright, Trixie, time to strut your stuff!" I grinned. She nosed my hand and pawed the ground excitedly.

"So without any further ado, lets find out who's going to take home..." The headmaster whipped the cloth off to reveal: "The Pear Sound System with built in karaoke!"

"Me and Gnasher can beat anyone!" Dennis said loudly, somewhere to my right.

That's what I'm afraid of.

"Except for me and my dog, Foo-Foo!" Walter replied poshly.

I'm more afraid of that, though, I thought, eyeing Walter's pampered pooch. It would add insult to injury if I lost to that over-bred excuse of a dog.

"Or me and my dog Polly!"

I looked around - Pie-Face had a parrot on his shoulder and looked mightily pleased with it.

"Pie-Face," Dennis groaned. "That is not a dog, it is a parrot."

"Yeah, but he does impressions!" Pie-Face argued.

As if to prove his point, Polly cawed a semi-doglike sound.

"That's cheating!" Walter said, stomping his foot. "You're disqualified."

Pie-Face's shoulders drooped. "Well I hope they're not this tough at the cat show."

"By the way, Dennis, is that a dog or did you decide to take the trash out for a walk?" Walter sneered.

Dennis scowled and poked a finger in Walter's chest. "Pedal off, poodle boy! Gnasher is the doggiest dog in the contest."

Walter scoffed and walked away, guffawing loudly.

"And just to make sure, I've brought along a little incentive! A tasty tripe-hound treat for every trick performed like an ordinary dog," Dennis said to Gnasher. He opened up the box of treats and winced. "Cor, yuck! They might smell horrible... But I know it's the scent of victory!"

I frowned and turned away. Perhaps I'll manage second place.

We all paraded around the central area, our dogs performing tricks such as 'sit' and 'heel'. Trixie performed perfectly, of course, and I scratched behind her ear as a reward.

Others dogs, however, were given tasty incentives. I could smell Gnasher's Tripe Hound Treats from the other side of the field, and, if I wasn't mistaken, Walter was feeding Foo-Foo bits of softened meringue in front of me.

"Play dead!" The headmaster bellowed.

I sighed. This was one trick Trixie couldn't master. She sat confusedly, gazing up at me with utter adoration and very little comprehension while I tried to coax her onto her back.

"Great, Gnasher! Really great!" I heard Dennis praise.

If he'd done it, and Walter had done it, I would be getting bronze, if that.

The obstacle course went swimmingly - literally. Trixie knew exactly what to do and went through the tube, over the see-saw, down the slide into the pool and swam to the opposite side.

Foo-Foo, unsurprisingly, refused to go down the slide into the water and ruin his coat.

Gnasher, surprisingly, was too big to go through the small-dog pipe.

"Maybe you should cut down on those treats," I muttered with a smile.

"Bigger than big, and newer than new! The Pleasant Park Mega Mall is open to you!"

A large van with a mega horn drove past the school gates slowly, blaring out the slogan. People stopped what they were doing to listen, and then started talking excitedly.

"A new shopping mall?"

"In our town?"

I never noticed anybody building one, I thought.

"It's got miles of ailes, and billions of bargains!"

"I've got to get down there!"

"I'm going to shop 'til I drop!"

"Come on, Dennis! Lets check it out!" Curly shouted.

Within two minutes, the school was empty. Even the teachers had deserted their posts - it was just me, standing in the middle, with Trixie blinking up at me, bewildered. "Huh," I said. "I guess I'll just go home, then."