Wonder Dog | DAMON BGT

•6•

Simon

The dream I was into is gradually fading away, and the sensation of being at peace is replaced by the sensation that someone... was smelling me?

I open my eyes and in front of me, a border terrier of various years looked at me without blinking.

Bert.

I close my eyes once more.
Everything is unchanged.

Here we go again.

"For God's sake. What did I do wrong?" I mumbled, feeling beaten.

"Who are you?" A voice very similar to the comedian's reached my ears and soon I open my eyes.

But David wasn't around.
Only Bert, who hadn't moved a millimeter.

"Oh, great. Now I'm imagining things."

"Eh, hello? I asked you a question."

And now I saw who the hell had spoken, and it was nobody but Bert.
Bert, David's dog.

"What the hell?" I say aloud, rising in total surprise "did you just... talk to me?

"Of course" he sat nonchalant, as if it were something totally normal.

Things, up to now, couldn't be more bizarre.

Maybe at one time I thought it would be amazing to be able to talk to the dogs, to know what they were thinking.
But not this way: it wasn't to my liking.

"I..." my mind wasn't thinking with clarity, so I was deprived of responding.

"Your aroma is known to me. Have we met before?"

I recovered some serenity and decided to tell him about my problem, as he was the first one who could understand me.

"Yes and no. I knew you as a puppy"

Bert tilts his head to the side, "what are you saying? You're much younger"

I sigh and decide to say it "I'm Simon Cowell."

"What? Is that how your owners named you or...?" His black eyes sparkled with fun.

"No! I'm Simon Cowell, your owner's friend!"

The dog became static, but then chuckled "please! You really blew your head off. Let me introduce myself too: Hello! I'm Daniel Craig."

I roll my eyes.

When the dog could calm down, I insisted again. And he, still skeptical, comes up to me and starts to smell.

I'm not going to lie, I felt terribly uncomfortable, but I was hoping that Bert's nose would recognize me.
And luckily, he did.

"Impossible"

"I know. I have to find a way to tell David who I am, so he can help me" I start walking to the stairs, willing to find David.

"He's not here right now."

"Oh... it doesn't matter, when he comes back I'll do it"

Bert yawned and lay down where I slept a few moments ago.

"Well, good luck."
.
.
.

David

Being an adult is bullshit.
Too many worries: that if money is going to catch up with you, that if you're going to be on time at work, that if traffic doesn't end up with your head, that if you don't end up alone because you'll never be enough for someone...

Oh, it's starting.
That feeling of suffocation, that pressure beginning to climb for my being.

I take a deep breath, to attenuate the urge to jump out of the car, and continue driving.

It was around four o'clock in the afternoon when I got home.
When I find myself in the living room, I go to lie on the cream sofa.

"Jesus Christ..." I rub my face in my hands, and leave it hidden in them.

Silence.
So much silence.
My lip trembles and I felt my eyes get wet. I used to wait for the night for this, but I'm not giving a shit anymore.
What did it matter if it was early; that the sun was still shining?...

And about to let myself be carried away by sadness, the sound of a few paws approaching stopped me. I took my hands off and Bert was already in my chest. His wet nose touched my cheek and he started kissing all over my face, snatching a giggle from me.

"My good boy, I love you too much" I attract him more to me, this time I kiss him. I pet Bert for a few moments and then I look to the side, discovering the little schnauzer looking at us "hey, what's up?"

The dog barks and its tail wags quickly. From his movements, I figured maybe he wanted something.

His insistence convinced me, and with a lot of effort, I get up, with Bert in my arms "good, what do you want?"

He hastily runs upstairs. I followed him, intrigued by his behavior, and we ended up in my office.

I half-opened my mouth from what I saw: sheets of machine paper on the floor, pens and pencils. A total disaster.

And the dog, far from being ashamed, seemed excited.

He starts scratching one of the scribbled sheets of paper and I feared that he might rip it and the disaster would get worse, so I left Bert on the floor and started picking.

"You're naughty, huh?"

The gray-haired dog grunted and wanted to get on the chair of the computer desk, but fell in the attempt, as it was too high for him.

"And silly" I add, smiling broadly "hey, that's a good name. Silly. Do you like it?"

Silly leans down on the floor and I got an idea. I go in a hurry to my closet and by pure luck I found two straps.

I went back to my pets.
Bert was with one of his paws on Silly's back.

"You guys want to go for a walk?"