Lost Soul

Bogart

Celine lounged on a small sofa in the library, surrounded by piles of finished books. Also by her side was the file Alexander had tossed at her during breakfast. She closed the book she was currently reading, which was Hans Christian Andersen's The little Mermaid, and rose from her seat. She walked over to the large window which over looked the grounds. It had finally stopped raining, and the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds. She ran to her study which adjoined to her bedroom and put on black lace up boots so as to not dirty her white ones. She changed into a more simple white dress earlier, which was more comfortable to romp around in. Celine used the servants staircases hidden in the walls to discreetly navigate through the palace.

She took the stairs two at a time, and snuck out the kitchen, grabbing cookies as she went. She wandered aimlessly around the grounds. She spotted a large mud puddle and walked towards it. Upon closer inspection, Celine saw something move. She broke off a limb from the bush closest to her, and poked whatever was in the muck. It yelped, and Celine squealed. In the mud was an animal, a dog to be exact. She leaned down, went to pick it up, but the tubby dog chomped down on a lock of her pale hair. She shrieked, and tried to pull it out.

"Let go of my hair!" She pulled her head away, but the dog was stronger. It kept tugging her closer to the mud pit. "Oh no you don't!" She picked up the dog, and held it away so she wouldn't dirty her dress. But alas, she stumbled as she turned around.

SPLAT.

Mud was all over her white dress, her face, and in her hair. She groaned loudly, knowing that the chef wouldn't let her in his precious kitchen. Celine glared down at the small dog in her arms. He yipped happily, and licked her face multiple times.

"Look what you've done! Now how am I supposed to smuggle you in?" She fought back the smile tugging at her lips, and looked back at the palace.

"Maybe Alexander will be of use..." She trailed off thoughtfully.

"Maybe Alexander will be of use for what, if I may ask?" Alexander poorly mimicked Celine's accent, and looked at the filthy dog cradled in her arms with disdain. Celine yelped with fright.

"I'm going to put a bell on you!" She calmed herself. "I was going to see if you could help me get back inside without getting caught." Alexander tapped his chin before replying.

"No." Celine's jaw dropped.

"What? Why?" She stoked the dog's head and smiled as it snorted.

"Because if I help you get inside, that filthy beast will get to stay." Celine snuggled the dog protectively to her chest.

"I can give him a bath, and besides, we let you stay here." She retorted cheekily, earning a glare from Alexander. "Please, I'll even let you name him!" She begged, and put the tubby and muck covered dog in Alexander's face. Celine smiled brightly as Alexander sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Give me the beast and climb the tree. I'll be waiting in your study with a wash tub and towels." She ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the tall tree that stood by her window. Looking up, she could see the white chiffon curtains fluttering gently in the wind. The sturdy branches of the tree were like a ladder; just one after the other all the way to the top. Celine climbed up the tree, being careful not to fall.

Celine reached her window, and clumsily clambered through. She left small tracks of mud in her wake as she went to ring the bell to call for a maid.

After taking a bath and changing into clean clothes, Celine exited her room and entered her study quietly. Upon entering, she saw Alexander laying on the floor, holding the dog above him and cooing. She stifled a giggle.

"I thought you didn't like dogs." She smiled coyly and laughed as he got up quickly and held the dog an arm's length away from him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He stated coolly, and put the small dog in the wash tub. "Just help me wash the bloody beast." Celine walked over smiling, and used her hands to scoop water onto the small dog. When they had gotten most of the mud off, Alexander lathered a bar of soap in a wash cloth and scrubbed the rest of the mud off the dog. Celine grabbed a towel and set it aside for later use.

"So what're you going to name him?" She peered at the dog, who was trying as best as he could to claw his way out of the tub. Celine kneeled down and took the washcloth out of Alexander's hands. "You're scrubbing to hard." She gently rubbed the dog down. "Just because he's not human doesn't mean he can't feel." She wrung out dirty cloth.

"Bogart." Celine stared incredulously at Alexander.

"What?"

"His name is Bogart." He stated simply. Bogart was still trying to escape his porcelain prison.

"That is....The funniest name I have ever heard!" Celine laughed loudly. "Although, looking at his face I'd say it fits him perfectly." Smiling, she rinsed Bogart off and went to grab the towel she had set aside. He stopped trying to escape, and shook the excess water off of him, spraying Alexander. He groaned loudly as Celine howled with laughter.

"I don't like dogs."