Sorry for the late post. I’m still feeling fatigued from my recent hospital stay. Hopefully, I can start feeling better soon.
Dog Days: noun 1: The hot sultry period of summer 2: A period of stagnation or inactivity
Dog Days
“I do not think this is what the humans mean by ‘dog days of summer,’ Lenat.” He sits and scratches his floppy ear with his hind leg. Darn fleas.
“Hush, Ganen. This is the best way to observe them. Stop scratching.” Lenat can’t handle the whining. Honestly. Did Ganen think he wanted to be prancing about as a little pomeranian? At least he got to be a airedale.
“Can’t. These Earth insects are eating me. It itches.”
Ganen rolls his eyes and scans the park. An elderly couple walks down a path holding hands and taking in the scenery. It really is sweet when mates can live so long. A little boy plays fetch with his actual dog. He can’t admit it out loud to Lenat because he’s the superior officer. They just have to do what they’re told.
“This is stupid,” Lenat complains again. Ganen rolls his eyes, but before he can say anything, a teenage human female approaches. She has her blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun, and her mother clearly never told her to not approach a strange dog. She pats Lenat on the head.
“Aren’t you just handsome,” she coos, then picks Ganen up, much to his horror. Lenat snorts in a dog laugh. “And you’re a pretty girl.” Can this get any worse?
“Bobby!” A tall boy around her age runs up behind her. Based on the fact they are wearing work out shorts and tanks, the “dogs” assume they are on a run. The boy stops and bends over with his hands on his knees. “Bobby. You can’t just walk up and touch a strange dog! They could have rabies or something.” At least the boy has some common sense.
“Vance, do you really think this pretty girl is going to hurt us?” She holds Ganen out to face Vance by under his front legs.
I will if you call me “pretty girl” one more time.
“She clearly belongs to someone. She’s groomed and fed.” Bobby scratches behind Lenat’s ear, causing him to appreciatively nuzzle into her hand. “And he’s just a good boy.”
“Bobby, they have no collars.”
She turns Ganen around so he is in her face and scrutinizes him. Her face scrunches up as she thinks. Ganen wonders if it hurts for her.
“Huh. I guess you’re right,” she mutters, then gasps. “Do you know what this means?!”
Vance’s eyes widen. “No. No way. Mom and Dad will not approve.”
What are they talking about?
“Yes, they will. We’ve been asking for dogs forever. We’re definitely old enough to take care of them. They’ll let us keep them.”
Lenat, the coward, runs away. “Wait!” Bobby shouts after him.
“Forget it, Bobby. They wouldn’t let us keep more than one anyway.” Vance sighs. “Fine. Let’s go see what they say.”
Ganen is officially freaking out as Bobby pulls him into her chest, cradling him like a baby. Stupid Lenat. Abandoning him like this. Hopefully he’s getting help. This can’t happen. It can’t.
As the teens turn down an alley, a brilliant blue beam surrounds Ganen, shocking them.
“What the what?” Bobby yells as Ganen disappears from her arms.
Reappearing in his actual form in a transport chamber in the mothership, Ganen walks to the closet to get dressed. Exiting the room, he’s unsurprised to see Lanet leaning against the wall with folded arms.
“I can’t believe you,” Ganen mumbles.
Lanet laughs and throws a friendly arm over his shoulders. “You were such a pretty girl.”
“Shut up.”
“Should we go report our findings, sir?”
“Whatever.”
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