The 13th Dog

                                                          By DAF

 

                 Jill woke up before Jack .. it was her habit at this stage now of their relationship. She liked to have the coffee simmering for Jack in case he had to leave the house without breakfast. They have been together for almost over twelve years or maybe twelve and a half, nobody was counting. She knew if she was to wake up Jack right now and ask him ...
   ''Hey, sleepy head, how long are we together now ...''
Jack would not be able to tell her the exact date.
   ''Hopeless, totally hopeless ...''
she would say, 
   '' ... and more to the point, do you even remember the date of my birthday, I will give you a  little hint .. 12th or the 13th, think now .. carefully, 12th or the 13th of November ...''
She was teasing him and liked to watch the expression on his face change, like the clown looking for the right expression to 'put' on before he faced the firing squad for not making the people laugh. Now he was up to his knees in quick-sand-of-the-mind-type. He could never get it right .. but she knew Jack and just wanted to see him sweat a little and to watch that worried expression on his sweet face. He would delay in his answer in case of giving Jill the wrong date .. but it was all play with them. He just has not got the head for dates. Some people were born with the head for figures and remembering dates, but Jack .. well, he was born with lots of kindness he gave out and saw no wrong in anybody .. but not the head for the dates.
                   Jill was now standing at the kitchen window waiting for the coffee to boil watching the neighbor's dog in her flowerbed on his morning trot-about and peeing up against anything that wasn't moving. She never saw a dog that could pee so much but this dog could pee. This dog could peeeeee. She had a total dislike for that dog and would swear it killed off any decent plant she had in the garden, but you could not say that to the neighbor, the owner of the dog, and the 'original' from Hell. He was as mean looking as the dog and was quite capable of peeing on her if anything was said about his dog. He was the living nightmare in the daytime of the neighbor from Hell next door.  
So much for the dog.
So much for the neighbor. 
So much for her plants.

So much peeeee.

So much Hell.

So much.
   ''Coffee boiled yet .. sunshine ...''
asked Jack, as he wrapped his arms around her slim waist and pulled her towards him, playing his chin on her shoulder. She could forget almost everything when Jack held her in his arms. She never thought she could love a man as she loved this man Jack, but living in fear of further hurt. She was always afraid of being hurt when it came to 'love' and she did not like to be hurt, it ran too deep inside her memories.

Not like the last time.

No more, she promised herself ... with a vengeance that could kill.

No more hurt.
No more.
                       Jack and Jill were of the same age, twenty-eight, but with one month between them. She taught in the junior school for the past number of years in the same neighborhood where they were living and mostly walked in the mornings in all types of weather to the 'little monsters' as she called them .. but today was a public holiday. No school and no 'little monsters'. Today was her day with Jack. She had the day planned out but she always anticipated anything could happen in her day before she saw her bed again that night. Jack, was the 'easygoing' kind of guy who never seemed to stress himself over anything .. except for that one thing, that one thing only that could upset his Jill .. the neighbor .. who, for no reason that could come to mind always gave him dirty looks and never at any time was a kind word said between them .. but not the dog. Jack had 'time' for the dog as he had for all human and sentient beings. He just could never figure out why the neighbor was so angry with him and Jill from that very first day they moved into the house of their dreams.
   ''Must be a past life thing ...''
he would say to Jill, blowing on his coffee, though he always likes to drink it hot.
   ''That neighbor's dog could come up and pee on sweet Jack's leg ...''
  Jill would joke with her friends but with bitter derision tied up in it.
   '' ... and it still would be alright with Jack. Jack my sweet gentle giant ...''
She would play with him, running her small hands through his reddish hair, trying her best to get him to do anything that might look anything but playful, but no way, Jack was Jack. No matter how hard she would try, Jack was the gentle giant. It's why she loved him so much. The day Jack came into Jill's life everything changed for her nothing else mattered and certainly not her past. She had a new life now with Jack, a new beginning and the future was looking good.

Looking very good. Mapped out by destiny's unseen Hand.

She now thought there was a God in her world who was not there before when He was needed.
                        After a slow morning of drinking coffee and catching up on events in each other life's that does not necessarily involve the two of them together, they got ready to go to the library and then for a walk up the hill, known locally as Dead-Man's-Drop and on to Dick's Diner for a bite to eat after working up an appetite after their hill walk. It was one of the deciding reasons for buying that house .. the hill. You can always see the hill from their kitchen window. It was like a magnet pulling them in, ever-present and calling. They felt safe in its presence in spite of its macabre name, Dead-Man's-Drop. 

Jill was doing her final year in child psychology at a night class run by the local college. A passion of hers that came from analyzing and trying to understand herself. She wanted to collect a book today from the library that was waiting for her to be collected for the past couple of days but she was preoccupied with her thoughts about the neighbor's dog that she totally forgot about until Jack reminded her. She waited two weeks for that book that was out of print and what-with no time to spare to run around the second-hand bookstores to try to find a copy, the library was her best option. She was only interested in that one documented account of a girl of nine years who killed her loving grandfather's twelve breeding gun dogs .. because the dogs got all of his attention and rightly so, if you are breeding dogs to be the best .. but she adored her grandfather and wanted his undivided attention. All of the time. All of her time and all of his time. She wanted to hear his 'kind words' because her parents never spoke a 'kind' word between them or to her and always liked to involve her in their arguments. Their rowing was constant non-stop verbal abuse of a no-win game but it was her grandfather who consoled her as best as he could, eventually taking her to live with him and leaving the parents to their own self-destruction.

 'Breeder', the nickname the grandfather was called by out of respect as he was known far and wide as the best and top breeder in the county for gun dogs and maybe in the country some would say. His reputation traveled far and wide without effort for his knowledge and skill with the gun dog and breeding. It was a warm night for the middle of November when 'Breeder' was out checking on his dogs, and not for the first time that night before his bedtime. This night of the 13th will change everything for one nine-year-old little girl and one old man who will be 'marked' for all time in Karma.
   ''The dogs are too quiet .. should not be .. why ...'' 
'Breeder' was thinking as he picked up his step approaching the twelve kennels. The dogs knew when he was coming to check on them and always put on a show for him of barking and yelping, running up and down their pens .. but tonight there was no show of barking of any kind but a show of vomit and pain. It was a real mess, yellow vomit everywhere, twisted snouts, frothing at the mouth like soap suds in a fountain, and dogs lying every which way possible burning from the inside out. You could smell the burning insides of the dogs as they wafted on the warm night air. It did not take long for the vet to arrive as he was Breeder's longtime friend and neighbor. It was too much for the veteran vet to take-in all in go and trying to grasp the situation when he arrived, holding back his anger and not asking too many questions for now for the sake of his friend Breeder as he put down the dogs one by one who was still hanging on to their doomed life and certainly not understanding their own pain .. or why. It was all too much for 'Breeder' by the time the vet gave out the last injection. Breeder never recovered to his full health from the shock of seeing his dogs dying in front of him. Shortly after that night Breeder died, alone, not in his bed as he always liked to predict but outside his dog's pen and not knowing who or why anybody would want to poison his beloved dogs .. his pure breeds .. his pride and joy .. his life. 'Breeder' died a broken man from the memories of that night the 13th that is still talked about to this day in the county as .. have you heard about 'The Story of Breeders Dogies'.
                       On the way to the library, Jill dropped Jack off at the station. He was the chief fireman in the town known for its hill Dead-Man's-Drop. The youngest 'chief' in the county and even though it was his day off, he was still on a twenty-four-hour call, it came with the job where they had more call-outs for a cat stuck up a tree than a fire .. and besides, he wanted to show his face in the station .. but if the truth be known, and it was to all and sundry .. he loved his work.
    ''To keep the boys on their toes ...''
He would say to Jill, smiling, getting out of the car and turning his head singing low...

     ''Born to put out the fire, born to love you, and born to light your fire .. we will meet up in Dick's Diner in half an hour or so and I think we should forget about our hill walk today, it looks like heavy rain moving in from the West .. just look at those clouds forming on Dead-Man's-Drop.''

Yes .. Jill knew Jack was a good fireman who took pride in his job. It was how it was with him. She accepted their way of life because she loved Jack with all her body and energy and knew, sink or swim, they were going to be together, always, till the end of their days. Jack wanted to start a family but Jill did not see it that way and not for a long time anyway. She liked it just the way it was. The two of them. It was how she wanted it and how it was going to be. Children and pets of any kind were not part of her life plan for Jill and Jack.

Jack's father was also the chief fireman when he served in the same fire station. Jack felt he was keeping the family name good. It was the least he could do for his father who always brought Jack out with him when they went out on a call and just as his father did before him .. it was one little boy's entertainment at another man's loss. They came from a long line of firemen in the family going back four generations with the first Jack dying caught in a fire-ball standing in for a friend who was the local vet out on a call of rabies they expected but then turned out to be poison.

The ones who went before him and maybe the ones who will come after him.

Jack felt he owed it to them.

                After collecting the book from the library and coming down the wheelchair ramp as she liked to do like a little girl in defiance. Looking up to see if anybody was watching her Jill saw her neighbor on the other side of the street, standing there with that ever-present dog of his by his side. He was just staring at her with lock-on eyes. Jill quickened her step, clutching her book to her chest as if the neighbor was going to steal it from her, and went straight to the hardware store and bought two boxes of rat poison as she had planned. You know the type. The strong kind with all the warnings on the box and a rat that looks like it posed for its photo for the box. Keep away from children and pets in red letters to let you know it will do what it says on the box .. Kill. What to do if taken orally and what not to do .. that kind. Hiding the boxes on the floor of the car behind the passenger seat she drove to Dick's Diner feeling safe now that she was on her way to meet up with Jack .. humming to herself .. Come on baby, light my fire .. and reassuring herself that it would be enough for the job at hand, maybe too much, but, it would be enough for the job at hand.

                     Jack was already sitting at their favorite table by the window in Dick's Diner where you could see Dead Man's Drop in the distance with its menacing rain clouds ready to open in a downpour. Always on time Jack. If Jack said he would be there at such and such a time you can bet your life he would be there. Steak was on the menu as always and steak it was. Jack's 'well done' and very 'well done' for Jill who was feeling very happy with herself today as regulars remarked to her as she walked towards Jack, and besides, it was going to be her treat today. A happy lunch hour finished they made their way over to the cash register where Dick was manning today. His wife, who normally is there, stayed at home because their dog was about to deliver pups when the neighbor's dog had his way. 
    ''Never argue with the woman who wants to pay .. what you say, Jack ...'' 
says Dick in his loud voice that some of the regular customers were looking up and smiling as Jill was handing over the money at the cash register and watching Jack. She knew, and Dick too, that Jack would be a little peeved by Jill paying, but it was not Jill's intention to upset Jack by paying. Jack just smiled, moving from one foot to the other in front of the cash register. Jack was the type of man that felt it was the man's place to pay the bill when out with his wife. It was to do with his upbringing, what he saw his own father doing, and was always told that the men in their family had respect for their women and he was happy to be that man too.
    ''Jill was a good woman with a kind heart .. she wouldn't hurt a dog ...''
Jack thought as they quick-stepped like two dancers toward the car in the parking lot. It was now starting to rain down as they pulled out of Dick's Diner and both of them were smiling with that 'I-told-you-so-look' on their faces and happy to return home.
    ''Have you everything .. sunshine ...''
asked Jack.
    ''Oh yes, everything ...''
answered Jill, patting Jack on the arm. That soft and gentle 'pat' you would give to your dog but saying nothing about their neighbor watching her from across the street at the library. She would let it go. It was to be her secret .. her reason .. her everything.
                       Jill was standing at the kitchen window the next morning and feeling quite pleased with herself drinking her coffee from her favorite mug.     
    ''Best coffee I have made .. if I don't mind saying so myself ...''

She was now watching Jack over the top of her Snoopy cup stooping down to the neighbor's dog and now on both knees and falling over on top of the dog. That dog, the one and only dog with the non-stop-pee now frothing at the mouth, twisting its body like a worm on a hook and all of last night's, maybe last week's 'doggy-dinner' up in a neat pile on the lawn, like dripping wet sea-sand-stacked cones beside him. Was it the dog's or Jack's? She could not understand. Jill could not tell from where she was standing. She could not understand all of what was happening from where she was standing. She could not understand as she started to move towards the kitchen door in what felt like the slow motion of the matrix-kind to her. She could not understand anything now.
Doggy-dinner-in-a-neat-pile.

It was like one of those art installations that try to shock you into feeling disgusted with the world and yourself and giving art a bad name while 'Doggy dinner in a neat pile' had its day and then went away and nobody cared. It was too late for the dog and too late for Jack. All that Jill could now see was Jack falling over the dog and lying face down in neat piles of 'doggy dinner' with blood spreading in slow waves across his broad back.
First, it was white.
Now it is 'creeping' red.
Red 'creeping' on white.

Now red on white.
Now red all over.
Red on Red.

                Jill .. now sprinted toward Jack when her mind took over the situation of what was happening but she never got to Jack. She dropped to the grass on her knees as if she saw an apparition .. or like she was going to pray to her God for forgiveness.

  ''This is not happening ...''

She taught as she fell.

''This should not be happening ...''

She shouted out.

The grass was still wet after last night's rain. Red-creeping blood came from her chest. Red creeping on green grass and that burning sensation eating away from inside her like acid melting through the foam. The last thing she saw before the side of her face made contact with the wet grass was the neighbor from Hell standing over Jack. Now turning, and putting a ballerina to shame in doing a pirouette on the spot and then coming straight at her with his 12-gauge.

BANG ... second shot to her chest.

Red-on-white-on-green.

                    The last thought Jill had going through her mind as she lay there gasping for the little air she could get lying on the wet grass with the real sensation of warm blood oozing out onto her chest and hands trying desperately to plug holes where no holes should be was remembering what Jack had said as he was bolting out of the kitchen door to take a look at the dog that was vomiting 'art installations' onto their lawn. 
    ''Who would want to hurt an innocent dog Jill .. who Jill .. who could do that .. tell me Jill .. who ...''

Now standing over her, legs apart, poking the 'pump action' at her chest and saying in a demanding tone of voice, or was it her long-dead grandfather's voice she was hearing now. She could not tell. Everything was very confusing. It looked like grandfather .. but she could not tell. It looked like the neighbor too .. but .. she could not tell. Everything was very very confusing .. she could not tell. This should not be happening.
    ''Who would want to hurt an innocent dog Jill .. tell me .. who ...'' 
asked the neighbor from Hell.
    ''Must be a past life thing ...''
she answered, not caring anymore, it was too late for that now. Looking over at Jack between the neighbor's legs and seeing one very large black beetle that was busy making its way toward her open mouth. There was nothing she could do now, that is if she could. Not for her grandfather's twelve dogs, she poisoned back then on the 13th of November .. and all because she wanted his love. Not for her now-dead parents who died from rabies and not for sweet Jack .. and certainly not for that nine-year-old little girl. That nine-year-old little girl who was still inside her head all these years wanting to come out ... well, she was out now. Jill's eyes rolled back into her head one last time with the fresh coffee smell still on her last breath and the black beetle scrambling into her mouth, never to return. It will be very content in its new home. The neighbor stepped away from Jill and walked back to the beloved dog he named 'Breeder' and fired his pump-action putting it out of its pain for good and firing again into his own pain. The 13th dog brought its own karma into this world and into the world of Jill and Jack and the neighbor from Hell. Jill was dead now and so was Jack, the neighbor, and the 13th dog .. named 'Breeder' .. making all of this a past-life-thing.

Jack and Jill never saw their hill .. again.

  

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