Symby (12 page)

"Feel better, Pops?" he said. "I know I do." Perhaps the Lord hadn't totally written him off after all.

Spud and Snuffles reconciled with each other quickly. For his part, Snuffles couldn't believe his good fortune in finding his old human friend in the same place as the furry little friend he had lost. Spud was pleased to have his old companion back.

"I have to be honest with you, Snuffles," said Spud as he patted his former pet's head. "You look terrible. Of course, you must be thinking the same thing about me, right?"

Snuffles did indeed think that Spud looked well-worn and frayed at the edges since the last time he had seen him. Snuffles licked Spud's hand to show him that he still loved him, even after the rest of the family had written Spud off.

"Come on boy, let's get you cleaned up," said Spud soothingly. Spud picked up one of his plastic bottles of water and began pouring it onto Snuffle's grimy, pudgy body. Snuffles didn't really appreciate his efforts, but he wasn't about to start off his new relationship with his former master on a sour note. Snuffles had missed Spud for a long time. When Spud finished, Snuffles let him know how good it felt to be clean with more licking of Spud's bristly face.

"How did you find me, Snuffles?" asked Spud. "And why are you alone?"

Snuffles couldn't answer these questions even if he had understood them. Snuffles focused on returning to the rubber container and trying to convince Spud to pull Symby out. He pulled away from Spud's warm embrace and waddled over to the crate. He looked up at Spud with his most earnest, sad-eyed, manipulative gaze as he pawed at the lid.

"You really want what's in there, don't you boy?" said Spud, finding it hard to resist Snuffle's entreaty. "All right, I'll show you, but it's not a meal, so don't get any ideas. I really need what's in there."

Spud was apprehensive about showing the little creature to Snuffles. A kerfuffle that resulted in damage to his little creature would be devastating. On the other hand, it was obvious that Snuffles was no fighter. He never had been. Spud figured he could control Snuffles if push came to shove. Using his body to shield Snuffles from diving into the crate after the little creature, he pulled it out and presented it to his insistent former pet.

Snuffles gawked at the pulsating, living ball of fur as Spud held it between his hands. The little animal looked exactly like Symby, but something was amiss. Sniffing the little creature, he yelped in confusion. This wasn't Symby. This creature may have looked like Symby, but its scent was just a bit different than Symby's. Saddened by the realization that he hadn't found Symby after all, Snuffles retreated a few feet, whimpered and placed his head on the ground.

"Jeez, you lose interest fast," laughed Spud, failing to understand the gravity of Snuffle's concerns. Spud approached Snuffles, planning to pet him again and shifting his little creature to one hand. As he did so, the creature suddenly fluttered upwards into the air and landed a few feet away, directly onto Snuffle's back. Spud uttered a few choice expletives as he fretted about Snuffles hurting his little savior.

"Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have let you get at him," he cried. He ran towards Snuffles, hoping to wrest the creature away before any harm could be done, but stopped in his tracks. He was shocked by Snuffle's reaction, or lack thereof.

Snuffles knew the drill by now. When he felt the suction cup applying pressure to his back, he accepted it calmly. He was already exhausted from his long day's journey and he felt confident that this second Symby would not do him any harm. Snuffles settled down and rested his head against the ground, content to allow the new Symby to do his thing.

Spud kept staring at Snuffles. Why wasn't he fighting or trying to eat the little creature? "Snuffles, you surely got older since I last saw you," he finally said. "You're not even going to try to eat my little friend?" Spud chuckled and sat down on a rock near Snuffles, watching him curiously.

Snuffles felt content to wait things out. He was hoping that this encounter with the second Symby would yield the same bounty that his first meeting with the original Symby had. When the creature obliged him, Snuffles reveled in the warm liquid the creature emitted. His aching back felt quite a bit better just a few minutes later. He sighed contentedly as his eyelids closed.

Snuffles awoke in unfamiliar surroundings, his pupils dilated with bright sunlight. Why was he not in his doghouse? As he struggled to focus, he heard the sounds of unfamiliar birds and a vaguely familiar voice calling to him.

"Have a good sleep, Snuffles?" asked Spud. "You've been out cold for a long while. You always were a sound sleeper."

Thoughts of the previous day's adventures flooded back into Snuffle's addled brain. He popped up and ran over to Spud, jumping up on him and licking his face.

Spud chuckled. "So you still like me, huh? If only humans were as forgiving as you, I might have already had the stones to do what I need to do. Of course, now you've kind of forced the issue, haven't you, boy?"

Snuffles responded with another lick of Spud's face.

"Good answer, Snuffy," said Spud. "Are you about done with my little friend? You can rent him, but I own him." Spud's favorite tiny creature was still attached to Snuffle's back. Spud could see another wet spot on Snuffle's furry back. Spud reached down and pulled the creature off of Snuffles. Snuffles whimpered and pushed his snout into Spud's hand. Spud watched incredulously as Snuffles licked the creature. The creature flattened out and pulsated, seeming to enjoy the attention. Spud addressed his tiny furry friend.

"Well, you sure make friends easily," he said. Now that there were two animals in his world, it was time to name his little furry friend. Naming the creature would help Snuffles understand when Spud was speaking to the creature rather than Snuffles. Spud loved to read Greek mythology when he was young and had taken a college course on the subject. He remembered that the God of Healing and Convalescence was Telesphorus. He stroked the little creature with his finger as he spoke to it in a mock ceremonial tone.

"Henceforth ye shall be known to all as Telly, tiny God of healing." Chuckling, he held the newly designated Telly out to Snuffles. "May it please Lord Snuffles to perform the baptismal honors?"

Snuffles licked Telly, which generated guffaws from Spud.

"Good job, Snuffles," he said. "Now I've got to get going to work. Want to come along?"

Snuffles didn't understand Spud's question, but he was feeling so much better already that he was willing to go along with just about anything. He could already tell that the new Symby's liquid worked just as well as the old Symby's serum did. He was looking forward to spending some quality time with Spud.

Spud walked over to the back of the tent, surveyed his food supplies and pulled a can of dog food from the makeshift shelf he had built. At his lowest moments, when he was desperately short on funds due to his inability to forage for cans and bottles, he had survived on dog food. He hoped that he would never have to do that again.

"I'll bet you're hungry, right? It just so happens I've got some food that you might like. Hell, even I liked it when I was drunk enough." He pulled the tab on the can and opened it. Snuffles sniffed the food and went wild, running around in circles, spinning in the air and jumping up onto Spud's pants. Spud watched Snuffle's antics in amazement.

"Wow," he said, laughing heartily. "You looked like you were having a near-death experience last night. Now you're flipping around like a puppy. You didn't have this much energy even when I knew you! What's gotten into you?"

As Spud scooped the wet food into a metal bowl, it occurred to him that something might actually have gotten into Snuffles. Recalling the wet spots on Snuffle's back and Snuffle's happy reaction to it, he spoke to Snuffles as he watched him wolf down his food.

"You knew, didn't you Snuffy?" he said. "That's why you didn't try to eat Telly! You knew what Telly could do for you and you set out yesterday to find him!"

Spud scratched his head as he tried to puzzle out whether Snuffle's true mission had been to find Telly and whether his puppy-like behavior had really been caused by Telly's liquid. To his mind, these questions were answered by Snuffle's next actions. After finishing a small portion of the food in his bowl, Snuffles trotted over to the rock where Telly lay, picked him up in his mouth, walked back to his food bowl and deposited the little ball of fur directly into the food bowl. The two of them ate their meals happily together as if they were long-time friends.

Spud's amazement reached heights he had never previously scaled.

"I'll be damned!" he said to both Snuffles and Telly. "You two have met before, haven't you?" There was no longer any doubt in Spud's mind about Snuffle's commitment to Telly. Dogs were territorial about their food. No canine in his right mind would donate food to another species unless they had previously bonded. But how could Snuffles have known about Telly?

Spud's efforts to solve this riddle left him in a quandary. He turned his attention to another dilemma. Sooner or later, he would have to bring Snuffles back to his home. Walking the four miles wouldn't be a problem. He estimated that his foraging trips for cans and bottles usually exceeded that distance. Yet a sense of foreboding overwhelmed him as he contemplated the journey.

He wasn't sure that he was quite ready to show himself to his former loved ones. Yes, he had been clean for almost three months. Yes, he felt confident that he would be able to stay sober, at least as long as he kept Telly. Yes, he now had a steady job. All of these things were in his favor, but it would require a great leap of faith for his family to believe in him again. He wouldn't blame them if they rejected him. After all, even he didn't feel he deserved their forgiveness.

Spud shook off his introspection. He would have time to resume his ruminations later. For now, he had to prepare for his job. As he gathered his things, he kept his eye on Snuffles and Telly. Telly, apparently satiated, fluttered and landed on Snuffle's back again. Snuffles continued eating until his bowl was empty. "Same old Snuffles," thought Spud.

Spud debated whether to bring Snuffles with him or leave him with Telly. He was faced with yet another dilemma. Was Telly safer with Snuffles looking out for him or in his rubber crate? Spud's own selfish desires finally settled his internal debate. Over Snuffle's objections, Spud pulled Telly off of Snuffles and deposited him into his crate.

"Relax, Snuffles," he said. "I'll be back tonight with a brand new home for Telly." Spud had been putting off addressing an issue that worried him. What if a predator managed to open Telly's crate? He needed a more secure day home for Telly, preferably a large metal container with a latch for a lock. He would resolve at least one issue today, he determined.

Snuffles immediately padded to Telly's rubber crate and began scratching at it, communicating his intentions to Spud with baleful hang-dog looks. He succeeded in infusing Spud with a degree of guilt for separating the two companions, but not enough to overcome Spud's selfish impulses.

"I hear you, Snuffy," he said. "He'll be fine in there, but you're coming with me today. I could use some company for a change."

Spud left his camp towing his red wagon behind him, as he always did. On this occasion, the wagon was considerably heavier than usual. Snuffles was enjoying the ride.

Jody struggled to finish his walk home from school. Wiping sweat from his brow as he approached his house, he looked forward to Snuffle's enthusiastic greeting at the gate. When he finally arrived, he immediately recognized that something was awry. Snuffles had been trained to close the latch on the gate when he returned home after escorting Jody to school, but now the front gate swung open and Snuffles was nowhere in sight. Had Snuffle's tired old body finally gotten to the point where closing the gate was too difficult for him? Jody called out to Snuffles as he passed the open gate.

"Snuffles? Where are you, boy? Snuffles!?" Jody began to worry that something might be seriously wrong with Snuffles. It just wasn't like him to ignore Jody. He scanned the yard as he walked, assuming that he would find Snuffles lazing in the back yard or out of the sun in his dog house, but Snuffles was nowhere to be found.

Jody eyed Snuffle's dog door. That was it, he thought, he's probably in the house where it was cooler. He called out again loudly when he entered the house. No response. Jody walked through the house, scanning every corner and closet as he called for Snuffles. Nothing. Panic set in. Jody walked back out in the yard and checked it again, more thoroughly this time. He walked out to the street, bellowing now, his cries echoing through the entire neighborhood. He asked a few people on the street if they had seen a plump beagle, but nobody had. Defeated and dejected, he finally returned to the house, still pleading loudly for Snuffles to make an appearance.

Terrible thoughts of what might have happened to Snuffles raced through his mind. He thought of his argumentative encounter with Jimmy at lunch. If Jimmy had now taken both Snuffles and Symby, he would find a way to make Jimmy pay several times over. An even worse possibility intruded into his thoughts. Snuffles was old, seventy-seven years old in human years. Jody had read that dogs sometimes crawled away from home when they prepared to die. Jody sat at the kitchen table, trying to imagine what life would be like if Missy, Snuffles and Symby were all gone. Tears began to stream down his face. He made no effort to stop them. His life sucked. He began to think that perhaps Missy had been right about taking the sleeping pills. He cried for a long time, until he heard the beeping.

His computer was beeping, signaling a requested viddy session. He debated whether to call Missy back later, when he had had a chance to stop sobbing. No, Missy didn't care whether he acted manly or not. Besides, she was in such bad shape that this might be his last opportunity to talk to the girl he loved. He ran to his bedroom at the snail's pace that had now become his version of running. He breathed a sigh of relief that the PC was still beeping when he clicked on.

His PC was so old that the video usually appeared well after he clicked on, but he was sure he knew who it was.

"Missy, is that you?" he asked, just to be safe.

"Of course it's me," answered Missy. "Why, have you been two-timing me?" As the video slowly spread across the screen, Jody could see that Missy was smiling. He hadn't seen her smile in quite a while. At least somebody in their relationship was managing to stay upbeat.

Jody wiped his cheek with a tissue, hoping that Missy wouldn't notice.

"What's the matter, lover boy? I hope you're not crying over me," said Missy, a look of concern replacing her smile.

"Snuffles is gone, I can't find him anywhere," cried Jody, his voice breaking despite his best efforts. "I'm worried that Jimmy might have taken him, or maybe he died!"

Missy looked worried, but spoke reassuringly, "Your first theory is wrong, I'm sure of that. Jimmy didn't take him."

"How do you know?" asked Jody, still sniffling.

"Because Jimmy gave Symby back to me today, so it doesn't make sense that he would steal Snuffles on the same day he returns Symby," replied Missy.

Jody experienced some difficulty processing Missy's words, probably because what she said seemed so improbable.

"This is not the time to tease me," he finally choked out. "If you're joking, it's not funny."

"I would never joke about something like that," protested Missy. "God, don't you know me by now?! Take a look, dumbhead..." She held Symby up to the camera. Jody's eyes widened with shock.

"Oh my God, that's awesome!" cried Jody. At long last, some good news had re-entered his life. "Did he dose you yet?"

Missy laughed loudly. Even through the crumby video, he could see her eyes sparkle again. "Twice already, and it's only been a couple of hours. I feel better already. I just hope I'm not imagining it."

"I'll bet Symby knows you're in really bad shape. When I had him, it seemed like he gave me more medicine in the beginning and less when I got better."

"Well, let's face it, I need lots," said Missy. "And Symby's giving me plenty."

"Awesome," said Jody, thinking that awesome wasn't nearly effusive enough to describe the news he had just received. Another thought occurred to him.

"Now that you know that Jimmy took him, why aren't you pissed? He almost killed you. Maybe he waited so long that even Symby can't help you anymore."

"Even if he did wait too long, I'm still going to forgive him. You should have seen him today. He looked so sad. I think he's got almost as many problems in his life as we do. If I died after telling him I wouldn't forgive him, it might mess him up even worse, maybe destroy his whole life. Even sinners are entitled to redemption."

Jody wasn't sure that he agreed with Missy's statements, but her kindness was the quality that had inspired him to fall in love with her in the first place, so he wasn't about to argue with her. Missy changed the subject.

"Is it possible that Snuffles just ran away or got lost?" she queried.

"I guess," said Jody, "but he's been with us for eleven years and he's never run away before."

"There's always a first time," said Missy, trying to comfort him. "Maybe he found a girlfriend and they're on their honeymoon." Missy was having a difficult time empathizing with Jody when just moments before she had reached the heights of elation. She was actually feeling somewhat resentful towards Snuffles for choosing this particular day to run away. "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away," she thought.

"Maybe," agreed Jody. "I guess it's possible that Snuffles will just come back, though I doubt he'll bring a girlfriend back at his age."

Missy took a stab at making Jody laugh. "Not unless he found some Viagra," she said.

Jody managed a small chuckle, aware that it wasn't fair to bring Missy down on the day her life might have been saved.

"Any chance I'll see you at school tomorrow?" he inquired hopefully.

"Not likely," Missy replied. "I look like a skeleton and I can barely walk. Even Symby can't fix that in one night. The good news is that I suddenly have an urge to eat everything in the pantry. I've had a pretty good start on getting that done." She held up a bag of potato chips for Jody to see. Jody finally smiled.

"Do you think you might be well enough for a visit tonight?"

Missy laughed. "You really miss me, don't you? I miss you too. Maybe by tomorrow, when I've finished off the pantry and gotten halfway through the fridge, you can come over and say hello to your fat girlfriend. You have to promise not to break up with me, though."

"I promise," said Jody. "You go ahead and get as fat as you want. See if I care."

"I hope you still feel that way when you see me tomorrow. By the way, I'll make sure that Symby still has some medicine left for you when you come tomorrow."

"No, not yet," said Jody. "We'll worry about me when you're better. I can make it until then. Get as many doses as you can from Symby in the meantime."

"We can talk about how to share Symby when you get here," said Missy. "Let's not try to one-up each other with Mother Theresaing. Okay?"

Jody laughed again. "Okay, girlfriend. I'd better get out and start looking for Snuffy again. See you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you, too, boyfriend," said Missy. "Good luck finding Snuffles!"