Black Collar

 

 

 

 

 

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Chapter (9): Black Collar

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The friction of heat and ecstasy almost detonating was starting to scare me.

 

A skeletal dragon blazing in every color I knew swam in ripples disappearing through a black hole.

 

I flinched, an exhale escaping my lips as I sprawled on the raw, angel-white lawn…or somewhere, the chemical upshots painting an original version of madness with a swift dry brush in the core of my lofty open brown eyes.

 

Masked faces enclosed around me and fingers watchfully slotted needles through my numb, naked skin.

 

I flinched again.

 

 Rain of black ink spattered my face, a screeching shriek breaking the frozen surface supporting my limp body…endlessly falling into zooms of lemon and orange peels.

 

Dujaun once told me, "Once you've managed to stay half-sober to see your grandmother climb a leg of yours, clenching a knife in her teeth, that's when a drug is powerful."

 

Right then, I couldn't guarantee if grandma's ghost would be kind enough to spare me the previously mentioned display.

 

Even when I normally believed drugs could not bring people joy; their minds did, I still hadn't regretted going along with those two wasted, idiots lying somewhere around me, I did feel good,

 

…but there was nothing comparable to the heavenly, sinful shudder his mystical pair of baby-blue unleashed in me.

 

 

--- --- ---

 

 

I loosely coiled the spoon in the heated bowl in my palms, uncertainly frowning at the contents I could not clearly see.

The ripples of steam faintly rising carried the smell of a normal, potable mushroom soup, but that wasn't the problem here.

 

"Eat up, my dears." Dr. Farfoor smiled from his place on the stool of straw next to me, "This potage will keep you warm for now."

 

"You didn't…" Aseel tentatively asked, glancing with narrowed eyes at her brother and back at the doctor, holding the tilted metal spoon in one hand, "add anything other than the usual, did you?"

 

The doctor smugly chuckled in response, the fire flames beneath the black pot reflected in the glass of his spectacles, "I positively did."

 

The twins groaned in a low sequence.

 

Ya Rabbi…you could barely trust the old man with a bowl of soup.

 

Oh well, I internally shrugged, slightly comforted that I wasn't the only one threatened to choke on this, curtly huffing twice at the spoonful of concerted, hot potage I lifted close to my slightly opened mouth.

 

"You possess goodness." The doctor turned to me, his tone a little daunted, as if it was a trait he had recently discovered in me.

 

"I do?" I asked, lowering the spoon back to the bowl, "I mean-- what are you talking about?"

 

"You rushed to save Miriam from breaking. That took courage with the Shawada practice you used."

 

"Oh-- I didn't use any magic tricks, if that's what you meant."

 

His white eyebrows rose suspiciously, "Not even Buraque Tonic? A genus of Shai, maybe?" I just guessed he was mentioning a few names of potions I might have used. My marginal vision occasionally glanced at the twins who were busy mildly tossing verbal abuse in between the laughs at the mushroom soup, and at each other.

 

"Actually, I--" my mouth opened to tell the story of Madam Shams' shack, the green tea in the white floral cups, but I quickly refrained; I wasn't sure if the tea was the cause of my eerie body activities; the random drowsiness, and great speed, "No, I haven't used any of those." I faintly shook my head.

 

"Strange…" he heaved a small confounded exhale, "Your mother spoke to me of your visit to the shack on the Misty Hill." His tone sounded more earnest now.

 

Uh-oh…I didn't want to go there. Not now; Dr. Farfoor might say weird things to my mother like he'd always done, and she would freak out and glue me by her side until her worrywart phase had ended. Then again, it might have been too late to hold back my tongue, I thought, he'd probably warned her about the shack right after I suspiciously barged into the house with the injured Husky yesterday, which explains the countless times she'd warned me about wandering too far this morning.

 

"Oh, right." I pursed my lips in a false smile, "Pleasant place, lotsa flowers, trees and those little--"

 

"It is not as pleasant as it first seems to be, son." He interrupted, eyeing me with a knowing, cautioning term, "The Madam is an impious witch."

 

"Even you think so?" I thought out loud, turning to gaze at the crackling flames heating up my semi-dry thin form.

 

"She had committed felonies a child as innocent as you are would find hard to anticipate."

 

"Well, we don't have solid proof on that, so…" I shrugged, trying to sound more rational than emotionally defensive.

 

"We, guardians, have our hearts and crystal globes for proof, but, if you personally want to kill doubt," his arm shifted to the left, motioning the Husky resting further from the fire, "Take a good look at him. That mysterious light blue shade tells a lot more than a naked human eye can see."

 

"You--you mean, Husky…?" I blinked, pretending to be surprised.

 

Well, I was surprised really, because of how oblivious I was to the doctor's attentive wrinkled eyes behind those spectacles.

 

"The other minds around us might be plainly interested to the utmost in your dog's clever eyes, but both you and I know his story goes through deeper dimensions."

 

My tongue was unable to find any words to that. How much did the old man actually know…? I mutely stared into his keen gaze.

 

My thoughts quickly rearranged priorities; his supernatural boundaries of knowledge had brought me to the important question I've been holding ever since I stepped into his house. Was he able to return Husky to his human form?

 

"LISTEN, CHILDREN!" Dr. Farfoor stood up just before I could speak circling with his open palms the glow of the fire beneath the black pot.

 

Aseel released her brother's cheeks from her squeezing fingers, their nonsensical debate abruptly halting, and both their heads rising up, "Listen well." He cleared his throat, his tone lowering to rhyme with the harmonic silence, "Even when we differ in doctrines and family teachings, we all inwardly believe in reincarnation."

 

Personally, I don't…but, then again, I hadn't been sure of anything about anything since yesterday morning…My eyes silently spied on the Husky quietly sitting further from the edge of the burning fire.  

 

"Not that again…" I heard Rami gripe, my gaze still studying the impassive pair of blue eyes staring into the dark…What was on his mind?

 

"Now, we've already estimated the first few letters of Aseel's name in her past life," Dr. Farfoor reminded motioning the twins' direction to the right. Rami failed to suppress a snigger, pointing his finger close at his sisters blushing freckles, who instantly lobbed his hand away, telling him how 'not funny' that situation was.

 

I wouldn't want to be in her place; the doctor must have predicted an unpleasant name; I shook my head in mild disapproval, my lips half-smiling at the scene.

 

"Tonight," he firmly announced, "I shall estimate the former name of Jad's darling over there, the Husky."

 

The three of us blinked silently at Dr. Farfoor.

 

"He had a name in his past life?" Aseel asked.

 

"Well, ofcourse, my dear child, as long as we humans lived to name him."

 

"What if he was a cow or a goat in his past life?" Rami asked.

 

Dr. Farfoor adjusted his spectacles as he gathered up words, "Tha--"

 

"Seriously, Rami," Aseel dryly interrupted, "Even those could have had names."

 

"Clever girl you are." Dr. Farfoor complimented, pointing at Aseel, who proudly smiled in response, the wavy auburn hair framing her face looking more reddish than brown in the fire-light.

 

"Well, what if he was a housefly or even an amoeba?" Rami asked again.

 

"Ah, then thi--Alright, shut up, both of you." Dr. Farfoor irritably concluded, "The dog did have a name, end of story."

 

The contrasting night draft and fire warmth sent a shiver under my skin, and I briefly rubbed my crossed hands against the half sleeved arms. The Husky approached with my favorite beige parka, which I had left aside earlier to dry , loosely hanging in his teeth, "Hey," I grinned, as I received it, ruffling the warm fur between his ears, "you been alright?" I loved the fresh jasmine scent that touched the air around him.

 

A muffled but cheery ringtone started from the right, Aseel's hands slipped into the pockets of her dark pants.

 

That reminded me, I had spent the whole afternoon at the doctor's place and surprisingly, I hadn't received one single call from Ma.

 

"Hello, baba." I heard Aseel timidly talk over the phone.

 

Did I even bring mine with me? I thought, standing up to search the slim pockets of my jeans.

 

"Yes, everything's fine...Oh, you do?"

 

My hand settled on a slender sort of square as I searched.

Since when have I had this? I narrowed my eyes at the glossy, navy blue wallet I pulled out with a few fingers, detaching the round metal button compressing its components. I stretched its side pouches open, tilting it downwards and a black incomplete ring fell out and onto the spongy snow.

 

"Yeah, well, Dad's too busy to pick us up today," I heard Aseel and her brother discussing something, she had already ended the call, "but we could spare distance by taking that shortcut downtown."  

 

A pet collar? I thought, kneeling to pick it back up.

 

"Aw," Aseel avidly said after a small gasp, scampering towards me, "You bought Husky a collar!"

 

"Uh…" My father disliked animals, forbade their presence anywhere near our house. I could assure myself by a hundred percent this wasn't mine.

 

"Me, me!" she childishly beamed, snatching the black collar from my hand, "Can I leash it around his neck?"

 

Leash it? I looked down at Husky, examining the mood in his eyes; Unreadable.

 

"Aseel," her brother sighed, "what if the boy doesn't want to use it right now?" she sheepishly pursed her lips and apologized in response, taking a step backwards.

 

"It's okay." I smiled, "You can put it on, if you want to." If he wants to, sounded more correctly, I thought, observing the Husky's reaction to the girl kneeling down before him.

 

"Such a good, good boy." She softly spoke to him as she surrounded his white, furry neck with the collar, locking it in an imperfect bulged knot, which was okay as long as it wasn't fastened too tight, her plain black eyes behind the glasses curving at his neutral blue ones.

 

A few more stories were told -with laughs in between- about Dr. Farfoor's journeys through the human psychology and hidden intellect.

 

"Doctor," Rami said, "How come you think being fifty-five is way better than being sixteen?"

 

"My dearest child," Dr. Farfoor started another story with the old wise smile.

 

"Did you really have to ask, Rami?" Aseel complained in a low voice.

 

"Through my extraordinary journeys, I have been offered, more than once, the Remedy of Eternal Youth, but humbly declined the offers."

 

Ah, kteer (yeah, right)…

 

--- --- ---

 

 

"Oh, God," Aseel's eyes widened at her brother in disbelief, both fret and thrill blending in her tone, "You're really going to do this!"

 

Rami smirked in response, handing her one of the six clanking tubes grouped in both his grips.

 

The twins had been intending to try out a 'highly effective' blend of tonics Dr. Farfoor had once babbled about.

 

Rami glanced at his sister and me, a dark grin painted below the optical glasses, as he slowly poured a colorless fluid from one of the tubes into the black bubbling pot, "The biggest mistake Farfoor would persistently make," he said in a hushed but eager tone, "is give away too much detail."

 

"What do you mean?" I asked in a cheerless tone.

 

The twins explained how the doctor would tell them about contents, effects, and amazing outcomes of a certain medicine, confidentially trusting them right after not to manually try it at home.

 

I didn't think the twins were the type who'd furtively sneak into drug cabinets and such, but I wasn't quite interested at the moment; all what mattered to me was the unanswered questions I had almost begged to be answered by that slightly deranged doctor, who always managed to renew his busy status whenever I opened my mouth to talk. The wristwatch I uncovered under my beige sleeve pointed at 9:37 PM, and I had to be back home an hour before midnight, just like I'd promised. I was running out of time, patience, and energy, while Dr. Farfoor was back inside his house 'attending' some crucial business.

 

"Well, where is he anyway?" I asked, swallowing the bother in my tone, "Didn't he say he'd be back soon?"

 

Rami sniggered, shaking his head as he poured down more fluids, "If you're familiar with the name: Homer Simpson,"

He told me without raising his head from the bubbling pot, "Then you've probably guessed how fast Farfoor falls asleep."

 

Asleep...? My eye brows cringed in a sad expression, something which Aseel noticed, turning to elbow Rami's ribcage with a glare, the boy slightly recoiling in response.

 

"Jad, what's wrong?" she kindly asked.

 

"Uh--Nothing, I'm fine." My face wasn't convincing though, "Just a little tired."

 

"Whatever he has on his mind, Aseel, it would all sweetly escape as soon as he tries this out." Rami proudly said, scooping a sample of the bubbling mixture he'd been stirring for the past few minutes.

 

"No, thanks." I politely said.

 

"Alright," he lifted a palm up, slightly tilting his head, "Your choice, but if you ever change your mind, simply snap your fingers."

 

The twins raised their newly filled tubes, staring at the rickety, dark mixture in silent awe.

 

Dr. Farfoor was probably asleep, I internally sighed, looking down at the slender tube Rami had given me, mentally announcing for the millionth time my absolute failure to help the Husky in anyway possible. I secretly glimpsed at the beautiful white-and grey furry neck lapelled with the plain black collar. His paws calmly shifted towards me, and I heard a bark, my eyes still gazing down at the dangerous blend in the tube.

 

"Don't worry, my friend." I raised my head at his concerned baby-blue, with a weak smile, "The effects only last for an hour." I carefully brought the magical dark droplets close to my lips.

 

Yes…I'd probably need an hour away from sanity; away from realizing how short the distance had winded before those gorgeous baby-blue eyes would depart. If he really were a human, I thought, he wouldn't want another minute wasted with a wimpy, helpless boy like me. I had grown tired of the crackling, warming flames reflected in my hopeless shade of brown.

 

My eyelids gradually fell, as my comatose mind gladly welcomed the nothingness…

 

 

--- --- ---

 

 

Was this long, wild dream finally over? I thought as my toes felt the gentle stroke of my bedroom curtains…The dazzling sunlight engulfed the black and lively bird chippers faded in out of my ears…The sunlight moderated, uncovering the green lawn and a few trees ahead; this was our front yard. A view of a tanned, squared carton zoomed closer to my feet. A younger reflection of me sat on the stone pathway, intensely smiling down at what it contained, next to a younger version of a rowdy boy with a bright red hat tilted to the side of his short brown curly hair. Dujaun?

 

 

The picture drifted back into nothingness again.

 

The bleak silence unveiled again, my eyes opening to the weakened flames under the black pot, delicate, faded white flakes quietly falling in the fog, scattered around two other motionless bodies further, accompanied by the winter sighs. How much did those idiots have?

 

Regaining senses was the least amusing, since I'd been lying on the chilly, thickening carpet of snow numbing my left shoulder.

 

I hissed squeezing my eyes at the unkindly pounding head as I started to sit up.

 

A severe, extended sound of shattering glass resounded from a distance, "AGH!" a loud, bloodcurdling male groan shot from the closest window of Dr. Farfoor's house. Was someone in there?

 

 Husky! I internally gasped pushing up my palms against the cold snow to stand on my feet only to limply clout down on my stomach again.

 

S**t…I clenched my teeth, pushing myself up again, one hour or one minute, I guessed my body needed a while to get rid of the chemicals drenched in my blood.

 

My shaky feet struggled to the half-open main entrance. Now I was certain someone had broken into the doctor's house.

 

"D-doctor!?" I stammered, "Are you alright!?" Silence met my frantic calls, "What happened?" It was pitch dark in the living room beyond the door, except for the lone glow of dying fire passing through the window, casting a frail spotlight on the numerous splinters of glass and strong-scented colors dripping in puddles on the wooden floorboards.

 

All those potions I'd spend all afternoon sorting…I slightly frowned, my hands shaking on my sides and my heartbeats growing to a cautionary rhythm. What the hell was going on in here?

 

"Husky!" I called again in between the stifling lumps rapidly forming in my rigid throat, "Where are you!?"

 

A sound of a creak in the wooden floor behind me, and a taller outline vaguely evident in the weak window light slowly embraced the shadow at my feet.

 

My eyes grew wider and a warm palm slipped from the back, enfolding my lips, interrupting my gasp, and the sweet, familiar scent of fresh jasmine stroked the heated breath around me.

 

"Shh." a hushed voice sighed above my left ear, "I'm here."

Author's Note

Chapter (9) finally COMPLETE! -phew- Now, I think Dr. Farfoor was a terrible man in this part, because I'm sure readers are DYING to know if he can actually turn Husky back into human form. Jad's dream will be explained in further chapters. I truly hope you've enjoyed reading. Thank you so much and stay very tuned.

Reviews

[Deviant Works]

Oh you're such a meanie head! I can't believe you ended this chapter like this.:) Yes, I have been dying for Husky to be changed back to a human, I want to see what happens with Jad and him. Now all I know is Husky's real name starts with "A" and that he talked in a dream, as a human. Gosh, you're killing me here, Wella. As usual another wonderful, magical, amazingly written chapter. I really love this story.

[Erin]

“Well, I was surprised really, because of how oblivious I was to the doctor's attentive wrinkled eyes behind those spectacles.”
You underlined the word “was,” and I assume you did so because you wanted to stress the verb. Because this sentence is italicized to begin with, all you need to do is leave it un-italicized. I’m pretty sure that the point of italics is to differentiate two words so one word is more important than the other, so this is what you should do when the tables are turned.
Your word choice, like the last chapter, was excellent. I liked the turn in the plot. It keeps me on the edge of my seat. Nice job.
PBP

[Havatara]

I was kind of confused about why you brought up Husky's past name. It may be important in later chapters, but the way you put it in was too short and too abrupt. You just went straight from that to something else entirely without really explaining anything in between. Was Jad still sitting at the table when Husky brought him his beige jacket? I have no clue. Also, in the next scene, when was that? Later that night? It's not entirely clear, except for the time you gave. I could have been the NEXT night.
I must say, though, I LOVE this story. I like the Aseel and Rami's constant bickering, and the plot is just amazing! I can't wait for you to continue this. Keep writing and happy holidays.

[kaylynnmelody♥]

Wow, this was great! thank so, so much for this book. i needed a really good read for the Christmas break and you gave me my wish! thanks!

[Geralyn Miller]

Come, now, don't be so heartless, more, more.

[Revenge<3'sMe]

Loved it! Sorry it took me a long time to review! But I loved this! Keep it goin!!

[tshigg]

Good job, looking forward to reading the rest : )

[Jonathan De Elvira]

"The twins groaned in a low sequence.



Ya Rabbi…you could barely trust the old man with a bowl of soup."...sometimes old people could predict things accurately and that's what most younger boy or girl felt a bit unease to have conversation with them especially when it comes to personal thingy, hurm the rest of the story seems to get interesting, I wonder what's going to happen next, this was very good, keep it up...

[Blossom]

Cliffhanger!!!! WHy?@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ it was such a good chapter. please update soon.

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good chapter. It was a long one. I didn't mind. Filled with good conversation and situations. I like the Doctor and her battle with him mentally. A strong chapter. I will look forward to the next.
Coyote