Savage Tales

most loyal," said the man, swimming in the well water.
    "Have no fear, master," said Dog, who dived down into the well after his master, "I am here. I will save you."
    "Idiot beast!" said the man. "Now we shall both drown."
    "I can save you," said Cat. "I can lower the rope so you may pull yourself up."
    "Good cat!" said the man. "So wise of you. Do it."
    "However, before I do so, I have one small request," said Cat. "I want you to leave Dog at the bottom of the well to die like the fool he is."
    "Cat, what are you saying?" said Dog.
    "Yes, I'll do anything," said the man. "Just lower the rope."
    Cat lowered the rope to the man, who pulled himself out of the well. Safe again on dry ground, the man lowered the rope into the well to Dog.
    "What are you doing?" said Cat. "We agreed to let Dog drown."
    "I know," said the man, "but Dog is loyal, even if he is foolhardy."
    "I see that your word is good for nothing," said Cat. "And I see that Dog will be my enemy for all time."
    Dog bit the rope the man had lowered into the well, and the man pulled him up.
    "You are not to be trusted, Cat," said Dog, shaking the water from his fur.
    "So be it," said Cat. "This is how I am repaid for my loyalty."
    After saying this, Dog barked at Cat, who ran away into the forest.
    Cat would sometimes return to visit the man, but eventually Dog would see Cat and chase him off. Man occasionally fed and pet Cat, but Cat was destined to remain Dog's enemy and lurk in the shadows.

WITH C HRISTIAN

    I was in a classroom. There was another boy there, Christian Valvula. We were being punished for a crime I couldn't remember. Silence reigned. The teacher had his back to us. I couldn't even make out who it was. He never showed his face, just kept fiddling with his chalk which refused to write. He struggled with it. On and on.
    "Psst! Christian."
    "Don't talk, you'll get us in trouble," he whispered.
    "You used to be fun, Christian. You used to be daring."
    "That was before I was punished."
    "You used to like the Chicago Bulls. You were so enthusiastic."
    "I've lost my enthusiasm."
    "You used to chew Trident gum."
    "No, not me. You're thinking of someone else."
    Perhaps I was. I wanted to give him a pack of Trident gum to see how he'd respond. But I didn't have any. I searched through my desk and all I could find was a pack of Kit Kat candy.
    "Christian, would you like a chocolate-covered wafer biscuit bar confection?"
    "What?"
    "Nothing. I don't have any gum."
    "What?"
    Someone had turned Christian into a moron. Was it the same person that had put us in these seats? Was it the same person who had filled me with amnesia?
    "I'm gonna eat this," I said. A ruse to distract Christian.
    I peeled the wrapper off and shoved the chocolatey morsel into my desk and pretended to chew it. It was only noise that I chewed. My real target was the wrapper. I searched it for some clue. The corporate information was blurry. Or my eyes had tears. I kept trying to read, but so little came through. Only a telephone number. Some kind of quality feedback hotline.
    I had to get out of there and call it. It would explain everything.
    I stood up quietly. The teacher didn't seem to notice.
    "What are you doing?" said Christian.
    "Shh," I said.
    I began to tiptoe out. Christian got up and joined me.
    Once outside, we breathed a sigh. "Why'd you follow me?" I said.
    "I didn't want to be in there alone with Wemick."
    "That was Wemick? I've heard of him."
    "What now?"
    We seemed to be in a forest. Trees with pine needles went hundreds of feet into the air. We walked on till we came to a paved road.
    "A car will come," I said.
    "And then?"
    "You worry too much about the future. I've got a telephone number. Once we call it –"
    "You and your mystical telephone number!" said Christian.
    I could not fathom this outburst. "If you want to part ways, we can."
    "No, I'm here now. Might as well keep at it."
    A van rounded the road and came our way. I stuck out my thumb and prompted Christian to do the same.
    "And now we're common hitchhikers," said Christian. "What if they recognize us?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "We just broke out. They might be on the lookout."
    The Kit Kat bar was beginning to melt, and yet I thought I had left it in my desk. I smeared it on my jawline so it looked like a beard and had Christian do likewise.
    "Now they won't know us," I said.
    The van pulled over and let us in. The driver was a rusty old man.
    "Where you boys heading?"
    "That way," I said.
    "I don't want