Savage Tales

the riddle and say ah-ha, here it is, this is what has become of that brilliant fellow being left alone with this little werewolf, mad thing from a zoo.
    The dog rips into the man and knocks him down but I say again and again, "Attack! Attack!" and each time when he would let up he continues the onslaught.
    Finally I can see that the man is no more and shall not rise again so I cease in my yells, the dog stops his biting, and comes to my cage for his reward. I give him the last of my food.

    That was three days ago, and I am in the cage still.
    Periodically the dog comes in to hover around the cage for a while, whimpering that it wants food.
    I deliriously mumble something at it and it leaves.
    After another day of fluorescent evaporation of my mind with dehydration and starvation, I think I see the dog chewing on his master. He is as hungry as I, and I don't blame the fellow.
    From the depths of something like sleep I hear a crash. It excites me and knocks me from a dream. But there is nothing else. Just a crash. When it fails to repeat, I fall into the fancy darkness of something in my mind once again.

    I awake to a word, a name, mine, or what I remember it to be.
    "Take it easy," say men in uniforms. They are opening my cage somehow. I am a frail skeleton. They pour some water down into me. I am so weak, and they have to carry me out.
    We emerge into daylight and it feels impossible. It is like descending over a waterfall and landing in a pool of poppies.
    I lapse again and it goes dark.

    I awake in a bed ever so comfortable. I did not think such comfort was possible. But here I am.
    A nurse comes in as I begin to stir and tells me some gobbledygook about lucky to be alive, horrible situation, such is war. Ad nauseam.
    So here I am enjoying my newfound life of freedom and comfort in the hospital bed when a uniform again comes in, a man, and he has a leash at the end of which is that dog.
    "I thought you might like to meet the fellow who saved your life," says the uniform.
    I look at the dog in disbelief. "Saved me… I thought he was dead. I thought we both were."
    "Naw, when he got hungry or thirsty enough he broke out right through one of those windows. A farmer down the road a ways recognized the dog and brought it back to the house. He knocked and saw that broken window and decided to call the police. And that's how come you're here."
    I barely understood in my lightheaded hospital-food daze. I smiled though.
    I looked down at the dog, my friend and savior by chance, and could barely muster friendship for a creature driven by its animal hunger, one that would turn on its master if the price was right.
    "Good dog," I said.

VAPID LAIR

    "It will only be for a few months," said Dad.
    "Absolutely not," said Mom. "I will not have one of those things in my home."
    "They're quite civilized," said Dad. "I've worked with Basturion nearly eighteen years. He's like a human. Sort of."
    "You communicate with him by satellite," said Mom. "He's on the moon. You don't have to share the room with him."
    "No, you'll get used to him," said Dad. "Just think of it as your duty to humanity. This is a historic day. I guess the kid is like a prince where he's from."
    "Where's he from, Dad?" I said.
    "Europa," said Dad. "That's one of Jupiter's moons."
    "I know that," I said, but in truth I didn't. There are too many moons. I can't keep track of them all. "What's his name?"
    "It's hard to pronounce, so they shortened it to Skooter," said Dad. "I think I see – yes, there's the secretary's car now. Put on your best smiles, gang."
    The car pulled up and one of Dad's coworkers got out, went to the other side, and let the kid out. I say kid but Dad had told us Skooter was about 48. I guess this stuff is relative. Skooter got out of the car like he'd never been in one before. He looked up at the sky and slowly brought his gaze over to us.
    "Hi, Skooter," said Dad. "So good to meet you!"
    My dad's been a diplomat as long as I can remember, so I've heard him use all kinds of phony voices and seen some very insincere things, but I think the way he talked with Skooter may have taken the cake. But then Mom suddenly jumped in with the company line too, like she just forgot everything she'd been saying a minute before.
    "Come here, Skooter," said Mom. "We want to meet you."
    Reluctantly, and with the help of the UN secretary, Skooter made his way over to us.
    "Hello, humans," Skooter slowly spoke.
    "My, that's some fine English!" said Dad.