THE LEGEND OF THE DARA Promise Kept

A Novel

By

Robert W. ReedCopyright Pending 2007

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DEDICATION___________________________

To my wife, Victoria,You have walked through this life with meAlways by my side, never stepping away.Your love and encouragement made this book possible.Your heart keeps mine in rhythm.

To our son, BrettOur greatest loveOur greatest achievementProud of how he grew to manhoodAnd of who he is, our greatest joy.Thank you for your love and faith and support throughThose dark days.

For my grandchildren

Kyle and AlyssaYou are the “Handsome Man” and the “Most Beautiful Girl in the whole wide world.”You will see and do things in your life I have never dreamed. I hope this book will help guide you through your journey.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS__________________________________

Chapter One …………….. The Finding ……………….. 6

Chapter Two ……………. Without Warning ………… 15

Chapter Three ………….. The New Guys Cometh….. 31

Chapter Four …………… The Adventure Begins …… 47

Chapter Five ……………. The Awakening ……… …. 101

Chapter Six ……………... The Revelation ……… …... 119

Chapter Seven ………….. Earthbound ……………….. 147

Chapter Eight …………... The Companions, …… ……166 the Pop and the Alien

Chapter Nine …………… The Pursuit ………… ……. 221

Chapter Ten …………….. Escape to the Cape …… …. 250

Chapter Eleven ………… The Loss …………… ……… 282

Chapter Twelve ………... The Reunion ………… …… 290

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS______________________________________

Edited by Victoria E. ReedThank you for your long hours and dedicated work.

______________________________________________________

TO MY FATHER, an old soul and gentle spirit. He was my poet and teacher. He gave me thought and balance. I remember wee hours of the morning and we would talk and love was there and never fading. He taught me life; about manhood and honor. About right and wrong. About giving. About trust.

“If you want the brass ring in this merry go-round of life, you must stand in the stirrups and reach a little further from the horse. Just take care not to lose yourself in the process.” …. Stephen Jay Reed, Sr.

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ASPECTS

When we first appear on this earth, we are innocent and trusting and loving We are an empty vessel, no memories, no fears, no hatredsCompletely unguarded Having unconditional faith in the world around us,We are endowed with the two aspects that carry us throughAspects that are eternalFirst is Expectation Expectation of lifeThat although, we see and experience that part of life That is thrust upon us,And in spite of the hunger, and cruelty, the anger, the pain And iniquitous death, There is a purity, a peace, A serenity of lifeThat is our quest …to find that essenceAnd there, deep inside our heart, is the subsequent aspect The genesis of who we are… our SpiritEager to explore the world around usSome humans believe that all living things have a SpiritOthers call it a Soul, They are separate, and they are one But there are many names for this fundamental Element of our nature Of who we areA presence in the vastness of infinite galaxiesWe are a fleeting part of the fabric of the universe,That surrounds us and is never endingIn the beginning, our Spirit soars impatiently through this cosmosSearching for its predestinationA deer, a dove, an infant childAnd suddenly it appears, inside,This quintessence of goodness, of loveThat cannot be destroyedAnd then, at last, we find that peace within our restive coreAnd so it was with this face….

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This little faceComplete with an undaunted Spirit And an Expectation That all the love in your heartWill be given to his Until he becomes That perfect joy, that perfect part of youThat white butterfly

CHAPTER ONE

The Finding

A DOG BY DEFINITION: A BELOVED FRIEND BY NATURAL SELECTION…THEIRS.

TO the POP FROM the DAR

THE TIME HAD COMETHE LONG WAIT OVER

YOU STOOD BEFORE MEAND CALLED TO ME

IT ECHOED INSIDE MY HEARTMY EYES QUICKLY SEARCHED

YOUR FACELOOKING FOR YOUR SMILE

AT LASTIT WAS THERE

I STOOD UPSTRAIGHTER THAN I HAVE EVER

STOOD BEFOREI WAS PROUD AND STRONG

I COULDN'T SPEAKTHE WORLD STOPPED

I HAD WAITED SO LONGI WAS THE LAST ONE

MY FRIENDS WERE GONEI WAS ALONE

I WANTED A HOMELIKE THE OTHERS

THE CAGE DOOR OPENEDYOU PICKED ME UP AND HELD ME

IN YOUR ARMSYOU WOULDN’T LET GO

I HELD YOU TIGHT

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AT LONG LAST I WAS NOT AFRAIDI WAS SURE

I KNEW I JUST KNEW YOU WERE THE ONE

AND THEN I HEARD YOU SAY,THIS IS THE BOY I WANT TODAY

I WAS YOURSYOU WERE MINE.

That’s how it started, the DAR and I. They called him Max at the pet shop. He looked tough, in a way, and Max was a great name for a tough guy, but I saw something else in this beautiful face. I could see the anger and hurt of things from the past. His eyes haunted me. I wanted him to feel safe; that would be our challenge. It would take a long time, but in the end, it was the best of all worlds, the affection of hearts, the attachment of hearts. But first, we would change his name.

It was Christmas Eve, 1988. I was panicked, my Christmas shopping was at an end, but I still hadn’t gotten that “big” present for my wife. Earlier in the day, I began my desperate thinking. I couldn’t remember any of the things she had hinted at during the year. So now, foolishly, I had to ask my wife if there was anything she would like that she hadn’t mentioned? There was fear, fear that she would remind me that I should know and not have to ask and suffer the pain of sadness and disappointment on her face. But deep down I knew that was not her nature. It was not the first time this had happened and probably not the last. The moment was here. It’s Christmas and I was broke and ashamed that I couldn’t buy the person I love most in this world, a present she would never buy for herself. I guess I had that look on my face as she looked at me, I knew she understood. She just smiled as if to say, it’s OK. “Well,” she said, “do you remember that little black dog with the white vest at Dana’s (pet shop)?” (We always called his white vest and his black coat a tuxneato.) “No,” I said. “Well, I was in there today and all the dogs have been adopted except him. He just looked so sad sitting there by himself. If you’re out again, just go in there and take a look at him. You may think he’s funny looking and

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if you don’t want him, I’ll understand; but, just promise you will take a look at him.” I quickly agreed, but thought that a dog was not what I had in mind, even though we have always had dogs from the second year we were married, over forty years ago. Dogs were part of our life, but I thought my wife should have something special. Little did I know.

So, out I went, into the rain, headed for the mall to look at dresses, coats, shoes. Size didn’t matter, just something to put under the tree. This was crunch time. Cooking appliances were just a fleeting thought and possibly the worst idea man ever had to give his wife for Christmas. It certainly had the potential to extinguish the flame of love with the woman of your dreams, at least on Christmas night.I started to panic; then came the thoughts of hating Christmas and how commercial it had become. Why couldn’t we make gifts to give our loved ones like they did a hundred years ago? I can see it now. “Hey, Buddy, I was going to get you a new stereo for your car; but, I thought you’d appreciate this clay pot I made with my own hands. You can put your loose change in there and save up for that stereo. And honey, I made this big tub for you. It’s real wood, so you can wash clothes in it if the washer breaks down.” Yeah, that’s a good idea. I drive faster.

At last, I reached the parking lot and as I came to a stop and put the car in park, I realized I was not at “the Mall,” I was at the “strip mall.” As I looked up through the windshield, I saw those fateful words on the sign in front of me…”Dana’s Pet Shop.” Yup, there I was. My brain had been taken over by my heart. It took control to protect me, knowing my brain was “offline.” The poor thing just went “down” as a result of too many thoughts and too much anxiety at one time. Not enough RAM (Random Access Memory), as they say in the computer world. I was saved from those final hours of frantic shopping, picking over leftovers, and fighting other desperate shoppers with blood in their eyes.

I opened the door of the car and began a journey of joy that will be in my memory and my heart forever.

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I walked through the door of the pet shop, and went straight to the back of the shop without my usual greeting to Dana, the shop’s owner, who was busy working at the front desk.

As I approached the cages where the dogs were kept, I saw him, lying with his chin on his front paws. His eyes spotted me, but he did not move. The eyes just followed me, expecting me, I guess, to continue toward the cat section, since there were no other dogs to adopt. Certainly, he thought, he couldn’t be coming for me. Nobody would adopt me; I’m just too ugly. He was a Shih-Poo. He was a “designer dog. ” Of course, we didn’t know that until years later, when it became fashionable to make big money from mixed breed dogs.

When I reached the cage, I hesitated a moment, just staring at him. He finally looked up at me, I mean directly into my eyes, and that was it. He had a way about him as if he could read your mind…a look that spoke volumes. My heart started to beat faster. I leaned over and spoke my first words to the future Radar Reed. “Hi Guy, why the long face? Would you like to come out and say hello?” His head suddenly snapped to attention and, in a flash, he was on his feet. His face was determined. Really, mister, you want me to come out and play? Max thought, with that determined look on his face. He was beautiful. I couldn’t believe someone had not adopted this guy.

Suddenly, I became anxious. It was Christmas, I thought, was he already sold and Dana was just holding him until the owner returned to pick him up? I turned to look for some help from a clerk, and whadda’ ya’ know, like magic, one suddenly appeared, front and center. “Hi,” she said with a big smile, “His name is Max,” she said, as she quickly opened the door and picked him up. “Would you like to hold him?” “Yes,” I said, as I felt this gentle soul quietly slip into my arms. His black, shinny coat was like silk. He started to shiver; I thought he was cold, but in retrospect, I think he just thought this was the Super Bowl, score tied, 4th quarter, 6 seconds on the clock, 3 yard line. No room for error, no mistakes, just your best performance.

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This was not like before when people would hold him for a minute, hand him back and say, “no thanks” and be put back in his cage. This time was different; I didn’t hand him back. I continued to hold him and would not let him go. It was cold in the store. His thin coat was not enough to keep him warm; he continued to shake. He was holding me tight and would not loosen his grip. Maybe he was adopting me and he wanted to let me know he was not going to reject me. After a few minutes the shaking abruptly stopped. Max was calm. We both relaxed. I wanted to be liked as well. The clerk gestured, as if to say, “I’ll take him from you now.” I pulled back from her, letting her know I wanted to continue holding him. “What is his breed,” I asked. “A Shih-Poo,” came the answer. “Well, I guess my next question is, how much is he?” The clerk seemed so surprised I had asked the price. Max had never gotten that far with a customer before. They would just say he was cute and back he would go into the cage. Her face was filled with excitement; her eyes opened wide. “I don’t know, I’ll ask Dana,” she said, as she quickly turned and rushed to the front of the store to get the answer.

It seemed like she was gone forever. I was getting nervous. Max’s heart and mine were beating in rhythm. We were like school kids waiting outside the principal’s office. The most I could afford was $75, but hoped I could negotiate a better price. I just knew he would be more. He just looked expensive.

Over the years, Dana had sold some dogs for four and five hundred dollars and more. I couldn’t afford that and feared that moment when I would have to let go of my new friend.

Finally, I heard footsteps rushing toward me. I could see the clerk coming down the aisle with a serious, but contented look on her face like a car salesman who was about to score a hat trick. What the hell does that mean, I thought. As she stopped in front of me, she gently put her hand on Max’s head, as if she was preparing to take him from me. Maybe, she was just trying to keep him calm, so

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that I would not learn of his one quirky trait; his alter-ego, “Rabberman.”

“Would $10 be OK?” she said. “Huh? What?” I said. Did she say $10 or $110 or $410? I thought. “Excuse me,” I said, “how much was that, again?” “$10,”she said, defensively, “but we would throw in some food and a collar and leash, if you take him.” Man, it really is Christmas, I thought. I probably should have asked, “What’s the catch?” But I didn’t. I scored.

“Well,” I said, “this is the boy I want today; I’ll take him or maybe he’s taking me,” I said jokingly. The clerk didn’t smile, she was too nervous; she almost jumped out of her shoes. With a look of satisfaction, she skipped down the aisle to the front, as if she were leading her high school band in the Rose Parade. She was probably thinking that she couldn’t believe someone would ever adopt Max.

I walked quickly to the front counter to pay (“submit the donation for adoption”), as we say at our house. After all, no one “buys a dog,” you make a donation to help other “four-footers” find a home. At least, that’s the way we think about it. How could you ever think about a loved one, a precious family member, an SRD (Spoiled Rotten Dog), a PITA (Pain In The Ass), a RASCAL (Really Assertive, Silly Canine And Larcenist) as someone you “bought?”

I didn’t know it yet, but I was holding the new head of the household, “The Boss.”

[By the way, for legal buffs, a larcenist is someone who steals your socks and puts holes in them and then leaves them right in front of you, without shame, as if that was something you really wanted him to do.] However, it should be noted, that sometimes the socks disappear and are never found again until you move.

To this day, I still think twice before I throw my socks on the floor. When I would take my shoes off at night and find a hole in my sock, I would tie it in a knot and throw it on the floor as a decoy. It didn’t work. It never worked. He could always tell the difference between

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the socks I didn’t want and the socks I wanted to use again. Brat! I should have reversed the process. Well, probably that wouldn’t have worked either; he was just smarter than me, but I wouldn’t admit it…yet.

Anyway, I watched nervously as Dana prepared the paperwork and gently, but firmly, advised me regarding his care and feeding, even knowing we have had dogs for years. “Yes, yes,” I said in a patronizing voice, wondering why she didn’t remember all of our dogs and their history by heart. “Max is very special,” she said, “he will need a lot of love and care. If you find you don’t want him for any reason; if there are any problems, feel free to bring him back, no questions asked.” “Of course,” I said, not really listening, just wanting to leave with my Christmas treasure.

I was starting to panic, fearful they would realize they made a mistake and take him from me. I frantically reached for my wallet. For an instant, I thought I would have to put Max down on the floor so I could concentrate on finishing my business. That was not to be; he would not let go. I handed Dana my wallet with my free hand and asked her to take the money out for me. She obliged.

At last, we were ready. I picked up all the goodies, the food, the collar and leash, and the bowl. Yup! They threw in a bowl, too.

So, off we went into the night like thieves with stolen loot.

As I closed the door behind us, I could see the look of disbelief on his face as he looked over my shoulder at that door as we disappeared into the dark and the rain.

Someone is really taking me home, he thought. He would no longer wonder what happened to all those other kitties and puppies when they went through “that door.” Now, he will know. No more to circle endlessly in a cage barely large enough for him to turn around, day after day, and month after month, thinking he must have fallen through the gates of Hell, unable to run and play and be loved. That was the first ten months of his life.

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As we reached the car, the rain came pouring down even harder. I tried to shelter Max from the rain, but it was soaking his head. I hurried as I opened the door and scooted him to the passenger side. He didn’t know what to make of the rain; he had that curious look on his face that would be uniquely his the rest of his life. Did he wonder if it was always dark and always raining outside “that door?” I just sat there with him for a minute before heading off. I reached in the back seat and found a cloth to dry his head. “There, that’s better, isn’t it, guy?” I said. He just stared at me as if to say, Thanks, Pop, that’s a lot better. Just think, he now had someone he could call “Pop.” It was just one of those seemingly insignificant moments that will stay in my memory forever.

I started the car and off we went. We were only a mile and a half from home. As we turned into the driveway I said, “this is it, Max, your new home.” I hit the remote for the garage door and in we went. I started to get excited about presenting this little creature to my wife. This was one present I couldn’t wrap. As I picked him up from the front seat, I thought, Lord, did she say just take a look at him? She didn’t really say bring him home, did she? What if she meant take a look at him, I know you won’t like him so get me that dress I told you about. Is that what she was saying? I could be in a lot of trouble here.

I quietly opened the door leading into the den from the garage. I walked softly into the living room and positioned myself in the entryway looking into the hall near the staircase. “Here goes,” I whispered in his ear as I held the “big” man tight. “Honey, I’m home,” I announced in my best Ricky Ricardo voice. I hesitated for a minute and looked at the DAR; he looked apprehensive, too. “Honey,” I yelled, “come here, I need you.” “OK, just a minute,” comes the reply.

In a few seconds we hear her footsteps as they slowly come down the stairs. As “the MOM” reached the bottom step, she turned to look at me standing in the living room. Her face was filled with surprise and disbelief. “Oh, my God, you got him, you got him,” she

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squealed as she rushed toward me. Her eyes were filled with tears; her arms outstretched in anticipation. I knew I hit the Christmas gift jackpot. As she quickly lifts him from my arms, I said, “Did I get the right size, this time?” “A perfect fit,” she said, as she embraced Max like a new mink coat (fake fur, of course).

He seems to recognize her. Maybe from her many visits to the pet shop to check and see if he was still there, half hoping he had not been adopted. To this day, my wife believes he was the best Christmas present she has ever received…and all for $10. As the kids say, “I rule, I’m the man.”

She held him for the longest time, and then gently lowered him to the floor so he could survey his new kingdom. He stood still for a minute, not really realizing he was not in a cage anymore … and never would be again. He took a few steps, and then turned in a circle. He took a few more steps then turned in a circle, again. It took us a while to figure out that this was conditioning. His whole life was in a small cage. He could only walk a few steps before he had to turn around. It would be months before this behavior would disappear.

He walked slowly over the hardwood floor. He ventured toward the sliding glass door and stopped and stared out into the pitch black. We carefully watched to see his reaction. My wife tugged on my arm and said, “Look at the reflection in the dark glass, his head looks like a radar screen. We looked at each other with a smile. I said, “that’s it … Radar Reed.” And a legend was born.

We gave him some food and water in the kitchen. He approached the food cautiously, and then gobbled it down. The guy could eat. He drank water endlessly.

The rain had stopped as we prepared to take him outside to do his business, before turning in for the night. As we opened the slider, we could hear our son’s car pull into the driveway. We looked at each other with sly smiles as if to say, this will be interesting…to see our son’s face when he sees the DAR for the first time.

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Will he think, at long last his parents have lost it. One more dog, he would think, just what we need. Well, we’ll find out in few minutes.

Up the stoop he comes. We took DAR into the den and sat him on the couch and returned to the kitchen to greet Buddy as he came through the door. Acting casual, I said, “hi Buddy, what’s up?” “Not much,” he said, as he headed for the fridge. It was late and time for one of his favorite programs, reruns of the original TV show, “Star Journey.” The MOM would always watch the shows with him into the early morning hours. They were night owls.

We watched as he made his way to the den, food in hand. As he turned to sit on the couch, we heard the fateful, exclamatory question, “Whoa, what the hell is that?” We both laughed as we hurried into the den. “Buddy, this is your new brother, Radar Reed. How do you like him?” I asked. Without waiting for an answer, I added, “Looks a little like you, don’t you think?”

He sat there for a minute, just looking at him…maybe wanting to say how funny looking he was, but not wanting to hurt his mother’s feelings. Guessing that was his thought, I said, “He thinks you’re funny looking too.” Whenever my son disapproved of my comments, he would respond, affectionately, “What a Hoser,” one of the memorable phrases that continue in his repertoire to this day. However, he has since modified that phrase to my dismay.

He turned on the TV throwing more light into the dimly lit room. “Are you going to keep him?” Buddy asked. “You bet we are,” I replied. Brett just shook his head. DAR would wear him down and they would become best buddies.

“Well, it’s time to introduce the DAR to the BIZ,” I announced.

But first, I feel compelled to tell you a little bit about the people who came before the DAR, one of whom was still with us upon the DAR’s arrival…the BIZ. These were a collection of loved ones with their own unique stories and personalities. Some were rascals, some

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thought they were “the boss” in the family; some were quiet and unassuming, one had a sullied reputation in the neighborhood…all were loved and all brought joy to our home.

CHAPTER TWO

WITHOUT WARNINGThe Crew (the back story)

(In order of appearance)

Lady (Poofer Bear)

We were married in the early sixties. Prior to our marriage, no-body had warned me about my wife and her love for animals and what was about to happened to me. I was destined to spend all but the first year of our marriage with dogs in the house, typically, with two or three at a time.

Not a big deal, some would say, but given my history with animals or lack of it, it was a big deal in the very beginning.

My father was an old soul and loved animals. My mother was a new soul and didn’t like animals. Actually, it went beyond that, she was terrified of animals, especially dogs. This was sort of strange for a woman who was raised around animals on my grand-parents ‘suburban farm,’ although there were no dogs in my grandmother’s house. The bottom line was that there were no dogs in my house, when I was growing up. However, my Pop made up for the lack of dogs in our house by taking the neighbor’s dog, Snooky, with him early each morning when he walked across the road and over the hill to Westbrook (in Portland, ME) to go fishing before going to work. He had a pal and Snooky loved the early morning adventure.

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So now, fast-forward seventeen years. It is ten months after we were married, our son was born. Yes, everybody counted the months just to make sure his conception occurred after the wedding.

Eight months after that, we rented a house across the street from my in-laws. Within a month, my wife heard that a neighbor’s German shepherd had nine puppies. Our first dog was one of those pups. Her name was Lady, the Poofer Bear. Don’t ask; our son Brett (Buddy) gave her this nickname when he started to talk. We don’t know why, but the name stuck. Brett’s silly nicknames would become a tradition and every dog we had after that would be given a nickname or two or three.

In retrospect, our family would have seemed incomplete without dogs. During his life with us, if Buddy ever came in the door and wasn’t greeted by a gaggle of dogs, he would have known immediately he was in the wrong house.

Lady helped raise our son. The two of them bonded immediately and she became his protector and his nanny, and most importantly, his best friend. Although, I think he loved all of our dogs, he would never share a relationship with a dog that way again. Lady had a reputation in the neighborhood; sullied though it was. Fences and block walls were not a problem for her. She could scale them like a seasoned mountain climber. The neighbor kids taught her this skill by teasing her with goodies. God bless them all, the little darlings! When it came to scaling backyard walls, she would make a cat look like an amateur. Did you ever see a German shepherd climb a wall like she (or he) was stepping over a garden hose?

So, without going into the x-rated details, she had two litters and all of the fathers were known; they were the guys next door and across the street. Lady wanted to keep her unauthorized, over-the-fence, adventures local; that way the fathers could see the kids, everyday. What a girl; a fallen woman with a heart.

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I prefer to think the fathers took advantage of my little girl. But in reality, I know it was the other way around. She was determined, dominant and smart. Those boys didn’t have a chance. They were toys for her pleasure. There are names for girls like that, but to me, she was my beautiful, regal and loyal Lady. She looked like a lioness, and in my eyes could do no wrong. She was a story to be told.

Buddy was nine months old when we got her. When we introduced Buddy to Lady (six weeks old) we were concerned he might be too rough with her and injure her or worse. So we had to constantly reinforce caution with more caution…sort of like the Homeland Security warnings, but we were always at red alert.

As Lady grew she became more attached to Buddy, but was always aware of his wild antics and rough play. As time past, she developed an innate sense about Cowboy Buddy. Whenever he would sneak up on her while she was asleep, she would slowly raise her back leg and push him away as he made his final leap; she did this without even opening her eyes. Since Buddy was just starting to walk, his balance was unsteady and he would always end up sitting on his diaper. If he cried, we would not extend a sympathetic hand or word, but caution him about the dangers of his endless pursuit of rough play with his best friend.

Eventually he learned, as the bond grew stronger, and they became best friends. She was always there at bath time to make sure his mother removed all the day’s dirt. While in the tub, sometimes Lady would lick the side of his face if she thought his mother missed a spot.

As a child, Buddy had asthma and it was serious stuff. He was hospitalized when he was a baby and we were told bad things could happen, but he got well. However, we learned that prevention was better than a trip to the ER. I built a tent frame with aluminum tubing and covered it with plastic. When Buddy had an asthma attack, I would hook up the humidifier and stick the nozzle through

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the plastic. He would sit in a chair inside the tent with his raincoat on to keep dry in the heavy moist air. This would allow him to breath easier, but it was still a scary time. He was a brave soldier as he looked up at you with a sorrowful expression, through the misty plastic.

At night when he was having problems breathing, his mother would lay in bed with him and rub his back until he fell asleep. When she came back to bed, Lady would remain by his side. If he began to develop breathing problems in the middle of the night, Lady would run in and wake us. She wouldn’t bark, but rather jump up on the bed and poke us with her nose or paw. She would not leave until one of us was sitting straight up in bed. She was a smart girl or should I say woman. She was his protector. God help the person who would try to stop her. He was her mission in life.

If a stranger came toward Buddy without our permission, she would step between him and the advancing “danger.” We didn’t teach her this, it was all her. No one ever challenged Lady. No one was that stupid. No one could approach him without first being introduced by Vicki or me. Even at that, she would always watch, always guard.

She always walked with pride, with her head held high, even when she was dying of cancer. When we had to put her to sleep, we did not tell Buddy, we thought it would be too tough on him.

When we returned from the Vet, we told him. He just stood there for a minute and asked us, “why.” Brett knew Lady was sick and that she had surgery for cancer. I guess there is a period in your life when you’re growing up, that you think your parents can solve any problem that life presents. Children believe, that when push comes to shove, your parents will find the miracle, the answer, the solution. We told Brett that Lady was very sick and in great pain and because we loved her so much, we promised her we would take away her pain, forever. A promise we had to make to all those hearts that invaded ours.

Brett just turned and went to his room. We didn’t hear him cry, but 19

we knew he did. Maybe when Brett asked ‘why’, he was asking ‘why‘ did she get cancer? Why did his sweet, loyal friend, his protector, have to suffer this pain, this indignity, this outrage? Parents should know that, but we didn’t. Like most children, as Brett grew to adulthood, he would realize his parents were less than perfect.

After awhile. Brett walked back to the living room where we were waiting to talk to him about the matriarch of the family; that spirit that was sewn to ours and would never be torn away. His eyes were red. He always tucked his sorrow inside. That was his nature and we respected that. It was the second loss of a loved one in his life. The first was his Gramma. He was only five then and that made it a little easier, I guess. And like Lady, he and his Gramma were inseparable.

As we sat there that day, together we shared the great stories as we remembered her life. Something we do to this day, with all the angels that graced our life; but only when the three of us are alone together.

There was a great sadness around us for a long time. We went through all the normal emotions that people go through when they lose a loved one, sadness, anger, and guilt among them. We always wondered if Brett, at that age, thought we didn’t do enough to save her. The MOM and I felt the same way. Did we do enough? The Vet said he thought they got all the cancer; I guess he didn’t, but that’s another story.

When our son married, he got a dog. Guess what kind of dog he got? Guess what he named her?

The Phoo

Then there was Heidi (aka Phooey, the Phoo), part German shepherd and part Yellow Lab. She was quiet and unassuming. She was Lady’s daughter.

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When faced with a challenge, she would always take the path of least resistance and was never confrontational or demanding. She was also very gullible, although we don’t like to talk about it much. It was about the time the Ook (his identity is forthcoming) whispered in her ear and said, “Hey babe, your hot. Why don’t you come into the garage with me and I’ll show you my art work.” Once again, let’s just skip the detail and fast-forward nine weeks to that night when the Phoo was about to give birth to the Ook Monster’s kids.

The Poor Apology

I guess I should offer a mea culpa, here, that we finally learned our lesson about spaying and neutering. Everybody who came after the Phoo was either spayed or neutered. Yes, we were slow learners! In some respects we should have been ashamed that we brought these beautiful babies into the world not knowing whether they would have good homes or not.

As it turned out, we always found homes for these angels. We didn’t give puppies to kids, only adults. We asked if they lived in a house or in an apartment. Was there a landlord in the picture and did he or she allow dogs. We told the potential parent that their decision was a commitment for life not until they moved or got tired of feeding and picking up after their Companion. But at the end of the day, we never knew who would be loved and who would be abandoned or in harm’s way.

In retrospect, there was no defense for what we did.

But then, in those days, no one looked at you as stupid or selfish because your dog had pups. Forty years ago, life was different. Our society was different then, in almost every way. I am sure there were spay and neuter programs back then, but they weren’t widely disseminated through the media. Many times, neighbors would ask for one of the puppies; that’s how we got Lady. Most of the puppies would grow up right in the neighborhood. Some were given to co-workers.

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That’s when neighbors were neighbors. When there were neighborhoods with ‘mom and pop’ stores a short walk from the house. A milkman delivered milk to your door; the bread truck came down your street every other day. And, if you were lucky, an egg lady would bring fresh eggs to your door or you got them from your back yard.

It was when neighbors talked to each other, had parties together, went to weddings together and yes, went to funerals together. You knew who they were, where they worked, how many children they had, their names and ages. Their kids went to school with your kids. The kids played together in the neighborhood. “Latch key” kids were not the norm, yet. There was no such thing as “play dates,” the kids just went outdoors and played with the neighbor kids. No big deal!

On Halloween, you sent your kids out into the neighborhood by themselves, in the dark, to go ‘trick or treating’ with their friends. The kids dated when they grew to their teens and sometimes married. In those days, most people married between 18 and 22 years of age. I think it is now a federal crime to marry that young.

Gas was 28 cents a gallon, a new car was $3000 or less and tract houses were $18,000 to $28,000. In 1964, my father bought a farm for six thousand dollars in upstate New York. You could rent a nice house for $100 a month in a nice neighborhood in Los Angeles.

It was before you knew everything you ate or drank was bad for you and everything in the environment could kill you.

There was no cable, satellite dishes, cell phones, personal computers, ATMs everywhere, no credit card crunch (Visa and Mastercard were not household words), and there were very few foreign cars. There were no yuppie coffee stores or mega burger or pizza franchises on every corner. Gas stations changed your oil and repaired your car. What a concept that was!

The problem with technology and media in general was that our 22

access to information was limited and in some cases controlled. In those days, we were not aware we were poisoning our earth, and that we weren’t fixing the problem.

However, television was coming alive in one sense. The Vietnam War was the first war we saw “up close and personal.” There were other events that helped television grow, but not necessarily mature. There were those moments, however; the Kennedys…the election, Camelot, the assassination, and the fulfillment of his goal to land a man on the moon.

A livable and comfortable wage was eight to ten thousand dollars per year. You could fill a shopping cart for twenty dollars, and every high school kid could tell you what FDR, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower did for a living.

That was another world, and in some respects a better world.

They say you can never go home again, but there are many who try, and in some respects, a very few succeed.

As someone once said, “Life is like a grammar lesson, the past is perfect and future is tense.” And there are those that say there is only one place to live …in the present.

But I think that life should be lived in the heart, where there is no sense of time.

So, anyway, here was Phoo, unassuming, quiet, and suddenly in command.Attempts to make her comfortable, for the exhausting hours ahead, were rejected with low, guttural growls, never before heard from this sweet, gentle face. She let me know she would pick the place and time she would give birth.

She dug a hole in the dirt, in the raised planter under a rose bush. Under a rose bush? Maybe she thought the first thing her babies should see in this world, was something beautiful. I followed her to

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make sure she would be OK. She turned and looked at me as if to say, “I’ll be fine, just leave me alone and let me do what I have to do.” I turned and walked back to the garage so I could stay in earshot.

I wasn’t going to go in the house; my little girl was going to have babies and I wanted to make sure she would be OK. I kept watching from afar.

I’m here for her, I thought. If anything went wrong, I would be there to help. Hey, wait a minute! What do I know? What am I going to do if she does need help, I don’t know anything about giving birth. I’m a guy! Guys just plant seeds (like the Ook did), we wait 9 weeks/or months and when the kids are born, we brag about how tough it was and hand out cigars. After all, the MOM took care of the birthing with Lady’s litters.

At that moment, my brain started to race faster than my heart. What should I do…Man, there has to be something I could do.

It was a moment of true desperation. Then, thankfully, the cavalry arrived. I heard a car in the driveway; it was the MOM. She was home from work. The Great Spirit had answered. She will know what to do.

I raced to the car before she had a chance to turn off the engine. I blurted out the story. “What should we do,” I said. The MOM turned off the engine and calmly asked where she was. I told her as we walked to the planter where the “Phoo” had dug her birthing den. The MOM motioned for me to stay back as she walked slowly toward the mother-to-be. It was one mother talking to another. She didn’t growl at her as she did me, but the “Phoo” looked at her intensely, as if to say, “I have to do this myself.” The MOM backed away and said, “It’s OK little girl, we’ll be right here when you’re ready for us to help.”

We were up most of the night, sometimes catnapping, constant trips to the yard, checking, waiting. About dawn, it was over. They were

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here. The birth process was quiet; we never heard a sound. The ”Phoo” got up and stumbled out of the den, she was exhausted. She did her business and returned to her brood.

We had to find a way to get the babies into the new box we had prepared for her in the garage. We decided that the MOM would prepare her food in the house and while she ate, I would move the babies into the box. Phooey didn’t eat much that morning, she was anxious to get back to her newborns.

She was a great mother, nurse (even to us, licking our boo-boos when we had them) and Companion. She lived her life quietly and never drew attention to herself…she was the invisible dog.

The Ook Monster

Charger (aka Charger T. Woofelshaus, the Ook, the Tooka, Tookles, The Ook Monster). He was the runt of the litter, son of Lady and the Border collie across the street, one of twelve in Lady’s second litter. We told people he was a pure bred, miniature German shepherd. Truly a lie, but we were always surprised at how many people believed it. It was always amazing to us how many people were interested in Charger T. when we told them that he a pure bred as opposed to us telling people he was a mixed breed, a Reed Breed. He and his brother were pushed aside by their mother shortly after birth. They were small and weak. Their mother had to make a choice. Survival of fittest, that’s the law of nature.

Early in the evening as I entered the garage to observe the new babies, I spotted the two infants in the corner of the box. I picked them up and moved them closer to Lady so they could get to the “bottles” (breast milk). Lady immediately took her nose and moved them away again. I got it. I looked at Lady and said, “Maybe you’re giving up on them, but I’m not.”

I gently picked up the Ook and his brother and took them in the house. I found a blanket and put it in a large roasting pan from the kitchen. Now what do I do? My wife was away, again, and I was

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going a little nuts. I had to keep them warm, I thought. I filled a hot water bottle with warm water and placed it under the blanket in the pan. As it turned out, that was the wrong thing to do.

After an hour or so, my wife came home from the last minute Christmas shopping and witnessed my rescue attempt, but didn’t challenge my decision to place the hot water bottle under the babies. It was Christmas Eve. The Ook was the first Christmas puppy.

I sat up with babies, checking on them every ten minutes or so. About 10 o’clock, I noticed that one of the babies was having trouble breathing. As I picked up the little guy, he took a big breath and then was quiet. He was gone. “ Damn it! I should have called the Vet hours ago,” I raged.

I ran to the phone and dialed the Vet. It was late, and Christmas Eve to boot, but in those days, Vets would answer the phone; no answering machines, pagers, voice mail, text messaging, or cell phones asking you to select one of the following options which sends you to another list that requires you to make another selection and another and another. Just a guy on the other end saying, “Hello, this is Dr. Jones.

“Doctor,” I said, “I’ve got big trouble.” I told the doctor the story and that one of the babies was gone. What could I do? “Take the other puppy off the hot water bottle, now,” the doctor said, “the heat will kill the other one, too.” “Can I just hold him?” I asked. “Yes, but don’t get the puppy too warm,” he continued. After instructing me on how to feed the little guy, I wished the doctor a merry Christmas and hung up quickly, knowing I wasn’t the most popular guy in his life right now.

It’s going to be a long night. I fixed the formula as instructed and put it in an old baby bottle we kept from our son, who was now seven years old. Why do we save that stuff? No one knows. Well, anyway, I’m glad we did. The MOM knew the right cupboard to dig in. She scrubbed it up and settled on the couch for the voyage

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toward morning. The doctor said if he makes it to morning, there is a good chance he will be OK. We watched Christmas shows on TV, all night. I cradled my wingless angel in my arm, trying not to get him too warm. My wife and I took turns dozing off and waking each other.

His eyes weren’t open yet. He was an innocent, at least right now. As the night wore on, he would slowly nuzzle under my arm. At first, I thought he wouldn’t be able to breathe, but he insisted. I guess he felt safe that way.

The Ook loved to lie on my arm against my stomach. This went on for weeks until he slowly began to explore the couch, then the room and then the house and finally, the BACKYARD. The BACKYARD, the great unknown, waiting to be explored, conquered, commanded, and ruled.

As he grew, he began to create his kingdom (the BACKYARD). He was the king, of course, except for his mother, Lady. He never told her what to do. He wasn’t stupid, just crafty.

Life with the Ook was a joy. Everyday he did something to make us laugh. It reminded us why we went to work each day…family, and he was a proud member.

And then it happened; there was this “one day,” this one, horrible day. He was three then, and we had just moved to the San Fernando Valley.

On this day, some kids in the neighborhood went down our street and opened all backyard gates and let as many dogs out as they could. Charger was among them. He was gone. We searched everywhere for days. I was desperate. I finally went to the newspaper with little hope that they would do anything to find a lost dog. Since when was that news!

I talked to the editor of our small, community, weekly newspaper in Canoga Park and told her about this wonderful person, this

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character, the maker of trucks and trailers (the Traveling Pooper), and the boy we loved, the Ultimate Chauvinist.

After a half an hour of my rambling about the “great exasperator,” she agreed to write a story. And what a story! The next day, in 72-point type, the headline read: HAVE YOU SEEN CHARGER T. WOOFELSHAUS? This wonderful woman must have loved dogs. She wrote a beautiful story about this boy who was so loved. I will forever be grateful to this “old soul,” who from the telling and from the hearing, felt a kinship to the king of rascals.

Early the next morning, we got a call. He was found a mile away in the expensive part of town, Woodland Hills. We rushed right over. As we entered the home, the “finders” said the description in the article sounded just like him. The woman opened a side door and called for their “foundling.” ”C’mon Scooter,” she softly said. And there he was “Scooter.” Scooter? Scooter certainly was not a name for a “grand pita.” It was the Ook Monster (we don’t know why Buddy named him that, but, as usual, it stuck).

“Charger T,” we cried in unison. He charges toward us, in his usual manner. I could see the look on his face as we held him. It said, “Hey man, don’t kiss me in front of strangers or anyone for that matter.” We are now crying as we thank his host for taking him in…out of the rain. “We found him crouched between two parked cars on the street in front of the house,” his host said. “He was soaked. He was cold and looked so frightened.” Frightened? I thought, the Ook Monster wasn’t afraid of anything. He was acting … one of his best performances, I’ll bet. The guy needed shelter and food. That was it. I wish I could have seen him. I wonder if they give Oscars to dogs? Nicholson would have been jealous.

“He really liked the pool,” explained the young man of the house, “that’s why we called him Scooter.” Huh? “He could swim through the water like he was on a scooter.” “Ah, makes sense, now,” I said. I just found Mark Spitz and Marlon Brando in the same furry suit. He was my guy.

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He didn’t play “ball.” If you threw a ball, he would just look at you as if to say, “Hey man, you threw it, you go get it. And while you’re at it, get my pool ready, I’m hot.”

Our favorite story or rather stories, since it happened many times, was when the Ook would escape out of the gate or front door and go on a walkabout, as we say. He wasn’t running away, he rarely ran anywhere. He was walking away; just going for a “snoop” actually. Most often we would assign the “recovery” task to our son, who would rather whack his finger with a hammer, than chase the Ook around the block. The problem was, Buddy would almost catch up to the PITA puppy, when he would take off, just staying far enough ahead to avoid capture. It was almost like a game, but not to Brett, of course.

After an unsuccessful five-minute pursuit to capture the Ook, frustration would set in. You could always look down the street and observe Buddy take off his flip-flop and toss it at the escapee. He would never come close to hitting the guy, but it made him feel better. Sometimes I would have to get in the car and “cut the ‘mister’ off at the pass.” In the end, you could count on Brett returning, carrying Pitaman in his arms. For some strange reason, Brett always thought he could catch him right away, and as a result, never took a leash with him when he went on a roundup. Sometimes, I think Brett would do it on purpose, to embarrass the Ook, so the neighbors could see the “full-grown” German shepherd being carried like a baby…how humiliating! It never stopped the guy; though, it would happen again and again.

By the way, the T in Charger T stood for Trouble, and that rhymes with “Trouble, right here in river city,” coincidentally. The name Charger came from me, visa vie my wife. When we were trying to think of an official name for ‘speedo man’, my wife recalled that I told her many times, that I would like to have a ’72 Dodge Charger. When we decided to keep him, the MOM said, “Well, it’s 1972 so here’s you r ‘72 Charger. The name stuck, that is except for ‘72 part. I mean after all, we couldn’t be yelling in the backyard, “Hey, ‘72, come here.”

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About the Passing

I cannot talk about the passing of our beloved people, easily. To die, to be with the dying is the most private of all life’s acts and is still painful, even when remembering the ones that left us years ago.

One or both of us was always at their side in the final moments. To a Puppy, a beloved Companion, they all went with courage and dignity.

I only hope when it is my turn, that I will possess their strength and character.

Those moments are burned in our memory for all time.

Wherever they are now, is where I want to go to spend eternity. I hope that’s three steps away from the Rainbow Bridge.

The BIZ

The BIZ was short for Busy Body. How do I tell you about the BIZ? One of the three smartest dogs we ever loved. Her real name was Daisy. Years before the DAR, a vendor at my job, a small family owned business, brought in a litter of puppies one day and just dumped them in the warehouse. The box they were in was completely destroyed; it only took a few minutes before there were puppies everywhere. We quickly found another box to corral the “sucker faces” of love. As the pups ran wildly through the warehouse, the vendor (Mr. Congeniality), spoke. He said if he didn’t find homes for the dogs by the end of the day, he was going to take them to the Pound or drown them. A real nice guy, a real human, right? Someone should have drowned him or better yet, take him to the Pound. Let him sit on death row. Let him wonder how he got there; what horrible crime he committed to deserve the death penalty.

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The only difference being, that those gentle creatures in the cages next to him, were innocent; they committed no crime.

During the day, the puppies found their way out of the second box and began their Lewis & Clark expedition through the large building. Actually, it wasn’t organized, it was kinda’ like every boy and girl for themselves. About that time, the owner came out of his office and groused about the dogs running all over the place. He finally relented when other family members intervened on the puppies’ behalf. The puppy pandemonium lasted throughout the day.

As salesman, I would typically go into the field to talk to the most affable (Huh?) of all humans, the small business owner, (aka the “customer”). But that day, I found reasons to stay in the office, finishing old business.

Slowly, during the course of the day, most of the puppies found homes as customers, tradesmen and employees rescued the fury angels from certain death. They were Springer spaniel and Border collie mix, by the way. They were beautiful.

I vacillated as whether to keep (rescue) one of the pups or not. I didn’t want to hold any of the puppies during the day for fear that my emotions would overtake my brain, as was always the case when it came to the “four footers.” It didn’t work out that way, though. I became the official “puppy salesman,” holding the “sucker faces,” as I helped convince people about the benefits of dog adoption and companionship.

The day went by quickly, and I was relieved at the end to learn that all the puppies had found homes. So I thought.

As I returned to my desk, I was in for a big surprise. Sitting under my desk was this beautiful creature. She just stared at me and yes I said “she.” She was black and white, another heartbreaker. As I closed up my desk for the day, I thought someone would be by in a few minutes to pick her up.

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It was now after 5 o’clock and everybody was gone. Across the room, the owner’s son was still at his desk. “Jack,” I said, “whose puppy is this?” “Kristen was going to take it,” he answered, “but at the last minute she changed her mind. She said the puppy should have a yard and she lives in an apartment and didn’t think it was fair to take her.” That’s just great, I thought. Everybody has gone home and there I was, the man in the middle.

I leaned over to look, at yet, another angel of the earth. What a face. I was done … again. What was I going to do, wait for Mr. Congeniality to return so he could take her home and fill his tub with water?

I locked my desk, leaned over, picked up this little ball-o-fur and without ceremony left the building. As we drove home, I told her that she was only going to stay for the weekend or until we found a nice home for her.

Twenty minutes later we drive in the driveway. I had practiced my sales pitch on the way home. She was quiet and demure, with a knockout face and eyes that could squeeze your heart like ripe grape. She looked up at me as if to say, “Is this my new home?” “I don’t know,” I said, “let’s see what the MOM says.” I honked the horn. When my wife came to the door, I motioned for her to come out to the car. She gave me that, “What’s going on, now?” look as she suspiciously approached the car.

I thought if she were going to get mad, she would have to do it in “public.” It was just a game. My wife is a hopeless animal lover. I always played the victim of circumstance. The story was usually a stupid story I would make-up. The longer I talked, the dumber the story. Deep down, I truly believed my wife always looked forward to hearing these stories. For some reason, we both liked this little bit of theatre; it made us feel we had to do this for the sake of man (or dog), to justify our decision.

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In an instant she spotted my passenger. “Who is this?” she asked. I told her the story. I assured my wife that I already explained to my “new friend,” that she would only stay as long as it took to find her a home, maybe just the weekend. My wife then asked me, “What was her response?” “She agreed,” I said with confidence, “She doesn’t want to stay where she is not wanted. That’s what she told me, honest.” “Uh-huh,” my wife said, “well, let’s bring her in,” as she picked up our “temporary border.” I knew she was hooked, I could tell by the way she carried her…hugging.

As is the tradition, we worry how the others would receive her. In the house we went. The Ook Monster and the Phoo were outside. As the MOM puts her down on the living room floor, the BIZ ran across the room. She ran like a girl on a mission, straight through the sliding glass door, accidentally left open. We panic. We run after her thinking the Ook will eat her. It was wasted fear. In an instant, maybe half an instant, it was over.

The BIZ had taken over. This little furry, all business, busybody was as determined as a salmon swimming upstream, to control her world. Neither dog knew what hit them. In truth, I don’t think they cared that they had a new sister. They probably half expected it. After all, city code says you could legally have 3 dogs. The Ook and Phoo knew that…I think. Even as a baby, the BIZ was the boss and there was no looking back.

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CHAPTER THREE

The New Guys Cometh

Lady, the Ook and the Phoo were gone now, passed from this earth to a better place. They will wait for us at the usual place, just outside the gate to the Hall of the Great Spirit.

The Ook had a brain hemorrhage and Phoo was paralyzed from a tick infestation picked up during the one and only time we boarded our dogs at an upscale kennel, in an upscale neighborhood, with low scale owners. The kennel, eventually, went out of business, but not soon enough.

There was just the BIZ and she desperately needed a friend.

So, here we are, about to introduce the BIZ and the DAR.

When the “Oldies” (the Ook and the Phoo) were here, she had a job. The Ook and Phoo were both almost deaf in the last year of their life. When it was dinnertime or we needed to call them, we would just tell the BIZ and she would run to them and whisper in their ears. They would follow her wherever she would lead. It was an amazing

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sight. She was their protector.

The BIZ had aged from the stress of losing her two best friends. Her face had gone gray and she hated being alone. That was about to change.

So, now the DAR was ready for the big intro.

Earlier, the MOM let the BIZ out for her nightly constitutional and security check. She was still outside and about to meet her new ward. There is really no magic formula introducing dogs to each other, you just put the dogs together and hope for the best.

I guess we have been very lucky with our Companions. We have never had a problem introducing new members of the family and tonight was no exception.

We opened the slider, turned on the backyard floodlights and let the DAR walk outside. At first, he just stood there looking around. Then, suddenly, a flash of black and white came racing out of the shadows. The DAR stood very still. What the hell is this, the grim reaper, he thought. No, it was “SUPER BIZ,” front and center. The DAR, standing still, very still, as the BIZ sniffed the new “yard guardian” all over. She had momentarily forgotten her long sadness at the passing of her beloved friends.

The next thing we knew, the two of them were racing back and forth in the yard chasing each other and playing just like old friends. BIZ was young again. It was instant “like.” It seemed they played forever, running through the leaves, having the greatest time. It was the first time we had seen the BIZ run since the “Oldies” were here. As I said, we were sure they had gone to that sweet meadow at the Rainbow Bridge, heaven’s waiting room. However, we knew the Great Spirit must be pulling his hair out after meeting the Ook and dealing with his antics. As a matter of fact, I believed the Great Spirit was probably bald by now.

DAR finally had a friend who he could play with. His very own 35

friend, his very own yard, his very own MOM and Dad, and unknown to him and to us at the time, his very own protector. As time went on, we marveled at the bond the two had developed. Lord, help the Mr. (or Ms) that came between her and her new guy. The BIZ had a mission again, a sense of purpose and she was alive once more and on the job.

At last, they were exhausted. We opened the slider and let the two racers in. We hoped they would just go to bed and settle down.

We had made a new bed for our “leading man” and thought the two would just pass out. Wrong! The BIZ led the new guy throughout the house. Room to room, upstairs and down, it seemed like the BIZ was taking DAR on a personal tour of the house, showing him all the good spots; training him on the first night.

Mercifully, it ended. No more fun or BIZ mandated training until tomorrow. The BIZ went to her bed, looking up, occasionally, to make sure her new buddy was not a dream, that he was real.

The DAR didn’t know what to do or where to go. We finally encouraged him to try his new bed next to the BIZ. He was both exhausted and cautious, closing his eyes and then quickly opening them. Maybe he was waiting for someone to grab him and throw him into a cage.

Surprisingly, the first night was relatively uneventful. After watching him on and off for about an hour, we eventually decided to take the DAR upstairs to our bedroom and to let him sleep wherever he wanted. The BIZ came with us. The DAR chose to crawl under the bed. “Under the bed” would be henceforth known, along with his bed basket, as the “safe zone;” safe from the demons that haunted him, a place of sanctuary.

It was Christmas and we had a new member of the family.

We jumped out of bed thinking our new ‘handler’ had to go potty. As we approached the top of stairs, I bent to pick up the guy and

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carry him to the bottom of the stairs. This would be the last time I would have to do this. The BIZ would teach him the art of descending and ascending the carpetless staircase. Soon he would develop his own style of descending.

Out the slider we went, as I lowered DAR to the brick patio. Onto the lawn he went to do his duty. Three steps and circle, three steps and circle.

After the essentials, DAR started sniffing around the yard, surveying his new kingdom. He would take possession and the BIZ so loved her new friend, she would let him believe this her entire life.

Then suddenly, we were about to witness something we will remember the rest of our lives; something we would recall on the day the DAR left us and went to heaven to sit with the rest of the Reed Breed that had gone before him.

As the DAR roamed the yard, looking and listening to sounds he never heard before, we watched him as he stopped, frozen in place, to watch a pure white butterfly as it slowly descended closer and closer to the DAR and then gently landed on his nose. For an instant, we saw the purity of two spirits. The DAR remained perfectly still. He was amazed and fascinated as the butterfly gently ascended out of sight.

What the heck was that, he thought. “Hey come back, I like you, let’s play,” he yelled with a little yelp. “WOW! Hey MOM, Pop, did you see that,” he yelped as he looked back at us. From that time on, whenever he saw a butterfly, he would attempt to approach it, to relive that special moment. We smiled, realizing that he was off on a great safari of discovery. How lucky he was to be free to enjoy the world.

As time went on, life was good for all of us, but then one night, it happened, the big surprise. We were about to learn one of the DAR’s hidden demons. We were all in the den watching TV one night. The room was dimly lit. I was sitting on the couch and the

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DAR was lying next to me. A commercial came on the tube. I happened to look at the DAR; I could see he was apprehensive about something. I leaned over to give him a reassuring hug and kiss. I had leaned from behind him and that was a mistake, a big mistake.

Enter “Rabberman” (the DAR)

He leaped to his feet, spun quickly in a high-speed circle while growling in a menacing way, finally locking his jaw on his back knee. This is what we would later call a “rabber.” This would be a lifelong habit.

The “rabber” would be DAR’s way of telling us he was afraid and angry at the same time. It would happen whenever he had to do something he didn’t want to do, or if a stranger approached him. Eventually he would learn to respond to our requests without the “rabbers.”

It should be noted, the DAR never bit anyone in anger, at least as far as we knew. The “rabber” alone would scare hell out of many a visitor to our home.

Later, we would return to the pet shop in an attempt to learn why he behaved the way he did. It was the first of many trips there to determine why our little boy had these strange habits.

We decided to make our first trip to Dana’s pet shop just to hang around a while and observe how some of the workers interacted with the animals when there weren’t a lot of people around. What we saw was a behavior that surprised us; behavior from some of the maintenance people like the “cage cleaners” and “shampoo people.”

In their defense, it was just a job and no one was going risk being bitten by a dog or cat that didn’t want to be handled.

The best method, they thought, was to quietly open the rear cage 38

door while another worker distracted the puppy or feline from the front. The person in the rear would quickly grab the victim from behind. You can understand that, however, if it proved to be a difficult task, the worker would sometimes get angry and take it out on the poor soul and handle him or her roughly. The little people didn’t understand what they did wrong; they were just frightened.

We learned some things over time. The “rabbers” were probably a result of what is commonly known as “cage rage.” Ten months in a cage barely large enough for him to turn around was sufficient to anger any living thing.

We also learned the reason for his cat-like habits. From his cage, the only animals in his line of sight were the cats, so naturally they were his role models. He stretched like a cat; cleaned himself like a cat and behaved in many ways like a cat at a play.

We left that day with a greater understanding of our special guy and his strange habits.

“Rabbers” would part of our life for the next 14 years and at times were used to serve notice on people who came to our house, who didn’t like dogs. The DAR could always weed them out and present them with a religious experience. It was the DAR’s way of exorcising the devil from these people. Most left with a new respect for the power of prayer. Once the DAR has done a “rabber” at your feet, you begin to re-think life’s priorities. It was a lot like a Tasmanian devil on steroids.

The Bodyguard

The Biz was the ‘secret’ leader and always saw herself as the family protector. She took the job seriously, very seriously. It would have been a mistake to look at that beautiful face and floppy ears and think of her as a docile, laid back dog who would sit idly by if your intentions were to come into our house engage in mischief. As with many dogs, they could also sense when someone showed displeasure with them or had that “push away” personality. You

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know the type, they don’t like kids, and they don’t like dogs. They also don’t like most foods, or any color other than white. That’s OK; they have a right to be who they are, but that gets old after awhile.

For instance, if someone tried to push the DAR away when they thought no one was looking, even gently by any means, they were in for a surprise. They didn’t realize that there were two eyes that were always watching…The BIZ.

She was the DAR’s bodyguard. If anyone ever threatened him, she was there in a heartbeat. Placing herself between the danger and the DAR. You would see this sweet faced Springer Spaniel, use her body to push the danger or the DAR away.

I recall one day, the DAR followed me out the front door. I was unaware he was behind me. Suddenly, he was confronted by a large, unleashed dog three times his size. The DAR was stubborn, defiant and confident in his domain; but he was less aggressive, almost timid at first, when outside the house (front yard and beyond). DAR stood very still trying to figure out what to do. Run, fight or freeze. The DAR decided that fighting was his best chance at survival. Later, the BIZ would teach the DAR not to hesitate in the face of danger.

He began by doing a “rabber,” complete with the Tasmanian devil growl. The big dog did not run away, but he did back up and begin to realize he was dealing with a possible crazy person. I have observed in my life, that no matter how tough you are, or think you are, nobody likes to mess with a guy that’s nuts. As I turned to see what the racket was all about, I saw the BIZ, standing behind the DAR, teeth showing like she was about to do battle. Even I was scared.

Size was not an issue to the BIZ or the DAR for that matter.

Like a rocket, the BIZ flashed past the DAR with lightening speed, as she lunged for the throat of the intruder. The big dog never knew what hit him. He turned tail and ran like a rabbit being chased by a

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fox.

On the gentle side, the BIZ was always very sensitive to your emotions, your feelings. If you were sick or upset she felt your pain. She would always alert someone of your distress.

After eleven years of joy and love our precious little girl left us; we lost her. It was a predator she couldn’t fight…cancer.

Everyone in the Vet’s office knew my sorrow that day, and heard my grief after her final moments.

My little girl was gone and part of me was too.

As I drove home without my best girl, I recalled the good times, the fun times, the times she was with me when I would drive through the fast food lane. I would order my food and then turn to the BIZ and ask her what she wanted. I would then yell into the mystery box, “Do you have any steak bones? “ “What?” came the response. I repeated. “No, sir, we don’t have any steak bones.” “Well, let me see if she’ll eat anything else. BIZ, what else would like?” I would ask, “do you have any leftover pork?” “No sir, we don’t have any leftover pork.” By now, the kid in box is dying to see my girlfriend. I bet she is real dog, he thought. “OK,” I said, “do you have any hamburgers?” “Yes, sir,” came the patronizing tone. “OK, give me a double burger, no cheese (it’s not real), no pickle, no onion, and no lettuce, no sauces, just plain.” When we arrive at the pickup window, the kid is all eyes. He looks in the car, sees the BIZ, and gives me that “what a jerk” smile.

“Oh, by the way, do you have any white wine? She likes wine with her lunch.” The kid doesn’t answer, just shakes his head NO. “OK, just water no lemon.” The kid can’t wait to see my taillights.

As I recalled this moment, I smiled, but it didn’t stop the tears.

And then there was Beau!

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Of all the Companions I have loved, Beau was the closest I have come to talking to a Companion and have him understand every word I said. On second thought, it might have been a toss up between Beau and the BIZ. The story of Beau Blue, my beautiful Beau, is still in my thoughts every day. My wife reminds me that I often called him “the dog I always wanted.” I call him a dog and technically he was, but in every aspect of his life he was a human hiding in a dog suit. I said to my wife countless times, that when I looked deep into his eyes, I would swear that there was a human in there.

I recall one day when Beau was about six months old, I took him to a pet store. As I began to cruise the isles, an elderly man stopped and looked at him for the longest time. Finally, the man approached, bent down and without fear, held Beau’s head in his hands and looked straight into his eyes. Without looking up at me, he said, “I bet he speaks English, doesn’t he?” And with that, the man just walked away without another word. Maybe it was two kindred spirits who knew each other from another time.

He was half Australian shepherd and half St. Bernard. He was beyond gorgeous. He was the ultimate chick magnate.

When I first started to take him out on walks, strange things would happen. People driving by would see him and pull over to the curb and ask his breed, and were there anymore where he came from. Most of the people who stopped were women. One day a woman stopped her car in the middle of the street, jumped out of the car and ran toward me as if she was going to attack. “Where did you get that dog?” she said in an excited voice, almost demanding. I told her he came from Dana’s Pet Shop and no; there weren’t any others like him. He was one of a kind. He was my teddy bear.

”I don’t suppose you would sell him?” she asked. “Yes,” I said, “I would let him go for ten million dollars.” She looked up at me and smiled and said, “I don’t have that much on me.” She gave Beau one last hug and walked away, looking back over her shoulder for one last look.

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Beau always loved attention, especially from women and kids. He knew he was beautiful.

Sometimes just to entertain myself, I would tell people he was a “purebred” Aussie Bernard, new to the United States and that he is from Crubblestan, in northern Russia. (Don’t try to find that on a map.)

Beau’s Beginning

It was late in the afternoon one day and I was working in my home office. I thought a cup of coffee and a donut (years before donuts were considered the work of the devil) would hit the spot. As it happens, my favorite donut shop and “big bucks” coffee shop were in the same shopping center as Dana’s Pet Shop.

After getting my goodies, I wandered past the stores, noshing, and of course, stopping in front of Dana’s Pets. Ah, what the hey, I’m just going to look; that’s it, just look.

I walked through the door and gave my usual wave to Dana and headed to back of the store where he was waiting. The face. As I started to look at the puppies, my eyes went immediately to him. I didn’t even look at the other dogs. Without hesitation, I knew I had to hold him…still, just looking, of course. When the clerk put him in my arms, I was done, really done, big time done, again.

How stupid! Now what am I going to do? No, I didn’t take him home, but I did hold him for about 20 minutes before I started getting looks from the clerk and other customers who were looking at “him” and I didn’t like that one bit. Take your eyes off him, I thought, he’s taken.

Finally, I slowly and reluctantly handed the “little bear” back to the clerk. As I drove home, all I could think of was this face. Just think about the movie, Beethoven, when he was a puppy…yeah, that’s the face, only prettier.

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I thought about those other people looking at my baby. They had a lot of nerve!

I was halfway home and without thinking I made a U-turn and back I went. If I bring him home without an OK from my wife, I could be in trouble, big trouble. The MOM said she wanted a girl the next time we got a dog. And sooner or later there would be a next time. I knew that ‘next time’ was close at hand.

“Future Beau” was a boy, but as I recall his “little package” was not very noticeable, yet. Hey, I thought, maybe I could pass him off as a girl. Worth a try, I thought, right? Over the years, I had mastered the art of stupid ideas. All of us have stupid ideas from time to time, but I’ll bet it’s safe to say that there are only a few in the world who have mastered the art and achieved the honored title of Grand Master of Stupid Ideas. I wore the title with pride. You have to if you expect to get away with anything in this world that goes against common sense and sound thinking.

Anyway, back to the store I went. I walked in the store, directly up to Dana standing behind the counter. “Do you know the Aussie/St. Bernard mix in the back,” I asked hurriedly. “Yes,” she said. “Well, here is $25. If I’m not back to get him by closing, then he’s yours.” She said, “ OK” with a big smile on her face. I would find out why the big smile later that evening.

Once again, I headed home to wait for my wife to come home from work.When she arrived, I was ready with the story. “Honey, guess what happened today?” I just got a look, but no response. I’m now thinking, Uh-oh, she’s had a bad day at work. Maybe I shouldn’t talk about another mouth to feed right now.

OK, plan B: “Hey, Honey, you look tired, why don’t we get a bite at the ‘Steak-Delite’?” Without waiting for an answer, I continued, “that way you won’t have to cook.” “OK,” she said, “but I want to come right home, I’m tired.” That meant she had a bad day at

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work dealing with too many stupid men who can’t spell, think or get their own coffee. She was a secretary or as they call it today “Administrative Assistant.”

The “Steak Delite” just happened to be in the same shopping center as Dana’s Pet Shop. Just across the parking lot, in fact. What a coincidence!

After dinner, I figured that my wife had renewed energy and may be willing to take a walk across the parking lot, never suspecting a conspiracy and a trap. Besides, my wife loved to look at puppies in pet shops. Actually, we could never pass a pet shop in the malls without stopping to ooh and ahh. So, it did not take a lot of arm-twisting to get her into Dana’s.

“Hey, honey, I was going to tell you when you got home that I was in here earlier today and I saw this cute little girl puppy,” I said, “Wanna see?” “OK,” she said, giving me that famous ‘what’s going on?’ look. “Oh, here he is,” I said as we walked to the back. “He?” she said. “I mean, she,” I said, quickly correcting myself. Dana quickly appeared and opened the cage and let the little guy out on the floor. She was the only one in the store who was allowed to let animals walk or run around on the floor.

My wife squats down to pet the little guy. “She’s beautiful,” the MOM said. Finally she picks him up and notices that “she” ‘is a “ he.” “What is that,” the MOM said, pointing to his maleness. “What’s what?” I said. “What is that?” the MOM repeated, pointing again. “It’s nothing,” I said, “just a clump of fur.” My wife then looks at Dana for confirmation of the facts. Dana shakes her head in disagreement.

“Boy, do I feel stupid,” I said. The two women looked at each other as if to say, “Yeah, stupid, that’s what we were thinking, too.” “He’s going to be big, do you think he will eat Radar?” the MOM asked Dana. “ I don’t think anybody is going to eat Mad Max (DAR),” she said. They both laughed. That was a good sign. I knew she would

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say “yes,” but the game wasn’t over. My wife would make me pay for tricking her. But on the other hand, I knew she didn’t want to see me walk around the house “pouting” for a month either.

Suddenly, my wife gets up and walks down one of the isles in the store as if she were disinterested in the newly discovered boy. I waited for her to come back, but she didn’t. I was growing impatient and she knew it, I think. Finally, I leaped to my feet to go search for her. What the heck is she doing? I thought. I went down a couple of isles until I found her. Hey, Dana is waiting, what are you doing? I said. She just gave me one of those long looks and with a slight smile said, “Well, he is going to need a dish and collar and a leash isn’t he?

The only thing I could think to say was “YEA!” I bolted back to Dana and very calmly, said, “we’ll take him.” Dana smiled and said, ”I knew you would.” “Is that why you were smiling earlier?” I asked. “Yes,” Dana replied, “I knew you’d be back, with or without the deposit. Once I saw you holding him, I knew he was yours. I wouldn’t have sold him for a few days, anyway.”

As we all approached the counter for payment, Baby Beau in my arms. Dana began to add up the purchases. “That will be $75 for Beau, with a total of $80 including the supplies.” “Just $5 for all this?” my wife questioned. “Yes, Dana said, “after I deducted the $25 deposit.” “A deposit, huh,” my wife, replied. The MOM now looks at me as if to say, “This was a trap all along, wasn’t it?” I knew I would have to explain that.

So out we went into the world with yet another of the pure pedigree, Reed Breed; a very rare, but growing class of elite canines.

(I wonder if the American Kennel Club would sanction this guy? Westminster would never be the same. The Reed Breed would take every category. The Pure People would be mad as hell; they would revolt. There would be anarchy in Madison Square Garden. “How dare they,” the cry would come, “They are not of pure blood.”)

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As we finally arrived home and went through the door, we knew there would be excitement from the Mouse (yes, another nickname for the DAR). Didn’t I mention that? Someone once said he was as cute as a mouse and of course that nickname stuck. But we only called him that in private.

Baby Beau had a frightened look on his face. What is this place, he thought.“Well, Beau, this is your new home,” I said. “You’re going to like it here. We have a big yard and lots of toys and a playmate wwho you will meet tomorrow. He’s going to be your Papa; he’ll show you the ropes.”

Since it was getting late, we thought it would be best to wait until the morning to introduce the DAR to Beau. Now that the BIZ had gone to heaven’s gate, the DAR was alone and had taken full command of the palace and all it’s realm. We knew he would declare his authority and make it clear that he was the ‘boss’. We knew when he met Beau, he would not be aggressive, just assertive.

Unlike many other dogs, DAR was a guy who could live alone and be happy forever. He didn’t need other dogs to be happy; he was an independent guy. He just needed his MOM and Pop. He would check the yard daily, like the BIZ taught him, taking a couple of sun baths each day in the thick grass, but that was it. There was no sense of adventure; he was just content to be the DAR and live a quiet life. Well, that’s what we thought; that’s what He thought. In retrospect nothing could have been further from the truth. We were in for a big surprise and so was the DAR.

The kitchen in our house had two doorways with sliding pocket doors that allowed us to close off the kitchen, which we did in order to separate the DAR and his new PPS partner. (PPS=Pee, Poop and Sniff)

The DAR didn’t express any curiosity about what was behind the closed doors. If he did, he probably kept it to himself. If he suspected a new puppy, he probably thought, if that’s another

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puppy, he better be gone when I get up in the morning or he’ll be in for a free ”rabber” treatment.

We made a bed in the basket left by the BIZ and placed our ‘new’ little boy in it. We thought he would just jump out, at first, and run all over the place, but he didn’t. He just sat there and looked up at us with this sad and cautious look on his face.

I thought some good night kisses were in order. So down I knelt for the first of what we would call in our house, the “mush fest.” It was a simply a shower of kisses all over the head and face. Beau was the only one that loved it. The others, with the exception of the BIZ, never thought it was important or necessary, but they got them anyway. In one sense, part of Beau would remain a little boy all of his life; the other part would grow up too fast. Every morning before his walk, he would sit in front of me, waiting for the “mush fest.” He would just sit there and soak up the love. He was “the BOB” (Big ‘Ole Bear), yup, another nickname. With all the nicknames, it was a wonder any of the puppies knew who they were; but they did, even their nicknames.

So, off we went, upstairs to bed for a good night’s rest. Yeah, right!

We left a night light on in the kitchen so Beau would not be frightened in the dark, but that was to no avail. Twenty minutes after going to bed, we heard this little mournful cry of someone who was afraid and didn’t want to be left alone. The DAR jumps straight up in his upstairs bed and then leaps up on our bed. “What the heck was that?” came the frantic look from the DAR. Not fully asleep, I reached out to calm my big man. It’s OK, Mouse; it’s just the neighbor’s dog. I could see the response in his eyes. “The neighbors don’t have a dog, Papa. That was stupid.”

The cries continued and got louder. If we gave in and brought Beau upstairs, the introduction of Beau and DAR would occur right then and there and we didn’t want that. I gently petted the DAR and said, “It’s OK, Mouse, go back to bed.”

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I could see the look in the dim light. OK, my foot, he thought, there could be a burglar downstairs and you wouldn’t care. I’ll find out what’s going on.

Off the bed he jumps, as we listened to those little footsteps racing down the hardwood stairs to confront the familiar noise below. Within a minute, we hear him racing back upstairs, again, jumping up on the bed and looking at me with the most worried face, “Papa there is something downstairs,” the DAR said with a look, “I think I know what it is, it’s a baby, a puppy. I know that cry from the pet shop. There was lots of crying there at night when the humans went home.” “Yes, Mouse, I know” I said. His name is Beau and he is your new ward. You’ll be responsible for him. You’ll have to teach him everything, so go to sleep, now, you’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow.”

The DAR went to the bottom of the bed and laid down, but he did not go to sleep. He just laid there with his eyes wide open listening to the mournful wail from afar.

After awhile the MOM could no longer stand it. Down she went to comfort our new family member, the wailing stopped. Soon the MOM returned to bed and within a few minutes, yup, you guessed it, the crying began again. This continued for another 2 hours until finally there was silence. Exhausted, the baby fell asleep and so did we.

DAR was up with the roosters (actually there were no roosters in our neighborhood, just people starting what seemed to be partially assembled automobiles, judging from the noise). He walked up to me and put his paw on my cheek. “Papa, Papa, get up, I have to go pee, NOW!” “Ok, OK, I said, “I’m up!”

Downstairs we hustled, through the living room to the slider. Out he went to do his duty. But, instead of his usual walkabout to check the yard for night visitors, he rushed back into the house and ran to the kitchen door and began to sniff frantically. “Papa, he said with a anxious yelp, “this is where the noise was coming from last night…

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open the door, hurry.” “OK,” I said, knowing that yelp, “but don’t you scare your new friend.”

I carefully opened the sliding door to the kitchen. Unable to wait, DAR forces his way through the door before I can fully open it. Mr. DAR Reed would prove to be the most impatient family member we would ever know.

Over to the basket, he races, and then suddenly stops as if he were approaching a cactus. He stares for a second and then slowly moves in for the definitive “sniff-all-over.” Beau looks wild-eyed. “What the heck is this?” he said, with a faint cry, as he gazed at me with a desperate look. “Beau, meet your new ‘Papa’, he will teach you everything you’ll need to know about life, won’t you DAR?” The DAR looked at me as if to say, “What, teach what?” “That’s right, he is your responsibility from now on and I don’t envy you, one bit, he looks like he’s a handful, ”I said, with a big smile on my face.

Beau looked at DAR as if he was about to be eaten. There was lots of staring and sniffing. After a few, tense moments, I said, OK, you guys, let’s go outside for Beau’s morning business meeting (PPS) and then you guys can get acquainted.

Beau doesn’t move; he is frozen. He’s not going anywhere. “OK, up we go,” I said, as I pick up the angel face. We are now nose to nose as I talk about the need to go outdoors to begin “potty training.”

As I gently sit baby Beau down in the grass, he remains frozen, not taking advantage of the great outdoors to explore and yes, do his business. He just stares at the DAR, who is now starting to circle Beau, around and around. The DAR now begins to bark as he circles…and circles…circles.

Buddy has been away for a few days and has returned just in time to meet the latest addition to the Reed brood and witness the “new” welcome ritual. After watching for a few minutes, Brett goes back in the house and returns with my video camera and begins recording this historic

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event. The barking and circling continue for about 5 minutes, Beau never taking his eyes off the DAR, wondering if this is going to be part of his new life and become a daily ritual.

My son and I begin to discuss ways we can end this long lecture (we assume) regarding who is going to be the boss. Possibly a gentle spray of water, from the hose, to distract and terminate what may go on for weeks, maybe months, even years.

We are now concerned that DAR will wear a circle in the lawn and could eventually end up in China. And after a couple of “rabbers,” I’m sure the Chinese would immediately deport him as a scary, and undesirable alien.

About the time we decide a water spray bottle is the best option, Beau had enough and suddenly leaps to his feet and charges over to DAR and reaches out with his paw and taps him on the head. Shocked that his words (barking) have fallen on deaf ears, DAR abruptly bolts into the house, disgusted, as he realizes that the boy is here to stay and that Beau won’t be begging me to take him back to the store. DAR would stay in the guest room for the next hour, licking his bruised ego. But make no mistake; the DAR would become the boss, the leader, the Papa, the last word, the “go-to” guy, and the master of the castle.

And so, the journey of life and devotion had begun, for these two fearless soldiers. It was just the DAR and Beau, now.

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CHAPTER FOUR

The Adventure BeginsThe Happening, The Transition

Within a short time, everyone settled into the family routine. All had their own places to sleep in the house and the yard. Like hu-mans, our adopted Companions had their daily habits and rou-tines. Beau and Radar soon became friends and although Beau would become fiercely independent, it was clear that Beau looked upon the DAR as the “Papa.” He would quickly come to love and respect his teacher.

There would be countless times when Beau would demonstrate this respect for the DAR. I will always remember when playing ball in the backyard, I would throw the ball and Beau and Beanie (yes,

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yet another nickname) would take off like rockets. Beau would al-ways get the ball. His size and longer legs gave him the advan-tage. But this didn’t stop the DAR from trying.

On a few occasions, when Beau would turn quickly to go after the ball, he would run into DAR and knock him head-over-heels. The DAR would tolerate this insult once, but the second time it would happen, he would wait for the opportune time and then grab the ball and take it in the house. He would crawl into his bed or under ours. Beau would stand in the yard with this look on his face as if to say, “Pop, why did the Papa take the ball?” I would tell Beau that he was too rough and now his Papa is punishing him. I would tell Beau I would not retrieve the ball; he would have to do that, himself.

Beau had learned that he would rather bite his foot off, than at-tempt to go get the ball from the DAR. Beau would enter the bed-room and immediately lie down and stare at DAR until DAR would lose interest in guarding the ball. If he attempted to get the ball while DAR was watching, he would suffer the dreaded “rabber-growl.” It would scare the bravery out of both man and beast alike and certainly Beau, who was neither.

Both my wife and I worked and for six, sometimes ten hours a day the puppies were on their own. They had plenty of water and shade and were free to roam the backyard as their personal do-main. Life was peaceful and uneventful. That was what we thought, what we assumed.

In our wildest dreams we could never image that there was an-other parallel in their universe.

A block wall enclosed the perimeter of our backyard; certain secu-rity from predators (human or otherwise) from the Outer World. And since the Ook’s (aka Scooter) 10K freedom run, the main gate was padlocked. This was a safe world, without fear, only peace, in this quiet garden on this tiny patch of earth.

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We never knew about the Threshold, the portal. Only one “per-son,” knew the secret Threshold at first, and that was the DAR. Eventually, others would follow, but not today.

It was hidden behind an over-grown oleander bush, in the corner of the wall, near the house. It was a small hole in the block wall that led directly to the street, along the side of the house. He alone could fit through the hole. Even if those before him discov-ered the hole, they would not have been able to fit through it. No one would follow the DAR on his great adventure.

The MOM had already left for work. I was filling water bowls and picking up breakfast bowls. It was time to say goodbye for the day. DAR and Beau had taken their “please don’t go” positions, sometimes sitting together, in preparation to show me their long, sad faces, displeased at my pending departure. Sad faces or not, I was off to the ‘Battle of the Bulge’, the LA Freeways. A long day ahead of me, I was already dreaming of the hour I could return to my castle, my refuge at the end of the day.

It happened in the summer of ’92, the year Beau arrived. It was hotter than most summers, at least it seemed that way. DAR was rest-less, as he paced the yard, as if something was pulling him away, beyond his world.

On that day, as Beau watched the curious pacing of his Papa, he suddenly saw the DAR disappear behind the bushes that lined the wall. Beau could see the rustle of branches. After a few seconds, it was quiet. Beau realized his Papa was gone and he became frightened. He was used to having him near, always, morning and night. They had never been separated since Beau’s arrival. They were bonded. DAR had a friend and Beau needed a Papa.

Where was his Papa? Where did he go? Beau thought as his mind raced. Beau frantically searched everywhere. At last, he found it. His nose told him the DAR had just gone through the hole, a Threshold to the Outer World.

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Beau heard his Papa talking with short yelps. He was telling his boy not to be afraid and not to try to follow him. DAR said that he would be back soon, before the MOM and Pop returned home.

This great adventure was about to begin, a journey into a domin-ion of the unknown, a world that would frighten many. It would lead the DAR into a dark world. A world he could never imagine. A world where there was a vast longing. Longing for someone to step from the shadows and protect and lead those who were wait-ing…creatures hiding in the dark.

It would be the greatest challenge of his life. A life filled with dis-covery, trepidation, and in the end, great sadness and joy. He would see life in the Outer World, as it really was.

This daunting task, this Outer World, would be near, across the Great VA nowen, deep in the mist. He could never dream, what lay ahead.

He didn’t know why he was running, why he was in such a hurry. He only knew that something drew him further and further away from the house, away from safety.

It was like a chorus of voices in his head, crying out. “Come to us, hurry…we need you,” over and over again, he heard the cries louder and louder. He was getting frantic. From where were these voices calling? the DAR thought.

Racing down the path of one street and then another and another, DAR finally arrives at the Great VA nowen. He had never crossed the Great VA nowen by himself, ever.

There were times when he walked along the Great VA nowen with his Pop, but never allowed to cross, unless his Pop was at his side. His Pop said it was too dangerous; he could get hurt, even killed. The Big Machines that raced passed, made horrible noises and were very intimidating.

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But he had to cross the Great VA nowen. Something was pulling him forward off the curb, into the road. He could sense the voices were coming from the other side. He just knew it, but where?

In an instant, the Big Machines stopped. DAR didn’t ask, “why?” Besides, who would answer him? Run, run like the wind, he thought. Off he went like a rocket, no powerful engine carried him, just pure energy and muscle at the speed of light.

He made it! WOW! For an instant, he was proud that he had crossed on his own. He turned to look back at the other side. He was amazed that he was unhurt. He could hear the Big Machines start up again. The roar was deafening.

He could still hear the voices calling, shouting in his head. Louder and louder. Which way? Which way? At last he could feel himself being pulled to the old Gable Ranch Estate. Not a place to be at night.

DAR knew it was early in the day, but he didn’t want the day to slip away. He didn’t want to be caught in the mist that shrouded the Estate at night. He would never find his way home.

And there were those stories he heard his Pop tell to his other son, brother Brett, stories about those who entered the Estate and never returned.

He ran even faster across the green, in front of the Grand Estate, the Mansion. He stopped once to listen for sounds that might help him find his way to the voices. There was nothing, just the voices in his head.

He walked closer and closer, until finally, there it was, the great Mansion of the Estate, looming in front of him, this huge edifice, standing like a fortress against time. No one lived there now; it was abandoned, without life.

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Buildings, no matter how grand, are nothing, he thought, without people and furry creatures to warm the walls within and light the darkness. This young ‘man’ was beginning to think beyond his years.

But, it was still early, he had plenty of time. He walked closer to the Mansion and slowly up the porch steps to the front door. It was closed. He rushed to the window and tried to look in, but he was too short to see in, even standing up on his hind legs, he couldn’t see over the windowsill. He jumped down and began to run from one end of the porch to other. Finally, he leaped from the end of the porch and ran to the back of the Mansion, search-ing for a way in. The back door was closed. He ran all around the Mansion but, to no avail, there was no way in.

His heart sank, what was he going to do. He just stood there. DAR paused for a few minutes, listening. The voices in his head had stopped. And then, suddenly there was a whisper; he heard a voice, again, “This way, come this way.” Another voice in his head, he thought. Again, he heard the voice, “Come here, this way. You’ll be safe here, come quickly.” He suddenly realized, the voice wasn’t in his head; it was coming from the Mansion. He ran back and forth, retracing his steps. Where was this sound coming from? He was getting frustrated, he stopped to think, to listen.

“Don’t move, I am here, look straight ahead of you.” The DAR looked straight ahead, as he was told, and there it was, an old piece of lattice hiding a small crawl space in the foundation wall. He walked slowly toward the crawl space. And there they were, two eyes staring back at him. The eyes looked golden and did not move. As he reached the lattice, he stopped. He reached up with his paw and pulled small piece of lattice away from the crawl space. And there it was, a single creature. “Who are you?” asked the DAR, “why are you in there?” “You don’t look like one of us,” the voice replied. There was a long silence, then the voice contin-ued, “we’re hiding, it’s safe in here.” “Why are you hiding; what are you afraid of?” the DAR asked, peering deeper into the dark

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hole.

At that moment, the figure slowly moved toward him through the crawl space, into the midday light. The DAR stepped back, his eyes fixed on this wretched creature. He couldn’t believe what he saw. He stood silent for a moment, looking. Then, softly he spoke, “What happened to you; did you have an accident; did someone hurt you?” “It wasn’t an accident,” the creature said, “it was a human, it was man, that did this. He was evil.”

The DAR was silent, again. He didn’t know what to say. He just stared at the creature. “Who are you?” DAR blurted out. “My name is Dobbs. I’m a Scottish terrier.” DAR’s eyes filled with sor-row. He could see but a mere shell of a tattered spirit. Dobbs coat was mostly gone, and terrible wounds covered his whole body, many were not healed and still bleeding. Dobbs looked weak and frail. He was starving. “You don’t look like one of us,” Dobbs said, again “You look well cared for and have a kind face; are you loved?” he said, “You look well nourished.” “Yes,” the DAR said, “I am loved, as are all that live with me,” DAR contin-ued, “and we all are well fed. You said ‘us’, ” the DAR continued, “are there others like you?” “Come, follow me,” said Dobbs, “and be quiet when you walk, sometimes humans are in the Mansion and if we make noise, they can hear us.”

Off they went, with Dobbs leading the way through the narrow passages between the walls. It was dark inside except for some light that came through cracks in the walls of the aging structure.

The DAR followed quickly behind. He was apprehensive, but did not hesitate. Soon the narrow passage opened into a large room, lit only by a single hole in the wall the size of a basketball. The hole had captured the bright sun. “What is this place called,” DAR asked. “We call it the Room of Light,” Dobbs said. “It’s a strange name for such a dark room,” DAR said, as he looked around the room. “It has become a place where those who have been left in the darkness, step into the light. Some to this world and others to the next.”

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As he walked slowly toward Dobbs, DAR could see shadows, vague outlines of silhouettes. They were still. He could see eyes star-ring back at him. He stopped dead in his tracks. Dobbs moved close to DAR and sat beside him. Without looking at DAR, Dobbs said, “These sojourners are my family. We call them Companions; we are kindred spirits, now.” “How many are there,” the DAR asked. “Here in this room, there are fourteen of us,” said Dobbs, “but in this world there are millions like us and some will soon as-cend to the next world. They will join the multitudes of spirits who wait in the Great Hall with a great and powerful Spirit who has many forms and who presides over all that is out there. They will lie in the Great Hall with him, where they will, at long last, find peace and serenity as they are finally free from the pain that man has cast upon them.”

Quietly, the DAR asks, “Don’t you believe in the ‘Rainbow Bridge,’ Dobbs?” “Yes, I do,” Dobbs answered, “but the Bridge is for those who were loved. It is a place to wait for the spirits who loved them and cared for them and were Companions to them here in this world. They will not leave the Bridge until their loved ones arrive.”

“Do they have names?” the DAR asked. “Most of them do, but some do not,” Dobbs said. “Some of these poor creatures were just named Dog or Mutt or worse. Everyone should have a name. For those who arrive without a name, we give them one as they join our family. Dog and Mutt are not proper names and are not allowed. Their keepers did not think enough of them to give them names.”

The DAR was completely absorbed by this revelation of the Outer World. “Can I meet them?” asked DAR, in a whisper. “Yes,” said Dobbs, “but you must not ask them questions or speak in a loud voice. They will tell you what they want you to know. Some are hurt so, they don’t remember anything and there will be some that don’t want to remember.” “OK,” said DAR.

And it began, one by one. All moved slowly, cautiously, toward 59

the DAR. He took a step back, but was gently stopped by Dobbs. “It’s OK,” Dobbs said, “they are more afraid of you, than you are of them.”

A tall, thin figure was the first to step forward. “My name is Si-mon, I am a Great Dane.” “Hello, Simon, my name is DAR.” DAR noticed that Simon’s eye drooped and had a deep cut above it. He wanted to ask about his injury, but respected Dobbs request. Simon stepped back into the shadows without saying another word.

Next was Mick; he was a German shepherd. He didn’t speak and he didn’t appear to be hurt. He just bowed his head and disap-peared back into the shadows.

Dobbs would later tell the DAR of Mick’s nightmare, about the horror he witnessed. Mick had seen his partner murdered while tied to a tree in the backyard of their former home.

The master, the “Companion,” the sub-human, the killer came home one night late; he was stumbling all over the house and he was angry. It was dark in the house. The human tripped over Oliver, Mick’s best friend; the sub-man fell to the floor. When he got to his feet, the human was enraged. He grabbed Oliver and dragged him outside and tied him to a tree. Oliver was very old; he did not resist. The human picked up a long heavy object and began to beat Oliver again and again. At first Mick hesitated, but quickly realized he must act.

Mick lunged at the human; his powerful jaws ripping at the throat of evil. He had never showed anger before. Mick’s rage had turned him into a mad dog. Mick did not stop until the human not longer moved. When it was over, Mick ran to Oliver, to his mate. It was too late, his was not breathing; the beautiful Golden Retriever was gone. Mick licked the face of his fallen Companion and then ran as fast and as far as he could until he was exhausted. He knew the “Bad Machine” would be coming for him.

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“My name is Brandy,” came the rough voice from the corner of the room. She did not step forward, but DAR could tell, even in the dim light, that she was small and frail. She was part Min Pin and something else. “What happened to me doesn’t matter, any-more, my time here is short, now,” she said. DAR noticed she was lying down on an old blanket; it was filthy. DAR looked at Dobbs with sad eyes.

As the day past, DAR heard more stories of neglect and abuse. His anger grew; he felt helpless. He raged inside his mind, it was starting to show on his face. DAR started to pace back and forth like a fighter before going into the ring. He thought he would lose control of his temper, but he knew that would frighten the others.

He wanted to know more, he wanted to know what happened to these poor “angels of the earth,” as he would call them. It was as if Dobbs heard DAR’s unspoken thought. Dobbs looked at DAR and softly whispered in DAR’s ear, “In due time, DAR, you will see it all and know it all and their fate will be determined by someone who has been sent to save them and help them find love and peace, maybe in this world, maybe in another. Some of them have been waiting a long time.” DAR looked puzzled, but did not question Dobbs further.

“Will the others come out and say hello?” DAR asked. “Not now, DAR,” Dobbs said, “they are tired and it is time for the Gathering.” “What is the Gathering?” DAR asked. “It is the time of day when we all join together. It’s a time when we share our strength, where the strong perform a ‘touching.’ That is, they lay their paws on the injured to begin a healing. It is done so that positive energy can flow freely from the heart and mind.” “Does it work,” DAR asked. “Sometimes, it does, but not always,” Dobbs said, “but there are times when one of injured is tired and no longer wants to fight to stay here with us. They have chosen to move on to another space in the universe, to be at peace, to end the pain.”

DAR was spellbound by Dobbs words. “I want to learn more,” said DAR. “Not tonight, DAR,” Dobbs said, “you look worn out. You

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have heard and seen a lot for one day. You are young, but I am tired now. There will be time to learn what you must. Tomorrow will come soon enough.”

“DAR, would you like to stay with us here in the Mansion, tonight?” “No, DAR said, “I must return to my family, they will be crazy if I’m not there when they come home.”

“Before I go,” DAR said, “I want to know something. Tell me how you eat and where do you find water?” “That’s simple,” Dobbs said. He pointed to a broken water pipe sticking out of the wall. It dripped steadily into an old and large, leaking pottery crock. “As for food, we have to be more creative about that,” Dobbs said, “I will show you tomorrow. Now go before you are missed.”

DAR just smiled and quickly turned to leave as Dobbs led the way. As they reached the opening, DAR hurried through to the outside and paused a moment as if to say one last goodbye to Dobbs, but he was gone. DAR was disappointed, but he understood Dobbs haste to return to the group to join in the “Gathering.”

By now it was dark and a mist had come over the green in front of the Mansion. For a minute the DAR hesitated, trying to get his bearings. He knew he had stayed too long. He had to get home before his parents got home from work. He could hear the noise from the Big Machines, and in an instant he was off again at blind-ing speed.

He crossed the green and arrived back at the Great VA nowen. He had to cross over. Would the Big Machines stop like before, he thought? Yes, that’s it! I’ve found the way across the Great VA nowen, the DAR beamed, just wait for the Big Machines to stop. They always stop.

As he crossed the great divide and raced down one street and then another, he could see lights from a Big Machine turn into his driveway as he came up the street. He could barely see inside the Big Machine, but he knew it was his Pop. He stopped behind a

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bush until his Pop moved the Big Machine into his garage. He ran down the side of the house and through the Threshold in the block wall. He made it!

Beau ran to greet DAR as he crawled through the Threshold. “Papa, Papa where did you go? I was scared,” Beau said, “the MOM sent me out to find you.” “I can’t tell you where I went,” DAR said, “but I will one day soon.”

Both of them hurried into the house to greet the Pop. MOM ar-rived a few minutes earlier and was busy cleaning water bowls and fixing the evening meal for the boys.

“Pop,” came the happy yelps, as they charged toward the man of the house (not necessarily the boss). A happy rabber (that’s a high speed spin without the growl) from the DAR and face cleans-ing kisses from the Beau. “Hi, guys,” the Pop said, as he headed to MOM for a “hello” kiss, followed by the boys to get their “hello” kisses from the MOM.

“OK, was everybody good, today?” I asked. “No big holes in the yard or patio furniture half eaten?” Beau just sat with a big smile on his face. “How about you, DAR, were you good, today?” The DAR just sat with a serious look his face, trying hard to smile. If you only knew, the DAR thought, if you only knew.

Everybody had dinner and went outside for their evening PPS and then returned to settle in for the night. DAR lay in his bed and just stared at the wall, deep in thought. The events of the day kept playing over and over in his head. He couldn’t believe what he saw, what he heard, what happened to these beautiful people. Why would anyone do these things to these innocents who only asked to be loved and promised love and loyalty in return, he thought.

He had to find out what caused man to be so cruel.

DAR was only beginning to learn the lessons and realities of the 63

Outer World.

He couldn’t sleep. He lay in his nice warm bed with a full tummy, and an overdose of kisses, more than enough to last him through the night. All he could think of was the poor creatures in the Man-sion. Did they eat tonight? Would they be warm? he thought.

The morning didn’t come fast enough for the DAR. The daily rou-tine began. Pop opens the sliding glass door as soon as he wakes, so the boys could come and go as they pleased. DAR couldn’t wait for MOM and Pop to eat and go off to work. His brain was in hyper-drive. He had to figure out his priorities for the day…the plan. He was like a man possessed.

First, he needed to figure out how he could get help for the injured Companions in the Mansion? Next, he would ask Dobbs about food and where they got it each day. And where could he find homes like his for these frightened, damaged Companions with broken hearts.

DAR runs outside for a last gulp of water before returning to the Mansion. He wanted to know everyone’s story. He wanted to know everything. Compared to the lost and damaged spirits in the Mansion, he felt sheltered and spoiled, unworthy in a way. He suddenly realized how lucky he was to find the MOM and the Pop. He didn’t know it yet, but this rising passion inside him would de-fine his life. DAR runs to the Beau for a hug and reassurance that he will be back soon. “When your play time is over, just take a nap and I’ll be back before you know it,” the DAR said. “But I want to go with you, Papa, I get scared when I’m here alone,” Beau said. “You’re safe here,” DAR said, “it’ll be OK, I promise.” “If someone does break in, just do what I showed you.“ DAR continued, “people don’t want to mess with someone they think is crazy; trust me I know, it works every time.”

“OK, Papa, I will,” Beau said obediently. In time, Beau would 64

teach himself his own method of intimidation. He could never get the hang of the “rabber” technique.

DAR disappeared, again, behind the bush and through the Thresh-old.

Deep in thought, he raced toward the Mansion. Before he knew it, he was down the street and across the Great VA nowen and run-ning full speed across the green. As he reached the rear of the Mansion, he began to walk slower, still cautious as he approached the opening. The lattice had been replaced, he assumed, by one of those inside. He touched his nose to the lattice to see if Dobbs was near. Suddenly, this huge form lunged at the opening from the inside. DAR jumped back, startled. All he could see was this large mouth with big teeth. DAR recognized the large form. He was a Rottweiler

What am I going to do now? DAR thought. He didn’t want to con-front the big boy for several reasons: First, he didn’t want to chal-lenge the guy, especially if he was hurt. Second, he didn’t want to get eaten. And THIRD, he didn’t want to get eaten. DAR was tough, but he wasn’t stupid.

Just about the time he was running out of ideas on how to tell his new, “friend” that he was there to help, he saw Dobbs appear and gently nudge the big guy to let him know DAR was a friend.

“Hello, Dobbs,” the DAR said. “Hello, DAR,” said Dobbs, “I thought you‘d be back today. Looks like I got here just in time. This is Robert D. He’s one of our best ‘lattice guards.’ Robert D. this is, DAR, do you remember him from yesterday?” Robert D. looks em-barrassed and bows his head slightly, “Hello, DAR, I’m sorry I growled,” Robert D. said as he apologized, “I won’t forget you, again, DAR; next time I will know who you are.” I’m not myself these days.

“Some of us were talking about you last night,” said Dobbs. “There were those who said you had a aura about you; that there

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was something mystical about you.” “Mystical? Me?” DAR said, “Why did they say that?” “They could feel the sadness in your heart as you listened to their stories,” Dobbs said. “They believe you really care. They just knew you were the one they have been talking about; the one they have been waiting for…to lead them.” “But that can’t be Dobbs, you’re their leader,” the DAR said. “You are far wiser than I am.” “They will soon need a new leader,” Dobbs said. “One who is young and strong. One who knows their heart and spirit.” DAR said nothing. The thought of that responsi-bility frightened him at first, but he did not show it; he remained calm. He was beginning to realize that he must stand true. He had no choice, now, but he still did not understand why this task was thrust upon him.

As they walked quickly through the passage in the wall to the room where the others were gathered, Dobbs motioned DAR back a few steps. He whispered in DAR’s ear, “Robert D. cannot see. His owner threw something in his eyes, he’s blind.” DAR’s heart was crushed. “I have some other sad news, DAR,” Dobbs said qui-etly, “last night, we lost Brandy. Her last wish was to be buried here on the green with the others who have passed on. Before she passed, she told the others to have faith in you and then she just quietly went to sleep.”

As they entered the room, DAR noticed that the light in the room had not improved much, even though it was broad daylight.

His first thought was that he wanted to meet the rest of the peo-ple in the group. Dobbs seemed to know what DAR was thinking. He wanted to hear more from those who had stories to tell. Many had not spoken since they entered the Mansion.

As DAR looked around the room, his eyes fixed in the middle of the room. He saw a lonely figure coming forward to bear witness to the cruelty of man or in this case, woman. There was no guess-ing about what was wrong with this beautiful girl, as she hobbled into the light. Her left front leg was missing.

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“My name is Princess, I am a pure bred Standard Poodle. “ I was once a Champion,” she said quietly, “I was a competitor in all the major dog shows. I had won many contests and was happy with my life. I was on top of the world.

One day I was competing in a national show. The competition was tough. There were a lot of beautiful, talented dogs in the show. I was very nervous, that day: I guess too nervous. In the end, I lost. I had lost competitions before, but this was ‘the big show of the year.’ My owner was more than disappointed, she was angry, but didn’t show it at the time.

About a week had past, when one day I had done my business in the house. My owner had been gone all day and there was no one to let me out to the yard. When she returned she just went crazy when she saw the mess. She chased me into a corner and grabbed me by the leg and just twisted it, until it broke. She rushed me to the vet, but he couldn’t save my leg. It had to be amputated.

For weeks after, my owner was sickened by what she had done, by her moment of insanity. I heard her talking to her friend. She said she was filled with remorse. She said she hated herself and couldn’t explain what happened or why she did what she did, but, in the end, it was all about prestige and money. She talked about her business. Even though she was a recognized breeder she was having financial problems. I guess I was ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’ as they say. She told her friend she didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t have a three-legged dog running around her compound to be seen by customers. I could no longer make money for her. I was an embarrassment. I no longer had value.

So here I am, my owner put me in the car and brought me here to the green in front of the Mansion. Sometimes there are a lot of people on the green. I guess she was hoping someone would find me and take me in. They were standing in line,” she said, sarcas-tically, in a hardened voice. “ Everyone wants a three-legged dog. Right?”

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Dobbs looked at DAR and said, “This room is filled with stories that will hold you in stunned silence. You think, after hearing so many stories, you would think that one would get use to it, but you don’t.”

DAR was becoming resolved to help, but he didn’t know what to do. “What can I do?” the DAR said, in a firm voice. “There is noth-ing to do,” Dobbs said, “it’s just life and we have to accept it.”

DAR was baffled by Dobbs acceptance of this senseless cruelty. “I won’t accept that,” DAR said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m going to do something.

First of all, how are you finding food? We have to find more food for these people. They don’t look like they are getting enough to eat.” “We have a benefactor,” Dobbs said, “but, he can’t help ev-eryday.”

“Where is he,” DAR asked. “Come with me,” said Dobbs. They slowly returned to the lattice and moved out onto the green be-hind the Mansion. The estate was large, and was surrounded on three sides by a block wall. Dobbs led the DAR to the west wall. “On the other side of these walls are homes,” Dobbs said. “Most of the people who live in those homes have no idea that we are here. If they did, some of them would have us taken by the Bad Machine.”

“What is the Bad Machine?” DAR asked. “It’s the machine that takes away unwanted dogs like us,” said Dobbs. “Sometimes, they try to trick us. They use different things to catch us. Most of the dogs don’t have collars that tell the humans where the dogs live. And in a way that is good.

Some people bring their dogs here when there are lots of people. They take their collars off and just ‘forget’ to take their Compan-ions home with them. Some just get lost.”

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“What about the food?” DAR said, anxiously. “There is a man who lives on the other side of the wall, at this exact spot. He has been giving us food. Sometimes he opens a big bag of food and just throws it over the wall. Other times it is just human food leftover from his meal. There is not very much on those days. We have to be careful how we eat and remember that tomorrow is coming and we all will be hungry again. Also we have to carry food to those who can’t walk or are too sick.

Some times late at night when everyone has gone home, we will make a trip to a place just down the street. There are lots of places where humans eat. At night, they put food in cans behind these places. Some cans are very big and have heavy tops. We look for the ones with no tops.

There are some things that humans eat, that we don’t; they make us sick. We have learned what not eat. There have been those that have died after eating this food.”

Dobbs has timed the trip to the west wall just right. They hear a noise as Dobbs touches his nose with DAR’s as a motion for DAR to be very quiet. Dobbs leans close to the wall as DAR follows his lead. Suddenly DAR hears a loud thud that strikes the ground like an earthquake. He jumps back a foot, for a second he is terrified. “Whoa, what was that,” DAR whispers to Dobbs. Dobbs just turns and looks just a few feet away. DAR’s eyes follow and there it is, a huge bag of little brown nuggets.

Dobbs rushes to the open bag of food and sniffs the bag all over. DAR just stands in wonder. Dobbs lifts his head and motions to DAR to join him. DAR goes to the bag, but does not eat. Dobbs says, “Eat quickly before the ‘house dogs’ come.” DAR said no, he wasn’t hungry; he had food at home.

Dobbs smiled, gratefully. “Why are you sniffing the bag, Dobbs,” DAR said. “I want to make sure no one has put anything in the food that would make us sick or worse. The woman in the house doesn’t like dogs; I heard her talking,” Dobbs said, “I don’t know

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what she said but, her voice was angry.

Now, we must hurry and get this food back to the Mansion before they discover us. I will go to the Mansion and lead the Great Dane and Rott back here; they will pull the food to the Mansion. They are strong. It’s easy for them. You guard the food while I’m gone.” Dobbs rushes off to retrieve the others. “Wait,” DAR yells, “what are ‘house dogs’?” “They are dogs who have homes and don’t really need food, but they will fight you for it anyway,” Dobbs said as he paused for an instant. “But wait,” DAR shouted. Dobbs was gone.

DAR looks around wildly. Guard against what? he thought, there is no one here! He paces back and forth, wondering what could possibly happen. Minutes pass that seemed like hours, and then there they were.

As he turned to continue his nervous pacing, he saw them in the distance, three dogs running straight for him. Is that Dobbs and the others, he thought. As the marauders drew closer he could see he was about to be in big trouble. They were “house dogs.” As they approached DAR, the “house dogs” stopped for a moment and then slowly circled around him, like wolves about to eat their prey.

DAR was out numbered. He stood as straight and tall as he could. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Nobody was going to take his friend’s food without a fight, he thought.

He had learned at the pet shop how to scare humans that he didn’t like or appeared not to like him. He walked toward the big-gest predator in the group, and as he came nose to nose, the DAR did not hesitate. He did the nastiest “rabber” man has ever seen. It was a method perfected by years of practice. It was that “cage rage” that would be his constant, hidden companion. It was his best protection against the evils in the world that would seek to harm him.

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The dust swirled about DAR, as he began his strange perfor-mance. As the growling, cyclone like, whirling dervish, reached his peak, he disappeared in a cloud of flying dirt. As DAR’s routine subsided, he was frozen for a moment as he sat, regaining his bal-ance from his record-breaking spin cycle. He rose to his feet and continued his menacing look, accompanied by a low menacing growl, taught to him by the BIZ.

The big challenger walked cautiously toward the DAR. This is it, the DAR thought; this will be his first test of heart and will, in the Outer World. As the DAR was about to leap for the challenger’s throat, the bad guy suddenly turned and ran with his friends fol-lowing close behind. DAR just stood there, stunned that his tactics worked. But before the pride of victory could swell in his chest, the fear of imminent battle was still charging through his brain.

He turned quickly, looking for Dobbs and there he was standing right behind him. And beside Dobbs, were Simon and Mick, stand-ing, menacingly with their battle faces at full flag, looking past the DAR to make sure the invaders were gone.

DAR realized that they had been standing behind him, before he knew they were there. “How long have you been standing there,” the DAR asked. “Long enough to see a demonstration of great courage,” Dobbs said. DAR thought it was his great, new found, prowess that frightened the “house dogs “ away, but realized that was not the case, today. With his ego in check, DAR was thankful his new friends were there.

The DAR was young. There would be other days in his life that would test his courage, again.

Dobbs said, “OK guys, let’s get this food back to the Mansion.” Mick and Simon grabbed the heavy bag with their teeth and be-gan to pull it back to their sanctuary to feed the others. DAR and Dobbs walked beside them watching for more aggressors.

As they reached the Mansion, Mick let go of the bag so Simon 71

could back into the lattice opening while pulling the bag with him. There were plenty of hungry faces waiting inside.

The DAR had saved the day, and that’s how the others will tell the story to those waiting in the Mansion; a story that will be part of the folklore, to be told to all those who enter the clan from that day on.

The DAR was embarrassed to hear the praise. He felt that he had done little to alleviate the pain of those beautiful spirits hiding in the shadows of life.

Dobbs said, “They are the unseen millions of human children and Companions, dying every year throughout the world, in the face of such monumental misery. They are dying because there are fewer and fewer humans who care, humans with the power to stop this death.

I have seen the future in my dreams. The earth will eventually de-stroy man. It will purge him like a disease. The time is coming soon when we will not be able to find the bare essentials of life, food and water. The human’s love for us will fade away. They will be concerned with their own survival. We will change, and the earth will change and the humans will lose their way.

For now, there are a brave few who dedicate their lives to us, but there are so many more humans who can no longer even provide for themselves. It gets worse each day.”

“Do you think the world is lost?” DAR said, quietly, hanging his head. “If humans continue without change, it will happen,” Dobbs said, “there is still hope, but right now it is just a dream. Humans don’t know how to live without killing each other or how to treat the earth. I am afraid it won’t change until something very terri-ble happens.”

Dobbs could see that the DAR looked very sad. Perhaps he said 72

too much to his new friend. “DAR, you can’t save the whole world, alone,” said Dobbs, “you can only live your life. And if you live it with honor and stay true to your heart, you will do what is right, and your life will have purpose.”

“How do you know all these things,” DAR asked. “I am one of seven,” Dobbs replied. “What does that mean? DAR asked. “You will know in the near future, DAR,” Dobbs said, “My fate is known to me, the time and place, it is predestined.”

DAR, you will wake each day with a love for being alive and when you see wrong, you will speak up because that is you. Compan-ions have many jobs in life, not just one. We love, above all. We guard and protect each other and the humans who love us and sometimes lay down our life to save them. We search and find those humans who are lost. We guide those who cannot see, and when they are sick and in danger we rescue them.

And sometimes we are silent when we should speak. Sometimes Companions are silent because they are afraid. We are not all brave.

But, when humans return the love we give them, we are complete; and if we did everything right, if we taught humans the art of pure love, that is, giving and never demanding, they will be complete, as well.

Love shared is the greatest gift in our universe.

In the end, there is often great sadness. I have watched humans lose their Companion. Saying goodbye brought them incon-solable grief. And, as is the process of life, there have also been many Companions who have grieved for humans who have passed on before them to the Universe of Spirits. Sometimes, like hu-mans, the sadness overwhelms Companions and they just give up. That is a condition of the heart, that unfortunately, DAR, has no cure. But, often times, cures are overrated.

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You should always remember, that sometimes there are humans who become sick in their heart and in their mind. You must al-ways be aware of these humans. They can do cruel things to Companions even when Companions are loyal and loving. It is of-ten their anger at someone or something else. You can see many in this room who know all too well. You have heard the stories and I know you have felt the pain and sadness, I can see it in your face.

DAR, as you travel this life, let it be in your heart to never let a wrong go unnoticed and stay hidden. And most of all, never let bitterness overtake you.”

DAR marvels how wise and worldly Dobbs seems. He realizes he has a lot to learn about the “Outer World.”

“Dear friend,” said Dobbs, “you are very special, you have a strength, a special sense…that is what brought you to us. Most in this room have never spoken for themselves, but they have talked to you.”

We have seen your courage and it makes us strong. I have been waiting a long, long time for you to come. We all have.

If I do not see you again, I know you will protect these despairing creatures who just want to be safe.”

DAR had listened intently to every word Dobbs said, but didn’t un-derstand why he might not see Dobbs again. He was puzzled. “Where are you going, Dobbs?” DAR asked, “You’ll be right here, won’t you?” “I will always be with you,” Dobbs said, “but it will take time before you recognize me, again. Someday, when you need me the most, I will reveal myself to you, but know I will al-ways be with you.”

“Go now, DAR,“ Dobbs said, “and may all that is good in you be seen by all who you touch.”

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DAR left the Mansion that day with such great sadness in his heart. He could not figure out why Dobbs said the things he said. It was as if he was saying goodbye. He could not walk home. He stopped in the middle of the green and sat down for a while to re-flect on all that had happened to him in the last few days and to think about all the things Dobbs had said to him. I must remem-ber, I must remember, he thought.

DAR stayed for a while, until the sun began to set. He realized it was time to go before the MOM and Pop got home. He got up slowly, but didn’t run home as he usually did. He walked deliber-ately, his head held high. There was a stirring inside of him, a feeling that was different from any he ever had. He didn’t know it at that moment, but he was becoming a man and it felt good.

In a few minutes he had returned to his backyard to be greeted by his boy, Beau. “Papa, Papa,” he yelped as he ran to the DAR, “you’re home! I wish you wouldn’t be gone so long. Where have you been, I get afraid sometimes.” DAR snapped at Beau, in a strong voice, “No,” DAR said, “don’t you ever be afraid, ever. Fear will cause you to shrink from your duty, your mission in life. Do you understand me?” Beau, backed up quickly. No one ever yelled at him that way. “ Yes, Papa,” he said sheepishly, “ I won’t.” Beau was concerned that his Papa was changing. Something in the Outer World was changing him, he thought and that made him uneasy.

DAR went in the house to get some water and survey the house perimeter. He heard the arrival of the MOM and knew Pop would be coming home shortly. MOM opened the slider to greet the two “furies.” DAR ran into the house and went directly to his bed. He was exhausted and he had to think. As he laid his chin on his paws, he thought, again, I must remember what Dobbs told me. With that, his eyes slowly closed and he was sound asleep.

A few hours had past and it was dinnertime. The Pop had been home for a while and the DAR was still asleep. “Hey MOM,” the Pop yelled from the den, “what’s up with the DAR, he’s sound

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asleep. I didn’t even get a greeting from him.” “I don’t know,” the Mom replied from the kitchen, “he barely said hello to me and headed straight for bed.” “Do you think he is sick?” the Pop asked. “I don’t know,” the MOM returned, “it’s almost dinner, why don’t you wake him and look him over.”

The Pop moved off the couch and went over to the DAR’s bed. As he bent down, he gently touched him, so as not to startle him awake. His eyes opened slowly as he sat up. “Hey, buddy,” the Pop said, “how are you doing? Do you feel OK?” He just looked at the Pop with the saddest face. Just then the Pop noticed a tear coming from his eye. “His eye is watering,” the Pop yelled to the kitchen. As the Pop turned back to look him over again, he could see that there were tears coming from both eyes. “MOM, come here,” the Pop shouted. MOM hurried into the den. ‘’What’s the matter,” she said. “Look at the DAR’s face, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was crying. “ “Yeah, that does look odd doesn’t it?” “Let me check you out a little,” the Pop said to the DAR, as he felt him all over. “He seems OK, he doesn’t seem hurt” the Pop said, “I checked his feet and they seem OK, too.”

Dinner passed without event. DAR ate his dinner, but ate slowly. Beau gobbled his down like it was his last meal. Beau always ate fast so he could find those who didn’t eat all of their meal or were willing to give up food to a happy beggar face.

The MOM and the Pop never knew what came over DAR that day, they just thought that everybody has good and bad days, and to-day was a not good day.

Later everyone turned in for the night. DAR seemed very quiet. He didn’t seem particularly excited about his evening “business” (PPS) tour of the backyard. He did what he had to do and re-turned to the house. Beau would have stayed out all night, if he were allowed. “Come on, Beau,” the Pop yelled, “hurry in here, before the alligators get you.” When he first arrived, Beau would stop and look at the Pop when he spoke. But as time went by, he would just ignore him and keep sniffing the green off the grass. I

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suspect his father told him, that the Pop was given to hyperbole a lot of the time. Well, maybe DAR didn’t use those exact words.

The morning came and, as usual, everybody was up and busy with their duties. As the Pop was filling water bowls on the patio, the Pop noticed DAR snooping in the corner of the yard, behind the bushes. Suddenly, he looked up at the Pop. DAR stared at the Pop for a second and then ran to him as if to say goodbye for the day. DAR then bolted into the house as if he was leading the Pop, trying to distract him. Little did the Pop know, DAR wanted him to stop thinking about that corner of the yard and what he was doing there.

DAR was impatient as he waited for the sound of Pop’s car leaving the driveway. Finally, everyone was gone and it was time to head to the Mansion. He was haunted by what Dobbs said to him last night; the words seemed to echo, they seemed so final.

DAR headed for the Threshold as usual. As he reached the bushes that hid the Threshold, he heard a cry from the back of the yard, “Papa,” Beau screamed, “I want to go with you, today.” “No you can’t,” DAR said, “it’s too dangerous.”

DAR squeezed through the Threshold and began his journey to the Mansion. He was moving fast. About halfway to the Great VA nowen, he had this strong feeling that something was following him and it was getting closer. He quickly darted behind a bush to wait for what was behind him. In an instant there was flash of white and gold, and blue merle racing past him. Yup, it was the Beaugo (yes, another nickname). He was running full throttle. DAR came out of hiding to watch his boy whiz by. Suddenly, he saw his boy come to a sudden stop. Beau had just realized he was away from home for the first time and he was lost. His plan to fol-low his Papa was a desperate failure.

Beau was frantic. Where is Papa, he thought, I’m going to be in big trouble, if I can’t find my Papa. He hung his head, thinking how dumb it was to just take off like that. His Papa was nowhere

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in sight. He turned to begin his search for the way home. As he turned around, there was his Papa standing right behind him. “Papa, Papa,” Beau yelled. “Not another word, mister,” DAR said, “Didn’t I say you could not come with me?” “Yes, Papa,” said Beau, “but, I just wanted to tell you something before you go.” “What is that,” DAR said in stern voice. “I’m not afraid,” Beau blurted out,” I’m not afraid; I wanted you to know that.” DAR was cornered. What was he going to do? He didn’t have time to show Beau the way back home.

“Alright, you can come with me, but you must do exactly what I tell you to do, when I tell you,” DAR said with authority. “Yes, Papa, I will,” Beau said obediently. “And I want to warn you that you may see some things today, that might upset you,” DAR said, in a softer voice, “but you have to be strong and do not react to anything, just be still. I will explain things to you when we go back home.”

“When we get to the Great VA nowen,” DAR continued, “I want you to exactly as I do, exactly. Do you understand?” “Yes, Papa,” Beau replied.

DAR set off to continue his journey to the Mansion, his boy in lock step beside him. Now he had someone else to worry about and he wondered if he had made the right decision to show his young son the other side life. Maybe, it’s time, DAR thought. If something should happen to him, Beau should know about the “Outer World.”

Within a few minutes they reached the Great VA nowen. DAR was more cautious than usual. He wanted to make sure he got his boy across the great divide safely.

As usual, the DAR waited for the Big Machines to stop. In a flash, they crossed the great divide. Beau stayed at his father’s side and did not race ahead as was his usual course. The two pro-ceeded across the green to the rear of the Mansion. DAR ap-proached the lattice very slowly. Beau stayed where his Papa stopped him. DAR sensed there was something wrong.

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A long nose appeared in the lattice opening. A soft voice said, in a whisper, “Hello DAR. I’m Horatio.” He was a Bloodhound. Like some of the others, he was old. “Who is that with you?” Horatio said. “He is my son,” DAR responded. “His name is Beau. Will it be OK if he comes in with me?” Horatio stepped quietly outside onto the green, “ I’m afraid I have some sad news, DAR.“ DAR sat down and hesitated for a moment, just staring at Horatio. After a long pause, DAR said quietly, “What is it?” “Last night my partner of many years, died.” “Who is your partner?” DAR asked. “It was you friend; it was Dobbs,” said the Bloodhound. DAR did not say a word, he just sat there in stunned silence; he was frozen.

After a few minutes, DAR said in a half angry and choked voice, “It must be another Dobbs,” DAR said, in denial. “Dobbs was a friend of mine. If you’re his partner, how come I never met you?” “I have been away for many days; looking for other places we can find food and a place we can live, in case we are discovered here,” said Horatio. “ You know, there is never enough food; we are slowly starving.”

DAR bolts past Horatio, through the lattice opening and races to the Room of Light. As he reaches the room, he hears nothing. There is only silence. DAR stops and looks around as he moves slowly through the half darkened room. He has to find Dobbs. He catches glimpses of eyes in the shadows. “Where is Dobbs?” DAR asks, softly. “He is over here, DAR,” came the response. “Who is there?” DAR said anxiously. “It is me, Simon,” said the Great Dane as he stepped into the light. Simon towers over the DAR.

He leads the DAR to the back corner of the room. “He is here,” Si-mon said. “Dobbs had not eaten for nearly a week, he would only pretend to eat. He was saving the food for the others. Dobbs told me there were others worth saving and that his time was near. He made me promise not to tell anyone. Horatio was away a lot and Dobbs never told him, although I think he knew.”

DAR looked down at his friend, lying motionless. He was quiet for 79

a long time. Finally, he just lay down in front of Dobbs and put his chin on Dobbs paws. He wondered what Dobbs’ life must have been like. Such a wise and noble spirit, he thought, who would mistreat this gentle heart? After nearly an hour had passed, DAR sat up and paused for a few more minutes, as if in prayer. Dobbs, DAR said silently, in thought, “you taught me so much about the Outer World in your last days. I will keep you in my heart always. I will try to honor your friendship. Please help guide me each day. Goodbye my friend.

Simon asked, “Are you going to leave us, DAR, now that Dobbs is gone? Will we ever see you again?” DAR just looked at Simon with tearful eyes. “I will never abandon you or the others,” DAR replied.

He paused for a minute and then said with some authority, “There is much work to do, Simon. Tomorrow, we will bury Dobbs and say farewell. I will be back in the morning.” He was young and healthy, the DAR thought, and he would lead them as long as they wanted him there.

DAR left quickly through the lattice opening. As he started to leave the green, he realized he had left Beau sitting on the green. He looked frantically around and, for an instant, was worried that Beau might have wandered off and tried to cross the Great VA nowen by himself. What have I done? he thought. He looked around wildly and then with a last look, he saw two figures lying under the large Elm tree on the green. As he moved closer, he could see it was Beau and Horatio. He hurried over to him and gently touched Beau. “Come on Beau, it’s time to go. Thank you, Horatio, for watching Beau. I should have kept a closer eye on him.” DAR motioned for Beau to step back with him.

As DAR and Beau turned to leave, he heard Horatio say, “DAR, don’t ever worry about Beau when he is with me. I would always protect him from harm. He is young and full of life and he sure is a challenge; Beau sure likes to run and play. He wore me out, to-day; but it was good for me, it distracted me for a while. DAR,

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please know, I would never let him cross the green alone. I may be along in years, but I can still run if I have to, at least fast enough to grab his tail.” Both DAR and Horatio laughed softly, try-ing to avoid talking about the death of their friend..

“I’m sorry I yelped at you,” DAR said to Horatio, “I know you must have cared a great deal for Dobbs. How long were you and Dobbs together?” DAR asked in almost a whisper. Horatio said nothing. DAR understood when Horatio did not speak. He turned slowly with Beau, to begin their journey home. As they started off, he heard Horatio’s voice, “Since we were babies.” Horatio said, in a proud voice. “We were left by different people in an alley; we were left in separate boxes. I heard his cries and he heard mine. We fought our way out of our boxes and we have been together ever since.”

DAR realized Horatio wanted to talk, to remember his partner. He and Beau sat on the green and quietly listened.

“A family adopted us when they saw us on the street,” Horatio continued, “they were good to us, at first, until the man left. The children started being mean to us, so we left. They were just an-gry with their parents, I guess, but it was time for us to go. We al-most starved to death in the beginning. I almost gave up at one point, but Dobbs wouldn’t let me. Eventually, we figured out how to stay alive. He did all the hard work, in the beginning; he kept me going. If it weren’t for Dobbs, I would have missed all this.” “Missed what?” DAR said. “Life,” Horatio said, “the joy of his com-panionship, the joy of the world. The times we were happy, the sadness when we lost a friend, the journey together. The laugh-ter, the tears and always the adventure of our life together; that’s what drove us forward.

As you probably know, DAR, there never can be great joy without knowing pain. The pain teaches us humility and the joy teaches us pride, to feel good about who we are. Pride and pain keep us balanced so that we can understand these things in others as we help them celebrate their life.”

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DAR was deep in thought. He realized he could learn much from Horatio and the elders. In a way, he felt that Dobbs was still here, teaching him and showing him the way. Maybe that was part of what Dobbs meant when he said that he would always be with me, to help me, he thought. “You are wise, too, Horatio, just like Dobbs,” DAR said. Horatio looked intently at DAR and said, “But always remember, DAR, that the elders also learn from the young. Sometimes it is the young who teach us different ways to think and do things and most importantly, to never say that it can’t be done. The elders can only teach you what they have learned from the past, from their lives. It is up to the young to teach us about the future. It is their challenge.” DAR smiled, he understood; he took solace in Horatio’s words.

DAR looked at Horatio and said quietly, “Where do you think Dobbs would like to be buried?” “Right here,” Horatio said, “right here under this big Elm Tree. Sometimes at night, we would sit out here together and watch the sunset and let the cool breeze blow over us. Dobbs once told me this is where he wanted to be buried.” “What do you think Dobbs would have wanted us to say about his life?” DAR asked. “I’ve been thinking about that,” Hora-tio said, “I think he would simply want us to say that he felt his was life was complete and joyous and that it should be told through the lore of our history, that he was simply a faithful Com-panion and Sojourner in this world.” “Yes,” said DAR, “that’s per-fect.” DAR paused a minute, then said, “We will go now. We will return early tomorrow. When will the burial take place?” DAR asked. Horatio said, ”At sunset; Dobbs favorite time of the day.”

DAR and Beau turned and headed across the green to return home. They didn’t speak during the trip back to the house. Beau had a lot of questions, but sensed the sadness in his Papa and knew DAR had a lot on his mind.

When the two arrived back at the Threshold, DAR could see that his boy barely made if through the Threshold and soon he would have to find another way for him to get out of the yard without be-ing found out by the Pop or the MOM. Beau just looked at his

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Papa, he knew he would figure out something, but right now, there were other priorities.

As the evening came to an end and all settled in for the night, both DAR and Beau were restless. Beau wanted to talk to his Papa, he was upset about the things he had seen that day. He moved out of his bed in the den and walked quietly across the room and lay down next to his Papa. “I can’t sleep, Papa,” Beau said. “Papa, are you going to die, too?” DAR looked at Beau and saw the worried look on Beau’s face. “I will be with you a very long time, son. You will be old yourself before I leave this earth, so don’t get your hopes up,” he said with a sly smile on his face. DAR made a joke to calm Beau’s fear. “As you grow, you will have more important things to worry about in your life than my demise,” DAR said. Beau smiles shyly.

He knew his Papa would not lie to him. Beau sat up straight, the terrified look had left his face, but there were still many questions. “Are you going to help those Companions in the Mansion, Papa?” Beau asked. “Yes, I am. I’m going to do what I have to do, there is no choice for me.” “You don’t have to do this do you, Papa, it might be dangerous,” Beau said. “ Beau,” DAR said, “you will find that there are things you choose to do in this world and then there are things that choose you. How you react to these events in life will, in part, define who you are. It will teach you about the strength inside you.

You must know, son, that as Companions, we all have jobs we must do in this world. We don’t know why, it is just something deep inside of us, something we are born with; something we feel. You do it instinctively. When it happens, it will consume you and you will know your mission in life. Maybe what I am going to do will not be your mission, you’re young, you will know when it hap-pens.”

Beau said, “I like to play ball, do you think that is my mission, Papa.” DAR just laughed and shook his head. DAR mused, “Maybe so, little one, maybe so.” DAR realized at that moment

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that his boy was a true innocent and there was time, yet, and that’s the way it should be.

Beau stayed by his Papa, he would not return to his bed that night.

The morning came with the usual routine. Beau and his Papa were rushing around the yard; and, as in past days, DAR was rest-less and anxious to be on his way to the Mansion.

With the parents gone, DAR was fast preparing for the day. He didn’t eat his breakfast and was trying to figure out how he could take the food to the Companions. Beau was trying to copy his Papa and left his food in his dish. DAR noticed the uneaten food and called to Beau. Beau ran to his Papa. “Come on Papa, we have to hurry,” Beau said, out of breath. “What is this,” DAR asked. “It’s my food, Papa, I wasn’t hungry this morning. Let’s take it to the Mansion, for the others,” Beau pleaded. “ I know your heart is the right place, son, but I have enough problems without worrying about you all day with no food in your stomach, now eat mister!” Beau obeyed his father and approached his bowl.

As he bent down to eat, he suddenly reared back. “Papa, how are we going to get your food over to the Mansion,” Beau blurted out. “ I figured that out last night,” DAR said. “ MOM has a stool she sits on when she works with her flowers. It has wheels on it and the seat flips up and there is a place to put things inside. It has a rope handle on it, too.” “Papa, you’re so smart! I hope I grow up to be smart like you,” Beau said in his most patronizing voice. DAR just looked at his boy and thought, that’s just great, I’m rais-ing a professional con man.

“And how are you going to get the ‘MOM’s wagon’ out of the yard, it won’t fit through the Threshold,” Beau continued. “I’ve got that handled, too, son,” DAR said, not wanting to hear any more “Gee, Papa you’re the greatest” comments. Beau watches his Papa run to the other side of the house where the side gate is located. He

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watches DAR climb up on a box. DAR can just reach the string that controls the latch to the gate. He jumps off the box with the string in his mouth as the gate pops open.

As DAR holds the gate open, he yelps to his son, “Beau, dump my food into the ‘MOM’s wagon’ and pull it here with the rope han-dle.” “OK,” Beau said. Beau runs to his Papa’s bowl and with his teeth, dumps it in the hollow bowl like container under the seat. Knowing his Papa can’t see him, he runs back to pick up his own bowl of food and dumps that in the container, as well.

Beau hears his father calling. “Hurry Beau, this gate is heavy, “ DAR yelps. Beau grabs the rope with his teeth and pulls the little wagon through the gate to the driveway. DAR follows quickly be-hind. They both smile at each other. “We make a good team, don’t we, Papa,” Beau boasted. “We do, little one,” DAR replied, “now, let’s go.” Beau was growing like a weed and was now twice the size of his Papa, but he would always see his Papa as larger than life. As Beau grew older, however, there would be times when his independence would result in disobedience, but in spite of that flaw, he would never really disrespect his Papa where seri-ous issues were involved.

The two crossed the Great VA nowen, pulling the ‘MOM’s wagon.’ DAR worried because the wagon slowed them down and he was concerned that the Big Machines might not wait for them to reach the other side. He was relieved when they crossed the Great VA nowen and made it safely.

Beau was getting tired, but did not complain; he was proud that he could help his Papa and the others in the Mansion. DAR and Beau reached the lattice. Horatio and Simon greet the two and escorted them into the Room of Light where the others are gath-ered. Simon said, “Before we begin this Day of Parting to say goodbye to Dobbs, we must find some food. We didn’t have enough food for everyone for the last two days.” DAR said, “I have some extra food I brought from my house.” DAR proceeded to flip the seat up on the ‘MOM’s wagon’ and there it was, DAR’s

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breakfast. As he looked at the food he could tell there was more than his breakfast sitting in the container.

DAR glared at Beau, he knew what Beau had done. Beau just sat there. He knew he disobeyed his father, but it was something he had to do.

Simon motioned for two Companions, who had bravely waited for the weakest to eat. Beau and DAR watched as the two ap-proached the food. Horatio said, “This is Oaffie, he is a St. Bernard. Dobbs named him because he was always knocking things over. Dobbs said he was just a big Oaf. He is really very gentle. A human just left him one day. He hasn’t spoken since he’s been here.”

“And this is Speedo,” Horatio said, “She’s a Jack Russell terrier. When she first got here, she would just run all the time. She would run all over the green looking for her humans, but she never found them. She doesn’t run anymore.” Their humans had not hurt Speedo and Oaffie; except for their broken hearts, that is.

Beau and DAR just sat back and watched Speedo and Oaffie eat. DAR looked at Beau with pride. He was learning that the reward for giving was happiness and contentment. Beau just smiled back at his Papa. DAR wondered as he looked at his boy, if Beau’s kind heart would ever be betrayed.

Beau waited for Oaffie and Speedo to finish their food. Even though they were very hungry, they shared the food together. Since they arrived, Oaffie and Speedo were inseparable. When the food was all gone, they both licked the bowl. When they looked up, there seemed to be a calmness that came over them. The two stood there by the empty container. After a minute, their calm faces turned to a look of embarrassment, almost guilt.

Beau could sense what they were feeling. He bolted over to Oaffie and stuck his nose in his ear; he was talking to Oaffie. It seemed like he talked forever. When Beau finished talking, he went over

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and sat by his Papa. They both looked at Oaffie. Suddenly, Oaffie roared with deep barks. It went on for several minutes. Everyone in the room was amazed and they began to whisper to each other, “Oaffie is talking,” came the chorus of whispers. “It’s wonderful,” they proclaimed.

Horatio looked at Beau and asked excitedly, “What did you say to that boy, we have tried everything to get him to talk?” “I just told him I was once left alone in a place with a lot of other dogs. I said I was afraid too, and I didn’t know what would become of me. I told him that I didn’t remember the humans that brought to that place, but I do remember the Pop and the MOM when they came in and took me home. I asked him if he would like a home like mine, he nodded yes. I said, well then, you have to talk, talk in the language humans understand or they won’t want to take you home. You have to wiggle all over and jump up and down with a happy face and yelp. If you lick their face, they like that, some-times. My Pop likes that a lot. He kisses me back when I kiss him, but he doesn’t lick my face, though.”

Horatio said, “He looks sad, though,” as Oaffie’s roars continued. “I think he has been sad for a long time, but those are happy roars,” Beau said. “He has waited a long time to tell his story. I guess he just thought I would understand.”

“You have brought us great joy, Beau, on this very sad day,” Hora-tio said, “Dobbs would have been proud of you, I wish you would have known him.”

The day was fleeting, DAR went over to Simon and Horatio and said, “We need to find more food, before the ‘Parting’; there will be a lot of hungry faces by sundown.” Horatio and Simon agreed. Horatio said that he didn’t find any food at the places where the humans eat, but they have to check each day. DAR suddenly stopped in his tracks, “Wait a minute,” he said, “I know where there is some food; I’m so stupid, why didn’t I think of this before.” “Where?” Horatio said. “Follow me, Horatio,” DAR said, “Beau, stay here with Simon and the others. We will be right

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back. Come on, Horatio, let’s go.” The two took off running, back across the Great VA nowen, back to the house. When they reached the front of the house, DAR told Horatio to wait and he would open the gate and let Horatio in.

DAR raced down the side of the house, through the Threshold and around the other side of the house. He pulls the gate latch and yelps for Horatio to come through the gate. “Whose house is this?” Horatio asked, “if we get caught, the people who live here will call the ‘Bad Machine’ and we will disappear forever.” “It’s OK, Horatio, I know the people who live here,” DAR said. “Are you sure you know these people?” Horatio said, as he followed DAR through the side door of the garage. “Horatio,” said DAR, wanting to stop the questioning, “this is my house, the people that own this house are my MOM and Pop. This is where Beau and I live.” “WOW,“ Horatio yelped, “this is a great place, do your MOM and Pop treat you well?” “Yup, they’re pushovers,” DAR said. “You got lucky, DAR, just lucky,” said Horatio. “Yes, we did,” DAR replied, ”Someday, I will tell you my story, but for now, just know we are in a very good place.”

“Come over here, Horatio,” as DAR motioned for him to come to the refrigerator where DAR was standing. “What is this,” Horatio said, “It keeps food cold,” DAR said, “the MOM keeps food in here for Beau and me. Last night she cooked a big piece of meat and dropped it on the floor. The Pop said we could eat it so the MOM put it in here. Help me open the box,” DAR said, “put your nose right here and push.” Together, they opened the door and there was the food. “Grab that bag, right there,” DAR said, “and hurry, we have to take this back to the Mansion, we have other places to go, today.”

The DAR pushed the refrigerator closed and the two quickly re-turned to the Mansion with the food. Horatio took the food through the lattice and into the Room of Light. He ripped the bag open and motioned for others to eat. In a few minutes, he and DAR returned to the green where Beau and Simon were waiting. “Thank you, DAR,” said Simon, “every little bit helps.”

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“On the next sunrise,“ DAR said, “we will choose those who are able, to search for food. We need to find new places. Each of us must have a job. They must be special Companions, who under-stand that it takes strength of character to do this…to find food and bring it back to the others and not keep it or eat it all.” “We have all learned to be special Companions, here, that is how we have survived so long, together,” Simon said, defensively. “I’m sorry,” DAR said, embarrassed, “that was wrong of me to say it like that. I should have known better. That won’t happen again.” DAR was angry with himself. Sometimes DAR expressed his impa-tience in the worst way, but that would change. He would change; he would be calmer, more measured in his thinking.

“We will talk about these plans tomorrow,” DAR said, “For today, Beau and I will find more food. Simon, you and Horatio should stay and look after Dobbs, he needs you now. We will be back be-fore the ‘Parting,’ I know you feel Dobbs would want you both to go with us, but I think your heart is telling you to stay.”

With that, Beau and DAR disappear in the noontime sun. “I think we have a new leader,” Simon said to Horatio, as they watched DAR and Beau in the distance. “He will need our counsel,” said Horatio, “but we should ask the others tomorrow if they want to follow his lead.” “Everyone likes DAR,” Simon said, “He has so much energy, I hope he leads us with dignity and strength. I won-der how he will change our lives.”

The day progressed quickly. DAR and Beau had reached the mall safely, after crossing the Great canyon of the VA nowen. DAR’s in-stincts told him the Big Machines would stop and let them pass. Beau never realized how powerful his Papa had become, after all, he thought those Big Machines must be afraid of my Papa or why would they stop.

The two search everywhere, all the places where humans ate. Hu-mans would throw good food into the large containers in the back

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of their eating places, but many had heavy tops and could not be moved. They continued their search of all the stores, running down the back of the mall. They found nothing.

As they turned their attention from the human eating places, Beau and DAR ran past a store that had a familiar smell. DAR stopped dead in his tracks. “Beau,” DAR said quietly, “do you smell that?” “Yes, Papa,” Beau replied, “I do, it smells like the little brown things the MOM puts in our bowls with the other yummies.” DAR moves closer to the door. The humans put something in the door-way to keep it from closing “Stay here and watch for humans,” DAR said. “If someone comes, let out a yelp.” “OK, Papa, I will,” Beau said.

DAR walks through the door and disappears. As usual, Beau wor-ries whenever his Papa is away from him. Minutes pass and then, here comes the DAR, butt first out the door. He is dragging a heavy bag with his teeth. When he gets it to the back of the store, he drops it. “Beau, can you carry the bag for Papa?” DAR said, out of breath. “Sure Papa,” Beau replied.Beau picks up the bag with ease. DAR just shakes his head in amazement. “Let’s go,” DAR said, “we have to hurry or we’ll be late.”

The two head back to the Mansion. Beau and DAR cross the Great canyon of the VA nowen with ease, bag and all. When they reach the green, Beau puts the bag down. “Papa, I have to rest a minute,” Beau said. “OK, son,” said DAR, “but we will have to go in a minute.”

After a few minutes, Beau and DAR take off again toward the Man-sion. DAR can see that all the Companions are gathered outside under the Elm tree. “Beau, take the food inside and come right back. Just go through the lattice and go that way,” as DAR ges-tures with his nose. “You will come to large room; leave the food there and then come right back, the ‘Parting’ is about to begin.”

Beau takes off as DAR heads to the back of the green and takes 90

his place next to Simon and Horatio. Horatio slowly faces the oth-ers and bows his head for a minute. “Some of you have only known Dobbs for a short time, but I have known Dobbs all of my life. He was everything he appeared to be, a wise, kind, and gen-tle spirit, who is watching over us right now.

There were days in our youth when there was mischief and laugh-ter, and as we grew older, we found that life was more than fun and high jinks, as all of us here have learned, too well.

We lived on the street for most of our life. We saw tragedy and sadness as well as great joy. I would like to tell the story of Dobbs, one that he never told.

It happened about a year ago. Dobbs and I were looking for food where there were a lot of humans living in their dwellings. DAR calls them ‘homes.’ One day a human brought food out to the front of the home and gave it to us. We ate the food as the man watched. When we finished, the human motioned for us to come in the front door. As Dobbs started to follow the human, I whis-pered in Dobbs ear not to go. Dobbs was very trusting and contin-ued to follow the human despite my warning. As Dobbs went through the door, the man closed the door quickly, before I could follow. I ran back and forth in front of the dwelling trying to find a way in, but I couldn’t. There was no way to get to the backyard. I was frantic; I would not leave the front yard. I stayed there for days and then one day the human opened a huge door in the dwelling and drove his Big Machine out into the street. Dobbs was inside. As the Big Machine sped away, I chased after it, but soon it was out of sight.

I kept running, even though I could no longer see the Big Machine. What was I going to do, I thought; I was heartsick. I had to stop and rest; I was exhausted. As I lay there at the edge of the street, I started to get angry with myself. Dobbs never gave up on me and I was determined I was not going to give up on him. I had to find Dobbs.

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After a few minutes, I jumped to my feet. I would search the streets; maybe I could find him nearby. I raced up one street and down another. I wondered as I ran if I would ever see Dobbs again. Finally, as I ran down the last street, I saw a Big Machine that looked like the one that took Dobbs. I raced to the Big Ma-chine and jumped up to look inside, Dobbs was not there.

I decided to wait in the bushes and when the man came out with Dobbs, I would attack and save Dobbs. It was very dark that night. After several hours, the man came out and walked toward his Big Machine. I leaped to my feet and charged the human. As I jumped on the human, I knocked him down and stood over him. I growled, using my meanest look. You could see every one of my teeth. I was mad. I looked around for Dobbs and could not see him. I left the human on the ground and ran around the Big Ma-chine trying to find Dobbs. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I jumped up on the machine to look inside… nothing.

When I ran back to the other side of the Big Machine to scare the human away, the man had jumped inside the Big Machine and I could hear the noise of the machine, starting. The Machine moved backwards into the street and then the human drove out of sight.

Dobbs must still be inside the house, I thought. I ran to the front door and began to bark as loud as I could. No one came. I contin-ued to bark. At last, I could hear Dobbs barking to me. We talked back and forth, until suddenly, Dobbs was silent. I called to Dobbs, but there was no sound. I was determined I would never leave him.

Days past and I would only leave long enough to find food in the nearby mall. Each day, as I talked to Dobbs through the fence, we tried to figure out a way to get Dobbs out. The gate was locked and fence was solid stone. It seemed hopeless.

After many, many days of encouraging my friend to hang on, I re-alized Dobbs was growing weak. The old human stopped feeding

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Dobbs and it was hard for him to get water. The old human beat Dobbs everyday, and Dobbs never knew why. I wanted to see him; I knew he was hurt. I was afraid he wouldn’t last much longer. Dobbs tried to stay out of the old human’s way. He was always left outside in the cold. I would stay at night and call to him when was crying in pain. I was cold too, but it was nothing compared to what Dobbs was going through. Dobbs said he could barely walk. He said he found a hiding place in the backyard and would only come out at night. His voice was getting weak. I could hear Dobbs; I was becoming more and more frightened for him.

And then one day a wonderful thing happened. The neighbor next door walked to the dwelling where Dobbs was captured. She banged on the door, and shouted the old human’s name. Finally, the old human opened the door and began to yell at the neighbor knocking on his door. He was mean looking and could hardly stand up. ‘You have a dog in there, Jimmy,’ the neighbor said, ‘you shouldn’t have a dog; you can’t even take care of yourself. You’re drunk all the time and I hear you when you beat that dog. I want the dog or I will call the police and have you arrested.’ The old hu-man yelled, ‘I don’t want the dog; I want to kill him. My friend should not have brought the dog here in the first place.’ Then, the old human slammed the door.

The neighbor was furious. She mumbled to herself as she walked past me, hiding in the bushes. ‘I’m going to get that dog from that old fool,’ she mumbled to herself.

A few days had past and the beatings stopped, but Dobbs was still very weak. He had not had any food for many days. Then, early one morning, the old human came out of his dwelling and got into his Big Machine and drove away. Suddenly, the neighbor next door came flying out of her home and ran to rescue Dobbs. She was so angry she kicked the gate down and ran into the backyard searching for Dobbs. I hesitated a minute and then ran after her, into the yard. We both searched frantically, calling out to Dobbs. And then the neighbor saw him lying in the corner, softly crying out. The neighbor looked at me and said, ‘Are you a friend of this

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poor creature?’ I could sense what she was saying and let out an excited yelp. ‘OK,’ she said, ‘let’s get your friend out of here and get him some food and water.’

She gently picked Dobbs up and quickly carried him to her dwelling, opening the door and motioning for me to follow. For an instant, I was fearful that we both might be trapped in this house, but I had to take a chance, Dobbs needed me. I could see the neighbor was kind and felt she would not harm us. She gave us both food and water. I gobbled mine down in an instant. Dobbs could barely eat; he could not stand up, he was too weak. The neighbor held Dobbs head and gently fed him by hand.

That night I stayed close to Dobbs. We slept inside for the first time in our lives. I lay down next to Dobbs; I wanted him to feel my breath on his face and know I was near. I vowed to Dobbs, that night, that no harm would ever come to him, again.

Although, we were both exhausted, we didn’t sleep well. Dobbs pain kept him awake most of the night. Every time I would hear his soft cries of pain, I would wake up. I would lick his wounds, during the night, to help with the healing. I imagined the worst. If something happened to Dobbs, I truly would have lost the best part of my life.

The morning came and the neighbor who saved Dobbs came into the where we were. She brought some food and water for us. I encouraged Dobbs to eat some of the food. I told Dobbs he needed to get his strength back.

I could smell the scent of other dogs in the house and began to think that we were only going to be temporary guests.

I stayed by Dobbs for the next few days. He began to eat better and wanted to go outside to walk around and do his business. Af-ter a while, Dobbs wanted to rest on the lawn and lay in the sun to help heal his wounds. We talked about our situation and dis-cussed what to do next. I told Dobbs there were other dogs in the

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dwelling. He agreed, and said that we should make plans to leave after the evening meal. I told Dobbs he was too weak, but he didn’t care, he wanted to go. Dobbs had a bad feeling.

Even though the neighbor was kind, I heard her tell the other hu-man in the house, that they couldn’t keep the dogs, since she al-ready has 3 dogs; he agreed. She had kept the dogs separated to protect us from her Companions who may see us as invaders. When I told Dobbs, he said the Bad Machine might come for us and that we couldn’t take that chance.

That night, when we finished eating, we waited for an opportunity to get out of the home. It was late at night, when the neighbor opened the front door and walked outside. The door was left opened. We quickly and quietly walked out the door and hid in the bushes until we saw the neighbor go back inside and close the door behind her. I was concerned we would be discovered and caught. We could not run since Dobbs was not strong enough. To our surprise, the neighbor did not notice we were gone. She did not come back through the door looking for us. We were not missed and that was OK with us.

We walked as fast as Dobbs could go. We wandered around for some time looking for a place to sleep for the night. Dobbs was getting tired. Finally, we crossed the Great VA nowen and walked here on this green for the very first time. We collapsed right where I’m standing, under this Elm tree. I think we slept forever. We were free, again, and that was a great feeling. We would never be trapped again. We learned a valuable lesson: Trust from a distance.

The morning came and we could feel the sun as it came shinning through the trees and warmed us as we awakened to a glorious day. We looked at each other and we were content.

That was the beginning of our life here. We spent the next fifteen years helping Companions who had lost their way. Over the years, there have been hundreds who have come to the Mansion

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looking for shelter and comfort from a world that betrayed them.”

Horatio stopped talking and just bowed his head. The sorrow had overcome him. He lay down next to Dobbs body lying in the grave that was meticulously dug by the strongest Companions. Simon stood up to tell the story of how he met Dobbs and Horatio, but re-alized he could not speak; the sadness had also overwhelmed him. DAR noticed Simon’s struggle to speak and leaped to his feet and rushed to Simon’s side. “Could I say a few words,” DAR asked Si-mon. “Yes,” said Simon, barely audible.

DAR started to talk about the very short time he had known Dobbs, but sensed in Dobbs, a powerful feeling of inner peace, a “knowing,” as the Companions say. “He had a strength and wis-dom that few of us are blessed with,” DAR said, “but he also had a rhythm inside him that helped kept him balanced, an understand-ing of the practical nature of the world. Dobbs had learned to quickly sense danger and react to protect himself and others. He was a true leader. I’ve been told, he would be the first to stand in the face of those who would threaten the well being of any Com-panion, but he knew when to fight and when to retreat,“ DAR con-tinued, “he thought it better to out-think an opponent than con-front overwhelming odds and perish without cause.

He found the concealed place in the Mansion and convinced all that came here to keep its secret,” DAR said, “he will be remem-bered by all who have passed through the lattice. Farewell, Dobbs, your spirit will live in all of us and we will spread your grace throughout the world.”

DAR knew it was time for all to say goodbye. Each Companion walked slowly past the grave and with their nose, each of them lovingly pushed a little dirt into the grave. When it was over, Dobbs was covered with a soft, blanket of earth. Horatio and Si-mon skillfully covered the ground with leaves and twigs so that there would be no evidence that someone was buried in that spot. All the graves on the green had been hidden in that way. Dobbs was at rest. He would wait for Horatio, not at the “Rainbow

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Bridge,” but rather in a special place, a place of great spiritual power, unknown to Horatio.

After the ‘Parting’, DAR looked at Simon and then motioned for ev-eryone to come back to the Mansion to enjoy the food he and Beau had appropriated. As he led the family back to the Room of Light, he realized that Beau was not with him. He quickly looked through the group; Beau was not there. “Simon,” DAR said, “please be sure the others get food, I’m going to find Beau.”

As DAR raced out onto the green, he looked immediately under the Elm tree. There was Beau and Horatio lying under the tree, once again. Beau’s head was resting on Horatio’s shoulder. DAR approached the two, quietly. “Beau,” DAR said, “Horatio wants to be alone for awhile, come with me, now.” Beau just looked up at his Papa and did not move. As Beau started to speak, Horatio said, “He’s OK, DAR, let him be awhile. I think the burial was a lot for him to handle, I don’t think he fully understood what hap-pened; he’s a little upset. He’s OK where he is; please, let him stay.” DAR respected Horatio’s wish, but told Beau not to bother Horatio with a lot of questions, and cautioned that they would be leaving soon to go home.

As DAR returned to the Mansion, Beau’s eyes followed him until he was out of sight. Beau wanted to ask Horatio questions, but he knew if his Papa found out, he would get in trouble. Horatio and Beau just lay there, quietly, for a long time. Then Horatio spoke to Beau in a calm, steady voice. “What is it you want to ask me, Beau?” Horatio said. “I’m not supposed to ask you questions,” Beau replied, “I will get in trouble.”“Let me worry about your Papa, little one, what is it you want to know?”

“Why do Companions die, Horatio?” “Well Beau, I must tell you we are all are going to die, that’s part of life. Dying doesn’t have to be a terrible thing. How we die depends on how we live. If we love life, if we give more than we take, if we help those who are not strong and share joy with those we love, then we have lived

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life. We have chased life, rather than life chasing us. When the time comes for us to leave this earth, we are just moving from one existence to another. And in the next world, we will live life with the same measure that we lived before, here on earth.

We are the masters of who we are. It is never anybody else’s fault when bad things happened, and bad things will happen. How we handle adversity dictates how well we will live our life.

These are a lot of things to understand for someone so young, but in time you will understand what I have said and someday you will pass this on to your children and those you care about.” Beau looks a little bewildered by it all, but listens carefully to every word. “My Papa told me, that if we could kick the backside of the person most responsible for the situation we are in, we wouldn’t be able to sit down for a week.” “ Yes, Beau,” Horatio said with a smile, “you are beginning to understand; that’s good.”

However, you should know that in this world there is evil,” Horatio continued, “it is the dark side in all living things. Dobbs was touched by this evil, but it did not destroy him, it made him stronger. A human hurt him, but it was also a human that saved him. He lived life with such joy because he chose to celebrate the good in life. His life taught of the evil in the world and how it can destroy lives. That was Dobbs’ strength; he saw evil and de-flected it with truth. Most of us never learn how to do that.”

“Does this mean that Dobbs isn’t sick and in pain anymore?” Beau asked. “Yes, Beau, he is at peace and so am I.” At that moment, DAR reappeared to collect his ward. “Are you ready to go, Beau?” DAR asked. “Yes, Papa, I’m ready to go, now. Thank you, for teaching me so much today, Horatio,” Beau said, “I know now that Dobbs is truly happy today, as he begins his new life.” DAR said, “I hope he didn’t bother you with a lot of questions, Horatio.” “No, DAR, he only asked one,” Horatio said, as he smiled slyly at Beau. “See you tomorrow,” DAR said.

Horatio watched as Beau and his Papa ran across the green as 98

darkness fell. He sighed with contentment. He looked toward Dobbs grave, and said in a whisper, “Well Dobbs, it looks like we found a family that could carry on what we started. I’m pleased with DAR and his son. I am thankful for the time you spent with DAR and the things you taught him. I wonder if you stayed past your time, waiting for him to come to us.

I loved our time together and I will miss you with all my heart. You will always be part of me. If you want to talk to me, I will be right here under this tree every night. Good night, Dobbs, see you to-morrow.”

Horatio walked slowly back to the Mansion, his head held high, he would not take his sorrow into the Mansion that night. He would hide his sorrow and his love for Dobbs in that special place in his heart that only he could find.

DAR and Beau arrive home, their day’s journey undetected. They both head for the water bowl and a walk around the yard, their now usual routine, always arriving home before everybody else. “What are we going to do tomorrow, Papa,” Beau asked. “I don’t know ‘little one’, but I’ll think of something.” DAR wondered if he hadn’t stepped in over his head. How was he going feed all the Companions in the Mansion? How could he teach them to help themselves, when he was just learning about the world himself? The future was daunting but he was determined to figure it out.

Dinnertime came and the MOM went to the garage to retrieve the roast; it was gone. “Bear, did you something with the rest of the roast I had in the garage frig?” the MOM said. “No, I didn’t, Honey,” Pop answered. “Huh, that’s odd, I could have sworn I put it out there; maybe I gave to the puppies.” The “puppies” made themselves scarce just in case the MOM came to another conclu-sion. As the evening was ending and his Pop settled on the couch to watch the box with the bright light, DAR jumped up beside him. He thought about the future; a future that seemed impossible.

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Would my Pop help me? Would I dare show him what I have found? Would he call the Bad Machine and have the Companions taken away, if he knew? How could he care for all those Compan-ions? These questions would have to wait, he thought; he would have to be sure. He couldn’t live knowing he was the cause of something happening to that desperate and wounded mosaic of Companions conjured up by the world’s indifference.

DAR thought he had to do something and fast. He also thought of his boy and how proud he was of his help and sacrifice. It was wonderful that his boy wanted to be part of what he was doing. Like he said to the others, “everyone should have a job,” but should that be Beau’s fate so early in life? Beau should enjoy his childhood. This responsibility was a lot to ask of someone so young. He would talk to Beau in the morning and make sure this is what he wants to do.

As the morning came, it was time to make some decisions. What to do about this band of wounded angels? He knew that it would not do to merely scrounge for food every day and watch the weak get weaker and the strong get restless.

DAR had to figure out how to find help for the injured, and most important, how to find homes for everyone. Who would help? He had to do something daring; something that would get the atten-tion of the humans, but what humans? DAR could not make any mistakes; there were a lot of lives at stake.

After the morning ritual, DAR suddenly realized that today was one of the days MOM and Pop didn’t go to work. What was he go-ing to do? He had to get to the Mansion; there were a million things to do today. DAR ran out to the back yard to find Beau. “Beau,” DAR yelped, “I have to get to the Mansion and the MOM and Pop are not going away today. I have an idea. If Pop asks where I am, you run and look under the bed and growl… he knows that’s my favorite hideout. Pop will think your talking to me. I have to hope he won’t look. You can come with me when the MOM and Pop go away, but I have to go right now.”

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DAR runs to the backyard and disappears through the Threshold. Down the streets he runs and across the Great VA nowen. As he crossed the green, he heard that voice in his head, just like the voice he heard that first day, that drew him to the Mansion. Where was the voice coming from this time, he thought. He looked around to see if someone was near. There was nobody. He proceeded slowly toward the Mansion. He could feel some-thing was wrong. He ran quickly to the edge of the green where there were several trees clumped together, where he could hide. He walked slowly behind the tree line looking for clue to this un-easy feeling he had. “Beware, DAR, there is danger!” came the voice, again. DAR stops and slowly looks around again looking for the source. As DAR looked around, he quietly asks, “Is that you, Dobbs?” There is no answer. DAR starts to wonder if he is going crazy. What danger, he asks himself. As he moves forward, he can now see the back of the Mansion; it is strangely quiet. He has to get to the lattice and into the Room of Light. He has to see the others to know they are OK.

He started to go toward the lattice, he could hear and see nothing. The silence was deafening. Where are Simon and Horatio, he thought, one of them is usually outside to guard against intruders. Dobbs called them the ‘quiet guardians’, he recalled. He carefully moves through the lattice and into the Room of Light. He walks cautiously to the center of the room. “Hello,” he says in a soft, but resolute voice. “Is anybody here,” DAR asked. Again, there is no answer. DAR begins to sniff the floor. He immediately rears back on guard and looks quickly from side to side and behind him. He knew the scent in his nostrils; it was human. DAR continued to look and sniff the perimeter of the room. He was sure now, hu-mans had been here.

As he moved to the rear of the room, he could see through the darkness, the giant hole in the inner wall. What happened, here? DAR questioned. DAR’s brain was on fire. He rushed through the giant hole made by the intruders. Did humans take the Compan-ions? DAR wondered. DAR put his nose to the floor. He was deter-

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mined to follow the scent left by humans and Companions.

DAR moved through the Mansion. He was finally seeing what was on the other side of the wall. He raced from room to room looking for his friends. It was a house, not unlike his. There was no sign of anyone. At last, DAR ran through the front door, left open by the intruders, and onto the green, picking up the scent, again. He fol-lowed it to the edge of the green, where the scent disappeared. He ran frantically, back and forth, trying to pick up a scent. Noth-ing. All he could smell was the scent of a Big Machine. Could that be the Bad Machine Dobbs talked about, he wondered. Maybe something scared them away…humans or ‘house dogs’, DAR thought.

DAR knew he could not be gone all day, like other days; the MOM and the Pop were home and may have discovered he was gone by now. He was torn between his respect for his parents and his mis-sion to save the Companions.

DAR decides to return to the Mansion to look for more clues that could lead him to the others. He runs through the Mansion a sec-ond time looking for something, anything. Around each room downstairs, nothing. He races upstairs re-checking each room; the same thing, he finds nothing. As he begins to go back down-stairs, he notices a door that was closed. He hadn’t checked this room, before, he thought. DAR moves quickly to the door and pushes on it with his paw. The door doesn’t move. He pushes harder, scratching the door; the door still doesn’t budge. DAR sits down in front of the door, trying to think of a way in. DAR senses something is behind the door, but what? He puts his nose along the bottom of the door; he can detect a familiar scent. What is that scent, I know that scent, he thinks. DAR yelps at the door, lis-tening for a response. He hears nothing. He yelps again; there is only silence. After pausing for a moment, DAR decides to move on.

As he reaches the top of the stairs, he hears a giant roar. DAR freezes; he knows that voice. Again, he hears the giant roar;

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“DAR,” comes the thundering sound. DAR’s face turns to joy. “That’s Horatio,” DAR yelps. “Horatio,” he yelps, as he races back to the door. “Horatio, it’s me,” DAR yelps. “Run, DAR,” Horatio says, “run for your life.” DAR takes a step back and stops. He is puzzled, why should I run, he wonders. If there is danger, he will have to face it; his friend is in there. DAR recalled something he heard his Pop say one day; “your true fiends stand up when you are down,” DAR decides to stay.

At that moment, the door flies open. DAR looks up. Standing be-fore him is a giant human. “And what do we have here,” the giant says. DAR is amazed at how big the human is, but he is un-daunted. “I am the DAR,” DAR yelps back. DAR looks quickly at Horatio. “Did this human hurt you,” DAR asks Horatio. “I’m OK,” Horatio answers, “but the human tied me here, and I can’t get loose.”

As DAR looks up to the human, there is anger in DAR’s eyes. The human bends over to grab DAR. DAR knew all to well about grab-bing from his days at the pet shop. DAR was smart, he knew how not to be picked up.

The human was about to learn some of DAR’s evasion techniques. DAR felt the human’s hand attempt to grab DAR by the neck. As the human grabbed the DAR’s fur, DAR began his high speed “rabber,” followed by grabbing the man’s arm with his teeth, but not biting. DAR never bit a human, but always made the offender think he was about to have his flesh torn. Speed was the key to success in this maneuver. It worked every time, no exceptions. Of course, the follow-on to this technique was to run like the wind, which he did.

DAR took off headed for the stairs with the human in close pursuit, right on his heels. As DAR reached the top step, he quickly stopped and dug in his feet, hard. The human was unable to stop. He tripped over DAR’s body, knocking him down several stairs be-fore DAR could stop his own fall. The human flew past DAR, into the air and was headed for disaster. The human went crashing

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down the staircase. DAR watched, as the human tumbled down and down, one step after the other, and hit the bottom of the staircase. The human was still. DAR just watched in silence, he was still angry at the human lying quietly below.

The silence was broken by Horatio’s voice. “DAR, where are you? Are you OK?” Horatio roared. DAR did not answer. He ran back to the room where Horatio was tied. Horatio sighed with relief. “What happened to the human,” Horatio asked. DAR was still shaken, but tried not to show his continued anger toward the hu-man who would harm his friend. “Are you OK, Horatio,” DAR asked. “Yes, DAR, I’m OK, the human hit me once, but I’m OK, now,” Horatio, replied, “help me get loose.” DAR was also a mas-ter of escape. He chewed ferociously on the rope that held Hora-tio. It only took a minute to cut through the rope. Horatio was free. “How did you do that so fast,” Horatio asked. “I like to chew,” DAR replied, “just ask the MOM when you meet her.”

The two knew they had to get out of the house before the man came to or other humans came looking for him. They raced down the stairs and paused briefly by the human, still lying there. “There is nothing to do, DAR, it was the evil inside this human, that led him here,” Horatio said. “There will always be evil around us, sometimes we can’t see it, sometimes we pretend it is not there, but there are also times when we must confront it,” Horatio continued. “When we do,” he said, “we always have a choice; to be part of the warping calm that often beguiles us or deflect it with kindness and truth, and sometimes when we have no choice, we must do something physical. Violence never is justified in the presence of evil, but the alternative in some situations, is to per-ish,” Horatio concluded, “and that is unacceptable when those we care about stand in harm’s way.”

Horatio and DAR flee the Mansion, perhaps for the last time. They take refuge in the trees to the west of the green. They must col-lect their thoughts.

“We need to rest, now,” DAR said, “but we can’t stay here tonight, 104

we will return in the morning for fresh start; we will come early.” “We need to find food, DAR,” Horatio said in a worried tone, “but I think I’m just too tired to look for it, right now.” “You don’t have to look for it, Horatio, I know where there is food; you’re coming home with me,” DAR said.

It is dusk, and the light is fading. The two warriors run across the green unafraid, but on guard against the return of the marauders. As they race across the Great VA nowen, Horatio’s thoughts are with his friends; he will not sleep well tonight. DAR’s mind also races with thoughts of the task ahead, the search for Dobbs’ flock. He felt responsible. Dobbs entrusted DAR to protect his friends and now they were gone. Horatio and DAR did not speak the en-tire trip home. They were both some place else, deep in thought.

Horatio and DAR finally arrived home. DAR remembers that he has been gone all day and he may be in trouble with the MOM and Pop, if they discovered he was gone. That meant a long lecture and loss of privileges, not to mention a family search for his es-cape route.

As they move around to the gate, DAR tells Horatio, “Wait here, I will go through the Threshold, on the other side, and open the gate when it is time. I know where you can sleep tonight, you will be safe and comfort-able here.” Horatio still looks apprehensive. DAR sees the concern on Horatio’s face; Horatio has learned not to go through gates and doors. “I trust you, DAR, I know you would not let anyone hurt me,” Horatio said. “Even if my Pop finds you, the worst that will happen is that he will feed you and then give you a hug. He is a big ‘mush bucket’,” DAR said. “What’s a ‘mush bucket’, DAR,” Ho-ratio asked. “Trust me, Horatio, you don’t want to know, it’s em-barrassing.”

DAR rushes around to the other side of the house and through the Threshold. He stops just inside the Threshold to survey the back-yard, making sure his Pop is not outside. The coast is clear, no Pop in sight. DAR runs like the wind across the yard and down the

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other side to open the gate for Horatio. DAR jumps up on the box and grabs the latchstring with his teeth and jumps down to the ground, pulling the gate open. Horatio is standing at the opening, still a little leery about being trapped. “It’s OK Horatio, I promise, nothing will happen to you.” Horatio walks through the gate slowly, as DAR closes the gate behind him. The sound of the gate closing was unsettling to Horatio, even though he was with DAR and he trusted DAR and his word, but memories were strong.

Before DAR could say another word to Horatio, Beau came charg-ing up from the house. His face was bright with joy, “Horatio.” Beau yelped, “you came to our home, I so glad you’re here, I missed you today.” Horatio is taken aback by Beau’s exuberance and his joy. Beau gave Horatio a kiss on the cheek and quickly stepped back. “Where are the others,” Beau asked. “They’re lost,” DAR said, angrily, “and tomorrow we are going to find them,” “I’m coming too,” Beau said without hesitation. “Yes,” DAR said, “we are going to need you.”

“Did Pop miss me today,” DAR asked Beau. “He asked me to find you and I did like you asked and it worked. I barked under the bed and Pop saw me and said, ‘OK, DAR, I know you’re under the bed. I just wanted to know where you are; I have errands to run.’ Pop knew that’s your favorite hiding place when you want to be alone,” Beau said. “Good,” said DAR, “we are hungry, I’m going inside to ring the dinner bell; I have to find a way to get a bowl of food for Horatio.”

DAR takes off to go inside, while Beau settles down with Horatio in the side yard. Beau senses Horatio’s apprehension as he looks at his worried face. “Horatio, you are in the safest place on earth, honest,” Beau said. “I know I am, Beau, it’s just that old feelings are hard to control sometimes,“ Horatio said, “I think I would like to meet your MOM and Pop some day.”

DAR charges into the kitchen where MOM is preparing dinner. “ DAR, where have you been all day, mister,” said MOM. “It’s dinner time and I haven’t seen you all day. Are you hungry?” DAR al-

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ways lets the MOM know it’s time to eat by trotting in a circle around her legs, one of his cat-like behaviors. “OK, OK,” said MOM, “I’ll fix it right now.” DAR’s mind is reeling. How can he get an extra bowl of food for Horatio? He paces nervously around the kitchen, trying to think of something and as fate would have it, the answer is right there in his ears. As MOM puts the two bowls out on the patio, he hears the MOM yell into the garage, “Honey, I’m going to rehearsal, dinner is on the stove.” What a break; DAR forgot that the MOM goes away several nights a week.

(The MOM was in a community musical theatre production). The light bulb was lit. DAR runs outside to find Beau and Horatio. “Come on you guys, come eat,” DAR yelped. Beau and Horatio follow DAR in quick order as DAR runs to the food. “Go ahead you guys, eat,” DAR said. “There are only two bowls, here,” Horatio said, “I won’t eat your food.” “Oh, trust me, Horatio, as soon as you guys are done, I will get more food, I promise,” DAR said, “You guys disappear when your finished.” Beau and Horatio looked at DAR with a puzzled look on their faces, but wasted no time devouring the food.

When the two were finished, DAR raced back in the house, to the door that leads to the garage. He scratches rapidly on the door until it opens. It’s the Pop. “DAR, hi buddy, where have you been all day,” Pop asks rhetorically. “What’s up,” Pop asks. DAR begins to circle the Pop’s legs, the traditional signal for “It’s dinner time and I’m hungry.” “OK, buddy, let me wash up and I’ll fix your food, right away.” Pop retrieves the now empty bowls from the patio and prepares two (more) bowls of food. As Pop carries the bowls to the patio, the summer dining place, he tells DAR to go find Beau. Pop sets the bowls down and returns to the kitchen to eat his food the MOM prepared, unaware that she had already fed her crew. DAR beams with pride. He has pulled off the perfect score. Beau comes running around the corner. “Papa, how did you get the extra food,” Beau asks excitedly. “Magic,” DAR replied with a silly smile on his face. “Go get Horatio, the two of you can share that extra bowl,” DAR continued.

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After all the tummies were full, the three returned to the side yard to rest and talk about the tomorrows plan to find the others.

When it was time for everyone to turn in for the night, Pop noticed his boys were asleep on their patio beds. It was a warm summer night and they often wanted to sleep outside where it was cooler. Pop left the slider opened in case they changed their minds. As Pop disappeared into darkness, DAR got up slowly to retrieve Hor-atio from the side yard. He motioned for Horatio to sleep on the patio couch. Within minutes, all were fast asleep.

Horatio was up early, fearful that he would be discovered. DAR and Beau soon followed suit and all trotted into the yard to do their morning business. Quickly, they all ran to the side yard to lo-cate a place for Horatio to hide while the two boys figure out how to get extra food for his new pal.

DAR knew that getting an extra meal for Horatio was going to be difficult. Both the MOM and the Pop were home today, again, and tricking one of his parents into making an extra breakfast, was go-ing to take some creative thinking, he thought. Maybe he could eat the food and then tip his bowl over as if he spilled it and blame the missing food on Beau, he imagined. No, he concluded, too difficult. Maybe he would give Horatio his food and just go into the garage get into the food bin for his own meal. Yeah, that’s it, he decided.

DAR told Beau and Horatio he was going into the house to ring the breakfast bell, which was the same technique used to ring the din-ner bell.The Pop saw his little buddy as he came charging toward him. “OK, OK, I’m going to fix breakfast, right now,” the Pop said. The DAR beamed, he was proud of how well he had trained his par-ents, and that his Pop was such a quick learner. The MOM usually fixed the meals, but today was the second day she didn’t go to work; she was still asleep.

The DAR ran outside to tell the others food was on the way. The 108

three went behind the thick oleander so they wouldn’t be seen by the Pop when he brought the food out to the patio. In a few min-utes, the food was ready. Pop looked around for the boys. “ OK, you guys, breakfast,” he yelled. Pop walked back into the house as the three raced along the sidewalls so they wouldn’t be seen.

As the trio approached the food, DAR suddenly stopped. Sitting in front of him were three bowls of food. DAR was frozen. “Wait, what’s going on here,” he said. “You guys eat, I’m going in the house a minute,” DAR said. Beau and Horatio were a little puzzled by the extra food, but did not say anything to DAR; they were hun-gry.

DAR runs into the house, looking for the Pop to find out if there is a problem. He finds Pop in the kitchen. DAR touches Pop on the leg, to get his attention, and steps back and sits down quietly, waiting for a lecture. Pop turns around, and sees DAR sitting be-hind him with the big question written all over DAR’s face. “Yes, DAR, I know about your friend; after you eat, I will come outside and you can introduce me to him.” The Pop winks at the DAR to let him know that it’s OK. DAR can hardly contain his joy. He was very pleased and very much relieved; he winks back at his Pop. DAR turns and runs outside to the others, his heart filled with joy, his faith in his Pop was complete. There will be no more sneaking around.

When the gang of three was finished eating, the Pop walked slowly onto the patio and sat down on the steps. Horatio watches the Pop intently. He backs up several steps and becomes very still.

“Well, I see the co-conspirator is here,” looking at Beau. One of Beau’s unique gifts is that he had an uncanny understanding of the English language. As Beau makes eye contact with the Pop, he immediately rushes to him, with his typical big smile. He show-ers the Pop with kisses with his giant tongue. The Pop loves this “mush fest” with Beau. This morning’s ritual does not end until the Pop’s face is completely clean. The Pop never pulls back be-

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cause this would hurt Beau’s feelings. Beau was always very sen-sitive and could pick-up on the slightest nuance. The Pop gently grabs Beau’s head and showers Beau with kisses, it’s expected. “So, you and your Papa tried to fool the Pop, huh?” Pop asked. “Why don’t you introduce me?” Beau yelps at the Papa, who has been standing next to Horatio. “Papa, bring Horatio over here, the Pop wants to say, hello.” DAR motions to Horatio to follow him.

The two walk slowly, but deliberately over to the Pop. DAR yelps, “Pop, this is Horatio, Horatio, this is my Pop.” “Sir, it a pleasure to meet you,” Horatio roared. “I see you’re a Bloodhound; I’ll bet you’re good at finding things, aren’t you?” the Pop said. Horatio hangs his head, shyly. If the Pop only knew that his new friend had lost his best friends. The Companions were missing and Hora-tio was anxious to begin the search.

The Pop slowly extends his hand so that Horatio can capture the Pop’s scent to determine if it is an offer of friendship. Horatio quickly looks at DAR and Beau for reassurance. They both smile at Horatio. The Pop gently puts his hand on Horatio’s head and begins to softly stroke him. “There you go, buddy, nobody here is going to hurt you. You look like you could use some more food. Why don’t I get everyone some ‘yummies’?” Pop rises and goes into the kitchen for the goodies.

As the Pop disappears through the patio doors, Beau jumps with joy. “My Pop likes you, Horatio, isn’t that neat?” Beau asks. “Yes, Beau, I like it here very much,” Horatio answered, “but we have much work to do, we must leave now, we have to find the Com-panions.” DAR quickly agrees.

The Pop promptly returns with the treats. Beau and Horatio quickly gobble up the goodies. DAR pushes his treats toward the two and motions for them to hurry and eat them.

DAR is anxious to get going, he motions to the others to follow him to the gate. The Pop returns again to the patio, with more yum-mies in hand, as he sees the group head around the side yard to

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the gate. “Whoa, where are you guys going?” the Pop yelled. The Pop runs around the corner in hot pursuit. “You haven’t told me how your friend got in the yard.” “Hey, where are you guys go-ing?” he asked, again. DAR and Beau yelp as they jump up and down on their front paws, indicating they want to go for a “walk.” “You can’t go out there, you guys, you could get lost or hurt or worse.” The trio persists. “OK, you guys wait here, I’m going to go get some leashes and when I get back, we’ll go for a walk.” Pop takes off to find the leashes. The trio stares at the Pop until he disappears.

DAR looks at the others. “We have to get out of here, now,” DAR said. With that, the DAR jumps up on the box and grabs the latch-string to open the gate. The three are out the gate like a bolt of lightning. They run frantically toward the Mansion. They know, without speaking, that they have lost precious time, but were con-tent to know the Pop knew about Horatio.

DAR also knew that the Pop would be worried sick, when he dis-covered they were gone, but they had to be free to find the oth-ers.

They rushed down the streets and across the Great VA nowen. As they ran onto the green, Horatio, suddenly stopped. “What’s wrong, Horatio?” DAR asked, out of breath. “Did you feel that?” Horatio asked. “Yes, I felt a slight shaking under my feet, but I thought it was just the Big Machines on the Great VA nowen.” “I think it’s stopped,” Horatio said, “let’s get going.”

The searchers head for the Mansion. As they approach the front door, they realize that the door is closed. “It was open when we left,” DAR said. Horatio pushes on the door with his paw. The door remains closed. He tries again, harder, with the same result. They quickly decide to re-enter the Mansion through the lattice. They hurry to the Room of Light, hoping that by some miracle, they will find their way to the lost Companions.

The three spread out searching different parts of the Room. Hora-111

tio slowly moves to the center of the Room. His keen sense of smell discovers a large hole in the middle of the floor. “DAR, Beau come here,” Horatio commanded. “What’s this?” DAR asks as he hurries over to Horatio. “I never noticed this hole before, did you, Horatio?” DAR continued. “No,” said Horatio. “How did this hap-pened,” DAR asked. “You know,” Horatio said, “last night, as I set-tled down to sleep, at your house, I felt a rumbling underneath me. I was so tired, I just forgot about it. It was a lot like what we felt out on the green just now as we approached the Mansion.”

“I have felt them before, too,” Beau said. “Our Pop calls them earthquakes.”

As the three faces stared into the abyss, the Mansion suddenly be-gan to shake violently. “It’s happening again,” DAR yelped. The ceiling above them begins to shatter; pieces of the ceiling fall on the boys. “The Mansion is coming apart,” Horatio roars. In an in-stant the shaking was so violent, the trio lose their balance. Hora-tio falls forward into the hole, tumbling into the abyss. DAR and Beau can hear Horatio’s moan as the sound slowly disappears into the blackness below. “Horatio!” DAR screams. Beau echoes the call to Horatio; there is no answer.

The building’s walls begin to collapse as the shaking becomes more violent. DAR and Beau are terrified. “There is no way out,” DAR yelps. “I’m scared, Papa,” Beau blurts out, “I’m sorry, Papa, but I’m scared.” “ I am too, little one,” DAR replies in a calming tone. DAR is hit by flying debris, but shakes it off. He realizes it’s time to go. “Little one, do you trust your Papa?” DAR asks. “Yes, Papa, I do,” Beau replies. “Beau, there is no way out of here, the building is caving in, we have to jump into the hole, now,” DAR yelps. “Papa, I don’t know,” Beau says hesitantly, as he steps back from the hole. DAR sees a large beam falling above Beau’s head. DAR leaps toward Beau and grabs him by the scruff of his neck and pulls him into the hole and toward the unknown.

The two fall helplessly into the pit, to what seems to be certain death. They hear the loud crashing of the Mansion above. That’s

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the last thing they hear and the last they will remember. Their cries subside. There is only silence. The two fall into unconscious-ness.

CHAPTER FIVE

The Awakening

DAR feels something wet, licking his face, as he slowly awakens. “What’s going on,” DAR mumbles, still groggy. He continues to feel something licking his face. As his eyes clear, he recognizes the source of the continuous licking, it’s Beau. “Papa, Papa, you’re alive, “ Beau shouts as he jumps up and down with joy. DAR slowly sits up. “Where are we, son?” DAR grumbles. “I don’t know,” Beau responds, “and neither does Horatio.” “Horatio?” DAR exclaims, as he quickly looks around. His eyes still blurry from his ordeal, he recognizes a familiar face. “Horatio,” DAR said softly, with a warm smile. DAR realizes he is soaked and notices that Horatio and Beau are ringing wet, as well.

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“What happened to us, why are we all wet?” DAR asks. Horatio and Beau lead DAR to the black pool a few feet away. “When I came to, I was lying right here, next to this pool of water,” Horatio explains, “I don’t know how I got out of the water. When I woke up I noticed something in the water; I realized it was Beau. I pulled him out and kept licking him until he came to. It is so dark in here; I didn’t see you. When Beau woke up, he told me that you must be in the water, explaining that you both fell in the hole to-gether. Beau and I jumped in the water right away, and began searching for you.” “Horatio found you, Papa,” Beau interrupted, “we both pulled you out.”

“Thank you guys for finding me, although this doesn’t look like a very friendly place,” DAR said, trying to catch his breath. The three slowly look around the cave-like room hoping to find a way out. “It’s solid rock,” Horatio declares, “I have searched this place and there is no way out of here.” “There has to be a way,” DAR declared, “or we’re in a lot of trouble.”

The trio begins to search for a way out of the dark, Cave Room, feeling their way along the edges of the walls trying to find any-thing that will lead them out of this black tomb. The Cave Room is circular. “Where do you think we are,” Beau asks in a shaky voice. “I don’t know, DAR said, “but this place feels familiar, it smells familiar, like I have been here before.” “Yes, DAR, I feel the same,” Horatio, replied, “ I feel like I have been here before.”

The lost ones are quiet, they all move to the center of the Cave Room and sit close together, as they continue to gaze into the darkness. Suddenly, there is more rumbling. “It’s another earth-quake,” Beau says alarmed, as he jumps to his feet, “and there is no where to run, we are trapped.” “No, it’s not,” Horatio says firmly, “I don’t know what is, but it’s not an earthquake.”

The group looks around searching for the answer. “Look!” Beau shouts excitedly, “I saw something.” “Where?” DAR asked. “There!” Beau said as he pointed his nose to the top of the Cave

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Room, “it was a light.” “I don’t see anything,” the other two said in chorus. “There!” Beau insisted, “see?” “I see it,” DAR said. There is more rumbling, the sound of heavy boulders grating to-gether. The noise is deafening, as it echoes like thunder. The Cave Room is a perfect sound chamber.

“It looks like sunlight,” Beau announces. It’s strangely like the hole in the wall in the Room of Light,” DAR notices. “Yes,” Horatio said, “it’s exactly like the light in the Mansion.” The light fills the small Cave Room, as the three begin to re-examine the Cave Room, looking for some way out.

Suddenly, there is this terrible, abrasive screeching sound. The boys drop to the ground and cover their ears with their paws.

“Do not bother looking for an escape from this place,” came the piercing, cacophonous voice, “only I can show you the way.” “What the heck was that?” DAR blurted out. “Nothing good,” Hor-atio said, as he quickly looked around for the source of this un-Godly sound. “I am your destiny, now,” the voice continued, “you are in our world, and I will determine if you live or die.”

DAR quickly runs the perimeter of the room, looking for the source of this evil sounding voice. DAR put his game face on as he trots defiantly around the room at a faster and faster pace. His head held high and his tail held erect. There is an intense look in DAR’s eyes. “Ought-Oh,” Beau said to Horatio, “My Papa is mad and you don’t want to make him that mad.” “I heard about the look, from Dobbs,” Horatio quietly replied, “but I have a feeling this might be a kind of evil your Papa has never seen before.”

DAR is fearless, as his pace increases. “I know that sound,” DAR yelps in a loud voice. “I know who you are, show yourself,” DAR said angrily. “I know your kind, come out and face me.” Beau and Horatio are amazed at DAR’s bravado. “He is challenging an un-known entity, and that’s not always a good thing,” Horatio said in a worried voice. “That would be true, gentlemen,” DAR said with a determine smile, “but I know this ‘evil’ and ‘she’ is not unknown

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to me.”

DAR stops his pacing and marches to the middle of the Cave Room. “Come out, feline and face us and tell us where we are and what you want from us, “ DAR demands. “In due time, Max, you will know who I am,” the voice replied. “Be patient, Max, I remem-ber how impatient and angry, you used to be at night and how quiet you were during the day. You were the clever one.”

“Max?” Beau said questioningly, “Papa, why did that voice call you, Max?” “A long time ago, when I was young, that was my name,” DAR said. “MOM and Pop changed it and that pleased me. I didn’t want to remember those days.” DAR hung his head for a moment and then raised it, quickly. “I knew her from the Adop-tion Place, but I can’t remember her name.”

The voice was silent and the three lay down together in the center of the Cave Room to wait for the morning to come. It was cold and there was no food or water.

When the morning came, DAR and Horatio could see that Beau was restless and hungry. He never knew hunger; he was only in the Adoption Place a few days. It was surprising he was there that long, with that beautiful face. DAR was always pleased that Beau never had to endure what he had to go through.

The day was passing slowly, waiting, waiting for something to hap-pen. DAR’s anger was mounting. He refused to sit and wait for this “evil-she” to “have mercy” on them and end this ‘little’ tor-ment. He begins his search, anew. Horatio soon joins him. DAR always had an incredible nose; even Horatio, who had the ultimate proboscis, was amazed at how thorough and intense DAR was when he was on the scent. They began again to search the perimeter of the circular room. “Do you think there is a secret door in the middle of the floor?” Horatio asked. Beau jumps up from the center of the room and moves close to the wall. DAR smiles as he watches Beau make a “just-in-case-strategic-move.” “No,” DAR said, “it’s in the wall, some place.” “What are we look-

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ing for, DAR?” Horatio asked. “Something different,” DAR replied, “something that doesn’t smell like this place, something that smells familiar.” Beau has now joined the search; the three sniff carefully at every inch of the wall.

Hours pass and the three are getting tired and hungrier, but Beau no longer complains about his hunger. He is learning from Horatio and his Papa, that complaints without action are worthless.

The trio is starting to tire and their pace is slowing. DAR’s feet come to a halt; there is something different about this spot. DAR yelps for the others. In an instant, there are three noses touching the same spot. As they raise their heads and look at each other. “Do you smell what I smell,” Horatio said. Beau looked knowingly and smiled. “Yes, I do. I don’t know what you guys smell, but I smell the Companions.” Horatio and DAR look at Beau as if Beau were about to get a lecture; then Horatio and DAR start smiling, delighted that their charge is growing and learning. “That’s right little one, you are learning fast and that’s good.”

The boys start poking and sniffing the floor and wall in this area around their discovery. “There’s got to be something more here,” DAR said. Beau begins to get excited and jump up and down. He starts to flail around like he just discovered a room full of “cook-ies,” his favorite snack. In his short life, his butt had become fa-mous for knocking things down in the house. It was always best to go outside, when you wanted to surprise Beau with a special treat or announce a trip in the truck; what the Pop called “a great a’venture.” If Beau were in the house when someone picked up a leash, he would go completely nuts with excitement.

And so it was at this moment; Beau was jumping around like a kangaroo with ants in his pants. Horatio and DAR were encour-aged by Beau’s exuberance, and began to claw at the wall at a faster pace. As Beau continued to throw himself against wall, his butt suddenly touched a smooth, round stone, partially hidden on the lower part of the wall. The three abruptly stopped. They could hear the scraping of heavy stone. A crack in the wall began

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to appear. The trio could see the crack getting bigger and bigger, as a bright light came cascading through the opening. The crack had become a doorway and was now large enough for the sojourn-ers to pass through. “Where do you think this leads?” Horatio asked. “I don’t know,” DAR said, “but it’s where we’re going. It has to be better than where we are.”

The three begin to walk slowly through the opening. DAR and Hor-atio are ready for the danger that may be lurking ahead. Beau senses that Horatio and his Papa are ready for battle and wonders what it will be like if he has to fight. It would be the first time in his young life that he would have to act in anger. Beau’s life to this point was peaceful and happy; he had never been really chal-lenged by man or animal to defend himself. Beau was unaware of the formidable warrior he would become.

The beleaguered searchers walked forward into a cool mist. They could not see the ground they walked on, for it was shrouded in a black mist on the passage floor that disguised the way forward. The boys were quiet. They were listening for a sign of life, a sign of hope that they could find their way back to the world they knew.

The bright light started to fade. There were no objects around them, no walls or trees or rocks or ground, for that matter. DAR and Horatio had a bad feeling about what lie ahead. DAR stopped the others. The three were getting desperate. The familiar scent they first detected at the Cave Room wall was ever present and getting stronger.

Horatio broke the silence, “DAR, that scent, I know what that is. It’s...”DAR quickly interrupts, in a whisper, “Horatio, don’t speak, some-one is listening. I can smell them. I sense there something else, and I think I know what that it is.”

“So, Max, you figured it out. I was hoping you would not discover me,” came a loud, piercing and scratchy voice. The voice was

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much like an old saloon singer, who smoked too many cigarettes and drank too much whiskey. “You always were very clever,” the guttural voice continued. The trio looked around, trying to find the source of this irritating sound. As they turned, they could see what looked like hundreds of eyes glowing in the dim light; they turned 360 degrees, the eyes followed them, they were every-where. The eyes had a golden color, like fire. They watched the trio with a wild intensity.

Beau moved close to his Papa, “Who are they, Papa?” “It’s OK, lit-tle one,” DAR said. DAR walked forward, without fear. “Show yourself, Mirabella,” DAR said in a commanding voice. There was silence. The temperature in the room began to change from the warm, steamy, heavy air to a chill that blew through the chamber like a tornado. The menacing, myriad of eyes in the room began to scream. The sound was deafening; rocks began to fall from the sidewalls to the floor below.

Beau and Horatio dropped to the ground and lay flat, covering their ears with their paws, again, trying to muffle the chorus of ca-cophony. DAR stood firm and did not look around. He just stared straight ahead. Half way up the chamber wall there was a bright light that shined on a ledge, partially concealed by the mist that was quickly disappearing. There she was, standing at the edge of the ledge like a statue, frozen in time. “She’s a cat,” Horatio blurted out without thinking. Around the cat’s neck was a neck-lace, with a large letter M studded with Rhinestones; they sparkled like diamonds, as it caught the occasional light. The maddening chorus suddenly went silent. There was a climatic sigh and purr from the gathering of creatures hiding in the dark around them.

“Hello, Mirabella, how have you been?” DAR asked as he walked closer to the voice above. “Is your eyesight failing you, Max,” Mirabella said. DAR looked hard at Mirabella, he stood silent for a long time. “Great Sprit, what happened to you?” DAR asked, “What happened to that beautiful, white coat? It used to be so perfect.” Mirabella stood proudly before DAR, looking sadly and

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defiantly into space. She was a white Persian. Her left eye was covered with a black patch of cloth that wrapped gently around her head and neck. Her fur was now discolored; she had many bald patches of skin that were horribly scared. “My name is no longer Mirabella, I am now known as Magma to those who follow me.” “Then, I guess we have something in common,” DAR said, “I am called DAR now, by those who love me. I have a wonderful home. The man who took me from the Adoption Place is kind and I have a MOM and she is kind too.” “Who are your friends, Max … DAR?” Magma asks as she corrects herself. “This is Beau, my son,” as DAR gestures behind him, “and this is my friend, Horatio. Tell me what happened to you and who are all these frightened and angry eyes around us?”

“I won’t bore you with my life story, DAR,” Magma said in a mono-tone, “let’s just say, I was taken from the Adoption Place by a hu-man with a dark heart and a mean dog.” “Was the dog, a Com-panion, Magma?” DAR asked sadly. “No, DAR, he wasn’t a Com-panion, he was just evil. Does that ease your conscience, DAR, you always saw only the good in the Companions around you,” Magma lectured. “Do you remember the Adoption Place, very well, Magma?” DAR asked, “If you recall, I could not see the other dogs, I could only see the cat cages and you,” DAR said, “and, yes, I did get angry when I would hear the cries at night of the little ones who were lonely and afraid. They didn’t know what their fu-ture would be; they had heard stories. I guess I’m still that way.”

“DAR, why are you here?” Magma asked sternly. “We were in the Mansion above when there was an earthquake and the Mansion collapsed. We all fell into an opening in the floor and woke up in the Cave Room,” DAR said. “Yes, I have been watching you, since you came to this Nether World,” Magma said, “but why didn’t you run from the Mansion, when the Mansion first started to shake; why didn’t you save yourself?” “We were searching for our friends, when the earthquake cast us into this place. We cannot desert our friends. They are lost and we are on a mission to find them. We don’t know where they are, but we will find them,” DAR said in a determined voice.

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“That’s very admirable, DAR,” Magma said, sarcastically, “but why do you care so much about these creatures, you can’t save the whole world. Why don’t you let me show you the way back? I will show you a doorway in the Cave Room that will lead you to the Outer World and home.” “I can’t do that,” DAR said in a resolute voice, “some of these Companions are hurt and they need our help. We must find them soon, or it will be too late for some.”

“I know you and your friends are eager to be on your way, DAR, but I think I can help you find your friends. I am told by my asso-ciates they are close by,” Magma said with strange smile on her face. “Please, let me show you where they are,” she continued. Horatio slowly turned his head without moving his body and whis-pered to DAR, “I don’t trust this feline, there is something about her that is unholy.” “I know the others are near, I can smell them,” he cautioned. “Yes, I picked up their scent a ways back, but I can’t let her know that right now,” DAR said as he whispered back to Horatio without turning his head to look at him.

“That’s a very nice gesture, Magma,” DAR said with concern, “please show us the way.” Magma motioned to the watchful golden eyes behind the trio, in the dark. About two-dozen menac-ing looking felines stepped forward to help escort the three for-ward. The three were quiet as the group surrounded them. DAR could tell from the scent, that the “escorts” were all females. Ho-ratio just looked knowingly at DAR and did not speak. Horatio’s suspicions were growing. They were beginning to walk up an ele-vated ramp. It was gradual a first, but as they walked, the ramp started to get steeper. Horatio was beginning to tire from the steep incline, but kept moving without complaint. “Where is this doorway, Magma?” DAR asked, “I don’t see it.” “There is no door-way, DAR,” Magma said, “just follow the others.”

As they ascend higher and higher up the ramp, DAR tried to keep Magma in sight. “Do you see Magma,” Horatio said, “my eyes are not as good as they used to be.” DAR searched intently for the ledge where Magma stood. As they walked further upward, DAR’s

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view was briefly blocked by tall, spiral, stone pillars. “She’s gone,” declared DAR in a soft voice, “I can’t see her at all.”

Beau notices that some of the escorts have fallen behind the trio on the ramp and now seem to be herding them along. “Papa,” Beau says out loud. “It’s OK, little one, I know,” DAR said quietly. DAR looks at Horatio as if telling him to be alert. Horatio just ac-knowledges with a nod.

As they reach the top of the ramp, the trio stops and the “escorts” surround them, again. Horatio looks down a circular corridor. In front of the group is a large translucent doorway. It stretches high above their heads. The boys look at the doorway, but can’t see through it. They look around in search of Magma; she is nowhere to be found. “Magma,” DAR said in loud yelp. “I am here, DAR,” comes Magma’s voice, “you can no longer see me, but I am near and I will be watching you.” There is an eerie silence. “I don’t like this,” DAR tells the others, “I don’t know who these ‘escorts’ are, but we have to get away from them.”

Suddenly, there is a thunderous vibration all around them. The gi-ant doorway begins to open and the “escorts” immediately move the trio forward over a large ramp, into a warm humid room. “Ho-ratio, Beau,” DAR said quietly, “I think this may the time to get out of here, but we can’t run until we know where we are going. Keep your eyes open for a doorway.”

The trio looked around; they found themselves standing in a huge dome shaped chamber. Sharp, piercing, laser like beams of light, crisscross the dome’s ceiling and walls, like a cargo net. The chamber is dotted with large pipes that rise from the floor, the height of a human. They resemble the steam vents on an old ocean liner. The lost searchers are baffled, “What is this place.” Beau asks his elders. “It doesn’t feel like we are in a house,” he adds.

“Magma, where are we.” DAR yelps angrily, as his voice echoes in the large chamber. There is no answer. DAR decides to make a

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stand against the “escorts” who stand menacingly around the trio. The three face in different directions. DAR doesn’t have to tell the other two anything; they know the danger; they know instinctively what to do.

As the boys prepare to do battle, the “escorts” suddenly disap-pear, as if someone just threw a switch. “What happened,” Hora-tio cried, “where did they go?” “I don’t know,” DAR said, as the three turn in 360 circles. “How could they disappear so fast, it’s impossible,” Beau cries.

“Wait,” Horatio said, “Listen.” “Do you hear that?” Horatio added. “That‘s Simon,” DAR said, with a big smile. “I can hear Mick and Robert D.,” Horatio said in an excited voice. “They’re here,” yelped Beau as he ran wildly around the chamber searching for the others. The steam in the chamber was getting heavier; it was harder and harder to see more than a few feet ahead. DAR yelped, “Beau where are you? Come here,” he commanded. “I know what to do Papa,” Beau replied, still out of sight of his Papa. Beau was racing around the chamber in tighter and tighter circles, working his way to the center of the chamber. Beau thought, if they were here in the chamber, he would eventually bump into them. Horatio and DAR could hear the muffled rushing of Beau’s big feet. After a few minutes, the two heard a groan through the mist. “Beau, are you OK?” DAR yelped. There was no answer. Horatio echoed the call, still no answer. The two worried partners looked at each other with concerned faces.

“What should we do, DAR,” Horatio asked as the heavy, warm mist was making it harder and harder for the two to even see each other. “We have to go find Beau,” DAR said, “mist or not.” DAR gestured that Horatio go in one direction and DAR would go in the other. As DAR turned to go into the mist, he felt something wet licking his ear. No need to wonder who that was, DAR thought. “Hi, Papa,” Beau said proudly, with a huge smile, “I found them,” he cried, “I found them.” DAR and Horatio could not speak. As they stood there in amazement, slowly, one by one, the lost Com-panions broke through the mist to greet their old friends.

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The joy overwhelmed DAR and Horatio as they greeted each earth angel. Simon was the first to come into view. Horatio hung his head in relief; his worst fears abated. Mick, a German Shepherd, Robert D, a Rottweiler, Princess, a Standard poodle, Oaffie, a St. Bernard, Speedo, a Jack Russell, Jack, a Lab and Mandy, a Golden, all walked into the center of the chamber. The movement of the group had pushed mist aside enough that each Companion could see the others among them. For a moment, the group forgot their predicament.

Horatio was trying to account for everyone as he moved through the crowd. Rocky, was the king of the Pugs. Where is Rocky? he thought. Horatio began to call out, “Rocky, where are you?” he shouted. Simon walks slowly over to Horatio and touches his nose to Horatio’s ear and whispers softly. The expression of joy sud-denly changes to sadness. Horatio takes a step back from Simon. “How did it happen,” Horatio asked. “We don’t really know, we have been kept prisoner in this chamber since we were taken from the Mansion. We thought we would never see you or Beau and DAR ever, again. We were very afraid when we first arrived. The first night we were all tired and hungry, we were trying to stay together, but somehow Rocky got separated in this soup, what-ever it is. We were all calling to him, when we heard his cries; he was calling for us to help him. As we searched frantically, the last thing we heard him say was, “No, No, stay away, they will kill you, run, run, don’t try to find me.” “Then nothing,” Simon said.

The word of Rocky’s disappearance concerned everyone, espe-cially Beau. He didn’t know Rocky, but had heard about some of Rocky’s life from Horatio. He felt a kinship as he did with all the others. He knew the Great Spirit would welcome him and keep him safe. When I go to the Rainbow Bridge at the end of my life, thought Beau as his sadness turned to a faint smile, I will look for him.

After awhile, the excitement subsided, the relief was settling in, as 124

everyone gathered in the center of the chamber to collect their thoughts. They were still in danger, still prisoners, lost in another world; but right now there was just quiet joy in everyone’s heart.

DAR, Horatio and Simon had settled quietly together to discuss the events of past few days. Simon told the two what had hap-pened. “I was in the Mansion with the other Companions,” Simon said. “It was late at night and everyone was asleep, except me. I was worried about Princess; she had been sick and refused to eat. I got her some water, but that is all she would take.

As I roamed the Mansion, I nearly decided to go for help. I wanted to find you guys, but I didn’t want to leave her and the others. Maybe I could find a Bad Machine, I thought. I was desperate; I would have to hide the others first. I was sick with the thought of it. As I walked, I started to feel a rumble that shook the Mansion violently. Earthquake, I thought as I raced back to the Room of Light. The shaking had stopped, but there was still a humming and a vibration in the room.

The room began to fill with steam, just like this chamber is right now. I tried to move through the room to make sure everyone was OK, but there was a force that had frozen my feet to the floor; I couldn’t move, I was paralyzed. I looked at the others and they were unable to move as well. I thought some would start to panic, but in an instant none of us could move a muscle. We were like statues, motionless.

Then suddenly, we were released from whatever held us. Some of the Companions were terrified. “How could this happen,” they asked. I didn’t have any answers. It was at that time, I realized we were no longer in the Mansion; we were here in this chamber. There was very little mist when we first arrived. As you guys came closer to us, the mist became like a heavy fog. We could hear you, but you couldn’t hear us. We were confused and fright-ened. “How could this be,” we asked. “We knew that there was something unnatural at work, something powerful, but we have seen and heard nothing, until you arrived. The strange thing was,

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they began to feed us; there was plenty of food and water for us. And the most surprising thing of all, Princess was no longer sick and she could talk again; her throat was also healed.”

DAR told Simon about their adventures and that the Mansion was destroyed and that they can never return there. He also told Si-mon about Magma and how he knew her. “We will tell the others what has happened, they must know,” Horatio said. “Let’s wait until everyone is rested,” DAR said, “tomorrow will be soon enough.”

“I will deal with Magma tomorrow, as well,” DAR continued. Every-one settled down for the evening’s sleep. The Companions nes-tled close to each other, touching each other and making sure there was someone close to them, someone to make them feel safe. No one wanted to be separated, again.

DAR, Beau, Simon and Horatio took turns guarding the huddled Companions. DAR blamed himself for their plight.

The four would take turns, sleeping and guarding; but those who slept, did so with one eye open at all times. Although Beau was exhausted, he would open his eyes every so often and look around, making sure he could see his Papa and the others. He thought that if his Papa needed help, he would be there for him. He knew he was growing bigger and stronger, now. As he grew to manhood, his speed and strength would amaze all who watched him. He would become a formidable opponent.

The night seemed to pass in an instant. As everyone awakened, there were some curious changes in the chamber. The room was clear and very bright, almost glaring; the steamy mist was gone. Along one wall of the chamber, there was a large trough filled with what appeared to be food. DAR, Horatio, and Simon walked over to the trough to examine it. Horatio said, “It smells just like regu-lar food, but one of us should taste it first, to make sure it’s safe.” “I’ll do it, “ DAR said without hesitation.

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DAR bent down to the trough and began to taste the food. “It seems OK,” DAR said, “but where did all this food come from?” DAR stepped back and looked all around the chamber. “Magma,” he yelped, “show yourself, I need to talk to you, now,” he com-manded. All at once, there was a rustling and snapping sound. It was a very loud, along with a crackling sound. Everyone looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. Slowly, the room darkened. When the room was completely black, a light appeared high above the center of the chamber; everyone looked up as a figure appeared in the center of the light. It was nearly formless.

“I am here, DAR,” came the voice. The formless figure began to take shape. It was Magma. She was suspended in mid–air, her body seemed motionless. She did not appear to be looking at those on the floor of the chamber, but only looked straight ahead into the empty space of the chamber above them.

“I assure you, the food is safe. Tell the others to eat, they will need their strength.” Magma said, in a hollow, monotone voice. “What is going on, Magma, I demand to know where we are,” DAR yelped.

“You and your friends are the lucky ones, DAR,” Magma an-nounced, “You and your Companions have been selected to travel with us to a special place. We will show you a whole new world, a world where you will be treated as equals to humans and not com-manded by them. You will live and walk among them and not fear them or be their slaves.” “What?” DAR said, “What do you mean,’ travel’?” “We want to leave this place, now,” DAR insisted. “I’m afraid that is not possible,” Magma said. “All of us are about to journey to another dimension. You see, DAR, we are on a great ship of space and at this moment we are traveling far from your home to a place where you will learn to live among others from earth. These creatures, some of them humans, their spirits trans-formed.”

“Look, Magma,” DAR said disgusted, “You’ve had your little joke, 127

now. Where is the door to your ‘lovely palace’, we need to move on; we want to go home.” “Look at your Companions, DAR,” Magma said, “do they look like they have homes. They have been abused and abandoned.” “I have a home, as does my son,” DAR said, angrily, “and we are happy there. We are loved and we want to return to the place we know. Our MOM and Pop will be worried about us. And as for my friends, Magma, you should know that somehow, I will find homes for them, too. Good homes where they will be loved; I have dedicated my life to this mission,” DAR said, determined.

The suspended image of Magma moves, floating to one of the chamber walls. “DAR, bring your friends over here to this wall, I want to show you all something,” Magma instructed. DAR hesi-tates for a moment, then moves to the front of the gathering and slowly leads them to where the image of Magma appears. Silently the wall begins to move to the side and in its place a huge window appears. It extends from the floor to the top of the chamber, re-vealing the endless black outside; lit only by the myriad of stars that dot the darkness. The group is startled. They gasp in unison and step back as one, as if they were commanded like recruits in a military boot camp.

DAR looks in astonishment. Like the others, he can’t believe what he is seeing. It looked like the sky at night from his backyard. “What have you done, Magma,” DAR said furiously, “You have taken us from our home.” “I have saved you, DAR,” said Magma, “do you remember how unhappy you were, living in that shop, trapped in that little cage? You were so sad and angry. Look down through the window, DAR; do you see that little blue mar-ble? That’s earth; you will never see your home again. We are go-ing to a better place,” Magma said proudly.

Horatio calmly and quietly stepped forward and spoke softly and compassionately to Magma. He could feel the pain in her voice. He could hear the lack of sincerity in her words. Something was very wrong; something had terrified her, he thought. “Taking us from the earth won’t solve our problems or yours,” Horatio said.

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“You can’t solve problems by running from them. You have to confront them. You have to challenge their authority and the power they have over you. Magma, I don’t know what happened to you, but if you don’t stand up to the evil that has invaded your heart, it will consume you.”

The Companions stood silent in the chamber, looking out at the vastness of space. Many in the group were frightened; there was a look of despair on their faces.

Everyone just stared at the image of Magma; she was motionless and silent. Suddenly, there was a flash and the image of Magma was gone. “What happened,” DAR said, “where did she go?” “Magma, where are you,” DAR yelped as loud as could, “Come back.” “Papa, she disappeared just like the ‘escorts’,” Beau blurted out, “She didn’t run away, she was just there and then she wasn’t.” DAR was deep in thought for a moment. “What is it,” Ho-ratio said, “What are you thinking, DAR?” “I don’t know,” said DAR, “Magma and the ‘escorts’ disappeared so fast, it almost seems like they weren’t real.” “What do you mean, Papa?” Beau asked. “Remember at night when the MOM and Pop were watch-ing the box with bright light and you could see humans and some-times Companions in the box?” DAR said. “Yes, Papa, I remember, “ Beau said, “I always wondered what that was.” “Well, when the MOM and Pop go to bed, Pop does something with a magic thing he holds in his hand and the humans in bright box disappear, just like Magma and the others did, in the blink of an eye. I must think about this some more,” DAR said. “Me too,” Beau said trying to emulate his father.

“What are we going to do now, Papa,” Beau asked. “We need to find a way out of this chamber,” DAR said, “We need to find out who or what is controlling this thing we’re in. There must be only a few of us who search. We must leave the strong ones to guard the oldies and the young.”

DAR walks over to the others. “OK, gather ‘round everybody, I have an announcement. I am overjoyed that all of us found each

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other, however, as you probably know, we are still in a bad situa-tion.” DAR continued, “We have to find a way out of here and back to the green on earth. Here is what we will do. Oaffie, Jack, and Robert D. will stand guard here. Mick, Simon, Beau, Horatio and I will be the ‘searchers’. Remember there is still a danger all around us. We must search with a keen eye and be alert. We have to watch each other closely and make sure we account for everyone. Speedo will also be going with us; she will be our mes-senger and runner. She will find you and let you know where we are. Beacon, our noisy Beagle friend, will also stay with you. She will be the signal Companion. Her voice can be heard past the millions of stars you see outside this window.” Horatio gives DAR that look, as if to say, “that’s just a little exaggerated,” but he cannot keep the smile from his face. “Remember, no matter what happens,” DAR said, “keep faith with each other and we will per-severe.”

DAR walks over to Horatio to prepare to depart on their search. “Why are you smiling, Horatio?” DAR asked in tense voice, “Did I say something funny?” “No, DAR, you didn’t,” Horatio said, almost laughing, “I was just thinking how proud Dobbs would be to see how you have grown in this short while and taken up his mantle. And you should know, that I am proud of you, too.” DAR looks em-barrassed and hangs his head shyly, but he realizes that time is fleeting and breaks the moment with his tough-guy persona, “I thank you for saying that Horatio, but we’ve got a job to do, so let’s get going,” DAR said in a serious voice.

The searchers begin their journey into the unfamiliar and endless mist. They glance back briefly at the sad faces of the Companions left behind in the steamy fog, which is now beginning to refill the chamber. “Don’t look back,” DAR tells the others, “it just makes it harder.”

The searchers agree to begin walking to the first wall they come to and searching each panel in the wall as they move along. By now, the steamy mist has thickened as before, when they first en-tered the chamber. The group stays close to each other, “within

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sight, sound and/or scent” as Horatio advised. Each searcher is pressing firmly on each panel they touch and sniffing carefully along the floor as they go. Nothing is revealed.

The group continues to search for sometime without success. DAR hoped they would find a secret panel like before that would lead them to their captors. The group begins to realize that this search will only lead them full circle and eventually back to the others, without success.

DAR suddenly stops and yelps as loud as he can. All the searchers rush to DAR’s side thinking he might be hurt or in danger. “What is it?” Horatio asks, out of breath. “I just had an idea,” DAR said.” “So, you thought it would be a good idea to scare the life out of us, first,” Horatio said. “What if the exit to this chamber is not along the walls,” DAR said, in an excited voice. “What if the exit is in the center of the chamber, through the floor or up there,” said DAR gesturing toward the ceiling. DAR looks at Horatio and the others; they say nothing.

“Listen, to DAR,” Mick said finally in a quiet, gruff voice, “he might be right.” “We could split up,” DAR said, “but that could be a mis-take, I think we should stick together.” Before DAR could say an-other word, Beau takes off through the mist. DAR quickly runs af-ter him; the others follow close behind. As they reach what they think is the center of the chamber, DAR runs to Beau with a seri-ous look on his face. “Beau, don’t you ever take off like that again, we could have lost you.” “Yes, Papa,” Beau said, “I’m sorry but I just had a strong feeling. Have you ever had a strong feeling about something, but you don’t know why?” “Yes, son,” DAR said, “that’s how this whole thing started in the first place.”

The group looks around; visibility is zero. The group can hardly see each other. Beau notices that a few steps away, the mist is swirling like a tornado. He seems drawn to it; almost hypnotized by it. “Look, Papa,” Beau exclaims. Beau points to the swirling; it is virtually silent. It does not move in any direction, it is com-pletely stationary. “What do you suppose it is?” Horatio asked.

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“Let your boy go first, DAR,” Mick said, “It was Beau’s sense that brought us here. Whatever force that pulled him to this place, may be trying to help us.” “And it may be trying to hurt us,” DAR said, “This is not exactly home sweet home.” Beau quietly moves away from the group. “Beau, where are going?” DAR yelped. Beau did not answer, but continued to walk slowly toward the swirling mist. In an instant, Beau disappears. “Where did he go?” DAR yelped. DAR runs closer to the swirling mass. “Beau, Beau, where are you,” DAR screamed. DAR knew what he had to do,” “I’m going into the ‘swirling’,” DAR said, “I must find my boy. Speedo, go find the others and tell them where we are,” DAR con-tinued, “Horatio, if you and the other guys want to stay here, I’ll understand, but I’m going now.”

DAR jumps fearlessly, headlong into the ‘swirling’ and disappears. Without conversation or hesitation, all the boys, leap forward be-hind DAR, into the unknown.

Speedo, watches in disbelief as her friends disappear into the whirlwind. She tries to compose herself and collect her thoughts before she journeys back to the waiting Companions. Speedo knows she must wait until she hears the voice of Beacon that will lead her back. Minutes, that seem like hours, pass. Speedo waits impatiently and listens; she hears nothing. I cannot just sit here and do nothing, she thought, I must do something. Speedo begins to pace restlessly. She moves in one direction and then the other, moving further in each direction as she paces. She is alone in the mist and is unnerved by the density of the atmosphere and the si-lence.

Finally, she hears a faint high pitch in the heavy air that surrounds her. Back and forth she goes searching for the strongest signal. At last, she stops, “this way,” comes the voice from within the void. She does not question the voice she hears, but runs at breakneck speed in the direction of Beacon’s voice.

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CHAPTER SIX

The Revelation

Beau and the other searchers are captured by the swirling mist and helpless to control their movements. Their bodies are pulled upward like being inside a vacuum, shooting like a rocket into the void. The velocity increases at a terrifying rate. The group is spinning so fast, they soon pass out.

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At long last, there is quiet. Beau is lying flat on a cold hard, sur-face. He feels something poking him on the back of his head. He is only half conscious as the poking continues. His eyes slowly open as he searches for the source of the irritation. He starts to focus on a figure standing over him. It’s a ghostly, tall, thin im-age. Startled, Beau jumps to his feet, still half awake, as he looks up to see the face of the creature in front of him. Beau never saw a creature like this before. It did not look human or animal. He cannot make out a face, a nose, eyes or a mouth, just a ghostly image, nearly without form. The creature looks like it is constantly trying to form itself, but cannot hold its shape.

Beau does not panic. He looks around the room searching for the others. Maybe there is no one else here, maybe they didn’t follow me, he thought, No, my Papa would have followed me; I just know he would. His eyes search his new surroundings; the air is clear and cool, unlike the chamber below. The light in the room is dim, but Beau can still see clearly. He can make out the strange ob-jects around the room.

There is the sound of a deep groan behind him. Beau snaps his body, 180, as he looks in the direction of the sound. “Papa,” Beau yelps with joy, “you’re here, you followed me.” DAR is groggy as he comes awake. Beau spots the others. “Mick, Horatio and Si-mon, you followed me, too.” The four had awakened first, but did not move until Beau spotted them. They had sensed a presence in the room, as well, but did not react; they just remained very still. Simon had been quiet through this whole ordeal from the time they left the other Companions. He was not a talker. He only spoke when there was something important to say. This was one of those times. “Beau, don’t move; there is something in this room. I don’t know what it is. It has the ability to move quickly from one spot to another. You can’t see it move, it just appears,” Simon said. “I know,“ Beau said, “I’ve seen it, too.”

The group slowly gathers together. Simon tells the others what he and Beau have seen. Everyone starts to look intensely around the room for this mysterious figure. “It touched me,” Beau said, “I

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felt it touch me.” DAR quickly sniffs Beau all over to see if his boy has been harmed. He detects nothing.

DAR now begins to circle the others as if he were getting ready to do battle. Horatio stops DAR’s pacing. “Let’s find out what we are up against before we declare war,” he said. DAR shook his head, reluctantly, in agreement.

Horatio suggested that they somehow try to contact this entity. Everyone agrees, but Mick warns they should be ready to fight or run. “Let’s move around the room in decreasing circles,” DAR said, “and let’s stay together, we’ve spent enough time looking for each other.”

The group begins their search, walking slowly toward the center of room. As they reach the center, they notice panels of flashing lights all around them. The panels of lights begin to emit noises. The searchers also hear noises and rumbling below the floor. The room suddenly begins to rock wildly back and forth. The noises from the panel get louder; they now surround the group. The noises sound like a strange language; unlike the language hu-mans speak. “What is that?” DAR said, “It sounds like a bunch of cats fighting.”

“This might be where our kidnappers are,” Horatio said. “Hello,” Beau blurted out in a loud voice, “Who are you, where are you, come out and talk to us. We won’t hurt you, we are just trying get back to our home.”“Whoever they are, I don’t think they are afraid we are going to hurt them,” Mick said. “You know, Dobbs once said to me, that sometimes we give power and control to creatures or things we don’t understand, Horatio said. “This might be a culture of intelli-gent but timid creatures.” “Or they might be mean as snakes; a bunch bloodthirsty cutthroats who are looking for fresh meat,” Mick. said. “ OK, OK,” DAR said, “Let’s calm down.”

The cat like screeching was piercing. It sounded like it was inter-spersed with human language. The group listened intently as

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they looked around.

“WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. YOU ARE FRIENDS OF THE HUMANS OF PLANET EARTH. WE DON’T WANT YOU HERE,” came the boom-ing, yet hollow sounding voice that surrounded them. The voice echoed like a public address system inside an empty stadium.

“Then why are we still here?” Horatio said, “what do you want with us; we mean you no harm.”

WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING YOUR EARTH FOR MANY CENTURIES. YOU ARE A VIOLENT PLANET. YOU ENJOY HURTING AND KILLING AND STARVING EACH OTHER. THE RESOURCES OF YOUR PLANET ARE PLENTIFUL, YET YOU ABUSE THE EARTH THAT SUPPORTS YOUR LIFE.

“Hey, you’re talking about the creatures with two legs, not four,” Simon said angrily. “If you have been watching us for centuries, you would know that. We’re just like many other creatures on earth; we are just trying to survive man’s indifference.”

OVER THE CENTURIES, WE HAVE RECORDED THE CONDUCT OF THE HUMANS HERE ON EARTH. WE HAVE DECIDED TO EXPERI-MENT WITH HUMANS IN SPITE OF THEIR HISTORY. WE OBSERVED FOR YEARS THAT THERE WERE MANY NON-VIOLENT HUMANS ON YOUR PLANET; PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED IN PEACE, NOT WAR. WE INVITED THEM TO TRAVEL TO OUR PLANET. WE WANTED INTELLI-GENT BEINGS TO TEACH US AND HELP US TO BECOME WHOLE AGAIN. WE ARE DEVOID OF FORM. WE CANNOT BECOME MATTER; WE CANNOT MATERIALIZE. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT IN OUR WORLD FOR US. WE CANNOT SEE EACH OTHER AS WE WERE, OR TOUCH EACH OTHER. WE LIVE IN PEACE, BUT THERE IS NO LONGER LOVE OR EMOTION IN OUR WORLD.

“But when I was unconscious, I felt something touch my head,” Beau said.

YES, THE ONLY WAY WE CAN TOUCH SOMETHING IS TO PROJECT 136

AN OBJECT AS AN IMAGE. WE DON’T ACTUALLY MOVE ANYTHING; WE JUST PROJECT THAT IMAGE AND THE SENSATION IN YOUR MIND.

“We, too, want to find peace and to live quietly,” Horatio said, “We are not a violent race of beings. We are called Companions on Earth.” “We are friends to the humans,” DAR said, “We have loved them and helped them in their time of need and they in turn help and love us.” WE HAVE SEEN YOUR FRIENDS IN THE CHAMBER BELOW AND IT APPEARS THAT SOME HUMANS DO NOT APPRECIATE THEIR KIND-NESS.

“Who are you?” DAR insisted.

WE ARE “ORIGS.” WE ARE FROM THE PLANET JUERSAY. IT IS IN A UNIVERSE IN A TIME WARP, TEN NANO-WAVES FROM YOUR PLANET. IT WOULD TAKE ONE HUNDRED FIFTY OF YOUR YEARS TO REACH US. OUR RACE HAS EXISTED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE STARS AND THE PLANETS. OUR AGE CANNOT BE MEASURED IN TIME, AS YOU KNOW IT. WE ARE THE FIRST INHABITANTS OF ALL THE GALAXIES, AND ALL THE UNIVERSES. THE OMNI, THE GREAT SPIRIT, ALLOWED US TO TRAVEL THROUGH MILLIONS OF STARS TO FIND OTHER RACES, OTHER ENTIIES TO HELP US. THE OMNI CREATED OTHER SPECIES AFTER US; HE WANTED US TO LEARN FROM OTHER WORLDS. ALLOWING OUR ENEMIES TO TAKE OUR FORM FROM US WAS OUR PUNISHMENT FOR CENTURIES OF WAR.

WHEN WE FIRST ENCOUNTERED SOME OF THESE WORLDS, WE WERE ASKED TO LEAVE BECAUSE OUR INABILITY TO FORM FRIGHTENED MANY WE MET ON OUR JOURNEY.

THROUGHOUT TIME, BEINGS FROM DIFFERENT WORLDS HAVE GIVEN OF THEMSELVES TO JOIN US ON OUR QUEST. NO ONE HAS EVER FORCED THEM TO COME WITH US.

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MOST CREATURES CAME TO OUR WORLD BECAUSE THEY WERE UNHAPPY ON THEIRS. THEY JUST WANTED A BETTER PLACE, WHERE THEY COULD LIVE IN PEACE AND FIND FRIENDSHIP; MUCH LIKE THE PURSUIT OF YOUR FRIENDS. IN SOME WAYS, IT IS A PER-FECT WORLD FOR THEM.

AS TIME PASSED, SOME HAVE ASKED TO RETURN TO THEIR WORLD AND WE HAVE RETURNED THEM WITH GREATER KNOWL-EDGE.

THE CREATURES WHO STAYED ARE HAPPY. THEY HAVE HELPED US REBUILD OUR WORLD WITH THE THINGS WE NEEDED TO SUR-VIVE AND PROSPER. THEY HAVE BROUGHT ONLY THE GOOD THINGS FROM THEIR WORLD. THAT WAS A CONDITION OF THEIR COMING TO LIVE WITH US. THEY CAME HERE ON FAITH ALONE; THEY ONLY SEE US IN OUR GHOSTLY IMAGE. WE HOPE THAT SOMEDAY THE OMNI WILL SEE WE HAVE EVOLVED AND HAVE LEARNED.

MANY HERE HAVE ASKED WHAT WE LOOKED LIKE BEFORE WE LOST OUR FORM. WE MUST TELL THEM WE DON’T KNOW, THERE ARE NO LONGER RECORDS. THEY HAVE BEEN DENIED A VISION OF WHO WE WERE AND WHAT WE LOOKED LIKE. MANY HAVE MADE FIGURES AND DRAWINGS OF WHAT THEY THINK WE LOOKED LIKE OR WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE US TO LOOK LIKE. WE DON’T MIND IF THEY DO THIS; IT’S JUST THEIR WAY OF SHOWING THEY CARE ABOUT US.

MANY CENTURIES AGO WE WERE LIKE MANY OTHER WORLDS, YOURS INCLUDED. WE ONLY KNEW WAR. WE WANTED TO TAKE WHAT OTHERS HAD. WE MURDERED AND STOLE WHAT WAS NOT OURS. SOON THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT. EVERY CREATURE IN OUR WORLD HAD DISAPPEARED. THE BEAUTY OF ALL THAT GREW UPON OUR WORLD WAS GONE FOREVER. OUR FOOD WAS AL-MOST GONE AND ALL THE LIQIUD WAS DISAPPEARING. MANY LIQI-UDS WERE UNFIT FOR US TO DRINK. IT WAS CHAOS, UNTIL THERE WERE ONLY A FEW OF US LEFT. BUT OVER TIME, THOSE FROM OTHER WORLDS WHO CAME TO LIVE WITH US, HELPED US RE-

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BUILD OUR HOME; BUT THEY COULDN’T REBUILD US. WE ARE STILL LOST TO EACH OTHER.

YOUR EARTH WAS THE MOST LIKE OUR WORLD, SO WE CAME BACK HERE SEEKING HELP. WE FOUND MANY HUMANS WHO WANTED TO COME AND LIVE WITH US. AT FIRST LIFE WAS GOOD. THERE WERE HUMANS WHO WERE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED TO US. WE THOUGHT THAT SOON THEY WOULD HAVE THE ANSWER AND THAT WE WOULD BE AS WE WERE AND HAVE FORM, AGAIN; BUT IN TIME IT STARTED AGAIN, THE COVET-ING, THE FIGHTING. WE HAD TO RETURN SOME HUMANS TO EARTH.

WE TRIED OTHER WORLDS, AGAIN, AND AGAIN; OTHER CIVILAZA-TIONS, BUT THE RESULT WAS THE SAME. WE HAVE BEEN AWAY FROM YOUR WORLD FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. WE HAVE RE-TURNED HERE TO DETERMINED IF THE EARTH HAS CHANGED; IF YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR PAST. WE SEE YOU HAVE NOT.

WE WERE ABOUT TO RETURN TO OUR WORLD WHEN OUR SHIP BEGAN TO DIE. YOU SEE LIKE US, THIS VESSEL IS PARTLY OR-GANIC. THE OHGOS, FROM THE PLANET HAVILA, HELPED US BUILD IT; BUT THEY ARE GONE NOW, VICTIMS OF A HORRIBLE PLAGUE THAT HAS CLAIMED THEIR ENTIRE RACE. WE COULD NOT HELP THEM WHEN THEY NEEDED US.

The five journeymen sat in silence. “You have Cats here, have you harmed them? Why are they here?” Beau shouts out, “My Papa knows their leader, her name is Magma.”

WE WERE EXPERIMENTING WITH THE CAT RACE. INSTEAD OF HU-MANS, WE THOUGHT THE CATS MIGHT BE BETTER SUITED TO OUR PLANET AND OUR WAY OF LIFE. LIKE YOUR FRIENDS BELOW WHO HAVE BEEN SCARRED BY THE HUMANS, WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD EMBRACE OUR WORLD WHERE WAR HAS BEEN ABOL-ISHED, AND ABUSE OF ANY KIND IS NOT TOLERATED.

WE FOUND THAT ALTHOUGH THE CATS ARE LOVING AND GREAT 139

COMPANIONS, AS YOU SAY, THEY LACK INITIATIVE IN SOLVING PROBLEMS. THEY ARE VERY CRAFTY AND KNOW HOW TO PLAY TRICKS ON US. THEY THINK LIFE IS JUST ABOUT PLAYING, EATING AND SLEEPING.

WE WERE TAKING THEM BACK TO EARTH, BUT THEY DIDN’T WANT TO GO. THE CATS REBELLED INSIDE OUR SHIP AND ARE HIDING.”

“We saw them,” DAR said, “I talked to Magma. We came from the same place on earth.”

WHAT YOU SAW WAS NOT MAGMA, BUT RATHER A PROJECTED IM-AGE OF HER. THEY HAVE USED OUR COMMUNICATION EQUIP-MENT TO PROJECT AN IMAGE OF THEMSELVES WHENEVER IN-TRUDERS ENTER OUR SHIP. THEY SEE THEMSELVES AS GUARDIANS OF THE SHIP, WHICH THEY SEE AS THEIR REFUGE. AND SINCE IT IS HARMLESS, WE ALLOW IT.

THEY USE THE PROJECTED IMAGES SO WE CAN’T LOCATE THEM IN THE SHIP. THEY USE TRICKS TO FOOL OUR SENSORS.

“And he said they lack initiative,” Horatio whispered to DAR. “I’ll bet that’s how the ‘escorts’ disappeared so fast, too,” Beau contin-ued.

THEY TRY TO SCARE ANYONE WHO ENTERS WITHOUT PERMIS-SION. THEY TELL THEM HORRIBLE THINGS. I AM SURE YOU HEARD.

“Yes,” DAR said, “they told us we would never see earth again.”

IF THE CATS HAD KEPT YOU HIDDEN, THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN PARTLY TRUE. BUT ONCE WE DISCOVERED YOU, WE WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU THE CHOICE TO STAY WITH US OR RETURN TO EARTH. AS IT TURNS OUT, WE MAY BE GOING BACK TO EARTH SOONER THAN WE ALL THOUGHT. WE MUST REPAIR THE SHIP OR THE GRAVITY FROM THE EARTH WILL PULL US BACK. IF WE CAN’T CONROL THE SHIP, WE WILL CRASH AND OUR LIFE AND WORLD

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WILL BE GONE FOREVER. I’M SORRY, BUT WE PROBABLY WON’T FIND THE ANSWER TO OUR PROBLEM BEFORE THE END COMES.

The group observed that the white formless ghosts are getting more difficult to see. “What is your name, Orig,” Horatio asked gently, “what are you called?”

“I AM CALLED LARZAC, I AM THE LAST OF THE RULERS OF OUR PLANET, JUERSAY, IN THE SEMCON BELLARU.”

“Let us gather a minute, LarZac,” Horatio said. The searchers huddled together like football players. “Is there nothing we can do for these poor beings?” Horatio asked the other four, “Did all those who have tried to help the ‘Origs’, think of everything, try everything? This race has been dying for ages and now the end has come.” No one in the group speaks. There is a long silence, a sadness falls over the five. They cannot think of anything that would help the desperate space travelers.

Since their wars ended, the ‘Origs’ have traveled throughout the countless galaxies on a mission to bring peace to other worlds and themselves and now certain death threatens their quest, their dream of redemption.

Abruptly, Beau’s raises his head; a smile comes over his face. He turns and runs to where LarZac’s image is centered in an odd shaped chair. As Beau charges toward the ghostly image, LarZac quickly shifts away from where he was seated and appears on the other side of the room. “No, No, come back.” Beau said, pleading, “I won’t harm you, please trust me, I have an idea. I think I can help you, please let me try.” Slowly, LarZac cautiously returns to the leader’s chair. “I was not afraid of you, beautiful one,” LarZac said, “I was afraid that I would hurt you and I did not want to do that.” “Let me come close to you, LarZac,” Beau said, in a calm-ing voice. Beau is inches away from the image. Very carefully, he begins to lick the image he cannot feel. He does not stop even though there is no sense of touch. Beau continues to lick the im-age for just a minute; it seems like an hour to DAR and Horatio.

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The group watches in astonishment. DAR is concerned that some-thing bad could happen to his little boy.

Beau soon stops licking and softly brushes his cheek against the formless figure with the sense that he has made contact with his new friend. Beau slowly steps back, as all eyes are riveted on LarZac. And miraculously it happens; part of a face begins to ap-pear. The group can see a cheek and part of an eye. Beau begins to jump up and down on his hind legs, “It works, it works,” Beau exclaimed with great joy.

What did you do, LarZac asked, puzzled. “We can see you, we can see part of you,” Beau screamed with glee. “ What,” said LarZac, confused. The others began to smile. “Leave it to the young,” DAR said, “only the truly innocent would have thought of that.” “Yes, LarZac, it’s true, we can see you,” Horatio said, “The answer was simple; it was right in front of us. It’s called love in our world.” “Our Pop calls it ‘mush fest’,” Beau chimed in with the biggest smile. All together the group approached LarZac and began to lick furi-ously at the rest of the formless figure. Soon the full image and form of LarZac was revealed. His appearance was human-like. He was tall and thin. His face was old, but gentle and kind.

LarZac turned slowly and walked to a mirror-like door to look at his form. His body weak, he stared at his image for a long time, and then just smiled. He turned and looked at Beau. “What made you think of that, Beau,” LarZac asked, in what was now a quiet, soft voice. The booming echo of his voice was gone. “I just did the only thing I knew to do,” Beau said a little embarrassed, “I just thought that maybe, through all this time, nobody thought of it.”

One by one, the other formless “Orig’ ghosts came forward to be baptized in love. When it was over, the five liberators were ex-hausted from the task of freeing the ghostly figures from their prison.

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“I can’t begin to tell you, DAR, what you and Beau and the others have done for us,” LarZac said, “We will reflect, forever, on this emotion of love, as you call it. You have freed us from that horri-ble bondage.” “What happened to you, LarZac,” DAR asked, “How did you lose your form?” “It was during the last war, cen-turies ago. Our enemies developed a chemical that caused our bodies to be invisible by coating us with a substance that was non-toxic, but caused us to lose our sense of touch. We could no longer work and build things; we had to rely on others to do that for us. What our enemies did not realize, however, was that our invisibility was an advantage. We could not understand why our enemies did not consider that. We soon found out that they deter-mined that our inability to touch, to feel and hold objects, would eventually cause us to disappear from view. They underestimated the power of our minds. Eventually, we were able to defeat them.

The fighting stopped and we escaped from our planet and began our search for help. We have been ghostly images since then for the past few centuries. We owe you a great gratitude. It may now be possible to return to our home and rebuild our culture, our civi-lization.

We understand now, why the Omni didn’t heal us. He wanted us to find our own way, to find other civilizations that could heal us; where there were species that could show us the power of non-vi-olence.

“That’s a fantastic story, LarZac,” Horatio said, “maybe we will ask a favor of you very soon.” The alien just nodded. “Please come, let us eat and rest; you have had a trying ordeal,” LarZac said.

The five followed LarZac and the others through a doorway into a great hall. There were many tables with bowls of food sitting on top. “I have never seen so much food in one place in my entire life,” exclaimed Horatio. “WOW! Papa,” Beau said, “All my favorite foods, I’m in heaven.” DAR looks around the room in amazement. “Where did you get all this food and our favorite food, too” he said. “We only had to look in your mind to find the things you like

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and then create them here,” LarZac said, “and we have another surprise for you, too. Look in the corner of the chamber.” At that moment, a veil lifted in front of a large table and when it was clear, there sat all the spirits from the Room of Light in the Man-sion. They were all there, including Beacon and Speedo from the chamber below; safe and eating like it was their last meal.

“Hi everyone,” Horatio said. As the crew looked up from their bowls, their faces lit up. “Horatio, DAR, Beau,” came the chorus. The two groups raced toward each at top speed. Mass kissing en-sued. DAR was almost crushed under the weight of happy feet. As the greetings subsided, Horatio and DAR stepped quietly aside. They took a hard look at the lost and found ones. “DAR, do you notice anything different about the crew,” Horatio asked. “Yes,” DAR said, “they all seem to be normal. It’s as if there is some magic at work.” “It’s not magic, DAR,” said LarZac. “When we first found these creatures on our ship, we realized they were in need of our help. As you know, they were all suffering from hunger and abuse. A few were dying. Our people were able to heal some of these Companions with special substances from our planet. We have kept these remedies alive here in our botanical gardens on the ship. However, there were some with broken hearts and we could not help them. It is an affliction we could not heal. Eventually, they will be lost to us all.

In the process of helping your friends, we discovered that they were indeed a very intelligent race. The canines have taught us about dedication and loyalty and, as Beau has taught us, the power of love.

They have attached themselves to the healers in our family of ‘Origs’. In the very short time they have been here, our people have become attached to the Companions. We now know why you call yourselves by that name.”

“Now that you have form, LarZac,” DAR said, “will you be able to repair the ship and take us safely back to earth?” “We are hop-ing we can repair our ship, but it might be dangerous,” LarZac

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said, “The humans may see us as we approach earth and think we intend to harm them. It is part of their history to destroy the things they don’t understand. At one time, it was part of our his-tory as well. We must try to contact them and let them know we mean them no harm and that we are peaceful. Our sanctuary workers are charged with protecting the ship. This ship, and one other, is the only connection between our world and us; if our ships are lost, so too are we.

As I have told you, we have signed an agreement with all of the known worlds centuries ago to never engage in war again and as a result, have deactivated our weapons. After all this time, I doubt our weapons would even work; we have not maintained them throughout the millenniums. It will take some time to repair our ship. It has been neglected for very long time.”

“What about the cats,” DAR said, “What will you do with them?” “We have tried everything to get them to trust and understand us,” said LarZac. “They continually hide from us and refuse our help. Now that we have form, maybe you can convince them that we mean them no harm.” “We will try; I think I know what will convince them,” said Robert D. “And what is that,” Horatio said. “See if you can guess,” Robert D. replied. “DAR is standing beside his son, Beau. You are standing next to LarZac. Horatio, you are as wise as you have sounded to me, and although you are not young, you look strong and resolute. Horatio, not thinking said, “Yes, Robert D., but what is your idea?” A big smile comes over DAR’s face. “His idea is simple,” DAR said, “The ‘Origs’ have healed Robert D., he can see,” DAR exclaimed. There are smiles on everyone’s face. Horatio shakes his head, embarrassed that Robert D’s new sight was not obvious to him. The Companions all gather around Robert D. as he slowly touches noses with each Companion; a way of making that special connection, that only ca-nines and others in the non-human world have mastered. “How did this happen,” Beau asked. “It was LarZac,” said Robert D., “he made me see.” Robert D. looks respectfully at LarZac and bows his head in thanks.

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“If Robert D. shows the cats what the ‘Origs’ have done, they might realize the ‘Origs’ don’t intend to harm them,” Beau said, proud of his revelation. “I will go with you,” DAR said, “Magma knows me; she knows I don’t lie.” “Can I go with you, Papa,” Beau asked. DAR quietly walks over to Beau who is standing next to Horatio. “I know this is not the best time to say this to you, Beau, but I don’t know what the future will hold for us. Yes, Buddy,” DAR said proudly, “you can come. You have certainly earned the right of passage in these last few days. You have grown too fast and in some ways you were cheated out of your childhood. I am so proud of you. From now on, I want you to walk beside me, not behind me. You are a true Companion now, my son.”

Beau was stunned; he could not speak. In a way, he thought, he liked being told what to do; it made him feel safe. He knew his Papa would always be there for him. He did not tell his Papa this. He realized that no longer would his Papa call him “little one.” He knows he will help carry the mantle that Dobbs left for DAR and Horatio. “Papa, I don’t know what to say,” Beau said. “There is still much for you to learn,” DAR said, “and I’ll be right there to make sure you do.” Beau just smiled and was content. Beau was pleased his Papa just let him know he was still the boss. Beau looked at Horatio; Horatio just winked at Beau and smiled.

“LarZac, we must hurry to the lower chamber,” DAR said, “I know the cats are there somewhere.” “I will ask Fisetra to meet you there,” LarZac said. She is our ambassador to other cultures, other worlds. It is her responsibility to help you locate the felines from your earth. I will contact her and instruct her to take you to where you think the cats are hiding.”

LarZac tells the searchers how to return safely to the lower cham-ber. All are now determined to find the cats and bring them into the family of Companions. They descend quickly to the chamber below where they first saw the image of Magma. Fisetra, a diminutive ‘Orig’, is ghostly as the other ‘Orig’ creatures were, only seemingly more deformed. She greets the group and is told by LarZac why they are there. Fisetra then leads the way; she ap-

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pears to know exactly where she is going. “I think you will find that the cats are hiding behind this wall,” Fisetra said, confidently.

The group comes to a halt behind Fisetra, as she raises her arm. From the tip of her fingers comes a bright laser beam directed at the wall of the chamber. The wall suddenly becomes transparent. DAR and the others can now see all the cats standing under a bright light. They have frightened looks on their faces, like an ani-mal suddenly caught in the headlights of a big machine on a dark road.

DAR notices that there is an ‘Orig’ standing next to the group. He recognizes that the ‘Orig’ is one of those re-formed by the five Companions in the upper chamber. “DAR, you remember Slayer, don’t you?” Fisetra said. “Yes,” DAR said, “but I remember that her name was Tugoran, not Slayer. What is going on, Fisetra?” “ Slayer is now one of us, DAR; we have ‘conditioned’ her to be like us,” said Fisetra. “I’m going to guess that she didn’t volunteer to be part of your ‘conditioning’,” DAR said. “We have done this in many galaxies for centuries with great success,” Fisetra said with pride. “We’ll see about that.” DAR said.

“DAR watch out,” Magma shouts, from behind the transparent wall, “These are not the creatures you think they are; we are be-ing held prisoner here.” DAR looks sternly at Fisetra. “Is this true; are these cats being held against there will?” Fisetra looks strangely at Slayer, “Yes DAR, I’m afraid it is,” Fisetra said, “We have deceived you.”

“We have formed a coalition of “Innovators” to fight the evil that is threatening us,” Fisetra said, “there are only a few of us, now. There are small groups, like us, on every planet who believe that there is evil around us everywhere. The old leaders on these plan-ets, like LarZac, are fools. They live in the past. They think each planet should determine its own destiny; but we believe differ-ently. We believe there should be one ruler in the universe and of all known life in every galaxy. It is the only way to have absolute order; to guarantee absolute peace.”

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“LarZac has told us that there is peace, now,” Horatio said, “Why do you want to disturb the tranquility of planets that have existed for centuries without war?” “We believe that when people have too much freedom,” Fisetra said, “and too many riches, they will want more and soon they will declare war on each other. We want to protect them from that horrible fate.”

“I heard my Pop say that if there were just one ruler for the whole world, the individual would have little meaning; we would no longer have control over our own life and destiny, the freedom to think for ourselves,” DAR said, “Our spirit would die, we would be like zombies, just walking the earth, no goals, no dreams. Soon our bodies would die.”

“Yes, that’s right, DAR,” Fisetra said, “only the strong will survive; the weak will be purged from every place where there is life,” “These ‘riches’ you talk about, what is that?” Horatio asked. “It is the power of control,” Fisetra said, “it is the measure of value for the work that we do. It allows those who possess wealth to control society. That is why wealth itself must be controlled by a very few.” “I don’t know about wealth, Fisetra,” DAR said, “it’s not im-portant to canines, especially Companions; maybe it’s not that im-portant to others out there; maybe it doesn’t control everyone’s life” “How do you eat, how do you pay for your food,” Fisetra said. “Kisses,” Beau said, “my Pop gets our food and he likes to be paid in kisses.” “I’m afraid he’s right,” DAR said, “but I’m not real good at it yet, I don’t like to do it front of my son.”

“That’s very touching,” Fisetra said, “but trust me, DAR, humans, like other races of beings, only care about riches and wealth; that’s the stuff that moves the planets; the power to control the wealth, controls the people. Don’t you understand, when we con-trol all living things throughout all the galaxies and universes, ev-erybody will exist peacefully together, there will be food and shel-ter for those who work.” “But they wouldn’t have life,” Horatio said, “and I think, in the end, humans would demand life over wealth. I think humans need other humans and Companions like

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us, because without love, there would be no life.” “I know what it is like not to be loved,” DAR said, “and I know what it is like to be loved. I think it is love that drives me on, that makes me deter-mined to share it with as many as I can touch, so they will know love.”

”There are those who don’t care about love,” Fisetra said. “Have you ever been loved, Fisetra,” DAR asked. “Love is not important to me; it is for the weak,” Fisetra replied in an angry tone, “Love is cheap, DAR, if you want love, you can buy it, if you have wealth, you can have it; I have seen it.” “What you saw, Fisetra,” DAR said, “was just an exchange of favors and that has nothing to do with love.”

“It’s a shame that you can’t join our crusade, DAR,” Fisetra said, “but I can see you would not be suitable for our New Order of the Entities, the Innovators. You are now my prisoner. You and your friends will join the cats as our guests until we return to Juersay. “And what if we don’t want to be your ‘guests’,” DAR said, as he began to slowly circle Fisetra, preparing to fight. No one was go-ing to put him in a cage ever again. Beau began to follow his Papa’s lead; the others immediately joined in without a word be-tween them. Together they represented a formidable force.

Fisetra watched as the challengers circled her. The five defenders continued to circle the evil that stood defiantly before them. “Where is all the love, now?” Fisetra asked. “It’s called ‘ruff’ love’, Fisetra,” DAR said, with menacing smile, “sometimes you have to get someone’s attention before you can love them.” “Most people want to be loved, but some need encouragement,” Horatio said, “We are willing to risk our lives to protect the freedom of those who have entrusted that task to us.” “We won’t allow you to harm our friends,” DAR said, “LarZac has shown true gratitude and love by restoring Robert D.’s eyesight and healing the other Compan-ions.”

“We almost overthrew the rulers of Juersay centuries ago, but the formless formula we released was not supposed to affect us,” Fise-

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tra said, “We were waiting in the wings, we thought we were pro-tected by a special barrier we created in the chamber where we were hiding; we were waiting for the formula to take effect. The barrier failed and we were victims of our own doing. The entire planet was consumed by this vapor. When it was released into our atmosphere, it expanded and affected every living creature. The vapor was supposed to stabilize in the building where our leaders were meeting. Our civilization came to a stand still. As you have learned, we had to rely on others to perform most our daily functions. Now, thanks to Beau, we have form again. We are free to complete our destiny.” “And it was his love for you, that made you whole again,” DAR said.

As the group continued to circle, they carefully watch their new foe. Horatio notices that only Slayer and Fisetra are in the cham-ber. Beau quietly moves out of the circle as he passes behind Fisetra and slips unnoticed by Slayer into a darkened corner of the chamber. Mick and Robert D. have had enough pain to last a life-time; they weren’t going to go easily into slavery. They would rather die. They would wait for a signal from DAR.

As DAR looks at Fisetra, he wonders why she would challenge a group as formidable as his. She must have some kind of plan to overcome them. She must have a weapon, he thought, she’s not that stupid. “NOW,” DAR shouts. The others leap into the air to-ward Fisetra. Fisetra quickly waves her hand in front of them. A broad beamed laser, once again, flashes from her hand toward her attackers. The group is suspended in mid air, they cannot move.

Beau watches in horror from the dark corner of the chamber, his instinct is to attack the ‘Origs’, but he knew his Papa would not approve. His Papa taught him to be patient, to take his time, to think. Waiting, his Papa told him, can sometimes be the best weapon, the best advantage.

Beau watches as Fisetra raises her hand to close the transparency of the wall. He stares at her as she and the Slayer leave the

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chamber, stopping briefly at a control panel. Fisetra presses a sin-gle button on the console and then turns quickly and leaves. As the door closes crosshatched beams of light fill the room directly around the control panel, protecting it like a shroud.

Beau waits a few minutes to see if the two ‘Origs” will return. He wonders if they realized that he was missing and didn’t let on. Just as the thought passed through his brain, the door to the chamber suddenly opens and Slayer re-appears and steps into the chamber. She had a strange feeling that something was wrong. She moves only a few steps inside the door as she looks intently around the room. The rescuers are still suspended in the cham-ber. Satisfied that nothing has changed since she and Fisetra left a few minutes earlier, Slayer leaves the chamber.

Beau decides to wait awhile until he is sure the coast is clear. He lies down in the shadows of the chamber where he was hiding. He still can see his Papa and the others suspended in mid air. Beau stares at the beams of light that are crosshatched throughout the room. He has no idea what the beams are for or if they are dan-gerous. Could they be harmless, he wonders. After time past, Beau realized that he has to do something: he can no longer watch his friends and his Papa like that. He decides that the key to their release is somewhere on that control panel where Fisetra stopped and pressed that button. The grid of lasers puz-zles Beau. He walks slowly along the perimeter of chamber wall. There is a narrow path no wider than Beau’s body that circles the chamber along the wall. It is untouched by the beams of light. He studies the laser grid as he walks around the chamber on the nar-row path.

As Beau completes the circle of the chamber, he notices that there is a narrow path in the midst the crosshatched laser beams, where the beams were flickering rapidly. The path leads to the control panel a few feet away. There is something wrong, Beau wonders, is that a weakness; could it be part of the dying of the ship, which LarZac talked about. I have to take a chance. That’s what my Papa always told me, Beau recalled, he said that some-

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times in life we have to take a chance. Most of the creatures on earth never take chances; the risk is too great, the failure too hu-miliating. It’s not until our darkest moment that we finally decide to take that leap that changes our lives and maybe others, too.

Beau didn’t care about failure, he only knew his Papa needed him at that moment. He thought if he ran fast through the flickering path of the laser field, he might survive long enough to release his Papa and the others. What ever would happen, he thought, it would be worth it.

Beau pauses a moment, takes a deep breath. He looks up above him and whispers to himself, “Dobbs, if you’re near me, I would sure like your help right now.” There is no answer. Beau lowers his body like a sprinter at the starting blocks. BOOM, like a start-ing gun in his head, he catapults himself into the laser path, rac-ing toward the control panel. ZAP, ZAP; Beau feels the lasers burn through his coat and into his skin. The adrenalin is racing through his body. The lasers striking his body are barely felt and do not slow him. It’s as if he were protected by a suit of armor. Like hu-mans are taught in martial arts, don’t think of the pain, think of the purpose, the destination. In an instant, he reaches the control panel. His expression is fierce as he turns to look behind him at the broken laser path. Beau was always fiercely determined; he ignored his pain and immediately leaped up, placing his front paws on the control panel. There are a myriad of buttons on the panel. Which one is it, Beau asks himself, this is no time to panic, I must choose the right one or I could alarm Fisetra.

Beau is beginning to feel the delayed pain of the lasers. He feels like he is going to pass out. He fights to stay conscious. He doesn’t have time to experiment or calculate the best options. Beau decides he has no choice and no time. He lifts both paws and starts punching every button on the panel. The panel starts to spark; smoke and flames come out of the panel. Beau jumps back to the edge of the platform that supports the console. He looks across the chamber; his Papa and the others are still sus-pended in mid air. Beau drops his head in defeat. He has failed.

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Before he can turn and run back through the laser field the panel explodes, knocking Beau backwards to the floor. He is uncon-scious.

“Beau, Beau, wake up,” comes the familiar voice. Beau tries to lift his head, but is still groggy from the explosion. He opens his eyes, but his vision is still blurry. His head flops back down on the floor. “Beau, you need to wake up, you have to get up,” comes the voice again. He feels a little soft tongue licking his face. His eyes open slowly; his blurry vision begins to clear. Beau tries to focus on the source of the wetness. He feels a nose flip his earflap back. He hears the voice again, gently whispering in his ear, “I love you big man, don’t you leave me. I need you, please come back to me. I can’t leave without you.” Beau’s head starts to clear; his vision is nearly normal. He sees a nose touch his. “Papa, Papa,” Beau says in a raspy voice, “you’re free.” “What happened,” Beau con-tinued.

The DAR steps back, overcome by the thought that he almost lost his boy. Beau struggles to a sitting position, as Horatio steps close to Beau and gently licks him on the cheek, his heart still pounding with fear for Beau.

“Well, it worked,” DAR said, “when you blew up the console, we were released; the lasers are gone.” “I didn’t blow it up, Papa, it just blew up all by itself. All I did was punch all the buttons.” DAR just looks at Horatio and shakes his head, again. “I couldn’t see the resemblance before,” Robert D. said, “but I do now, you’re crazy like your Papa.” Everybody laughs. Beau said, “We have to go, Papa. I got hurt a little, but I think I’m OK, now.” “We know, Beau, all of us have been licking your wounds ever since we found you,” DAR said. “Thank everyone for taking care of me,” Beau said in a shy voice. “You are the one to thank, Beau,” Mick said, “You risked your life to save us, you’re the hero.” “Thanks, Mick, but there is no time for that,” Beau said, “we have to get out of here before Fisetra comes back.” “What about the cats, we have to help them,” Robert D. said.

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Without discussion, the group of rescuers hurries to the trans-parency wall in the chamber below. The crew quickly finds the wall. They can now see the cats. The outer wall that hid them has been destroyed..DAR spots Magma among the other cats that are tied on pedestals and hung like trophies on the inner prison wall. DAR looks up at Magma. “Magma are you and the others OK,” DAR asks. “Most of us are OK, DAR, but some of us are hurt and need help,” Magma said weakly. “Fisetra made me use that name and say the mean things I said to you when you first arrived. She projected my im-age so you would see it. She said if I didn’t cooperate, she’d make the others suffer. Please help us.”

“Hang on, Magma we will get you down from there,” DAR said. “No DAR,” Magma said, “we are not really hung on the wall; it’s a projection, an illusion, look behind the wall, we are here.” DAR and his soldiers race behind the projected wall. The sight is heart-breaking. Magma is tied to a large block of wood, as are the other cats. There are at least a dozen other cats in the room; all are hurt and starving. “Magma, we want to help you and the others, but you have to tell them that we are here to help. Their natural instinct is to defend themselves when a canine comes near them.” OK,” Magma said. Magma turns to the other cats and begins to plead with the beleaguered felines. She tells them that they are in a bad place and the canines have had similar treatment and know what they are going through and what they are feeling. Please trust me and trust them, she told them.

Magma was weak and suddenly fell to the floor unconscious from hunger and the ordeal. You could hear the cats sigh. DAR didn’t wait for an invitation; he ran to Magma and started chewing on the heavy rope. It was a difficult task, but he was undeterred. The others in the canine crew hung back for moment to see how Magma and the other cats would react to a canine rushing toward a cat. Robert D. was the first to charge from the group, over to Magma and DAR. He gently nudges DAR aside. “Let me do it, DAR, I love to chew rope, I’ll have her free in a second.” Robert D.

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clamps his powerful Rottweiler jaws on the rope. His fierce biting on the rope frightens the cats. “It’s OK,” DAR shouts quickly, to the other cats. He begins to lick Magma’s wounds; Beau and the rest of the crew rush over to help. “No, step back you guys, too many of us around Magma might scare the others.” The crew steps back, respecting DAR’s request. Robert D. chews through the rope in record time. Magma is free. DAR continues to lick Magma’s face trying to revive her. Slowly she starts to move her head and begins to come out of her fog. “What happened,” Magma said, shaking her head. “You fainted,” DAR said, “are you OK?” “Yes, I’m OK, we just need food.” The crew carefully ap-proaches the other cats. The cats are surprisingly calm and let the canines do their work. In a short time, the cats are free and quickly gather together to comfort each other.

“Does LarZac know you are down here; has he seen you like this,” DAR asked. “No,” said Magma, “we have not seen him. He en-trusted Fisetra to care for us and escort us back to earth in a smaller craft. I’m sure he told you about us. LarZac thinks we are back on earth. He doesn’t know we are down here in bowels of Hell.” “That’s what I thought,” DAR said, “I know he would not tolerate this after he has done so much for us. LarZac has the skill to heal all of you and he will provide food for everyone, ” DAR an-nounces to the group. “We have to find LarZac,” Horatio said, “but I think it will be safer if just a few of us go. There is less chance we will be discovered.” “We will bring him down here to see what Fisetra has done,” DAR said angrily.

“OK, Robert D., you and Beau come with me,” DAR continued, “ Horatio, you and Mick stay here and protect the others.” “DAR wait,” Magma said, “there is something you should know about Fisetra; she has a weakness.” Magma whispers in DAR’s ear; DAR just smiles slightly and returns to the ‘Forward Team’ across the room. “Come on guys,” DAR said, “we’ve got work to do.” “DAR, there is one more thing,” Magma shouted from across the room, “my name is Mirabella.” DAR turned and smiled and said, “Yes, I know, Mirabella, I understand now what happened.”

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DAR and his men head for the ship’s helm in the upper chamber to find Fisetra and LarZac. The boys are quiet as they approach the door to the helm room. DAR signals the others to stop. He puts his ear to the door to listen for life inside. DAR recognizes LarZac’s voice; he is talking to Fisetra. Her voice is sharp and agi-tated. She seems to be arguing with LarZac, who has remained calm during Fisetra’s tirade. DAR signals for the others to follow him as he slowly opens the door just enough for the trio to crawl on their bellies into the room. LarZac and Fisetra are so engaged, they do not notice the team’s entrance into the chamber. They take cover behind one of the many consoles in the room. The boys can now hear the conversation between Fisetra and LarZac. Fisetra is trying to convince LarZac that the canines are a danger to the ‘Origs” and could threaten their survival if the ship were forced to land on earth. DAR becomes angry upon hearing the lies about his friends. He motions for the boys to stay hidden. DAR rises to his feet and slowly walks around the console in plain view of LarZac and Fisetra. LarZac very surprised said in an angry voice, “DAR you have betrayed my trust. Fisetra tells me you at-tacked her and Slayer and that you killed Slayer. I am afraid I am going to have to neutralize you and your friends so that you can-not be a danger to us. I believed that we might be kindred spirits, but my belief in you was wrong.

“Your faith in us was not in vain,” DAR said, firmly. “ Slayer is alive. You have been betrayed, that is true, but not by canines; the Companions have been true to your trust. The betrayal was masterminded by your ‘trusted’ friend, Fisetra.” “He is lying,” Fisetra shouted, “who are you going to believe, this invader or me, who has spent two millenniums traveling through this blackness with you, trying to save our race.” “You have been faithful, Fise-tra,” LarZac said, “but I must listen to DAR. His son has given our life back to us, I owe him that much and more.”

“LarZac, has Fisetra told you what happened to the cats and what she did to them?” DAR said, “They never had a chance to show you their value or their love, they were not hiding or being ‘crafty’,

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they were imprisoned by Fisetra. She is part of plot to overthrow you. She wanted to use the cats as slaves, after the Innovators ‘conditioned’ them.”

Is this true, Fisetra?” LarZac said, “Have you betrayed the “Origs” and everything we have tried to accomplish all these many cen-turies? If you have betrayed the cats and their trust in us, you have diminished us. The cats tried, with true hearts, to believe in us when we had no form. It just didn’t work out; it was not their fault. Cats need to touch the ones they care about and they couldn’t do that with us. Unfortunately, that will never be, now; we cannot find them,” LarZac said sadly, “Fisetra what have you done with these poor creatures?” he demanded as he turned to face her. Fisetra is defiant and turns away.

“This is your lucky day,” Robert D. interrupted, “the cats are here, in the chamber below.” LarZac turns to Fisetra, who is now seething with anger.

Fisetra begins to raise hand to unleash the lightning from her hand against the canines, as she did before suspending DAR and the others in mid air. But this time there was a surprise; DAR in-stantly rears back on his hindquarters and begins to howl, almost like a song. DAR always had a special voice; a special howl, he was a true soprano. The sound was ear piercing. When DAR howled, everything within the sound of his voice was still, as if it were suspended in time. And so it was at this moment, the high pitch of the little man’s voice had frozen everything in the helm room. The fire coming from Fisetra’s hand was frozen like ice and then instantly shattered and crumbled like crystals as they fell harmlessly to the floor. Fisetra was stunned; she looked at DAR in disbelief. She stood silently in shame. “You and Slayer will be se-cured, until you can be judged by the ‘Orig” Lower Council,” LarZac said, resolutely.

Before you go, Fisetra, I want to know why you did this, why you betrayed my trust?” LarZac demanded. “We did it because you have become weak,” Fisetra said. “Centuries ago you were a

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great warrior and showed no mercy to those you conquered. I was proud to stand by your side. We were always successful in setting one species at war against another. We controlled the survivors. You were a brilliant ruler. But since the abolishment of war, you have changed. You know the struggle for peace continues and it is a constant struggle, but so many species were happier when they were at war. For millenniums, worlds collided in conflict. Their societies existed only in a state of war. Every society throughout the stars seemed to accept war as the only way of life. Some planets used their orbiting planets as their battleground so they could live in the illusion of peace, but the misery of war was always there in the recesses of their minds.”

“There are people like us on every planet, waiting for the time when we will once again be at war,” Fisetra continued, “our secret society is spread throughout the galaxies. We believe that only war will bring true happiness. We believe most species are con-tent when they are controlled. They are happiest when they are told that all is well. They don’t want to know. They just don’t want to be involved.”

“Poor Fisetra,” LarZac said, “What was it that destroyed you? What was it that turned you away from our journey, our purpose? You were my closest friend, my most trusted friend. I could not imagine you would have done such a thing, to be part of this evil. How did you become so blind? Can you not see the good we have done as we have traveled through the stars these past two cen-turies? Species can now travel between planets. They can share ideas, and skills and culture. Species of many worlds now exist in a state of harmony. Life has been extended because they no longer just exist. The fear is gone. To be truly free doesn’t mean that we must sacrifice life. The process was simple, so very sim-ple. Do not agree to war. Agree to peace.

We are the ‘Origs’. We were the first of the Omni’s creations. It is our responsibility to bring order to all the universes within the Great Dome of Aul. When the Omni appeared to us centuries ago, we promised we would be the tabernacle of peace and truth and

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that we would not kill in the name of the Omni to achieve these ends. We were warned that if we broke our covenants with the Omni, we would be condemned for eternity to war without rest.

We must now commit ourselves to finding those among you who have conspired to violate our trust and that of the Omni. It must be our only mission, now. Fisetra, you and Slayer will be re-coded. The two conspirators are escorted to the darkened chamber in the nether region of the ship.

LarZac hangs his head in sadness as he watches his friend of countless life times being taken to the ‘Place of the Unseen’. DAR and the others sense LarZac’s loss. “I am sorry that it has come to this, but we could not stand by and do nothing,” DAR said. “A revered friend and leader of the canines, we called Dobbs,” Hora-tio added, “told us that when we are silent in the face of evil, part of us dies. In most, the evil destroys a small part of those who do not speak. And if, throughout their lives, they never speak when they are confronted with evil, they will never be content, never be truly satisfied, and never know true passion in their love for an-other. They will have failed no matter their wealth, no matter their status in their society. Dobbs was a friend. He was never our leader, he was just our guide; he taught by example.”

“Yes, Horatio, he was an old spirit who had traveled well through the ages,” LarZac said, “You will not understand at this moment, but I will tell you now that I know Dobbs and am honored when I am in his presence.”

“Papa, the cats, we have to feed them,” Beau interrupted, “and then maybe LarZac will help with the healing.” “I would be hon-ored to help them,” LarZac said, “and I will apologize for the way they were treated.”

As LarZac and the others descend to the chamber below, he ap-proaches the cats to observe what Fisetra has done to them. A feeling of great shame comes over LarZac as he walks past them like a general reviewing his troops. He suddenly stops and closes

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his eyes. He is silent for a moment. It seems like an eternity. As LarZac opens his eyes, the doors to the chamber open and several ‘Origs” appear with carts that float through the air, not touching the floor. There is food for everyone, cats and dogs. “How did you do that, LarZac,” DAR asked, “How did you make the food appear so quickly.” “Please everyone, fill yourselves,” LarZac announces to all. “We have the power to communicate just by thought, DAR” LarZac responded, as he turned to answer DAR, “It was a power implanted in our heads by the Omni when he first created us in the beginning of time.”

“Can I get one of those ‘implanted’ things,” Beau asked excitedly. “You already have one, Beau,” LarZac said, smiling, touching Beau gently on the head, “Someday, I will show you how you can make it work.” “Yea,” Beau said with a big smile on his face, “ I would like to talk to my Papa’s Pop and I know he wants to talk to me; I can see it in his eyes and I know he can see it in mine.” “In just a while, Beau, right now we have to deal with some serious prob-lems.”

As everyone finished their meal, LarZac lead the group back to the helm room. He then requested everyone’s attention. “First, I want to apologize to all of you for the great wrong and harm that Fisetra has visited upon you. From this point forward, you will be treated with respect and as honored guests.

However, we are all still faced with a great danger. Our ship is partly organic and it is dying. We think we now know what caused the disease that infects the ship, but if we do not find a cure, we will crash back on your planet earth and we will all certainly per-ish. The disease has destroyed our Endeavor crafts, and there are only a few escape pods left undamaged. We must find a cure and quickly before the gravity of the earth pulls us toward it.

We know we can make certain critical, surgical bypasses to the ship’s biopaths in our power systems. But, if we do not find a cure for this disease, it will quickly destroy the repairs we have made. We will not have enough time to reach our sister ship, which is two

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nanoms from earth orbit. Our rescue ship cannot come to us be-cause we believe our ship was infected when we entered an orbit around your earth. The rescue ship would also be in danger of in-fection. The pollution in this quadrant of space is like nothing we have ever seen in our long journey through this vast Starcast. Our scientists have determined that your earth too is dying. It ap-pears that the damage is irreversible. I ask why did you not do something to save your planet?”

“Humans did that, only humans” Horatio said, “The animals, as the humans call us, were the victims, not the cause. Dobbs said humans think of us as a lower form of life, unable to think. Dobbs told us the story of earth, and all that inhabited the earth. It was handed down through time by his forefathers, who were the story-tellers, the ‘Keepers of the Truth’, called the Kotts. The earth was a wonderful creation, things occurred naturally, even the bad things happened for a reason, intended by nature. Dobbs was wise beyond his years. He was among the royalty of the canine family. The Kotts were revered and respected above all else and when it was their time to prepare for the next life, they would se-lect the wisest of the young in the clan to tell the history of all the world and teach them how to remember the great legend of who they were and their purpose on earth. As the youngest Kott grew old and experienced his life, he was re-quired to be faithful to the truth, to add only the things he had wit-nessed to the legend. The youngest was not to change in any way, the telling of the events that were told to him. Most impor-tant of all, the youngest was not to judge; just remember. They were required to tell the history to the elder Kott and the entire clan, before they could be anointed as the ‘chosen one’, as the Kott.

When the elder Kott dies, the clan buries him with honor. Each clan member tears fur from their chest, close to their heart, and places it in the grave as a sign of love and gratitude. Each mem-ber of the clan is bound to never reveal where the elder is buried.”

“That is a wonderful thing that was done within your race,” LarZac 161

said. “May I asked who Dobbs chose to be the ‘Keeper of the Truth’? “I am sorry, LarZac,” DAR said, “but only one time since the beginning of time was our history ever told to another outside the canine world. He lived thousands of years ago. He was given our history in order to share its wisdom with all creatures that live on the earth.” “What name was he called by,” LarZac inquired, “Could I know his name, DAR? We were here many times within the last several thousand years; we wanted to observe the human race to see if they had learned from their mistakes and made the earth more compatible with the universes around them. It is pos-sible we could have met on our journey through your world.” “SHE was known by many names,” DAR said, “and over time, by different genders as she evolved from one life to another. In their teachings, as they wandered the earth, they shared this knowl-edge with the humans and never betrayed our trust in them by re-vealing the source of this knowledge.”

“But there were humans that distorted these truths and created a world that suited only a very few. They became powerful and cre-ated a history that was not the truth as it was told to them. They ruled by greed and carnage. They have blinded the humans of the earth with falsehoods. They have told them humans will be here forever. Most humans chose to believe this, as they do to this day.” “And what is the truth?” LarZac asked. “The truth is,” Robert D. abruptly interrupting, “that the earth will be here for-ever, it is the humans who will disappear. When the humans are gone, the earth will heal itself and life will be reborn. The earth has purged itself of the humans before. It is just that they haven’t learned yet. The earth will keep doing what it has to until they do.”

“Or maybe next time,” Beau added, “the Omni will give up on hu-mans and just let the animals live on the earth.” “That’s a great idea,” came a voice from among the felines. “Who is that,” LarZac asked. “I am Kindra, Mirabella and I are leaders of the Persians.” Movement can be seen in the crowd of cats who have gathered together to hear LarZac and the canines. As Kindra moves to the front of the group, she suddenly appears in full view

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of the others. She is a beautiful white Persian like Mirabella. “They could be twins,” DAR said. “But there are some differ-ences,” Horatio quickly added. As everyone looked upon the fe-line they could see the most obvious difference. Kindra had only one eye. Amazingly, her other eye had a brilliant sparkle that nearly blinded all that looked upon it. Everyone quickly looked away protecting their eyes.

“What is that in your eye,” DAR asked. “It is what humans call a diamond,” Kindra said, “it was given to me by a benefactor. She was an elderly woman who found me on the green near the old Mansion. The Mansion was originally a refuge for felines before the canines came.I managed to escape from the home where I was abused and starved. I made it to the green where I collapsed. My benefactor found me and took me to a place that healed me. The elderly woman and I lived together in harmony until she passed away. Before she died she had this diamond made in the shape of a cat eye. I cherish it because she sacrificed a great deal to give me this beautiful gift.”

As Kindra speaks, another cat slowly walks up beside her and qui-etly hands Kindra a glass eye cover much like an eye patch. Kin-dra quickly puts it on. The glass cover has a dark color that hides the diamond. “I wear this protection so that others can look at me without having to suffer the blinding light,” Kindra said, “and it protects the diamond from discovery by those who would stop at nothing to obtain it. “You have many friends, now,” LarZac said. “We will make sure your treasure is safe.”

LarZac announced that he would like to begin the healing of those who were in pain. LarZac stood silent as a great aura of red and green and white spun around his body like the whirling of a tor-nado. Everyone watched in awe and gasped as the whirling grew larger and began to surround those in pain. In an instant, the whirling stopped. The sound of sobbing and wailing could be heard among those who were now healed.

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Mirabella stepped forward and said to everyone, “It is just our way. These are tears of happiness and joy. It is a way of acknowl-edging a rebirth, freedom from our pain. It is like a ritual, a cast-ing off, a cleansing.” Mirabella bowed her head toward LarZac as a sign of love and respect.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Earthbound164

As the healing ended, there was a time of calm and rest. LarZac, DAR, and Horatio talked for a while, exchanging stories of their re-spective worlds. Each spoke eloquently about their lives, the joys and the struggles. In was a brief moment of learning about the enormous wealth of knowledge yet to be shared. There was little time to prepare for what was about to happen.

Suddenly, like a lightening bolt dashing through the night sky, the entire ship began to shift violently from side to side. Everything in the ship flew through the air. Both felines and canines grabbed for anything to keep them from being tossed helplessly and smashed against the ship.

The ship turns and dips violently in a sharp downward angle. The vibrating abruptly stops, but the ships speed increases rapidly, ap-parently out of control. LarZac and the other ‘Origs’ rush to the helm as they hurriedly, but with deliberate calm, activate the myr-iad of switches and buttons that appear in endless array around the helm room.

The ship begins to level itself as LarZac continues to work at the panel of lights. Soon the speed of the ship is slowed. In a few minutes, the emergency seems to be over. LarZac steps down to the floor where the others are waiting, still hanging on to anything tied down. “I can do very little too stop the deterioration of our or-bit around the earth,” LarZac said. “I have reduced the biofluids to the ship’s power. It appears the virus has now spread to the Reso-lution System and the ship is now unable to defend itself against the Chron.” “What is the Chron,” DAR asked. “It’s the virus,” LarZac said, “When a virus infects the ship we simply send an an-tiviral to the ship’s biocore to stop it. The antiviral is designed by the Resolution System so that it can effectively kill the virus.” “All of the systems on the ship, are BioOrganic in nature,” LarZac continued, “each BioOrganic system is controlled at the same temperature as all the others and they are connected. It’s how the virus spreads” “I know,” Beau said, “it’s like when the Pop

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gets a cold, he gives it to the MOM and Buddy.” “That’s right, Beau,” LarZac said, “but in this case, the virus never dies, it is in a continuum; it just keeps growing. If we sever the connective pathways, the mechanical function of the ship will shut down.

The Resolution System is our last defense. When the Resolution System becomes infected, the ship will die. We have nearly lost ships before to the Chron, but we were always are able to stop the viruses. The Resolution System was always able to design the cor-rect antiviral. The viruses have never been so virulent as the ones around your earth.”

“What can we do to help,” DAR asked. “I don’t know, LarZac said, “we are going to crash on your planet, that will not change. How-ever, it may be possible to reduce our speed to a point that we can lessen the impact when we hit the earth and increase our chances of survival.”

DAR said, “Well, I am not going to die today and neither is any one else. There must be something we can do. LarZac, what is the strongest part of the ship?” Beau asked, “You said you have been to earth before, so you know there will be great heat and flame around the ship when we get close to earth. I saw it once with my Pop when we were watching the bright box. Can you and the other ‘Origs’ find a way to turn the ship so the bottom faces the descent?” “You are a very smart young man,” LarZac replied with a soft smile, “I am amazed how astute you are at such a young age, but that won’t be necessary, Beau,” LarZac said, “Our ship can withstand extreme temperature changes on any part of the ship. We have observed your flights into the stars. Those humans inside have shown great courage to fly into space in such a primi-tive machine. We admired their strength, however, our ship is so much more advanced. There are things in this ship that man only dreams about. Someday, we may share our knowledge of how we travel through this great anthology of life.”

“I didn’t know,” Beau said embarrassed, “but is there a way to protect all the canines and felines from the shock of the impact

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when we hit the earth.” “We already have prepared to do that for you and your Companions,” LarZac, said, “everything is ready.”

DAR and his rescue team walk over to where LarZac is looking through the huge window into the darkness. “LarZac,” DAR said, “ I just wanted to thank you for you help and healing. I only wish the world could know about your race and what you have done for us. If the worst happens, we will know that you tried your very best and we are very grateful.

Fisetra’s evil brought us together,” Horatio said, “and created a place for us to learn about each other.” “We are bound by friend-ship now; something that could have been tragic, has become a triumph for both of us.” LarZac continued his gaze into the black outside. “If we survive, LarZac said, “our bond will be tested. There are those among your rulers who captured other races that have come to your earth in the past. Other visitors came in peace, but were met with fear and distrust. They were mistreated and eventually died at the hands of those in power who sought their knowledge. There was no attempt to understand their cul-ture. Most visitors that followed have learned not to attempt con-tact with humans.”

Beau stepped forward standing as tall as he could. “I will not let that happen,” Beau said. “You have a good heart, Beau, but sometimes there are forces too powerful to fight, when there are only a few who resist.” LarZac said, as he turned to the others, “Now the time has come for us to prepare for our descent to earth. I will take you to the cocoons in the Web room in the center of our ship.

The canines and felines obediently follow LarZac into the huge dome. They can see that there are others already suspended in cocoons. DAR noticed that Fisetra and Slayer had chosen not to enter the cocoons. They were unprotected against the impending doom. They stood resolutely and watched the former captives pa-rade into the room. LarZac noticed DAR’s stare at his antagonists. “Yes, DAR,” LarZac said, “they have made their choice.” DAR did

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not speak.

LarZac ascended to an elevated part of the room where he could be seen by the gathering. He spoke slowly and deliberately. “First, I must tell you that there is one small escape pod that can be launched from this ship. It is the only pod to survive the recent destruction inside the ship. I have not told you about this until now because I wanted you all to remain calm. I have decided to allow the felines to use this vehicle since it will accommodate all of them. I did not want to separate them, causing them more pain than they have already experienced. We are about to begin a perilous journey. It will be the last for this ship that has served the ‘Origs” for more that two thousand years. We have traveled far in this great orb the Omni has created for us. We have realized, however, that our dream to bring peace to this planet may be lost.

With gentle touching, everyone smiled and said goodbye as LarZac sealed each canine spirit in their cocoon. Soon everyone was secure. LarZac did not tell them that soon they would be asleep. He did not want to frighten anyone. The sleep was harm-less and only intended to ease the journey back to earth.

LarZac then escorted the felines to the escape pod and secured everyone inside. Mirabella and Kindra led the felines. “Mirabella and Kindra, you are strong leaders. I know the felines will be safe in your care. There is food for all of you in here. Do not be afraid; you will make it to earth safely. The pod is programmed so that you will have to do nothing; it is designed to land softly on the earth. The pod will be cloaked so it can’t be seen by the humans. Stay near the pod when you reach earth. If we survive, we will find you. It may take some time before we come for you. We must be sure it will be safe for us to be together. The pod will send a signal to me wherever you are. Goodbye and be of brave heart.”

LarZac closes the door to the pod and touches the controls that launch the pod away from the ship. He closely watches the pod as it disappears into the darkness. Soon, he can see the glow from

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the pod entering the earth’s atmosphere.

LarZac quickly returns to the Web room and secures himself in the last cocoon. Inside were the controls that would fire the ship’s propulsion systems for the last time, sending its trusting passen-gers speeding toward earth. LarZac knew he must land as close to DAR’s home as possible. LarZac would try to land near the Mansion, a place that was familiar to DAR and the others. DAR would have to know the way home. If he were lost, it could spell disaster for everyone that he led. LarZac knew DAR would need to find help.

With a damaged helm, finding the Mansion would be like finding a needle in a haystack. LarZac set the ships helm for the Mansion where they had been before. If the ship’s BioOrganic guidance system was too damaged, all aboard could be doomed.

LarZac paused a moment, and slowly looked around his ship one last time. At that moment, he realized that he had never given a name to his ship. “I have never honored you with a name,” LarZac said quietly as he spoke to the dying machine. “You have been faithful to the ‘Origs’ and served us well. I will keep your memory inside me for all time. I guess the best name I could give you is ‘ Friend’. Please protect us in our last voyage together.” LarZac bowed his head for a brief moment and then pressed the single button that ignited the ships propulsion. The ship groaned and in base and soprano tones, lamented as it hesitated to begin its final passage through the stars. It was as if the ship were say-ing goodbye to LarZac and the ‘Origs’. The halting start continued on for few seconds longer and then suddenly thrust forward like the rush of comet flashing through the endless night toward its fi-nal destination.

LarZac was now the lone navigator. He knew he had to steer the ship to the Mansion in the park that was familiar to his passen-gers. It was the place where Fisetra had landed the ship on its earlier mission that was intended to free the cats. LarZac was hoping that ‘Friend’s’ organic memory was still able to remember

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the path to the canine’s home.

LarZac could see through his panel screen that flames engulfed the ship as if it were flying through the bowels of Hell. LarZac was calm and determined as he helped guide the ship to its grave. Through the millenniums he had navigated through worse things, the stuff of horrors.

The flames around the ship subside as the vessel begins its final descent through the earth’s atmosphere. It is night on earth as LarZac and ‘Friend’ demonstrate their knowledge and skill earned over the centuries, guiding the ship and using its last vestige of power to slow the ship for impact.

In a quiet gasp the ship went silent; the power was gone. LarZac expected the worst. The ship was still high above the earth. LarZac was quiet as he listened intently for a sound, a sign, any-thing that would tell him the position of the ship. Minutes past and nothing.

LarZac closes his eyes and tries to talk to ‘Friend’. There are no sounds in the ship; it is silent. There is no feeling of life. LarZac realizes ‘Friend’ is gone. There is sadness in the stillness. LarZac thinks of his fate and that of the others.

Did they land on earth, he wondered, are they on land or did they fall into the water. He can no longer feel any movement in the ship, any sensation of movement. His panel screen is dead. Are we still in space, he thought, no, I know the feel of space. We have landed somewhere. He had to break the cocoon and leave the Web room and return to the helm where he could see through the dome windows. He had to know. LarZac knew if he broke the cocoon, there would be no way the ship could re-seal him in the cocoon if he was wrong, if he had to prepare for a crash landing.

As he prepares to rip himself from the protection of his web, he hears a faint voice in his head. He recognizes the voice; it’s ‘Friend’. “You are safe now, go awaken the others and leave me

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quickly, there is danger. There is nothing more.” “Wait,” LarZac said, “don’t go.” LarZac heeds the advice without question or thought. Instinctively he tears at the webbing around him and rushes to the helm room to look through the massive window that encircles the dome. As he looks out into the dim light of the ap-proaching dawn, he suddenly steps back and slumps into the com-mand chair.

“You did it, ‘Friend’,” LarZac said out loud with a sigh of relief, “you brought the Companions safely home.” He could feel a peacefulness fall over the ship. LarZac went to the window once more to confirm what his eyes had told him. The ship was cradled in the arms of the earth, sitting on the green, behind the ruins of the Mansion.

The ship’s final resting place, shrouded in the tall trees on a dying planet, was a poor tribute to a former warrior ship that found its fi-nal mission in peace and love.

LarZac hurried back to the Web room, he began frantically ripping the webbing that protected the DAR. He places his hand gently on DAR’s head. “Wake up, DAR,” LarZac said, ‘you’re home.” Dar slowly opens his eyes, still groggy from his sleep. “Are we really home, LarZac,” DAR asked. “‘Friend’ gave his life to bring us home.”

“You must hurry, DAR, we must free the others and leave the ship quickly, I will explain later.” LarZac said. As DAR and LarZac quickly moved to remove the webbing protecting the Companions, they saw Beau already at work helping the others get out of their cocoons. “You sure made short work of that cocoon, son,” DAR said. “Oh, that,” Beau said, “it was easy, Papa.” LarZac and DAR just smiled.

In short time, all were free from the protection of ‘Friend’. “Hurry, everyone,” LarZac said, “follow me.” The crowd obeyed as LarZac lead them to an escape hatch in the dome of the ship. As each spirit pulled through the hatch and down the side of the ship,

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LarZac said, “ Quickly, everyone, move away from the ship, and run as fast as you can.”

“Fisetra and Slayer,” DAR yelped in a loud, excited voice. Beau starts to look frantically around the green. “Hush, my friends,” LarZac said in a calming tone, “it is too late for them, they are gone; they refused to cocoon themselves. They knew what lay ahead for them. They chose their fate. I allowed them to make their own decision. I owed that to Fisetra and the others. They were loyal to our mission for centuries; they earned the right to die by their own hand.”

As everyone reached the edge of the green, they stood silent as they looked back at the lifeless ship. “What is going to hap-pened,” Beau asked LarZac. “We are about to see the rebirth of a loyal friend that has served all those who were aboard. He suf-fered the many scars of time as he traveled in our service and now his bio-organisms will join the Omni and be at peace.”

The ship begins to glow and change colors. ‘Friend’ does not make a sound as it crosses over to a new beginning. A mist be-gins to cover the ship and as it makes itself invisible in a last mo-ment of pride. Suddenly, there is a loud boom exploding across the green shaking the ground like jet breaking the sound barrier.

The grateful passengers bow their heads in respect. Everyone slowly moves back across the green to where the ship had landed. ‘Friend’ was gone…without a trace. DAR and his rescue team gather around LarZac, who is overcome with grief. “There will be another day for you, LarZac,” DAR said, “I promise I will find a way to get you back to your ship. I don’t know how, but I will.”

“Home, sweet home,” Horatio said, as he took a deep breath, “This planet may be dying, but it is all I know. It’s where my mem-ories are. It’s where my friends are. I wish I could do something to heal it.” DAR notices that daylight is fast approaching. “Every-one,” DAR announces, “we have to move everyone out of sight be-fore LarZac is noticed.” “I know a perfect place,” Horatio said.

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“It’s very close.”

“Wait a minute,” DAR shouted, “what about the other ‘Origs’? We have to go back and find them.” “No, DAR,” LarZac said, “They’re gone! It was their choice. They asked me not to tell you. There were not enough cocoons; they knew someone had to make the sacrifice. The ‘Origs’ had lived long lives and they did not look for-ward to a life on earth. They knew life here would be a dangerous struggle. They wanted all of you to return here safely. They said this was your world, not theirs.”

“Horatio, here comes the bright ball that lights the day,” Beau ex-claimed. “The humans call it the sun,” LarZac said. “I know,“ said Beau, “but I like the canine word for it better.” “Yeah,” DAR said, “he likes anything with word ‘ball’ in it.” DAR and Horatio take off running with ears in full flight like an eagle on the wing. The oth-ers follow in quick pursuit. In a short time they reach their new hide-away. It is an abandoned gas station a short distance from the green. Without hesitation, Horatio leads the creatures through a hole in the chain link fence that surrounds the property. As he reaches the building, Horatio approaches a narrow door to the building and pushes on it with his nose. The door does not move. “I don’t understand, “ said Horatio, “when I was here be-fore, the door opened with just a push.” Robert D. said, “let me try.” Robert D. backs up several steps and then runs against the door with his muscular body. The door does not budge. “That’s a strong door,” Robert D. said, a little embarrassed.

The group stares at the door in disappointment. “What should we do, Papa,” Beau asks. “What we need right now is a little magic,” DAR said. No sooner had the words left his mouth, than the door quietly opens. “Would you look at that,” DAR said in amazement. “Beau instinctively looks at LarZac. “Yes, Beau,” LarZac said, with a sly smile on his face, “you found me out.” “In these next days, I feel we will be a great help to each other,” DAR said as he looks at LarZac.

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home for the foreseeable future. Horatio said there is a water pipe over here, but there is no water coming out. “I will fix that,” LarZac said. Immediately, water starts to flow out of the faucet. Simon said, “You are going to be a handy guy to have around. I’ve got a lot of ideas.” Horatio looked at Simon with a stern face. Simon looked at Horatio, “I was just kidding,” he said. “It’s good to see you’re getting your voice back, Simon. All of you were so quiet when we were on the ship,” Horatio said. “It’s amazing how quiet you can be when you’re scared senseless,” Simon replied. “It’s OK,” said DAR, “we’re back to earth, now, and everything will be OK.”

“We still have many challenges ahead,” DAR said. “What are we going to do about food,” Beau asked. Horatio and the boys looked at LarZac hoping for some more magic; they were not disap-pointed. “Look in the corner, my friends, there is food for every-one, enough to last for a short while,” LarZac said. The group looks across the garage bays to see a mountain of food stacked in the corner. It was organic, just as it was grown here on earth. It was stacked as if it were just picked from the field.

“How do you do that,” Beau asked. “It is the power of positive thought and the exercise of will,” LarZac said. “It is the power over objects that have organic composition. We were able to cre-ate this food with special equipment on the ship. We fed millions of creatures of different species over the millenniums, in this way. But now that the ship is gone, this is the last time I will be able to do this in that manner. Before we crashed, I sent the food by my will, to the green and now have transferred it here. We must find another source of food in the future.”

“You see, Beau, like many planets, the earth is alive and every-thing that comes from the earth has life and therefore energy. When the ‘Origs’ were facing extinction from thousands of years of war, we were finally forced to stop waging war; we destroyed all of the tools that could be used to build weapons. At last, when all the ‘Great Councils of War’ from each civilization gathered for the last time, it was decided to declare peace for all time. It took

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thousands of years before all the living creatures, in this myriad of galaxies, learned a simple truth; death only begets death. Noth-ing is accomplished; nothing is won. Those civilizations that plun-dered and murdered for riches realized that, in the end, what they had conquered were only the ashes of that world.

The conquered only had to wait until the conquerors destroyed themselves or they themselves were conquered. This story re-peated itself down through the ages, within a thousand worlds, until there was no value in life anywhere. Some civilizations sim-ply vanished from their planets. They left no trace that they ever existed. All the planets were facing the same problem…starva-tion. Centuries of war destroyed their source of food. The scien-tists of all planets had to work together to renew their knowledge of sustaining life. So much was lost.

During that period, the Omni appeared to the council leaders. The Omni called for the Great Council of Life to be formed from those whose hearts were truly changed. The Omni was pleased with the council’s decision. The Omni could have commanded that we stop the carnage and destruction of all that was created, but the Great Spirit knew we had to come to this decision by our own free will. If it were forced upon us, the peace would not last. The Omni gave us these new powers to help us rebuild our lives and share knowl-edge with each of us that had survived the long horror that was our history. He gave us the knowledge and power to sustain our-selves.” “Don’t worry, LarZac,” Beau said, with confidence, “my Papa will take care of the food from now on.”

“But, LarZac, why did the Omni not include the earth in this peace,” DAR asked. “Because the earth had not attacked other worlds yet, they were isolated. Other worlds only traveled here to observe the earth. The air around the earth was lethal to some visitors. Many ships, like ‘Friend’ which was BioOrganic, became infected; the ships and those inside perished. The people of earth still have not yet realized the insanity of war on their own planet. They are too young as a civilization. The Omni foretold that the earth would be at war until the earth expels all humans. The

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Omni said that this prophecy would only change if there were a collective will to stop the anger and greed, to heal the earth. It must be the people of the earth who want to stop this fruitless plight. “Until that time,” the Omni said, “the people of this planet will not be allowed to contact other worlds that are now at peace.”

“What about the disease and damage to the earth,” Horatio asked. “Will the earth heal itself?” “Yes,” LarZac said, “but it will take a thousand years, if the destruction stopped now.” “What will happen to us,” Beau asked. “Beau, we can talk about that later,” LarZac said, “right now, we must deal with the problems at hand. DAR, this is your earth, you are the leader now, I am just a follower.”

DAR just stared at LarZac for a moment. It was as if they were talking to each other without speaking. Finally DAR spoke to the group, “I now know what I have to do. I must tell all of you, that I will be gone for some time, but I promise I will return for all of you. You must remember and have faith, even in your darkest hour, that I will not abandon you.

LarZac, before I go, I want to tell you that if something should hap-pened to me and you must remain on earth, please help Horatio and my son lead the others for as long as you are able.” DAR turns to speak to his weary friends. “As LarZac knows, you are all part of something greater than yourself. When you leave this earth, as Dobbs taught us, there will be a mystical life awaiting you. It will be different for each of you. Your spirit, your soul will be the manifestation of what has been in your heart from the mo-ment you were born.

Remember each must fight to survive, to tell others what you have learned. Do not submit to the life you knew. Struggle with your last breath to realize what is in your heart. When you leave this earth, do so with dignity and honor. Be proud of who you are, and don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to help others who have less than you. Always remember, there will be shame upon you when you do nothing in the face of evil. Protect each other.”

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DAR turns and rushes over to Beau and whispers in his ear. Beau just stares at his Papa and then says, “I promise, I will be brave, Papa.” DAR goes to Horatio and Simon, “My son is young and strong. I know he will watch over you, as I know you will watch over him.”

As DAR goes through the door, he turns for one last look. “I have come to love you all.” DAR then bolts out the door as races to-ward his home.

DAR realized it had been days since he and Beau left home. Little did DAR realize that being in space had changed his sense of time as the ship traveled through several time-portals. In earth time, DAR and Beau had been gone for almost a year.

He wondered what the Pop and the MOM would be going through. He knew they would be worried and frightened and probably really mad. How would he tell them Beau is OK? How would he be able to tell them about what happened to him and Beau, he thought. And what about the Companions and LarZac? Nobody would be-lieve him; he just knew it.

DAR crosses the Great VA nowen, not waiting for the big machines to stop, dodging carelessly between the speeding machines. He flies down the street with his ears raised by the rushing wind.

As he reaches the house, he pauses to catch his breath before crawling through the Threshold. He noticed that the big machine in the driveway was different from the one his Pop drove. DAR stares at the house sensing that something is not right. He runs down the side of the house and tries to crawl through the Thresh-old. As he pushes his paw through first, he feels something solid. He lookes hard through the portal. What is this, he thought, “It’s blocked. Someone blocked off the Threshold. It must have been my Pop; he must have found the hole and figured that’s how we got out. I will have to scratch at the front door. I have to get in and tell my Pop.

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DAR hurries back to the front door, runs up the stairs and scratches hard on the door. No one answers. He scratches again, still no response. Why don’t they answer? It’s too early for them to leave, he thought. DAR steps back a few feet. He starts to bark in his loud, signature style. He steps to the door again and scratches harder and harder, making marks on the door while con-tinuing to bark. He begins to get mad at the lack of response to his calls. Maybe a couple of rabbers will get their attention, he thought. He starts his famous rabber and suddenly the door flies open. The DAR abruptly stops. There is a man standing at his front door, but it isn’t his Pop. DAR begins to bark again at the stranger. His big sister, the BIZ, taught DAR to bark and not stop whenever there was a stranger in the house. Sounding the alarm was one of the basic laws for Companions.

“Hi, little guy. Who do you belong to?” the man inquired. DAR an-swered with a single bark and a rabber before he darted through the man’s legs and into the house. He ran frantically from room to room. Where is the MOM and Pop? Why aren’t they here? I need them, now, he rambled. The man follows him through the house, unable to keep up with the DAR. “Hey, what the heck is going on, pal,” the man said, chasing his visitor through the house. DAR races back and as-cends the stairs as if he were “Rocketman,” himself. DAR’s search turns up no one. His MOM and Pop are gone. DAR stands at the top of the stairs and looks down on the stranger at the bottom. “Come on down little guy, no one is going to hurt you,” the man said. DAR pauses a moment, trying to figure out if he can trust this guy. Will he try to hurt me or capture me and get the ‘bad machine’ to take me away? The questions race through DAR’s mind. Dobbs and Horatio told him that some humans seem friendly until they capture you and have you taken away or hurt you.

DAR decides to approach the man slowly. He knows he must fight if the man tries to grab him. He cannot be captured; he has im-

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portant work to do. Step by step, DAR descends the staircase, not taking his eyes off the man. As DAR reaches the bottom, he stops on the last step and stares at the man in front of him. He is begin-ning to realize that his MOM and Pop are not there; they are gone. Why would they leave us, we love them and they love us, DAR asks himself in disbelief, are Beau and I like the others, now…abandoned?

For a moment, DAR is overwhelmed with sorrow. He hangs his head in sadness. As he looks up at the human with tearful eyes, he hears the human speak to him. “I know little guy, you’re lost and I’ll bet a little concerned that you can’t find your house. Are you hungry? I’ll get you something to eat.” The human walks into the kitchen and opens the frig. DAR follows the man at a safe dis-tance behind. “How about some hamburg,” the human asked. DAR yelps once to say yes. DAR was hungry; he hadn’t eaten since before he entered the cocoon for the journey back to earth. The human puts the food in a bowl and lowers it to the floor. He fills a second bowl with water and places it next to DAR. DAR in-hales his food and drinks nearly the entire bowl of water. “WOW,” the human said, “for a little guy, you’ve got a heck of an appetite, buddy.” DAR looks up quickly. Did he say, buddy. I know him, I know buddy, DAR questions as he looks intently at the human. “I’ll bet you belong right here in the neighborhood, don’t you little guy,” the human asked, “I wonder if the next door neighbors know you”

DAR just stares at the human, trying to figure out if the human can be trusted. “Let’s go visit our new neighbors,” the human said, “it’s time I met some of them, anyway. I wonder if you will let me pick you up; I don’t have a leash. On second thought, you might not like the idea of being picked up. How about if you just follow me, you might even recognize your home, once we get out-side. Yeah, let’s try that.” The human walks into the den and out the door that leads to the garage. He presses a button and the garage door opens to the driveway. This was a familiar sound to the DAR, it meant the MOM or the Pop was leaving for the day or coming home. The memory of seeing his parents again flashes

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through his mind.

“Come on, buddy, follow me,” the human said. DAR walks cau-tiously onto the driveway. As he looks around, he recognizes his neighbor standing on his lawn. “Howdy,” the human said to the neighbor, “I’m your new neighbor. I just thought I would introduce myself; I’m John DeAngleberry. My name is Roger Hempmeister, the neighbor said in a serious tone. DAR knew Mr. Congeniality. The neighbor did not like DAR because he once ran at the neigh-bor when he tried to chase him off his lawn with a rake. DAR didn’t bite the neighbor, but he treated him to one of his famous ‘rabbers’. It scared the neighbor and he never forgot; neither did the DAR. The neighbor just stared down at DAR, wondering why he was back at the house. He thought he moved with the family.

“Say neighbor,” the human said, “do you know who this little guy is? I think he belongs in the neighborhood.” The neighbor just smiled. This was his chance to get even with the “little brat.” The neighbor was not a dog lover. “Well, yes, I know him,” the neigh-bor said, “ he belongs to the fellow across the street; they are away on vacation,” the neighbor lied. “He must have gotten out. I’ll be happy to take care of the dog until they return.” “That’s very nice of you, “ the human said, “my wife and I work and we re-ally don’t have time for animals right now.” Just as he starts to walk away, leaving the DAR behind, the human sees his wife drive up and park in front of the house. The human rushes over to the curb to greet his wife. As the wife exits the car, the human asked, “Where did you go? You’re going to be late for work.” “I had to go to the store; I needed some things before I go to work. What’s the problem?” the wife replied.

“Well,” the human said, “this little dog was scratching at the front door and barking. When I opened the door, he just ran in and started running through the whole house like he was looking for someone. I figured he lived in the neighborhood and was just con-fused.” The wife stares at DAR for a minute and then squats down in front of him. “Can I see the tag on your collar, big guy,” the wife says pleading. DAR is desperate to find his parents. He has

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to trust someone, he reasons. DAR walks to her without hesita-tion; he had little alternative. He did not want to be left in the care of Mr. Nasty Neighbor.

The wife looks closely at the tag and then rises to address her hus-band. “John,” the wife growled, “did you look at the dog’s tag?” “No, honey, I didn’t,” John said, defensively. “I was afraid he might bite me.” “Where did our new neighbor say the dog lived?” the wife questioned further. “Across the street, but they are not home now,” the husband answered. The wife glared at the neighbor standing a few feet away and turned a walked toward the garage. “John, come in the house and bring ‘Radar’,” the wife said like a drill sergeant with first day recruits. “Yes, dear,” John said obedi-ently.

As they enter the house, the wife bends down to speak to the DAR. “Hi, Radar, everything is going to be OK, we know where your Mom and Dad are.” The wife rises and turns to her husband. In a condescending tone she asks, “John, do you really want to know where the dog lived?” “Yes,” John said sheepishly, “I do.” “He lived right here, “ the wife replied. “If you took the time to look at his collar, you would have noticed that the address on the tag is our house; the neighbor lied to you,” the wife continued. “God, John, I’ll bet if I looked up ‘stupid’ in the dictionary, right now, I’d find your picture next to it.”

Where is the note the Reeds left with us,” the wife asked, exasper-ated, “it had their new address on it. They also had a note in there about their lost dogs, there were two of them.” The wife searches through a mass of paper stacked on the kitchen “secre-tary.” “Here it is,” she exclaims, “the address and phone are right here. It says, ‘We have lost our two beloved dogs, Radar and Beau. We have been looking for them for many months and have tried everything to find them. If by some miracle they return to your new home, the only home our boys have known, we would dearly appreciate a call. Thank You.’ John, was there another dog with Radar?” the wife inquired. “No, just him,” John said. “Well, I guess we are going to be late for work,” the wife said, “I’m going

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to call the Reeds with the good news and the bad news.”

It’s early morning at the Reed house, as the MOM and Pop get ready for work. It takes less time these days because there is no “puppy” food to fix or water bowls to fill. Just a sad, nagging, un-spoken thought as they close the door each day and go off to work. Where are our boys? The question flashes through their minds, a thousand times a day.

The phone rings as the two sad sacks prepare to go out the door. The Pop answers the phone. “Hello,” he says, hurriedly. “Mr. Reed,” comes the voice on the other end, “this is Donna DeAngle-berry, the people who bought your house.” “Yes, yes,” Pop said, “How are you.” “Fine, sir,” Donna said. “Listen I have some good news. Your dog Radar has returned to our house, and I guess his house; would you like to talk to him?” There is a long silence. The Pop is fighting back tears; he can’t speak. “Sir, Mr. Reed are you still there?” Donna asks. “Ah, yes,” Pop said, “I’m still here. Is Beau with him?” “No, sir, I’m afraid he is not,” Donna said. An-other long silence, Donna senses that the man on the other end is having trouble speaking; she can hear him fighting the emotion and joy. The Pop speaks in a very soft voice, “Can you put the phone to DAR’s ear, please?” Yes, sir, I can,” Donna replies. Donna slowly puts the phone to DAR’s ear. “OK, Mr. Reed, go ahead.” “Radar Reed, this your Pop, do you remember me.”

The DAR always looked surprised when his Pop would talk to him on the phone. He could never figure out how his Pop got in that little hard thing the MOM would hold to his ear. The MOM would always do it when the Pop was away on business. DAR yelped with joy upon hearing his Pop’s voice. “Yelp, Yelp, Pop, Pop, it’s me, DAR. Yelp, Yelp, come get me Pop!” DAR takes a step back and then takes three steps forward and circles, just like when the Pop first brought him home. The cage dance never died. Donna puts the phone back to her ear, “Well, I guess, he recognized your voice, Mr. Reed, he sure seems excited.” “We are on our way; we’ll be there in ten minutes,” came the response.

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“MOM,” Pop screamed, “We have to go to the old house, the DeAngleberrys found the DAR. He’s there right now.” The two parents fly out the door and into the car and speed down the street like two people possessed. The old house is just a couple of miles away. The Pop drives like a man half crazed. “Slow down,” the MOM said, “your going to get us killed. Did Donna say any-thing about Beau? Is he there?” “No,” the Pop said in a quiet voice. “Well, where is he?” the MOM asked in an angry, frustrated voice, “And why are you driving so slow? We’ll never get there this way.” “Yes, dear,” the Pop said.

The Reeds arrive quickly at their old house. The DeAngleberrys are standing on their front lawn; the DAR is standing next to them. He stares intently at the car that has just pulled in the driveway. The MOM and Pop spot their boy. “He looks good,” the MOM says as she thrusts the car door open. As she exits the car, the DAR recognizes his MOM and jets toward her like a greyhound in flight. “DAR, DAR, you came back to us,” the MOM screams as she falls to her knees on the grass. DAR leaps into her arms like a lost child who just found his MOM.

The Pop falls to his knees and joins mother and son. “Let me hold him,” the Pop said. The MOM won’t let go of her little boy. Her boy is home and she is never going to let him go. The Pop realizes he will have to wait to hold the little Papa. While the MOM is still holding tight to her “lost love,” the Pop takes DAR’s head in his hands and kisses his boy right on the lips. DAR yelps, “Jeez, Pop, the whole world is watching, that’s embarrassing.” “Yeah, yeah, I know what your probably saying, big guy, but I don’t care if the whole world is watching; they’re probably just jealous.”

The MOM and the Pop wipe the tears from their eyes as they rise to their feet to thank the DeAngleberrys. “Don’t thank me,” John said, “Donna figured it out. I was going to leave DAR with your old neighbor, there,” as he points to Hempmeister, standing in his front yard. “He said the DAR lived across the street.” The MOM instantly gets that ”clear-the-decks” look on her face as she turns and heads for the neighbor unaware of the danger heading his

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way. “Where is she going?” Donna asks. “She is going to talk to the neighbor and just about now, I wouldn’t want to be him for all the money in the world,” the Pop said.

MOM crosses the driveway and onto the neighbor’s lawn; march-ing through the neighbor’s flowerbed with the DAR following close behind. The neighbor takes one look at the MOM and knows he is in big trouble. “Hempmeister, you are a miserable #@*&!%er. If you ever do something like that again, you’ll be ‘among the miss-ing.’ You knew where DAR belonged and you said nothing. Beau is still missing,” the MOM said, “if he comes back and you pull something like that again, I’ll come back and you won’t be happy when I do.”

As the MOM turns to return to the group, she looks for the DAR to make sure he is near. She spots him behind the neighbor, doing his serious business on the neighbor’s freshly mowed lawn. The MOM looks at the mess the DAR left on the lawn and said, “I guess that goes double for DAR.” The neighbor looks at the mess behind him and just shakes his head. The neighbor dares not complain. He is already one word away from a beating. With that, the two march off, like soldiers after a successful mission. As the MOM re-turns to the DeAngleberry’s, the MOM and the Pop continued to thank the good Samaritans for their help. “Well, the truth be known,” said John, “we didn’t find him, he found us. That’s one smart dog, Mr. Reed. He is the most determined dog I’ve ever seen,” the husband said. “Yes, he is, isn’t he?” The Pop replied.

The three say goodbye and head for the car a few feet away. DAR suddenly breaks away from his long lost parents and runs to the sidewalk. “Yelp, Yelp, Yelp,” the DAR said, “come on Pop, MOM, Beau is this way!” The MOM and the Pop look at each other, ques-tioningly. “Say,” the Pop said, “do you suppose he is trying to tell us something. DAR, do you know where Beau is?” The DAR rec-ognizes Beau’s name. He knows they understand what he is try-ing to tell them. He takes off down the street at hypersonic speed. The MOM and Pop run for the car to follow their boy.

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“Could it be true,” they asked each other, “could Beau still be alive?”

The car whistles down the street, chasing the speeding canine. “God, that boy is moving,” the Pop said. “I have never seen any-thing like it.“ As the MOM and Pop reach the traffic light, they see the DAR about to cross the great divide. “Oh, my God,” the MOM screams, “he’s going to cross the highway; he’ll get hit, I just know it.” “Don’t call to him,” the Pop said, “you might startle him; he might run into traffic.” The two watch keenly as the DAR waits for the ‘big machines’ to stop. When all are stopped, the DAR races across the street like a bolt of lightening and stops on the green of the old Mansion. “Will ya’ look at that,” the Pop said, proudly, “it’s as if he knew the traffic would stop; he’s an amazing boy, MOM.”

The Pop quickly crosses the intersection and pulls into the drive-way that leads back to the Mansion. Pop parks the car and the two get out and walk over to DAR. They look at the flattened Man-sion. “Is Beau in there?” the Pop asks. The DAR yelps in response and gestures back to the sidewalk. “He wants us to follow him,” the Pop said, “but I think it’s a good idea if you stay with the car. I don’t know where he is going to take us. I think it is a good idea if you stay here, if Beau is hurt, we will need it to take him to help. I’ll call you on your car phone.”

DAR takes off with the Pop hot on his heels. After a block of run-ning at full speed, the Pop is completely winded. Normally, he would probably be flat on his face, but the adrenalin is pumping through his body at a record rate. DAR suddenly stops and waits for his Pop to catch up. The Pop finally arrives at the place where his boy is waiting. “Well, DAR, how much further, buddy,” the Pop asks out of breath. “I hope we’re close because your Pop is not a marathon runner. Two more blocks and he’ll be heading for the ‘Rainbow Bridge’.”

The DAR motions with his body, to follow him through the opening in the chain link fence. “Is this it, DAR? Is Beau in this abandoned gas station?” the Pop asks. DAR crawls through the opening and

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turns and waits for his Pop to follow him. DAR does a quick circle to tell his Pop to hurry up.

DAR rushes to the door, still ajar, and barks an alert to everyone inside. He then sticks his head inside the door. “(Yelp, Yelp,) hey everybody, I’m back and I brought my Pop. LarZac, you should step back into the shadows for a minute, my Pop is going to be shocked enough when he sees all these Companions.” DAR turns back to his Pop and motions him inside. It is still dark inside the station. As the Pop moves through the door, Beau spots his Pop. “POP, POP (YELP, YELP),” he screams. The Pop can hear the famil-iar greeting but can’t make out anybody, yet. The Pop’s eyes have not fully adjusted to the dark. Before he can see his long lost bear, Beau is upon him. The Pop squats down to hug his pre-cious Companion. Beau completely washes his Pop’s face with his big, sloppy tongue. “I missed those kisses, you big mush bucket,” the Pop said. “You scared the hell out of your MOM and me.” The Pop showers his boy’s head with mush and hugs his bear with a wrestlers headlock. Beau pulls back a step. “Yelp, Yelp, Pop, you’re strangling me. “OK, OK, pal,” the Pop just got carried away. With tears running down his face, the Pop stands up and looks around for the DAR. “Come on you two, we have to go home,” Pop said, “this is no place for us to be hanging around.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Companions The Pop and

The Alien

As the Pop turns to go, the two boys stand together and do not move. “Come on, you guys, what are you waiting for?” the Pop asks. The two travelers remain still. DAR barks sharply, twice, in a commanding tone. Slowly, the lost Companions step forward, out of the shadows and into the dim light of the early morning haze breaking through the window and cracks of the old station.

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“Holy cow, what is going on here, boys,” the Pop said in an excited tone. Beau barks a response, but knows his Pop cannot com-pletely understand him. “Who are these guys, you two,” the Pop continues, “are they friends of yours?” DAR barks several times. “These Companions are friends of ours,” DAR said, “and I wish you could understand what I’m saying because I don’t know what to do.” Beau moves over to sit beside Horatio. “Hey, big boy, that guy looks very familiar to me. Is he the guy you brought home one day before you and your Papa disappeared on us,” the Pop queried.

DAR sits in the middle of the garage, frantically trying to figure out how he can tell his Pop about his new wards and the adventure they have shared together. As DAR searches his brain for an idea, he hears a voice in his head. He recognizes the voice; it is LarZac speaking to DAR telepathically. The DAR is not frightened. “LarZac, can you understand me, if I just think my thoughts,” the DAR said without speaking. “Yes, DAR, I can understand your ev-ery thought, but only if you want me to.” “This is fantastic,” the DAR thought, “LarZac, I didn’t even know there was room for the both of us in my brain.” A smile of confidence comes over DAR’s face; he can feel LarZac smiling. “You look pretty content, there, mister,” the Pop said, “What’s up?” The DAR does not speak. “I think it is time your father and I spoke, DAR,” LarZac said through his mind-thought. “He might be frightened,” DAR replies. “I will calm him,” LarZac said. Very quietly, LarZac steps forward into the light and slowly raises his hand extended as a gesture of peace.

As the Pop looks up, he spots LarZac standing near Beau and Hor-atio. The Pop is startled and steps back quickly, tripping over an old bucket directly behind him. The Pop falls backwards, landing on his butt as he hits the dirty floor. “What the hell is that?” the Pop yells, as he moves backwards on his hands and feet. DAR and Beau rush to their Pop’s side and begin to lick his face in an attempt to calm him. They both turn and face LarZac as they sit quietly, close to their Pop, both touching his body and trying to gesture to him that there was nothing to fear. The Pop sits frozen.

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“I am LarZac. There is no reason to fear me,” LarZac said. “I have come from a planet far from yours. We are a peaceful race and will not harm you. We are called ‘Origs’ and have cared for your children and these other Companions for a time you would measure here on earth as a year. The Companions have been a great help to us. Your children have helped us become whole and we have done likewise in healing these creatures of the harm they have suffered here on earth. We now share a special bond. Your Beau has shown us the great power of love. The ‘Origs’ have been given the power to speak to everything that lives in the cre-ation of the Omni, millions of galaxies across what you call space.”

The Pop says nothing; he just stares at the strange looking crea-ture. LarZac can see that the Pop is very nervous. “Can you talk to my Beau and DAR,” the Pop asked in a shaky voice. “Yes, I can,” LarZac said. “From this time forward, I will call you Pop as your children do. Is that acceptable to you?” “Yeah, sure, what-ever you want,” the Pop said, still nervous from this ‘close en-counter of frightening kind’. “Would you like me to tell you what your boys and the others are saying, Pop,” LarZac asked. The Pop is completely captured by this astonishing and incredible sugges-tion.

The Pop can’t believe what he is hearing. Imagine, he thinks, he would be the first human to talk to animals, these Companions, these creatures of love. “Can I talk directly to them,” the Pop asks excitedly. “Eventually,” LarZac said, “but right now, you can talk to them through me and they in turn can talk to you in the same manner.”

The Pop is weakened by the thought; he sits down on an old, dusty stool. “My God, this is one of the greatest gift of my life; I can’t believe this is happening,” the Pop says, under his breath. He just stares at his two boys for the longest time.

“First, just in case I’m dreaming, I want to tell you both how much I love you; how much we have missed you guys. You two have

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brought the MOM and me such great joy and happiness. Our lives are richer because you were there during the dark days in our life. You made us laugh when we were sad. You made us think of other things beside ourselves. You made us look at life and think about what was really important in this world,” the Pop said as he spoke slowly and softly. “Your hearts lead us to people we never would have known.

I want to know everything you are thinking; things you love, the things you hate, the things you feel.” The Pop looks at LarZac; not yet believing LarZac can talk to his boys. “Can you remember ev-erything I have just said to them, LarZac?” The Pop asked. “Yes, I can, Pop,” LarZac replied.

The Pop begins to squirm on his seat, as LarZac begins to speak to his boys. He is anxious to see his boy’s faces when they hear their Pop’s words for the first time. LarZac begins to speak to the boys. To the Pop, the language sounds like barking but softly and qui-etly, almost a whispering. The sound is steady in tone, but filled with many pauses. The boys are sitting together and are like stat-ues. They, too, cannot believe what they are hearing. The Pop can hardly wait to see the response to his words. At last, the Pop can see a slight smile come over Beau’s face. The DAR just bows his head for a moment. DAR, then slowly raises his head to look at his Pop; his eyes are filled with tears. They are tears of happiness, as DAR tries hard to smile through the emo-tion.

Beau looks at his Papa. “Yelp, Yelp,” Beau said, out of respect to his Papa, “You go first.” DAR fidgets nervously. “Do you remem-ber the first time we saw each other, Pop?” DAR said, “I never thought you would take me home that night. I never thought any-body would keep me for very long,” DAR spoke in the same tone and manner LarZac spoke to him. The Pop had never heard the DAR talk like that. It was like conversational barking in some ways, but still in a monotone. “When you brought me home,” DAR continued, “I wondered who else was there and would they like

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me. Then, the MOM appeared and I recognized her. She had come to see me many, many times, but she never took me home. I thought I had done something wrong or that I was too ugly. When everybody was adopted, I thought the human in the store would send me back to the place I came from. There were lots of us at that place and I knew if I went back, the worst would hap-pen.

When I saw the MOM, my heart sunk; I thought I would be rejected again. Then she held me in her arms. I could feel her warm tears drop slowly on my face. At that moment, I knew I was home.”

“Her life seemed to change, she was different; some of the sad-ness was gone, after you came into her life,” the Pop said, “You had filled a hole in her heart left by the loss of the puppies that came before you. To this day, the MOM always said you were the best Christmas present she ever received. I knew your heart and hers would beat as one. I think you knew that, too. I saw that ev-eryday when she would come from work and see your face in the doorway, waiting to greet her. The problems of the day seemed to melt away for her.”

As LarZac translated the words between the boys and their Pop, he began to realize the importance of the inflection in the human language, the emotion and the feeling. The ’Origs’ many travels had taught them the importance of the nuances of language, as they traveled through time to countless planets and civilizations.

At this moment, however, only the words counted. The tears con-tinued to stream down the Pop’s face. He thought he died and was in another dimension; the place that holds our secret dreams and wishes.

“DAR,” the Pop said, “I want you to know it was the MOM who sent me to where you were. I didn’t discover you, I was sent for you. And I am so glad I didn’t stray from my mission, because when I saw your face, I knew the hunt for the perfect Christmas gift was over. The MOM didn’t bring you home because she thought I

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wouldn’t like you. All I talked about was getting a ‘big’ dog. It didn’t take long to realize that you were a ‘big’ dog. The Great Spirit just gave you a little suit. Now I have the best of all worlds.”

The other Companions in the room are captured by the conversa-tion between this human and DAR. For some, there were tears of joy at the reunion of their leader and his Pop. You can hear the whispers of excitement, and of hope. “Maybe we will find homes, like the DAR’s,” they said repeatedly to each other. “DAR said he would help us find humans like his MOM and Pop,” others said. Horatio turned to the others and said, “Shhhh! Let Beau and his Pop talk.

You are all watching the most magical moment in the history of this planet. It will be a story you will tell to all you meet until the end of your life. Listen to their words.”

Beau cannot contain himself any longer. He begins to hop and dance around with excitement. He wants to talk to his Pop. When Beau got excited about something, anything, his big, powerful butt was a dangerous weapon. He would sometimes knock over three or four things before you could calm him down. Boy watch out if someone made the mistake of telling him the family was go-ing in the truck. The Silverado had a camper shell on the back, complete with a padded carpet kit. Nothing but the best for Pop’s boys; no, they weren’t spoiled…much.

“Papa, Papa can I talk to the Pop now; is it my turn?” Beau said. “Yes, big man, go ahead, DAR said. “Hi, Pop, can you understand me,” Beau said. “Yes, Beau, I can understand you just fine, the Pop said. “First Pop, I want to tell you, that I like being part of the family of Reeds and thank you for giving me such a nice Papa. Pop, I have a hundred things to say to you,” Beau said, “why are humans mean to Companions, sometimes. Before I met my friends, here, I thought every Companion was loved? They just want to live in peace; they want to love and be loved. They don’t understand what they did to be hurt like many have. Why do mean humans have Companions if they don’t like them?” “I wish I

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could answer that big guy,” the Pop answered. “There are just some humans who were put on the earth to remind us that there is evil in the world. These humans remind us that we must fight against the belief that we are superior to all the creatures on earth. Humans, like canines, must be taught to love…and they must be taught to hate. Some humans are angry because no one ever loved them. Many humans will tell you that they don’t need or want love. I think everyone needs love to be truly happy.

When I first saw you, I never really worried whether you would be adopted or not, because you were so beautiful. I didn’t dare adopt you on the spot; I had to talk to the MOM first because she said our next puppy should be a girl. I tricked her and told her you were a girl.” Beau looks embarrassed. “Not in front of everyone, Pop,” Beau said, quietly. “Like with your Poppa,” the Pop contin-ued, “it only took one look and the MOM was hooked. MOMs are smart, though, they can tell boys from girls, right away.”

“Pop, can you find homes for all of my friends, here?” Beau asked. “ Well,” the Pop said, as he looked around the room at each face, ”I don’t know. It shouldn’t be too hard, though, everyone of your friends is very handsome.” The others in the room look at each other with surprise. Heads that were weary and bowed, suddenly rise and begin to regain a little of their pride. LarZac said, “You know Pop, maybe there is hope for humans, after all. Are there others like you here on earth?” “Yes, LarZac there are millions like me,” the Pop replied.

The Pop was in shock, seeing the scars on so many of the faces, he forces a big smile, fighting back the sorrow and the anger. Pop mutters to himself in disgust, “What a mess the Creator made of humanity. We just can’t seem to stop hurting and killing each other.” LarZac does not try to translate that. “What was that, Pop,” Beau said. “Nothing,” the Pop said.

“Pop before we leave to find the MOM, I want to ask you, do you like to play ball as much as I do?” asked Beau. Pop bows his head, laughing, “Yes, big guy, I do,” he said. “And Pop, do you like

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‘mush’ as much as I do?” “Yes,” Pop said, laughing even louder.

DAR stepped forward and whispered in LarZac’s ear. When he was finished, LarZac moved close to the Pop and bent over to whisper in the Pop’s ear. Pop was a little apprehensive about hav-ing an alien that close, but he did not move as LarZac relayed DAR’s secret. Pop just looked at DAR and said, “Yes, DAR when we get home.” The secret was not revealed to the others; it was a personal. DAR’s secret was a request…he wanted some long overdue ‘mush’, himself.

“Well, boys we have a lot of catching up to do,” The Pop said, “but right now it seems we have a bigger problem. I have some ideas on how to help the Companions, but first I have to ask LarZac a few questions.” “LarZac, I would like talk to you alone.” The two move quickly to a corner of the building near the only window that is not completely boarded up. I want to know what happened to my boys and their friends this past year. LarZac moves the Pop into another room, which is the old office of the gas station. As the two settle on some old chairs left behind, LarZac speaks first. “Pop, I can transfer this knowledge to you in a much different way than you have ever known, but you must first be very calm and clear your head of thought and you must close your eyes.” “OK.” Pop said. Pop takes a deep breath and closes his eyes as he sig-nals LarZac to proceed.

“Pop,” LarZac said, “I am going to place my cheek next to yours. The texture of what you call my skin will feel different to you. Please don’t be frightened; I must touch your face to mine so that I can transfer my thoughts to you.” The Pop seems remarkably calm for a guy who would never even watch “scary aliens-from-space” movies. This was no time to show that he was fearful. “This will seem like a mere instant in your time,” LarZac said.

The Pop did not know what to expect, but he knew it probably wouldn’t be as bad as having a root canal. Suddenly, he feels the touch of LarZac’s face against his. LarZac’s skin seemed alive. It felt moist like holding a fresh caught fish to your face. In that in-

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stant, it seemed like a bolt of electricity went through the Pop’s head like a speeding train. The jolt moved his head away from LarZac’s. “WOW,” Pop said, as he opened his eyes, “that was a trip; did I do OK?” “You were splendid, my friend,” LarZac said. “Your mind was perfect; like an empty vessel.” “Yes, I know,” Pop said, sarcastically, “my wife has told me that many times.”

“Now, can you recall all that I have given to you,” LarZac said. “Yes, LarZac, I believe I can,” Pop replied. “From what you have told me, I now know what you and the other ‘Origs” have sacri-ficed to bring my boys and the Companions back to earth safely. Now it is our turn to help you. I think you know you must return to your sister ship that is waiting for you. If you stay here, humans will destroy you. Even those with good intentions may not be able to protect you. I have an idea that may help you find your way home. It may be a long shot, as we humans say, but that never stopped me before, or apparently my boys either.”

As the two return to the room where everyone anxiously awaits, Pop tells LarZac, “My wife, my mate, is waiting, not far from here and we must return to her before she becomes worried and comes looking for us. She is eager to see her boys again.

Horatio, all of you are safe now; my boys and I will do our best to protect you,” the Pop said, “but you must do as I say. You must not try to leave here. As you know, there is the danger that some-one might see you and expose the rest of you and LarZac.”

DAR sits back with a sigh of relief. His Pop is here now. No more secret escapes, no more trying to solve the problems alone. His Pop will know what to do and DAR will make sure it gets done.

“We will be back in a little while,” the Pop said. “LarZac, can you make food for everyone?” “I can no longer do that,” LarZac said. “The processor that created the food from your DNA was lost with ship.” “It’s OK,” the Pop said, “we’ll take care of it. We’ll bring food and good water for all of you. If there is an emergency and you must leave here, there is a hidden area at the rear of the

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green away from the Mansion covered with heavy brush. Horatio knows where it is. If I do not find you here, I will look for you there, but you must not scatter. There is safety in numbers.”

“LarZac, how will you find food and the liquid you need for your-self?” Pop asked. “ I can sustain my self on my own energy.” LarZac said.

“Boys, if there is something you need to say to me, you should do it while LarZac can translate. Once we leave here, we can no longer talk to each other like this, until we return.” “Let’s go, Pop,” Beau said, “I’m anxious to see the MOM.”

OK everybody, we are leaving and we will be back soon. Horatio and LarZac you must lead while we are gone. As the Pop and his boys leave the building, DAR and Beau turn in unison to look at their friends; they say nothing, just a look of concern. DAR felt strongly, the Companions were his responsibility, his promise to Dobbs.

The trio started out on a dead run, heading for the green where the MOM was patiently waiting for her men to come back to her. With the exception of Buddy and the Pop, they were the most im-portant people in the world to her.

The boys quickly pull away from the Pop as they travel the few blocks and onto the green. The MOM is now outside the car, anx-iously pacing back and forth and looking for a sign of familiar faces. Beau looks from side to side as runs, pulling away from the DAR, never slowing his speed. Suddenly, he spots his MOM as she begins to recognize the beautiful blonde bullet heading toward her.

“Beau?” she screams at the top of lungs, “Is that you?” she yells as she squints to make sure it’s her guy. “Beau, it’s you, it’s you!” the MOM cries out again, falling to her knees, sobbing uncontrol-lably, as she embraces her ‘handsome man'. Beau cannot control

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himself as he knocks the MOM to the ground, unable to contain his excitement. The MOM can hardly hold on to her boy. Beau begins to shower his MOM with kisses, as he leaves no part of her face unloved. The MOM begins to laugh through her tears. She grabs his face firmly and begins to return the ‘mush’, showering Beau with long overdue hugs.

“Where have you been, Beaugo S. (spoiled) Bear?” the MOM said sternly, as she continues to cry. “I thought I would never see you again, you big, sweet thing.” The DAR waits in the background, sitting quietly, as he watches the reunion of his son and the MOM. As the two ‘mush buckets’ calm down, the DAR slowly approaches the MOM hoping for some leftover hugs and kisses. The DAR is not disappointed.

The Pop soon arrives, panting like an old locomotive going up a thirty percent grade. “I see your boys found you,” the Pop said, “how do they look?” “Like the most beautiful things in the world,” the MOM said. “Where were you, I’ve been waiting forever. I was very worried.” Pop replied, “Oh, I was just pulling up the rear, praying for air and hoping my lungs wouldn’t collapse.” “No,” the MOM said, “I mean, what took you so long, I was worried sick.” “Well, we had to deal with some people from outer space,” said Pop.

The MOM just looked at the Pop with that “yes, of course, dear” smile. You see, the Pop was known in the family as ‘the big story teller’. Whenever he would come home with one of his tall tales, the response was always the same. “Pop, that’s the biggest story you ever told.” That always confused the Pop because he could never tell which was the biggest story he ever told.

“OK, you guys, everyone in the car,” the MOM said, “we are going to your new home.” The boys were in the car in a hurry, no trans-lation necessary. The MOM called her office and told them that she would not be in. She was going to spend the day getting re-acquainted with her long lost boy friends.

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The ride home seemed to take forever. It was the longest five-minute drive in history. The three men were thinking about the task ahead. The Pop had a million things to do and figure out. The task at hand would be the introduction of the newest member of the family.

His name was Wiley, a German shepherd and Border collie mix. The MOM and Pop just called him a miniature German shepherd. He came from a rescue shelter. He was six months old and in terms of behavior, he is the best dog that ever adopted the MOM and Pop. Wiley was not officially a shelter dog. His guardian had brought him to the shelter, but instead of leaving him, she sat out-side the shelter and talked personally to prospective parents as they came by the shelter. The woman said she lived in downtown LA and found him wander-ing the streets. She said it was too difficult to care for him, living in a high rise and working all day; he could not get out to exercise and do his business. She said she was desperate, but didn’t want him hurt, so she came to the valley where she was told there was a “no kill” shelter. The shelter people told her they were full and had no place for him, but she could sit outside and hope someone would come by and take him.

Earlier on the day of adoption, we called the shelter looking for an Aussie. They said that someone in the canyon had found an Aus-tralian shepherd and was bringing the dog to the shelter that af-ternoon. The Aussie was a no show.

When we first spotted Wiley upon our arrival, we were “dumb-struck” by the uncanny resemblance to Charger…size, color, and face “the works.” The odds of finding two mix breed dogs that looked identical must be astronomical. When people we had not seen for a long time came to the house, they thought Wiley was Charger.

The woman said if she didn’t find a home for him, she would just tie him to the fence and leave. That was it! I took the leash. He

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was a streetwise dog with streetwise fears and smarts. That was thirteen years ago; he sits at my feet today as I write this story of the people that changed our life.

Many times when we look at photos of the two, we are still amazed at the similarities. There have been times when we had to identify the boys by objects in the photo’s background. The look-a-like feature was probably a big part of our decision to adopt; but certainly we would soon realize the distinct differences in their personalities.

The day was moving fast, as the Pop pulled into the driveway. He was thinking about how he would introduce DAR and Beau to Wi-ley (aka ‘Wildman’. Don’t know why he got that name; it didn’t fit, but it stuck.). “OK, everybody out,” Pop said as he shut off the car. As everyone stood in the open garage, Pop turned to DAR and Beau and said, “Guys I have a little surprise for you; well, not real little one, actually. Let’s all go in the house and let you guys get familiar with your new digs.”

Pop opens the door to the house and the two boys rush in to ex-plore their new home. The two run together like they are at-tached at the hip. They run from room to room looking for familiar things and scents. After several minutes the two reappear in the kitchen and begin their “I-want-to- go-outside dance.” “OK guys, here comes the surprise,” Pop said. Pop opens the door and in a flash, this black-coated speed demon comes flying into the house, heading straight for Beau. “Holy canoli, we’re in trouble now,” Pop said, expecting the worst, “I should have done this differ-ently.” Pop was terrified. He was afraid that Beau would see him as an intruder in his home. Beau’s self-appointed job was to pro-tect his family; the Pop was afraid Beau would eat him alive.

No such thing was about to happen. In fact, the MOM and the Pop were shocked to see what happened next. Wiley charged Beau in an attack of love, licking every inch of Beau’s face. Beau was stunned by this ‘mush’ attack from this perfect stranger. He didn’t know what to do, so he just sat there and let this ‘fool’ con-

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tinue the licking extravaganza. The Pop was sure that Beau and DAR thought this guy was just some nut job who ran in off the street. Wiley was smart like a fox; he was telling Beau, that Beau would be the alpha dog in their relationship and that he had no in-tention of challenging him for the leadership position. Wiley wanted us all to know that he was just happy to have a home and that he would be no trouble at all. It turned out, after thirteen years, to be true. Wiley never met a human or four-footer he didn’t like.

Suddenly, the two ran past everyone, through the open slider and racing into the backyard. The two ‘fast friends’ began to sniff ev-ery foot of their new domain, noses only inches apart the entire time.

DAR, MOM and the Pop stood in the doorway wondering what hap-pened. They were all in shock, albeit, blissful shock. DAR, for some reason, had decided to forego his usual welcome lecture, which could last at least an hour. He was exhausted and he had bigger problems to deal with. He just accepted the new family member, but was resolved to let his new charge know who the real boss was.

As the Pop and DAR watched Beau and Wiley begin to play and get acquainted, they looked at each other knowing what each other was thinking, life is good sometimes.

However, there was a huge task ahead; tell the MOM about LarZac and the others. The Pop marched into the bedroom with DAR at his side. As they entered the bedroom, they could see the MOM sitting on the bed, crying quietly. “Why are you crying,” the Pop asked, alarmed. “I’m just happy,” the MOM said, “ I’m so glad to see my boys again, I guess I have just been holding it in too long.”

“Well, when you’re ready,” the Pop said, “DAR and I have some-thing to tell you. What I’m about to say to you may frighten you,

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but I want you to know there is no reason to be afraid. It is a fan-tastic story, and when I tell it to you, you will know what happened to your boys.” “I’m ready now,” the MOM said in a cautious tone, as tears slip away.

The Pop sits down on the bed next to his best girl and begins the fantastic tale that still shocks him in the telling. The MOM listens intently as he re-tells the story that was told to him or rather “mind-dumped” to him. He interrupts the story at certain points to assure his wife that what he is saying is true and that he has seen and talked to the creatures in this story. As he continues his unbelievable story, the MOM abruptly inter-rupts him. “Bear (yes, another nickname, aka the Pop), if you’re telling me another one of your “incredible but true” stories, I will put you out on the curb with a ‘for sale’ sign around your neck.” “No, honey,” the Pop said, “honest, this time I’m not making up a word of it. Besides, in a very short while, you will see for yourself. I have to tell you all this so you won’t have a heart attack when you see this special creature.

What I am about to tell is going to sound even more fantastic, but I want you to remain calm. If I had not seen and heard this with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it either.” The Pop begins to tell his wife about LarZac and his people and their history. MOM sits quietly, barely believing her ‘big storyteller’, but hypnotized by the tale.

When he is finished telling this seemingly, ultimate whopper, Pop adds, “There is one more thing I want to tell you. This will be the hardest of all for you to believe. But before I tell you what that is, I want to ask you this; how would like to talk to the DAR, and Beau and our new border?” “What,” the MOM squealed, “what are you talking about? You’re really starting to make me crazy. Are you going to tell me that you can talk to Beau and DAR?” “Well, yes…and no,” the Pop said, I mean I have talked to them, but not di-rectly. You see, LarZac has the ability to speak their language. The boys talk to him and LarZac talks to me. LarZac can speak thousands of languages. He has the power to speak any language

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after hearing only a few words; it’s uncanny.”

Without thought or warning, the MOM grabs the Pop’s shirt and pulls him close to her. Her face is serious and intense, “I want to talk to my boys, now,” the MOM said. The Pop knew that was not a request, it was a direct order. “OK, OK, honey,” the Pop said, “but we have to do some things first. We have to get food and water for the Companions, and we have to go right away; they’re waiting and it’s not safe where they are hiding.”

As Pop leaped to his feet, the MOM remained sitting on the edge of the bed. Her eyes focused on the DAR. The DAR walked over to his MOM and jumped up placing his front paws on his MOM’s leg. “I heard you requested some ‘mush’ when you were talking to your Pop. Well, I have a couple of buckets of ‘mush’ I have been saving, just for you and your boy.” The MOM takes DAR’s head in her hands and gently kisses her boy on the forehead. The MOM pauses a moment, as she looked DAR straight in the eyes and said, “You have no idea how much I am looking forward to talking to you, young man. I have so many questions; I know you do, too.”

OK, OK, you two, break it up,” the Pop said like an army sergeant calling his men to battle stations, “we’ve got work to do; let’s go. MOM, we will have to leave Wiley here for now, he may get fright-ened if he sees all this. Get Beau, and you two go get the bottled water and DAR and I will get the food. Let’s hurry.” MOM goes to the back slider and calls Beau. “Beau, tell your new brother we’ll be back soon; we have to go now.” Beau sticks his nose in Wiley’s ear as if he is following his mother’s instructions.

Pop and the DAR are already on their way to the feed barn to stock up on food. Pop’s mind is reeling as he is thinking five steps ahead. Where is he going to hide all these Companions and LarZac? And what about the biggest question of all, how is he go-ing to get LarZac back to his sister ship outside of earth’s atmos-phere. Maybe I could just call one of those space cabs like you see in the sci-fi movies, he muses. Where can I find a ride for

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LarZac? Where is Mr. Roddenberry when you need him? There is just too much space separating LarZac and that ship, he wonders.

Pop drives nervously as he weaves through the traffic. DAR be-gins to worry about the erratic behavior of his chauffer. DAR moves over on the seat and nudges his Pop to snap him out of his daze. Pop looks down at DAR and suddenly swerves over to the curb and stops. “DAR, I’ve got it,“ Pop yells out. “That’s it, sepa-ration.” DAR begins to worry about his Pop’s strange behavior. “That’s it, DAR,” the Pop repeats, “six degrees of separation and I know just where to begin.” He declares, “NASA is going to take these people home!” DAR looks at his Pop not understanding his excitement, but he has seen this excitement before when Pop watches humans fighting over a little ball on the “bright box.” DAR would sit beside his Pop and watch the game with him, but could never understand why these humans did it. There were all these humans fighting over a ball. DAR thought how stupid hu-mans were. Why didn’t they give each gang of humans a ball of their own and then they wouldn’t be fighting over it all the time?

Pop sits there staring out the window, thinking of the whole process of contact. “I have to tell the MOM right away,” Pop said. “She is going to start the ball rolling.” DAR nudges his Pop again and then lets out a yelp, as if to say, “C’mon, Pop, let’s get going; there are worried faces waiting for us.” Pop starts the truck and heads for the feed barn, again, this time content that he has be-gun to solve the big question.

The two reach the feed barn and stock the truck with bags of food. As the two drive up the drive, they can see the MOM has already returned from her errand. Pop hurries inside with DAR hot on his heels. “Honey, I’m home and you got some ‘splainin’ to do!” The MOM is startled by the Pop’s wild rush into the room. “Well, Ricky, what’s the matter with you? the MOM inquired. “What ‘splainin’ do I have to do?” “ Where do you work,” the Pop asked. “What’s the matter with you, you know where I work,” the MOM said. “Where do you work,” the Pop asked, again. “OK, I’ll play. I work at Space Logic Technologies,” the MOM said, a little annoyed, not

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understanding “why” the silly question.

“That’s right,” the Pop said, “and what does SLT do?” “They make inertial energy packs for the space shuttle,” the MOM said getting more annoyed. “And who works for the big cheese in the engi-neering department and who talks to NASA engineers every day?” A light bulb goes on in MOM’s head. “Oh, no you don’t…absolutely not…I know what your thinking,” the MOM said, “NO, NO, NO. First of all, if I bring this up to him, he is going to think I’m crazy and I could lose my job.”

“Honey, Honey, no, listen,” the Pop said, “it’s six degrees of sepa-ration. I know you, you know your boss, Big Chuck, he knows the guys at NASA, and they know the decision guys at the top and so on. What do you think?” “I think your going to get us in a lot of trouble,” the MOM said angrily, “and you’re going to get LarZac in a lot of trouble, too.” “You could be right about that,” the Pop said, “and that’s why we have to go about this in a very clandes-tine way. There are forces that would exploit him and something bad could happen to him in the process. We have to talk about this later.”

DAR begins to circle the MOM’s feet, which is his way of saying “pay attention to me, I want you to do something.” “Yes, DAR,” said the Pop, “we’re going to go right now and feed the others. OK, everyone, lets get in the truck. Wiley you stay here and guard the house. Wiley gives him a quizzical look. The Pop doesn’t wait for confirmation. “It’s OK, boy we’ll be right back.”

DAR and Beau loved Pop’s Silverado pick-up truck with the house in the back. It was a living room on wheels.

The Pop, with family in tow, rushes back to the hideout with food and water. It is now dark; the best time to enter the station.

As the Pop stops at the intersection of the Great VA nowen, he can see two police cars sitting in front of the abandoned gas station, the lights on the police cars are flashing. “Damn,” Pop said.

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“Someone called the cops. Why would someone call the cops? The Companions knew they had to be quiet. Everyone sit tight, I’ve got an idea.” Pop pulls the truck to the curb and leaps out. He runs across the street and throws himself up against the chain link fence as his eyes search for the police officers. “Hey, Hey, anybody there?” the Pop yells. No answer. “Hey, Hey, anybody there?” the Pop repeats. Pop waits a few minutes; he sees lights flashing around the building. “Hey, officer, please, I need your help,” the Pop pleads. The two officers approach the fence. “Sir, what is the problem,” one officer said. “Oh, Gosh, I’m glad I ran into you guys,” the Pop said as he prepared to present an exag-gerated tale. “I lost my dog, a Great Dane, he’s all black and hard to see at night. I really need to find him; he’s not well and needs medicine. Someone must have left my gate open; I really need to find him. Someone said they saw him running with a pack of other dogs.”

The officer’s ears perk up. “Did you say, ‘pack of dogs’,” the offi-cer asked. “Yes, “ the Pop said, “a large pack of dogs.” “Well, that’s why we are here; we received a call that someone reported a large pack of dogs on this property. The Pop panics; he steps back from the fence as he quickly turns his head and points down the street. He spots two dogs in the dim light about fifty yards down the street. “Look there they go now!” the Pop proclaims. The fence prevents the cops from stepping forward and looking down the street in the direction the Pop pointed. “Boy, there sure are a lot of them,” the Pop continues. “They must be the ones we’re looking for,” the cop said, like they just discovered the foun-tain of youth. The two cops turn quickly and race to the back of the building, out the small opening in the fence, heading for their patrol cars. “Thank you,” the Pop said, as he looked toward the heavens.

The Pop waits for the cops to disappear, watching their flashing lights grow dim in the distance. The Pop begins to rush to the Companions inside, then stops in his tracks and does a double take, looking back down the street where he sent the cops. Those two dogs looked familiar, he suddenly recalls, no, it couldn’t be, he

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thought, shaking his head. The Pop runs to the back of the station and through the fence opening and into the building. He removes a small flashlight from his pocket and turns it on as he calls out. “Horatio, Simon, LarZac, are you there,” the Pop says in a hushed tone. There is no answer. The Pop hurriedly flashes the light fran-tically around the room. “Is anybody there,” the Pop said in a louder voice. Still, there is no answer. Where the heck are they? Pop wonders, something must have happened; they must have gone to the rendezvous, I told them about, he recalls.

The Pop rushes back to the truck to tell the MOM what happened. As he approaches the truck, the MOM is standing at the back of the truck. He sees that the rear window is flipped up. The MOM is frantic. “What happened; where are DAR and Beau?” the Pop asked in an excited tone. “I got out of the truck and opened the back window to make sure the dogs were OK and to tell them not to make any noise,” the MOM said. “DAR saw you across the street and jumped out of the truck; before I could stop him, he crossed the street and, of course, Beau was right behind him. They ran right past you and up the street.” The Pop thought a minute and began to smile. “Why are you smiling,” the MOM said. “It’s not funny; they could have been caught.” The Pop figured it out. The two shadowy dogs he saw down the street were his two kids. “It’s OK, honey, even if they got caught, they have their tags on.”

The Pop figured they were trying to help. They must have as-sumed Pop would tell some big story and that he would need them. The ‘diversion kids’ were on the job.

“C’mon, we have to pick up the boys, I know where they are,” the Pop said. The Pop and the MOM head for the rendezvous at the rear of the Mansion. They park the truck and head for the secret hiding place on foot, expecting to find the boys, as well as LarZac and the others. The parents walk quietly as they approach the rendezvous area. “Beau, DAR,” the Pop said in a loud whisper, “where are you?” DAR recognizes his Pop’s voice. He responds with a soft yelp as he and Beau rush to their parents. “Good

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boys,” the MOM said, rubbing them quickly on the head. “Boys, where are the others?” the Pop asks. The boys do a quick circle, indicating the others were not there. If they were nearby, the boys would have taken off and shown the way. The parents knew their body language.

“Well boys, we have to figure out where everybody went.” the Pop said. “I’m very worried.” The boys sense the Pop’s emotion. DAR and Beau were always good at that. They had an uncanny ability to look at their parents and know what they were thinking. At times it was scary how the boys could look at your face and re-spond to your thoughts.

The boys suddenly bolt away from the parents and head for the truck at their usual pace…full speed. “Man, are they anxious to go,” the Pop said. “We have no choice but to go home and try to figure out a search plan. We can’t drive around the streets all night.”

Everyone piles in the truck as the Pop heads out of the Mansion drive. As he prepares to drive onto the Great VA nowen, he pauses for a second and suddenly blurts out, “I’ve got an idea.” The Pop heads for the old house. The Pop knew that Horatio had been there before and knew the way. Just maybe he led the whole crew there. Pop turns on each street that leads to their old house. As he quietly pulls in front of the old house, he turns out the lights. The Pop can see the boys in the back of the truck through the rear view mirror; the boys are very restless. “Honey, I think the boys sense something,” said the Pop, “I’ll let them out.”

The Pop hurries to the back of the truck and unlocks the back. As he drops the tailgate, Beau pushes past the Pop and leaps to the ground, with DAR, a nanosecond behind him. The two race down the street like they are on fire. “Where are they going, now?” the Pop said in a fatiqued voice. The two boys soon disappeared into the night. “They didn’t even look here at the house; they didn’t sniff around here at all,” the Pop complained. “We have to find them.” The two jump in the truck and drive slowly down the

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street in the direction of the speeding puppies. The parents look between each house for signs of their children. “Bear, stop!” the MOM said in an excited voice. “What, what do you see,” the Pop said nervously. “Right in front of that house for sale; pull over,” the MOM said. “I thought I saw a blond tail,” the MOM continued. “You stay here and get behind the wheel in case we have to get out of here in a hurry,” the Pop said. The Pop jumps out of the truck and stands at the back, trying to survey the property. The Pop, among other things, was a real estate agent and knew the telltale signs of vacant houses. He quietly ap-proached the side gate and peered over the top, shining his flash-light into the backyard. His experience told him the property was unoccupied. The Pop pushes the unlocked gate open. Quietly, he walks into the backyard. As he flashes his light around, he can see a lot of golden eyes peering back at him through the bushes. The Pop spots his boys. “Well, the gang’s all here,” the Pop said. “OK you guys, everybody gather around me, and hurry. We have to get out of here, fast, before we are discovered.”

LarZac steps out of the shadows and walks forward, confident and unafraid of his surroundings. “I’m glad to see you’re OK, LarZac,” the Pop said relieved. “Yes, I’m OK, Pop,” LarZac said. “Thank you for protecting the Companions, we are all grateful,” the Pop said. “There is someone else who deserves our gratitude,” LarZac said, “it was Horatio who led us here. He knew exactly where to bring us.” “I need to talk to everyone, LarZac,” the Pop said. “Can you translate?” “Yes, of course,” LarZac replied.

“DAR, Beau, how did you guys know where LarZac and the Com-panions were?” the Pop asked. “That’s easy, Pop,” said DAR, “LarZac could sense my presence, he just told me where he was; I could hear his voice in my head.” “Unbelievable, that’s amazing,” the Pop said, scratching his head.

“And Horatio, how did you know to come to this house?” the Pop asked. “How did you know that no one lived here; that it was safe?” “There were many cold, rainy nights when Dobbs and I

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would wander the neighborhoods looking for shelter,” Horatio said. “One night, Dobbs figured out that some of these homes did not have humans inside. We just look for old scents around the home. We came to realize that these houses have a special mark in front of the house.” “Good for you, Horatio,” the Pop said. “Life does teach us some valuable lessons, doesn’t it? You are very special.” The Companions move close behind Horatio. Mick and Simon prod Horatio with an “atta’ boy” nudge to show their ap-proval of the Pops words. Horatio sits up straight, looking proud of his contribution.

“I want to say more to you all,” the Pop said, “but we have to leave, now. I’m glad to know you’re all safe and there were no problems.” “Well, not exactly,’ Simon said as he stepped closer to the Pop. “What happened Simon,” the Pop said concerned. “We must have made too much noise,” Simon said, “because we were discovered by a human next door. He came through the gate and shined his flashlight on all of us. When he saw LarZac, he pulled out a gun.” “What happened then?” the Pop said excitedly. “Take a look for yourself,” Simon said, pointing to the corner of the yard. The Pop frantically flashed his light to the corner of the yard. “Holy, canoli,” the Pop said as he walks closer to the human standing silent and motionless like a marble statue. His eyes are open, but they do not move. In one hand are the melted remains of a handgun and in the other is what once was a flashlight, also melted into a glob of useless metal. “Is he dead?” the Pop asked, half crazy with the thought of going to jail forever. “What happened to him?” “LarZac happened to him,” Mick said, “LarZac zapped the guy. It just looked like some kind of shock wave that came from LarZac’s head; it was really something to see. I wish I could do that.” The Pop turns to LarZac. “Is this man going to be OK, LarZac?” the Pop asked in a shaky voice. “Yes, Pop,” LarZac said, “the man will completely recover and will not remember anything.” “How much time do we have before he comes to.” the Pop said. “He will be that way until morning,” LarZac responded.

“Well, let’s not wait around to find out, we’re all getting out of 208

here right now,” the Pop said. “Where can we take everybody so they can be safe,” DAR asked. “I’ve been thinking about that, DAR,” the Pop said. “There is only one place, and I know the MOM will agree.” “Where Pop, where is it,” Beau said anxiously. “The safest place in the world; right where you live, young man,” the Pop said. “We are all going home. I don’t know why I didn’t just go there in the first place.” The DAR and Beau begin to jump with joy.

Not everyone is lining up to be taken ‘home’. Some of the Com-panions are less excited; they have been in ‘homes’ before and for most of them, it was nothing to cheer about. In fact, it was a nightmare gone bad.

DAR and Beau looked at the others and sensed their apprehen-sion. “Hey, guys,” DAR said, “please trust me and Beau, this is our home and it’s a great place. It’s not like any place you have been.” Some of the Companions step back, still not believing it is completely safe. DAR walks close to those who are still afraid. “Look,” DAR said, “I know some of you have been in some fright-ening places, and I don’t blame you for being afraid, but I promise you, no harm will come to you. Dobbs knew my heart; he trusted me to keep you safe. Please trust me now.” “And besides,” Beau piped in, “look at all the Companions who will protect you. You have a family now…all of us. What humans would ever mess with these guys?” Beau motions to the self appointed ‘bodyguards’, Mick, Robert D., Oaffie, Simon and Horatio. “And remember, there is my Papa, the Pop, the MOM and me, too.”

A few of the doubters begin to smile at this blond salesman. There is a quick huddle among the cautious Companions. Then, Oaffie steps out from the group. “OK,” Oaffie said, “we’re in.” Beau, DAR and the others just smile with satisfaction. They all know they can’t follow with a joyous yelp. They are still in danger and no one wants to wake the neighborhood. There has been enough excitement for one night.

The Pop stands there, proud of his boys, as LarZac translates the 209

words of his kids. I guess they are not kids anymore, he thinks to himself.

OK, OK, here is the plan,” the Pop continued, “LarZac and most of you will ride in the back and even though the windows are tinted, I want you to sit around LarZac, so he can’t be seen. It’s going to be a tight fit but it’s only a short ride, so nobody panic. Horatio, Mick, Robert D. and Simon will ride in the cab with us. DAR and Beau will ride in the back with the others. I’m going to go first and drop the tailgate and tell the MOM we’re coming. Listen for my whistle; LarZac you come first.” The Pop runs through the gate to the truck and quickly opens the back and tells the MOM that company is coming. “Honey,” the Pop said, “LarZac will be among them and I don’t want you to be frightened by his appearance, so just don’t look; we will all get ac-quainted when we get home.” The Pop runs back to the rear of the truck and whistles for the gang to come to the truck. LarZac appears first and is quickly guided inside the back of the truck. One at a time the others follow suit. The Pop closes up the back and heads for the drivers seat. As he opens the door, he notices two patrol cars pull behind him with lights flashing. The cops exit the cars and approach the Pop.

“Well, sir, we meet again,” one the officers said, “what are you do-ing here in this neighborhood this time of night.” “You see, offi-cers,” the Pop said, “I’m a real estate agent and I needed to ‘pre-view’ this house for a client. Sometimes I don’t have time during the day to look at all the houses I need to, so I ‘preview’ vacant houses at off hours. It’s just the nature of the business. It’s a twenty-four hour job, ya’ know. Sometimes it’s just too much… some days, I’m really exhausted.” One of the officers shines his flashlight into the back of the truck. “Sir,” the cop said, “do you have animals in the back, here?” Ah, well, yes I do, officer, the Pop said. “Are these dogs the ones we’re looking for,” the officer asked, with tone of sarcasm. “Ah, Ah, no sir,” actually they belong to members of our travel club.” “Travel club,” the officer re-peated. “Yes, sir, you see when one or more of our members goes

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on vacation, one the members volunteers to take care of their ani-mals.” “So why are you out at night, looking at houses with all these dogs in the back?” the officer asked. “Ah, sir,” the Pop said, “the members that own these dogs are leaving early in the morn-ing on a cruise; I didn’t have a opportunity to pick them up until just a little while ago. Like I said, the days aren’t long enough…it feels like I just over commit sometimes. I’ll bet you guys have done that at times in your life.”

“Can I just take a quick look in the back, sir?” the officer asked, in-sisting. Oh, ah, well I guess so,” the Pop said as adrenalin raced through his body, “but I want to tell you, some of them can be ag-gressive, so I have to open it slowly; I would stand back it I were you.” The Pop starts to open the back glass above the tailgate. As he begins to lift the glass, he feels a jolt against the glass. He peeks through the small opening; Beau suddenly lunges forward, snarling like a mad beast with distemper. Beau’s teeth are show-ing through the opening, his deep voice sounds like pure evil. The officers jump back several steps and place their hands on their guns. The Pop pretends to press hard on the glass in an attempt to close it. He quickly locks the glass.

The Pop turns to see the cops with their hands on their guns. “Hey, hey, whoa, hey,” the Pop said, “everything is under control. Sorry about that, guys. Everything is OK, honest. “Well, that’s enough for me,” one officer said. “C’mon, Joe, lets move on, I’ve seen enough,” the other officer said. The two men get into their patrol cars and speed off. The Pop falls back and sits on the rear bumper of the truck, ready to pass out.

The Pop sits for a minute trying to compose himself. Finally, he leaps up and re-opens the rear window. Sitting there, staring the Pop in the face is Beau, with a big smile on his face. Pop stares back at him with serious look on his face. “Come here, you Beaugo S. Bear,” the Pop says. Some of the Companions become worried at the Pop’s stern tone. Beau eagerly leans forward, as the Pop grabs Beau’s head with both hands. The Pop begins to kiss Beau all over his face. “You did a great job, Mr. Reed,” the

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Pop said, “I’m proud of you. You even scared me. By the way, mister, how did you know to do that?” “LarZac heard you and translated for us,” Beau said. “I couldn’t let you open the window, Pop, and have those men see LarZac.” “I know, big guy, you did the right thing,” the Pop replied.

The Pop looks past Beau, to the back of the truck. “OK, you guys, you can climb down off LarZac’s head now; you don’t need to hide him anymore,” the Pop said. Three of the little guys slowly climb down off LarZac’s head. “Good job you guys,” the Pop said, “Thank you, for suspending the little guys, LarZac, I know you are tired and it diminishes your energy.” LarZac just nods relieved that he did not have to intervene.

The Pop closes the window and jumps back in the cab of the truck. He just sits there for a second staring at his wife, not saying a word, just a cocky smile. The MOM just stares back at the Pop and then breaks the silence. “You know Bear, if that stuff that comes out of the back end of a bull was electricity, you could light up Las Vegas. “Yeah, Yeah, I’ll write a book someday,” the Pop said, sar-castically, “and you can remind me of all the stories I’ve told you.”

Within a few minutes, the Pop arrives home. He backs the truck into the driveway and presses the garage door opener. The Pop jumps from the cab and heads for the rear of the truck. As he opened the back, he said, “Ok, you guys, when you get out, every-body goes through the back door of the garage and into the back-yard, so you can do your business before we eat and turn in for the night.” Beau and DAR leap of the tailgate and lead the way. “OK, boys, you’re the hosts, now, you know what to do,” the Pop said. “LarZac, please feel free to move about as you like. And, oh, LarZac, please help the boys tell everyone to be as quiet as possible, we are only suppose to have three companions living in our home.” LarZac gives the Pop a strange look as if doesn’t un-derstand why he can only have three dogs.

“There are people in power who make rules for all of us,” ex-plained Pop. “We are called citizens and we put them in power by

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voting, in essence agreeing to give them power. The citizens call these people in power, the government. They make the rules for us to follow as a society. The rules are called laws. Some laws are good and some laws are bad, just like the people we elect.

Places on the earth where there are a lot of people living close to each other are called cities. Many cities have rules. This city has a ‘three Companion rule.’ It’s good, I guess, so everyone doesn’t have a hundred Companions in their yard, but like all laws, some-times there must be exceptions for the greater good.” LarZac just nodded, he understood; at least the part about the power of the rulers.

“After dinner, LarZac, I would like to introduce you to my wife.” “What is a wife?” LarZac asked. “You know, LarZac, male humans have asked themselves that question for a gazillion years,” the Pop said with a puzzled grin on his face, “Well, to answer your question, LarZac, a wife is partner and we have chosen to share our lives together, forever. To some, forever means 3 or 4 months, to others, it means 50 or 60 years and more. Marriage is a lot like your relationship with Fisetra; only there is a ceremony and most often children. The relationship is usually without the combat; however in some cases, there is a lot of combat.”

The MOM has rushed into the kitchen, without looking at LarZac. She is still apprehensive; after all, how many women have crea-tures from another planet living in their home.

The Pop quickly follows the MOM into the kitchen to help prepare the meal for everyone. The MOM is quiet. “What’s the matter, honey,” the Pop said, “you look frightened, what’s the matter?” “It’s nothing, I’m just a little nervous, that’s all,” the MOM said. “I’m so afraid, someone will see LarZac and we will be in trouble for not calling the authorities; our lives could be ruined.” “Well, I won’t lie to you,” the Pop said, “this is not going to be a picnic. We’ll just have to face this challenge, like we have every other.” “You mean with fear and apprehension,” the MOM said. “That’s right,” the Pop said, “and with a little bit of panic on the side.”

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The two laugh and shake their heads. “When will we ever learn, Bear?” the MOM said. There was no answer.

Wiley is standing in the yard, waiting to greet his new brother and Papa. As the gaggle of Companions comes pouring into the back yard from the garage, Wiley is amazed at the size of the Pop’s family. In an instant, he spots DAR and Beau and rushes to greet his new family. “Hi, Beau, I’m glad you came back,” Wiley said. “Who are all these guys, where did they come from?” “They are Companions who were abandoned and need a home, like you, be-fore the MOM and Pop brought you home,” Beau said. “WOW!” Wiley yelped. “This is great; are they going to be part of our fam-ily?” “They are our guests,” the DAR interrupted, “we don’t know what will become of them, but, yes, young man, for now they are part of our family and will stay that way until we can find safe place for them.”

“You guys should know my Papa was an orphan, too,” the Beau announced. “He is a great Papa, but he wants everyone to be be-have; we must all be quiet.“ “OK, son, that’s enough information for now,” the DAR said, “we have to attend to the others things right now.” “Am I going to be here for just a little while before you find me a new home,” Wiley said, with a worried look on his face. “No,” said DAR, “this will be your home. The Mom and the Pop have a rule in this house, ‘love and family, above all else’. Once you are named, you are here forever. Did the MOM and Pop give you your name?” “Yes, Papa, they did,” Wiley answered obedi-ently. “Then that’s all you need to know,” the DAR said. “So now, as a family member, it will be your task and honor to help us make our guests feel comfortable.”

Wiley stands straight and proud; he has just been told that he be-longs and that he is part of something greater than himself. His lifelong dream has come true; he has a home where he will be loved and respected.

“What should I do, Papa?” Wiley asks, excitedly. “Just stay with the others and make them feel comfortable,” the DAR replied.

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“You’ll know what to do.”

The MOM and the Pop finish making the meal for all the Compan-ions. The Pop searches for enough bowls and pans for everyone. It was important to the Pop that each Companion had his or her own bowl. He felt it helped preserve their dignity and individual-ity. “It looks like I’m going shopping for bowls tomorrow,” the Pop said, scouring the kitchen for the last bowl.

Finally, dinner is ready and the Pop places the bowls on the patio. The Companions knew to wait, this was the lesson learned from their time in the Mansion, that not everybody could eat at the same time. Tonight was different; for the first time since entering the Mansion, everybody could eat at once and there was enough food for all to fill their stomachs. When all the bowls were set down, the Pop signaled everyone to come and get it. No translation was necessary. As everyone be-gan to eat, the MOM and the Pop stood there holding hands. Tears of joy rolled down their cheeks. “Maybe it is worth it; we’re making a difference in a few lives,” the MOM said, “What greater joy is there?” The Pop just kissed the MOM on the cheek. He knew the MOM was hooked. From this moment on, the MOM was committed. And there was no one in the world more determined than a MOM on a mission.

After the meal was finished, everyone wandered the yard to ex-plore and take care of business. The MOM returned inside to dry her eyes. The Pop went back to the garage and asked LarZac to explain to everyone that it was very important to be quiet; many were still restless. “No one must know you and the others are here,” the Pop explained. LarZac followed the Pop’s lead as they entered the backyard. LarZac gathered everyone around him and explained the situation. DAR and Beau volunteered to stand watch in case anyone got frightened during the night.

At last, everybody collapses on the make shift beds the Pop and the MOM had prepared on the covered patio. It was a warm sum-mer night and everyone was eager to rest, and for most, to feel

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safe. The parents thought that being in the house may be too confining and panic some. Besides, the potty was just a few steps away.

The Pop realizes it is time to go get the MOM and introduce LarZac to her. The Pop is apprehensive fearing the MOM’s reaction. “Honey,” the Pop said, “it’s time you meet LarZac and talk to him; but please don’t show any alarm at his appearance. He is not frightening. Actually, you’ll get used to his appearance quickly. C’mon, let’s do this now.”

The MOM reluctantly takes the Pop’s hand as they go through the kitchen door to the garage. The MOM looks down at the floor, not wanting to look up. LarZac, I would like you to meet my wife, Vic-toria. Everyone in the family calls her MOM. The MOM slowly raises her eyes to gaze at LarZac’s face. The Pop is watching her closely, praying that she doesn’t become alarmed.

“Hello, LarZac,” the MOM said in a calm and deliberate voice, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The MOM stretches out her hand and touches LarZac’s chest. The Pop almost faints; he is in shock. What happened to all this fear and apprehension, he wonders. “I’m told that you can talk to my boys,” the MOM said, “I’m very anxious to talk to them.” “Yes, I can,” LarZac responded, “would you like to talk to them now?” “Yes, I would,” said the MOM with an excited smile. “I’ll go get them,” the Pop said. Just as the Pop starts to leave to find them, the two boys come bursting into the garage. “Pop, Pop,” the DAR said, “I have something very impor-tant to say to you.” LarZac translates the DAR’s words. The MOM places her hands on her face and begins to cry…again. DAR sud-denly stops talking. He realizes that for the first time in his life, his MOM can understand what he is saying. There is a long si-lence. The MOM’s tears run down her cheeks as she moves her hands away from her face. “MOM,” the DAR said, “I have waited forever to talk to you. I didn’t think I would ever be able to talk to you. There were times I thought I would never see you again; I had given up hope. I thought, maybe, when I passed to the next life, that I would see you again, sometime, and we could talk to

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each other. I don’t know why Companions can’t talk to their par-ents. This is the happiest day of my life.”

The MOM kneels down to hug both of her boys. The boys wait for the MOM’s first words. “If you never understand another word,” the MOM said, as she pressed their faces to hers, “ I want you know that you are the light of my life and you have brought the Pop and me the greatest joy. Now,” the MOM continued, “I want you to know that you boys scared the Pop and me to death. Don’t you ever do that again, I couldn’t take it; do you understand me,” the MOM said, as she gave her boys more ‘mush’ face.

“Gee, MOM,” Beau said, “how come you ball us out and then give us all these kisses?” “Just never mind,” the MOM said, still fighting back the tears, “I have plenty of things to talk to you about, but I want you to go to bed, now…and you better be here in the morn-ing.” “Yes, MOM,” the boys echoed.

The two trot off to the back yard, mumbling to each other as boys do after a talking with “the parents.” The MOM yells after them, “Oh, boys,” she said. The boys stop and turn to listen to their MOM. “I want you to know I am very proud of you. You gave up your home to help these Companions; that was a brave thing to do.” The two turn with a smile on their faces and continue to talk to each other as they walk into the backyard.

The MOM turns to LarZac for a translation of the mumbling. LarZac looks at the MOM with a gentle smile. “They said some-thing like they ‘didn’t understand parents…one minute they are balling you out, then they are kissing you…parents are so strange.’ They both vowed that they are not going to be like that.” “That’s what we all say when we are young,” the MOM said, “but life’s crusade always makes us like our parents. The more we try to be different, the more we are the same.”

“LarZac,” the MOM said, “my husband and I are about to put our family in danger. My husband thinks he knows a way to return you to your people, to get you back to your ship. But I want to

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know the risk is worth it. I want to know you are worth it. What I want in return is your help, your wisdom. I want you to help us fix this broken world.” LarZac’s face becomes very sad; he bows his head. The MOM realizes that she has said the wrong thing. She has broken the cardinal rule of giving. She has put conditions on the gift. She has demanded quid-pro-quo. True giving must be free or it becomes nothing more than a business deal.

The MOM felt ashamed. “LarZac,” the MOM said, “I’m sorry. I should never have put conditions on this thing we are about to do. I’m so sorry I burdened you with what may seem a selfish act. I know that I should just live my life like everyone else. I should en-joy my family and not worry about ‘saving the world from itself’. It’s just hard to sit and do nothing. Our civilization is changing and most people are not aware of what others in this world already know and what they are trying to do. The sad part is, that many who do know what’s going on in the world either don’t care or think the effort is futile; that nothing can be done. Maybe they are right…but I often wonder if just maybe they are wrong. Some-times you wish you could perform miracles, but of course that’s not going to happen. I once read a Chinese proverb that said: ‘On the pathway to the future, there are a thousand men assigned to protect the past.’ I think that’s what happens in this life; too many people say it can’t be done. But change never happens until someone stands up, speaks up.

I know you have seen many civilizations and many worlds. You have seen worlds flourish and I am sure you have seen others de-stroy themselves. Tell me, LarZac, what causes a civilization to destroy itself? Why did they not see the danger signs? Why didn’t they see themselves?” “There are many reasons that cause the destruction of what were once peaceful and prosperous worlds,” LarZac said. “Many times it was not just war or greed, although that was always the genesis of the problem. With some worlds, it was disease…disease that infected the natural order of things. Food became contaminated because the inhabitants changed the

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way the Omni originally designed it. The populations grew at such an accelerated rate that natural food could not be produced fast enough to meet the demand. What you call ‘money’ was no longer important in these civilizations; it had been destroyed. The real currency was food and water. People began to kill each other for something to eat and drink. The world became an inferno. The inhabitants created their own torment and soon it was over. But there were worlds that saved themselves, as well. Some civi-lizations learned the lessons from the other worlds that destroyed themselves.”

Do you know what will happen to us…I mean this world?” the MOM asked. “Is it too late for us?” “I don’t know what will happen to the earth,” LarZac said. “The Omni did not see the future in that way. He gave us powers to do only good. We have the power to deflect evil from ourselves, but we cannot stop it in others.

Imagine you are in a small boat with other people on the ocean. Imagine you are the only survivors of a destroyed planet. Some of the people in the boat are bad and some of the people in the boat are good. In the distance you can see a big wave of water, a tidal wave, as you call it, coming toward the boat. As the end nears, everyone in the boat knows that this was the consequence of how they lived their lives; that there is little difference between good and evil. The good people, the righteous and holy, and pious did not speak up against the evil around them. The bad people, the evil ones, the greedy and selfish did not care and would not see the truth in front of them until it was too late.”

“Thank you, LarZac,” the MOM said, “I think I’m beginning to un-derstand what I have to do; although, I am afraid for you and my family. But you must know man’s history. You must know what they would do if they discovered you. You would be taken to a place where they would eventually destroy you. It is not in man’s nature to trust something they don’t understand. But there are some old souls among these humans who inhabit this earth. They trust and hope and their hearts are true. They believe in some-thing greater than themselves. We must find just one pure heart

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who respects the value of life; one who has the power to help us.”

We have watched your world for over two thousand years,” LarZac said. “We have witnessed the history of your world, first hand; we know the truth of how your civilization evolved. Through the cen-turies, humans have re-written history and manipulated the truth to serve the interests of a few.” “I would be curious to learn what you know about this earth,” the MOM said. “If you knew the truth of your history,” LarZac replied, “you too, would be in great dan-ger. I am sure there are many humans who would do anything to find out what you know. In the end you would simply vanish, so I must never tell you how man has changed the recorded events of the last two thousand years.” “You are probably right, LarZac,” the MOM said, “I’m sure the burden of knowing the truth would do me in,” the MOM said with a sad smile.

“You are welcome here, LarZac. Bear has made a place for you with the others,” the MOM continued, “tomorrow we will begin the long journey to return you to your home.” “If only I could. Our planet is gone,” said LarZac, “my family who waits for me in the ship above your earth is anxious to continue our search for a new home.” “I understand,” said the MOM, “we will talk more of this in the days to come. Good night, LarZac, I’m sure you will be think-ing of your family, tonight. I will pray that you see them again.”

As the MOM turned to enter the house, she saw the Pop standing in the doorway, listening to the conversation she had with LarZac. The Pop said nothing, just reached out for the MOM’s hand. The two walked to their room in silence. They knew tomorrow would be the beginning of a voyage that would change their lives for-ever.

As the morning came, everyone was awake early. Beau and DAR were leading the canines around the yard like cruise directors, showing the curious all the good sniffs and places to do their busi-ness. “My, oh my,” the Pop said to the MOM, as he gazed out the window at his extended family, “I don’t think I’ve seen this much peeing since half time in the men’s room at a Raiders game.

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Looks like the sprinklers will be working overtime for awhile.”

The parents proudly watch their two boys welcome the Compan-ions to their home as they rush from one Companion to the other making sure everything is OK and reassuring them that they are in a safe place. Suddenly, DAR and Beau stop in their tracks. Each looks at the other. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, son,” DAR said to his boy. “Yes, Papa, we better tell LarZac right now,” Beau replied.

By this time LarZac had risen from his suspended state, and joined the parents as they watched their flock. “LarZac, MOM, Pop,” DAR yelled as he and his son raced toward them, “the cats, the cats, we forgot about the cats! Where are they? We have to find them, now.” The MOM and Pop look at LarZac for his response as he translates the alarm. Before he can answer the boys, the MOM cries out, “What cats? What are you guys talking about?” “Well,”said the Pop sheepishly, “there was something we didn’t tell you. There were also cats, Companion cats on the ship. Like the canines they were lost in the world; left by those who aban-doned their souls.” “Where are these cats?” the MOM said upset, “How could you just leave them.” “MOM, it’s OK,” LarZac said in a calming tone, “I know exactly where the cats are and they are safe for a while; but DAR is right, we must go to them very soon.”

“Well, we are going right now,” the MOM commanded, “C’mon, Bear, bring DAR and LarZac. Beau you stay here and protect the house. The Pop secures LarZac in the back of the Silverado and DAR hops in the shotgun seat with the MOM in the middle. “Do we know where we are going,” the MOM asked. “We are going to the Mansion, they are secluded there,” LarZac replied through the sliding rear window. “What if they have been detected, what if somebody spotted them and called the cops?” the Pop asked. “There is a cloaking device,” LarZac said, “and my internal de-vices tell me they are still safe. But the time is growing near when the cloaking will close and the escape pod will be visible.” The Pop steps on the gas.

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The group soon arrives at the old Mansion. As they pull in the driveway, they immediately see that they are too late. There are a dozen police cars and fire trucks and military vehicles surround-ing the sphere containing the cats. The pod is glowing, pulsating, as if it were sending out a distress signal. “We should have come sooner; now we are too late,” the Pop said in disgust. The Pop looks at LarZac; somewhat dismayed that LarZac is not more alarmed. “What are we going to do now,” the MOM asked disap-pointed. “We have to set up a distraction,” the DAR said, “some-thing that will lead them away from here.” “You mean like when you try to distract me, while you send Beau into the garage to raid the special treat bag I have hidden?” the MOM replied. “Exactly,” DAR said, not thinking.

“It’s alright everyone,” LarZac said in a calm voice, “there is no cause for alarm, the cats are safe; they are not in the pod.” Ev-eryone looks at LarZac with surprise. “The cats are alright; they’re close by in the Mansion,” LarZac replied. “But the Man-sion is nothing but a pile of rubble,” the Pop said. “Not exactly,” LarZac said, “they are below ground, in what you call the base-ment. The felines are hiding there.” “Yes, we know the base-ment; we were there when the earth shook and the Mansion col-lapsed, but how do you know they are there,” DAR asked excited and panting heavily. “I have a sensing device that is part of my body; it matches the device I gave to the cats before they left the ship.” “You mean like a GPS that we have in cars,” the Pop said. “Yes, Pop,” LarZac said, “only this device does much more. I can tell how many cats there are and what condition they are in; I can also communicate with them.” “Do they know we are here,” the MOM asked. “Yes,” LarZac replied, “we need someone to lead them to the truck, someone small, dark, fast and smart enough not to get caught.” Everybody turns to look at the DAR with sly smiles on their faces.” “Who could that be?” DAR said, playing dumb, “OK, OK, I get it, I’ll go.”

“Everyone is focused on the pod,” the Pop said, “but I think I’d better go over there in case someone spots the cats and DAR. I’ll divert their attention if something happens.” “Don’t do anything,

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stupid, Bear,” the MOM said, “we don’t need anymore attention from the authorities.” “Yes, dear,” the Pop said. The Pop jumps out of the truck and lets the DAR out. “DAR, you be careful,” the Pop said, “I don’t want anything to happen to you. If you need help, LarZac will know. Just wait for help to come, OK?” “Yes, Pop,” said the DAR.

With that, DAR flies across the green at the speed of light. As he reaches the destruction that was once a beautiful Mansion, DAR gazes into the dark recesses of the basement. He utters a soft growl to let the felines know he is there. “Meow, Meow, we’re down here,” Mirabella said. “We’re OK, but Kindra is hurt. We car-ried her here from the pod. We must get her out first. The others won’t leave until she is safe.” “At least let me get the others in the truck first, so they will be safe. I promise I won’t leave Kindra here.” “No, DAR,” Mirabella insisted, “Kindra goes first.” “OK, hang on,” DAR said, “Mirabella, can you and some of the others push Kindra to the top of the opening here?” “Yes, DAR,” Mirabella said, obeying DAR’s instruction.

After a few minutes, Mirabella and few of the others pushed Kin-dra up the narrow opening, exposing her head. DAR knew exactly what to do. He had gained this knowledge at the pet shop where the Pop rescued him. He had seen the feline mothers pick up their little ones by the nape of the neck. DAR didn’t hesitate; he had to do what he had learned. He grabbed Kindra by the nape of the neck and began to drag her back to the truck. After a few yards, DAR stopped. She was too heavy and DAR was too short to pick Kindra off the ground.

The MOM could see DAR from the truck. She could tell that DAR was struggling with Kindra. “LarZac,” the MOM said, “what should I do, DAR is really struggling with that cat; the cat must be hurt.” “I know,” LarZac said, “but he will be OK, he has the strength and will to do this.”The MOM continued to watch her brave soldier strain to pull Kin-dra along. DAR finally had to stop again to catch his breath. As he laid Kindra down on the grass, DAR could hear Kindra speak in

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a whisper, “DAR, leave me, save the others.” “That’s not the promise I made, Kindra,” said DAR, “hang on we are almost there.” DAR was within fifty feet of the truck as he continued to pull Kindra to safety.

The MOM couldn’t stand it any longer, she leaps out of the truck and runs to the DAR and quickly grabs Kindra and hustles her to the back of the truck and gently places her on the padded carpet in the back. “Hang on, little one,” the MOM said, “When we get you home, we will fix you right up.” The MOM hurries back to the side of the truck to look at the DAR. “Are you OK, DAR,” the MOM asked. “Are there other cats who are hurt?” The DAR didn’t an-swer, but sensed the MOM knew there was more work to be done. DAR took off and headed back to the Mansion to rescue the other cats.

“C’mon, you guys,” the DAR shouted down the dark hole of the Mansion’s basement, “we gotta go right now.” The other cats quickly pulled themselves out of the hole and gathered together around the DAR as they waited for Mirabella to appear at the opening. After a tense moment, slowly Mirabella pulled herself through the hole. “Mirabella, you’re hurt,” the DAR said, alarmed. “Why didn’t you tell me?” “I’m OK,” Mirabella said, “I can walk, let’s get going.” The group begins their short trip to the truck. All the cats surround Mirabella to protect her as she limped forward without complaint.

As DAR leads the group slowly to the halfway point on their march to the safety of the truck, he suddenly stops. The DAR looked to-ward the parking lot where the truck was parked; he could see yet another police car stopped next to the truck. The lights on the car were flashing. He could see a human, like the one who talked to the Pop last night. He knew that flashing lights were not good. “Everyone lay down flat and don’t move,” the DAR said in a whis-per. The cats obeyed and dropped to the ground. “I’ll go find out what’s going on,” the DAR continued, “Mirabella, keep everyone quiet.” The DAR goes unnoticed as he scurries over to the truck. He can hear the cop talking to the MOM, but can’t understand

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what the cop is saying. If the officer wants to look in the back of the truck, again, the DAR knows he will have to distract him and lead the human away from the truck with LarZac and Kindra in-side.

“This park is a possible crime scene, ma’am,” the cop said, “you are going to have to leave immediately.” “Officer, my husband is over there, where all the commotion is; he’s a reporter. He heard the call on his radio that there was a disturbance here in the park,” the MOM said. “Do you know what is going on over there?” “No, ma’am, I’m not at liberty to say,” said the officer.

Just as the officer finished talking, the MOM abruptly pointed to the area where the pod had landed and shouted, “Look!” She could see the police and firemen dash for cover behind the police cars and fire trucks. The MOM and the cop watched in astonish-ment as the pod began to snap, and pop like popcorn in a micro. It was about to explode. The pod began to glow into a blinding, white light. “What is that,” the MOM shouted, “it looks like it’s go-ing to blow up.” “We’d better find some safe cover,” the cop said. The MOM leaped from the truck and ran wildly away, leading the officer behind her.

While ignoring the danger, she had only one goal, to distract the cop so that DAR could get the cats into the truck. “Ma’am, Ma’am, slow down, stop, stop,” the officer shouted at the MOM. “Where are you going, we have to find some cover.” The two looked back at the pod. The earth around them began to rumble. “It’s an earthquake; get down,” the MOM commanded, trying to further distract the cop. “We should get back to your truck; there is some protection there,” the cop said with equal command. The cop grabs the MOM by the arm and off they go back toward the truck. The MOM searches frantically for DAR and the cats; they are nowhere to be seen. As she and the cop reach the truck they look toward the pod. The two peer over the hood of the truck, the pod suddenly implodes with a long, loud booming sound. “Holy cow, what just happened,” the MOM shouted as she ducked down be-hind the truck. “It’s gone!” the cop said. “It just vanished into

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thin air; what’s going on here?” “What was that?” the cop contin-ued to ask, almost rhetorically. “I don’t know,” the MOM said, playing dumb, “but I have to find my husband, I’m frightened.”

Everyone at the pod site stands staring in amazement at the spot where the pod once rested. Slowly, the emergency people move guardedly toward the spot where the pod had vanished. The fire-men were standing at the ready with fire hoses in hand, but there was no fire and for that matter, there was no trace of the pod. The police continued to approach the site suspiciously, looking for signs of the pod. News reporters hastily photograph the site and the people involved. “Step back,” one policeman commands the reporters, “it’s not safe.” “What are you talking about?” a re-porter replies, “there is nothing there.” The Pop stands quietly, looking at the commotion the pod and its sudden disappearance has caused. His look of amazement turns to a slight smile as he inches closer to the pod site.

“Robert, Robert,” The MOM screams as she runs anxiously toward her husband, with her police escort close behind. The Pop waves at the MOM as she spots her man. “Honey, Honey are you OK?” the Pop said as he embraces his best girl. “Yes,” she said, as she throws her arms around the Pop’s neck. Quickly the MOM whis-pers in the Pop’s ear, “I told the policeman behind me, that you were a reporter.” The MOM then pulls back and smiles at the Pop.

The two turn and begin to walk back to the truck, with arms wrapped around each other’s waist. They could see the cop ap-proaching. “Hey, mister,” said the cop, “hold up a minute. Your wife said you were a reporter.” “Yes, that’s right,” the Pop replied. “Who do you work for?” the cop inquired. “The Times,” the Pop replied. “Well, where is your camera,” the cop said. “I’m a re-porter, sir, not a photographer. My photographer has already gone back to the paper,” the Pop said convincingly. “OK, sir, ” the cop said, as the two men stare at each other for several seconds. “Well, officer, it there’s nothing else, we have to go,” the Pop said as he pulled the MOM away from the cop. As the two walk away, the cop shouts after them, “Ah, sir, just a minute; do you have

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some ID?” “Look, officer,” the Pop said, “I’m very tired; my wife and I have been through a lot, today. When I got the call, I rushed out the door without my wallet. I can go home and get it if you like.” Not waiting for an answer, the Pop continues. “I can tell you, officer, these guys have a deadline,” the Pop said pointing to the real reporters. “They’re not going to be happy when you line them up to check ID’s.” The cop turned and looked at the crowd still milling around at the pod site. The cop paused for a few sec-onds and said, “OK, sir, I guess you can be on you way.” The MOM and Pop hurried back to the truck.

As the two came close to the truck, they quickly looked around for the DAR and the cats. They can see nothing. “Let’s get in the truck and see what’s going on,” the Pop said. The two hurriedly jumped inside the truck. The Pop looked back through the sliding rear window and said, “LarZac, are you back there?” “Yes, Pop,” LarZac said, “and so is everyone else.” “You mean DAR and all the cats are back there, too?” “Hi, Pop,” the DAR said, as his face appeared in the rear window opening, “Yeah, everybody is here and we’re all safe.”

“Kindra is hurt,” he continued, “we should get her back home, right away.” “Who’s Kindra?” the MOM asked with surprise. “She and Mirabella are the leaders of the cats, MOM,” the DAR said. “Who’s Mirabella?” the MOM asked, getting crazy with all the names. “Never mind, Honey,” the Pop said, “I’ll explain later.”

“You and your son are going to give me a heart attack, someday,” the MOM mumbled to herself. “I can help you with the that,” LarZac said in a serious tone. The MOM just shook her head. “Let’s go home,” she said, with a big smile on her face, realizing wit and humor were not part of the “Orig” psyche.

The Pop starts the truck and darts past more cop cars coming to the scene. “LarZac, what happened back there, how did the pod just disappear; it was like another magic trick,” the Pop asked ner-vously. “There never was a pod there,” LarZac said. “It was a vir-tual projection I created in everyone’s mind. It was easier to make

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the cats think they were in a vessel rather than tell them I was go-ing to teleport them. I cocooned everyone else in the ship be-cause I thought we could save ’Friend’; but I guess inside, I knew that was not to be.”

“LarZac, if you can transport the cats, why can’t you transport yourself back to your sister ship?” “Unfortunately, ‘Origs’ cannot transport themselves. We were once able to do that before our bodies were destroyed. You see, Pop, in order to transport some-thing, there must be matter. ‘Origs’ are now the ‘Essence of the Omni’; we are what you would call the partisans of the Omni.” “You’re what?” the Pop said. “We differ from all entities in that we no longer come from matter as with humans,” LarZac said. “We do not have souls as you humans call them. We are elements of an ever presence, an all-knowing intelligence.

The Pop pulls the truck to the curb and stops. He turns back to LarZac. “Are you telling me, that of all the humans on this planet, the essence of what millions of humans call God, is sitting in my Silverado?” “We are now spirits who have migrated from one ex-istence to another, as some humans and others species believe. We are an experiment,” LarZac said. “We were created as spirits with certain powers that no other entities in the universe have. The Omni has given us free will, unlike the chosen spirits who are part of the Omni’s Kingdom of Peace.”

“Where is this Kingdom of Peace?” The Pop asked with intense in-terest. LarZac just smiles and pulls back away from the sliding window.

The Pop looks at the MOM, “Can you believe this?” the Pop whis-pers. “What does all this mean; were we chosen for some special task, some mission by this Omni?” “I don’t know,” the MOM said, with a serene look on her face, “but since LarZac and I talked, I have felt this peace, a feeling of harmony with this place and time.

Do you think LarZac knows about the gods humans worship and their history?” the MOM asked in a whisper. “I think LarZac knows

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more about the gods humans worship than either of us could ever imagine,” the Pop said. “Now let’s go home before the cops come after us again.”

The process of rescue had taken most of the day and the sun was slipping behind the mountains as the MOM and the Pop head to-ward home with their cadre’ of cats. The Pop drove slowly back to the house so that he would not attract attention. He has had enough police interest in the past few days, to last for the next twenty years. As he finally reaches the house, he drives directly into the garage to avoid discovery. He jumps from the truck and opens the back. He asks LarZac to explain to the cats that they must be quiet and not wander away from the house; and that the cats should try to hide themselves as much as possible. LarZac ac-knowledges as he quiets the noisy felines. With the cautions com-plete, Mirabella limps bravely, leading her flock into the backyard to scout-out their new home.

The Pop grabs the large family camping tent and heads for the backyard. The tent will provide additional shelter for his guests and hide some of them from the neighbors view.

As the Pop begins to set up the tent, he notices a flashlight swirling all over the yard as if it were a searchlight. “Hey, neigh-bor, what’s going on over there?” Mr. Nosy shouts from the other side of the wall. “Say what’s going on over there?” The Pop re-peated, sarcastically. “I thought I saw a bunch of dogs and cats in the yard,” Ned Nosy said, accusingly. “You know you can only have three dogs, according to city ordinance. Maybe I ought to call the cops and have them come take a look at your little menagerie over there.” “That’s a good idea, Ned, and while they are here, I’ll suggest they check out those big green plants with the pointy leaves, that you’re growing in your green house,” the Pop said in an equally accusing tone. The flashlight goes out and the neighbor disappears behind the wall. “That’s what I thought,” the Pop mumbles to himself, satisfied that his idiot neighbor got the message. The Pop returns to his task, as the potential tenants of his construction project surround him. The Pop realizes this

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might be an opportunity to get to know his new friends.

The Pop puts his hammer down and stops driving stakes in the ground as he sits back on the grass. He waits for some felines and canines to approach him, but most keep their distance. The Pop is still a stranger to them. “Hey, you guys,” the Pop said, as a few curious creatures mill around the half erect tent, “you’re safe now, no one is going to hurt you and if they try, they will have to an-swer to the MOM and the Pop. So, who’s going to be brave and come say ‘Hi’ to this tired man?” There are no volunteers. The Pop looks around searching for the first to break the ice and ap-proach the Pop. Still no one is coming close to their host.

DAR and Beau watch the ritual from the patio; LarZac is standing beside them translating the Pop’s words, although it was unneces-sary. “I think the Pop needs some help,” the DAR said to Beau. “Let’s go show these guys there is nothing to be afraid of.” The two trot over to their Pop. “Hey, Pop,” said the DAR, “what’s go-ing on?” The DAR crawls into the Pop’s lap and sits down. The Pop hugs the DAR, unsure if a kiss would embarrass his little leader. Beau sits next to the Pop and gives him an unsolicited, big slurp on the side of his face.

The others gaze in wonder as they watch their two leaders enjoy the love of their Pop. “It’s OK guys, my Pop is a friend, he won’t hurt anybody,” the DAR said. “If the Pop didn’t care about you guys, he wouldn’t have invited you here, so relax, OK.”

The boys can hear the others talk among themselves. Slowly, the Companions move closer to the Pop, making the first move toward friendship. “Go ahead, Pop reach out,” the DAR said. “Some of these guys are afraid; they have some pretty awful stories to tell.”

“OK, who’s going to be first,” said the Pop. In an instant, the Pop can see furry butts pushed aside as Rocky, the determined little Pug, makes his way through the crowd. “Rocky!” comes the loud chorus cry from the Companions. Everyone surrounds the Pug im-mediately, sniffing him all over. DAR leaps from his Pop’s lap and

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pushes through the crowd to reach the long lost Companion. “Rocky, what happened to you? How did you get here? Are you OK?” the DAR said as he peppered questions at the little guy. “I’m OK, everyone,” Rocky said, “I was lost in the ship. I wandered around for a long time trying to find my way to you guys.

Then the ship shifted violently and, out of nowhere, something heavy fell on me. I was trapped in the ship; I was pinned down. I couldn’t move. I yelled for help, but no one came. Before the ship crashed on the green, ‘Friend’ somehow must have sensed I was trying to free myself. ‘Friend’ shifted itself and moved the ob-ject that trapped me.

As I ran frantically through the ship trying to find my way out, I heard a voice in my head that guided me through the wreckage to the to helm room and into the Captain’s chair. Suddenly, I was en-closed in a web, like spiders make. It happened so fast. After the crash, something released me from the chair. I was still dazed and I passed out again. When I came to, I found my way to the es-cape hatch. When I got out of the ship, I knew where I was, but I was still confused. I made it into the trees where I collapsed; I was exhausted. I fell asleep; I don’t know how long I slept. It was night when I awoke; there was nobody around. I decided not to search for a familiar scent until it was light. It took me a long time, but I finally found the scent of my friends and followed them here.”

“WOW! That’s quite a story,” the DAR said. “Yes,” Rocky said, I’m sorry I worried everyone.”

Everyone congratulated Rocky on his tenacity and bravery. Hora-tio and DAR could see that Rocky was tired and hungry and still shaking from the ordeal. “OK, everyone, it’s time to let Rocky rest and eat,” DAR said. The MOM hurriedly brought a bowl of food and some water for the battered soldier.

As Rocky gobbled the food, all watched curiously, to make sure he was OK and to assure themselves he was really there; that he was

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alive.

When he was finished eating, Rocky marched without hesitation or fear directly to the Pop and planted his front feet on the Pop’s knee. Standing straight, Rocky waits for the Pop’s reaction. The Pop leans over and gently touches Rocky’s face. “You’re a brave soldier, young man,” the Pop said. “Thank you, sir,” the deter-mined Pug, replied. “Well, all of us want to welcome you to our home, Rocky,” the Pop said. “Do you want to rest now?” “Not just yet,” the Pug replied, “I want to tell my story, now. I don’t know what the future holds, I want everyone to know what happened to me.” The Pop lays the flashlight on the ground so that it points in Rocky’s direction. Rocky moves slowly into the glow of the flash-light and begins his tale.

“The human who found me, saw me walking alone in an alley when I was very young,” Rocky said in a firm, but sad voice. “The human that lived in the house with my mother and father took me from my parents when my sisters and I were very young and not ready to leave. We still needed the milk from my mother. We were too young to leave her. I was taken in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep. Somehow, I knew when the hu-man picked me up, I would never see my family, again. I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye. I knew my mom would have been worried when she woke up and found that I was missing.

Anyway, I was lost and frightened and was crying out for help, when a young human picked me up off the street and held me close to him. Soon, I found myself inside a home. The boy placed me in box and put me under the bed. I remember I was still very scared.

As time went on, the small human would feed me and play with me every day. I could hear other humans in the house, but I never saw them. I guess it was just my fear, but I never barked or made a sound. I just knew I had to be quiet. The other humans in the house never knew I was there. One day, the boy human came rushing into the room and pulled me from under the bed and

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picked me up in a rush. He held me close and gave me a kiss as he hurried to the window. Suddenly, a very big human came charging into the room and came directly at the boy. I could feel his heart beating fast against mine. The human grabbed the boy and spun us both around. The boy jumped to his feet and ran back to the window and held me outside. When the big human came toward the boy, again, the boy dropped me. It seemed like I was falling forever and then boom, I hit the ground.

For a minute, I was frozen. I couldn’t tell if I was hurt. I could hardly breathe; I was very dazed and confused. What happened to me? Why did that human boy drop me; I thought he liked me. As I finally came to my senses, I could hear the boy human screaming my name from the room above. He sounded like he was in great pain. I could hear the big human hitting the boy. Suddenly, the screaming stopped. I quickly rose to my feet; I didn’t know what to do, I was stilled dazed. I waited and watched for the boy to appear in the window. I saw nothing. I heard noth-ing; there was silence. And then suddenly, I heard footsteps; I could feel the vibration in the ground. It was like thunder; my whole body was petrified, motionless, like a statue.

At first, I thought it was the boy human coming to get me; then I saw the big human appear around the corner of the house. It was a she human. As she got closer, she reached out for me, trying to grab me, as I stood frozen. In an instant, I leaped out of the way of her grasp and ran. The she human chased me and then sud-denly she fell. There was a look of death in her eyes. She rose to her feet and ran after me, again, grabbing a heavy stick, as her anger grew. I tried desperately to find a hole in the fence that surrounded the yard. The two of us raced frantically from one end of the yard to the other; I was getting tired and finally, I had to stop to rest. I found myself cornered. The she human was also struggling for air; she stopped to catch her breath, but did not take her eyes from mine.

I watched her face carefully. I was trying to figure out what she was going to do next. Finally, the chase was on again; I knew I

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had to get out of the yard right away or I would be caught. The human was right behind me waving the big stick. As I raced ahead, I could see a stack of wood piled against the fence. I leaped up the woodpile and started to climb, but the pieces of wood kept slipping from underneath my feet. The she-devil made a final leap for me. As she lunged forward, I could see her in the corner of my eye; the human tripped and fell to the ground, land-ing on the sharp metal attached to the end of the stick. I watched in horror as I struggled to get to the top of the woodpile. As I reached the top, I looked back at my pursuer; she was not moving. There was blood oozing from her head.

I jumped over the fence from the top of the woodpile and landed on free soil. I looked up at the window, searching for the boy in the room. At first, there was no one there. I started to turn away and head for safer ground. I took one more look before dashing away. I saw the boy stagger to the window; he looked down at the she human lying motionless on the lawn. I let out a yelp to say goodbye. I could stay no longer; if I did, I knew there would trou-ble for me. The boy just waved at me and I ran as fast as I could, away from the house of horrors. Like Horatio, I promised myself, I would never go in another house, again.”

“Well, no one is ever locked in our house, Rocky,” the Pop said. “You can come and go as you like, but I think you’ll like it here. I’m going to leave the sliding door open so you can decide. There is one rule, though, everyone has to do their business outside. Be-cause there are so many of you, I will pick-up your gifts to the earth each morning. I guess that’s all the organization we need right now.”

Through LarZac’s skillful translation, the Companions gradually begin to understand that the Pop will not harm them, that he can be trusted. One by one, the canines and the felines approach the Pop and in-troduce themselves; the Pop has a warm touch for each of them. “I want you to know that you are all welcome and the MOM and I and our boys promise we will not abandon you,” the Pop said. “ I

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don’t know what we’re going to do yet, or what the future will bring, but we’ll figure something out. No one will be left homeless, I promise that. When you all are ready, I want to hear your sto-ries; and if you don’t want to tell us, that’s OK, too. It’s getting late now, so we can turn in if you like.”

With that, the Pop finished putting up the tent, then said good night and returned to the house with his family. The MOM was standing in the doorway, waiting for her boys. “Did you hear Rocky’s story?” the Pop asked the MOM. “Every word,” the MOM said.

As everyone said good night, the Pop settled into his favorite re-cliner to watch the news on TV before turning in. It was a quiet time; a time to be alone with his thoughts…or so he thought.

As the Pop pushed back in the chair, beverage in hand, he began to review the shattering events of the past days. If he told this story to anyone, who would believe such a fantastic tale, he thought, aliens from space, dogs and cats that talk to humans, space ships vanishing into thin air. They would lock me up and throw away the key. Somehow, I have to find a way to make peo-ple believe me. The TV was on, but he never heard a word; his brain was reeling as he thought about the days to come. With the Companions secure, he had to look to LarZac’s future.

How would he convince the powerful humans in NASA to launch this remarkable and grand spirit back into space and keep it a se-cret from the rest of the bureaucrats in the military and the gov-ernment? If these people found out, LarZac would be captured and exploited. They would try to control his energy and eventu-ally force him to use his power to do their bidding or worse…they would destroy him. They would never let LarZac leave the earth. Fear and greed would dominate their decisions, but right now, there is no other way, I have to try.

We’ll start tomorrow with the MOM talking to her boss, Big Chuck at SLT, but we have to have a Plan B in case Plan A goes south.

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Who else would agree to launch an alien into space for free?

The Pop was exhausted, his brain was on fire; he had to sleep. As his eyes began to close, he suddenly felt something jump up on his lap. Startled, he opened his eyes to find to find the DAR sitting on his lap. If anybody could calm the Pop down and make him for-get his troubles, it was the DAR. Typically, the DAR would only sleep on the Pop’s lap during the winter when it was cold in the house. The Pop had to sleep in a recliner; the pain in his back prevented him from sleeping in a bed. But that was OK with the Pop; he enjoyed the company of his little hero.

There was no fear of laps or being touched, as was the case when DAR first arrived, just a trusted hand lying gently on his back. When the DAR was on the Pop’s lap he felt safe and protected; and the Pop, well, he was truly content and truly at peace. “It’s good to have you home, big guy,” the Pop whispered, “I missed you more than you could ever know.” The two were together, again; all was right with the world.

The two drift off to sleep unaware that by morning, there will be others resting on the Pop and on the chair.

The sun came through the window warming the Pop’s face. The DAR woke first and looked back at his Pop’s face. The DAR’s usual procedure was to press his foot tenderly but firmly on the Pop’s tummy, to wake him; but this morning was different. As the DAR looked at the Pop, he noticed there was an extra guest fast asleep on the Pop’s chest. It was a cat; it was Mirabella.

Not long ago, the DAR would have chased her from the sacred heap, known as the Pop. The Pop was private territory, not open to sharing or discussion, but his life was different now; it had pur-pose and understanding of those who were disenfranchised. There was no Pop in their life, no sacred territory, no sacred heap.

The DAR jumps down and just misses the gaggle of puppies and kitties gathered on the floor. They wanted to be near their new

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mentor. They’re all there, Horatio, Rocky, Simon, Kindra and the rest. There was hardly anywhere to walk in the den. DAR yelps quietly to wake the floor bound guests. Beau and Wiley leap up from behind the chair to help get the others going. “Everyone outside to do your business,” the DAR whispers. The crew slowly rises, shaking off the cobwebs from the night’s sleep.

After everyone left for the great outdoors, Mirabella awakened and began her morning stretch without leaving the Pop’s chest. There was no subtlety to Mirabella’s approach in making sure her new sleep mate did not drift back asleep. Without a “please” or a “may I,” she begins to knead on the Pop’s shirt bringing him fully awake. “Hey, young lady, what’s going on, I’m not a scratching post, ya’ know,” the Pop said with a happy smile. ”Let’s take a look at you.” The Pop picks up his feline friend and holds her up to the light. “You look a lot better, today, Ms. Mirabella,” the Pop said in a happy voice. “How do you feel about a walk outside, this morning?” With that, the Pop rises from his chair and lowers Mirabella to the floor.

As the Pop stands to greet the day, he catches something moving out of the corner of his eye. It’s Kindra, struggling to get to her feet. Her struggle is in vain; she cannot support her weight and falls back to the floor. “Hang on, little girl,” the Pop said, “I’ll get LarZac.” The Pop runs outside in a panic. “LarZac,” the Pop yells. “I’m right here, Pop,” replies LarZac. He is sitting on the patio couch with his hand on another of the injured cats. “Rise, Fido, you are OK, now.” LarZac said. “There are a few more cats I should look after,” LarZac said to the Pop. “Yes, I know, LarZac, but you must take a look at Kindra, she is in pretty bad shape,” the Pop said. LarZac moves quickly into the den and kneels next to Kin-dra. LarZac places his hand on Kindra’s heart. There is a long si-lence. LarZac sadly looks at the Pop. “Go get Mirabella, now,” LarZac said, “she needs to be here.” The Pop leaps up quickly to find Mirabella. As he begins to rush to the backyard, the Pop dis-covers that the trip is unnecessary. Mirabella is standing right be-hind him. “Mirabella…” the Pop said softly. “I heard,” Mirabella said, interrupting.

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“Come closer, Mirabella,” LarZac said, “Kindra wants to speak to you.” “What’s wrong with her LarZac, can’t you help her?” Mirabella asked, pleading. “Kindra has told me that her spirit is tired and it is time for her to move into the kingdom of light in the Great Dome of Aul, where she will decide if she will remain at peace with the Omni or travel into another life. She would like to speak to you alone, Mirabella.” The Pop and LarZac retreat to the patio, to give the two lifelong friends a chance to say goodbye.

“Mirabella, we have shared many adventures in this life and you have been a loyal friend,” Kindra said in a soft, raspy voice. “There is something I want to leave for you. It’s the only thing I have of value, beside my love and admiration for you. Come closer and listen carefully to me.” Mirabella moves close to Kindra and lies gently beside her. Mirabella places her front paws ten-derly on Kindra’s heart. Kindra embraces Mirabella’s paws with hers as Kindra begins to whisper to her heart mate. The two close their eyes as if drifting off to sleep.

The Pop, and LarZac and the entire crew are keeping silent vigil outside on the patio. No one is moving. The news about Kindra traveled through the backyard in a nanosecond; many heads are bowed. Hours pass before Mirabella appears in the sliding door-way; her head is bowed. Mirabella stands silent as she slowly raises her head. A bright light flashes from inside Mirabella’s mouth. As she moves her head, a myriad of lights flash from her mouth. Everyone looks in awe, as they try to determine the source of the light.

Without speaking, Mirabella lowers her head to the floor and gen-tly drops an object from her mouth. It is Kindra’s diamond eye. Mirabella drops to the floor and lies beside the gleaming treasure; silent with tears running down her cheeks. The DAR walks quietly to Mirabella’s side and lies down beside her. He says nothing.

Horatio stands and softly speaks to the motionless group. “A Companion has left us, today,” he said in almost a whisper, almost

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a prayer, “and she will leave a vast emptiness in the heart of her sister who grieves for her, now.” Her spirit still lives and may someday join with Mirabella when it is her time to begin a new journey.

Mirabella slowly rises to her feet. Everyone turns their attention to her. “This is Kindra’s eye,” Mirabella said standing straight and looking above the crowd. She did not want to see the sadness on the faces of her friends; it would have been too much to bear at that moment. She needed to be strong, right now. “Kindra said it has great value and there will come a time when it will change the destiny for many of you. She said we all must take great care to guard it carefully. Kindra said it must be protected and remain hidden until the time has come to use it for the good of all orphans and Companions who are in need. She said that I should entrust the diamond to someone I trust.”

She turns to face the DAR standing next to her. “I know you’ll pro-tect this stone with your life and I know you will know when the time is right to reveal it.” The DAR is at a loss for words. He just stares at Mirabella with a look of humility. “I will guard this stone with my life, ”the DAR said in a firm voice. “It will be hidden and it will not be found.” DAR gently picks up the precious stone and disappears as if a bolt of lightning snatched him away.

The Pop and Mom watch the little soldier vanish as he darts into the house; they dare not follow. No one would dare intrude on the DAR at this moment. “I wonder where he will hide the stone,” the Pop asked, whispering in the MOM’s ear. “I don’t know,” the Mom said,” but I’ll bet no one will find it; you know how good he is at hiding your socks.” The two smile and hold each other’s hand.

Mirabella announced that Kindra asked if we would bury her close to Dobbs, near the old Mansion in the park. “It was the only home where she knew true companionship,” Mirabella said. “We will do this in the evening, it will be safer then, and the MOM and Pop will be able to help us.”

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The MOM and the Pop must go to work! They have been missing from work for two days and there is another event that will occur today…Buddy is coming home! He has been away on a work re-lease program (AKA the Summer-Work-Your -Dignity-Off-Vaca-tion), from the penal (we make you think) institution’ called the State University.

Every summer the school releases the young, so they can find em-ployment and work for slave wages and experience life in the work world, you know, the real world, the world of “tell it like it isn’t.” The work teaches the young, social skills and the politics of sur-vival. It teaches them that some people are good and that some people should be taken to the edge of the earth and dropped off.

It was once believed that the earth was flat and square. And it must be true today; otherwise why would people still refer to the “four corners of the earth.” I still think it is flat, so the edge of the earth shouldn’t be too hard to find.

Work release programs also motivate students to stay in school so they don’t have to listen to some person with a sub-zero IQ boss them around the rest of their life. Wait a minute…come to think of it, that happens anyway, doesn’t it, education or not; it’s just that sometimes, just sometimes, with a college education, there is less heavy lifting. But then again, the heavy lifting inside your head can be just as hard, just as painful and on rare occasions just as joyful. But the reality is, that higher education teaches you skills that allow you to work for somebody else. They do not teach you to work for yourself. They don’t teach you to be an entrepre-neur, at least not when I went to school; but that was when Di-nahShores roamed the earth.

The real skill to being a self made man or woman, is inside you, deep inside; you have to struggle against the odds to bring it to the surface. Working for someone else is the path of least resis-tance; the path most traveled.

Well anyway, the summer job is over and it’s time for Brett to re-240

turn home and head off to his last semester of school. The univer-sity is a just a few miles away. He chose the school for a practical and informed reason…his parents were not rich. It just made good sense to send our kid to a school near our home. After all, it worked OK for the first twelve grades.

The MOM and Pop dress and prepare for the long day ahead while trying to figure out who is going to watch whom. The Pop’s lunch appointment will be to pick up Buddy from the airport and explain to him, over lunch, the incredulous story of the boys and of the guests they invited to our home. There would be no surprises this time. We certainly could not allow him to discover the menagerie on his own. The shock of seeing LarZac might send him over the edge. He might even do something extreme like call the authori-ties and have his parents committed on the spot. Time will tell, but the Pop knew his son was an “old soul” and was willing to bet he would understand and help. Of course, that would be right after he removed all the sharp objects from the house so his parents wouldn’t hurt themselves.

After getting ready, the MOM and the Pop gathered everyone on the patio. “LarZac, DAR, Horatio and Beau will be in charge,” the Pop said. “You cats, please let Mirabella rest today, she has been through a lot. LarZac, we are bringing our son home today; I will prepare him prior to our arrival. We know he will accept all of you and treat you with respect. Please, do not be afraid when he ar-rives. LarZac knows how to contact me, if there is a problem, and DAR and Beau know the button to push on the phone. We have fixed plenty food for everyone during the day. There is also plenty of water for everyone. Try to stay out of site as much as possible.” The MOM and the Pop leave with a quick goodbye as they head for their cars and speed off to work.

For a moment the house is eerily quiet; no one is talking. There is apprehension among some…they were alone again. The leaders sense that there is some fear of being unprotected. “OK, every-one,” the DAR said, “let’s play a game to pass the time.” “What kind of a game, Papa?” Beau asked. “How about a game of ‘hide-

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and-seek’,” the DAR said. “Yea!” Beau said, “that’s my favorite; well, after ‘ball’, that is.” “Beau, you explain to everyone how the game works, the winners will get a special treat. LarZac you can be the referee.” “What’s a game?” LarZac said, “and what’s a ref-eree?” “Beau will explain everything,” the DAR said, “I will be in-side, if anybody needs me.”

The DAR rushes inside and to the front bedroom. He leaps onto the parents’ bed and puts his paws up on the headboard so that he can look out the window onto the front lawn. The DAR is stand-ing guard over his domain. He will stay on post until his MOM and Pop return home.

As the day passed, various canines and felines would run inside and into the room where the DAR was standing guard. Beau was the first and most frequent visitor. “Papa, Papa, so and so did this, and so and so did that,” Beau exclaimed. The parade of tat-tlers had begun and would last throughout the day. The DAR would comment on each incident, issuing advice on how to solve the crisis of the moment. The problems presented to the DAR were not really serious in nature, he surmised, it was just the Companions way to make sure that the Papa was OK and that someone was in charge and nearby. Besides, it was the best game in the world…it kept everyone busy. It helped pass the day and it gave the DAR a warm feeling inside; he liked being needed and being in charge.

Finally, Horatio comes into the room, exhausted. “You, too,” the DAR said, jokingly, “How many problems have you solved today?” “Lots,” Horatio said, “I feel like a rubber ball being bounced from one Companion to the other.” “Shall I go outside and tell everyone to calm down,” the DAR asked. “No,” Horatio said, “To tell you the truth, DAR, I’m kind of enjoying it. It’s wearing me out, but it gives me a feeling of belonging and I like that.” “Yeah,” said the DAR, “I know what you mean,” with that, Horatio turns and rushes out of the room to the mayhem outside. DAR noticed that some of the sadness that shadowed Horatio since Dobbs passed away had dis-appeared. There seemed to be more spring in his step.

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The Pop and MOM arrived at their respective jobs with stories well prepared to explain their absence for the last few days. The Pop sold real estate on the weekends, but his real job was in sales management in the computer hardware and software industry. The Pop’s story was another whopper. He told his boss there was an electrical fire at the house, caused by a faulty outlet. The fire ruined some of the electrical wiring and part of the wall and wood floor in one of the rooms. He had to be there to find workman and coordinate and supervise repairs. Pretty good, huh, the Pop thought with pride. Actually, with all the stuff the Pop had on his mind, he was not really concerned whether anyone believed him or not; his job would not be on the line. He was a player in the company. You know, the guy that brought in the bacon. But in retrospect, performance does not always guarantee job security; being a good politician trumps all.

The MOM’s story, however, was not going to be easy to tell. It was fantastic, it was unbelievable, it was just crazy, and worse, it was the truth. As she walked into work, she had this strong feeling it would be her last day. She just knew that when she told her story to her boss, she would be taken into a small room and summarily fired. “Well, here goes,” she said out loud, as she opened the front door of the space tech giant.

The MOM quickly walked to her desk, with few “hellos,” keeping her head down so that she would avoid eye contact and conversa-tion with concerned and nosy co-workers. When she reached her desk, she hurriedly unloaded her purse and lunch into a drawer. Her desk was just outside her boss’s office. Just as she was about to take a seat to review the pile of phone messages, Big Chuck, her boss, waved her into his office. Slowly, she picked up her steno pad and walked nervously into the room of doom.

“Good morning,” Big Chuck said, “how are things at home? You said when you called in, that there was a problem with a family member,” Big Chuck said without pause, “is everything OK?” “Well, things are stable,” the MOM said shaking, “but he’s still not

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out of the woods. It’s going to take some effort to get him back to where he needs to be,” she said cryptically. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Big Chuck asked sympathetically. “Well, Chuck, as a matter of fact, there is,” the MOM replied, “I was wondering if we could have lunch some day this week; I would prefer to discuss it offline, if that’s OK with you.” “Sure,” Big Chuck said a little sur-prised, “how about today; I’m going to be busy the rest of the week. I have to go to Houston to talk to the NASA guys.” “Today would be perfect,” the MOM said as she rose to her feet. “How does one o’clock sound,” she said, “I have a desk full of messages and some reports to get out.” “OK,” Big Chuck said.

As the MOM walked to her desk she thought, great, I just told the VP of Engineering of a major corporation, that I was very busy and practically “told” him “one o’clock would be OK with me.” It’s a wonder he didn’t say, “Oh, yes ma’am I’ll adjust my schedule, right now. The MOM sat down and began to prepare her story. She was almost in a trance as her brain went whirling.

Just then, the MOM felt a hand on her shoulder; it was her friend and co-worker, Terry. “Vicki, Vicki, snap out of it! Are you OK? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” “You have no idea how close you are to the truth,” the MOM said, barely coming out of her trance. “What’s the matter?” Terry said. “Is there anything I can do?” “I wish I could tell you, Terry,” the MOM said, “but if I did, you would drive me straight to the nut house.” “Honey, we’re al-ready in the nut house,” Terry said, “and you know me, I don’t shock easy. I’ve seen and heard a lot of stuff in my life. I think I have a pretty tough skin. Why don’t you give me a try?”

The MOM just stared at her for a long time, trying to decide whether or not to tell her good friend. “OK, Terry, but you have to promise me that whether you believe me or not, you won’t tell anyone,” the MOM said, “not even your husband. Do you think you can keep a secret so important that it might change the world if the secret were revealed?” “Holy Christmas, are you kidding me?” Terry said. “Are you really kidding me? This sounds like some pretty serious stuff.” “You have to promise, right now,” the

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Mom said. “This is very important to a lot of people. If I tell you and you tell anyone, some people could be hurt, even killed.” Terry’s face turns white; she sits down on the chair next to the MOM’s desk. She pauses for a second, looking down at the floor. “I promise,” Terry said, taking a deep breath and looking up at the MOM, staring her straight in the eye. “If I’m going to tell you,” the MOM said, “we need to go somewhere private; let’s go to my car.”

Nearly an hour passes before the two return from the parking lot. Their faces are somber, but determined, as they come through the door. The MOM feels better and more confident now that she has told someone she trusts. Well at least she didn’t jump out of my car and run screaming for the security guard, the Mom thought. Maybe I have a chance of getting Big Chuck to believe me.

But what if she is just pretending to understand and decides to tell someone. I could be endangering everyone. Oh, what have I done? The Mom looks worried as she sneaks a look at Terry sitting a few desks away. She sees Terry on the phone. Who is she talk-ing to? The MOM wonders. That’s Great! Now, I have to drive my-self nuts, afraid that she will tell someone.

As one o’clock approaches, the MOM can’t take her eyes off of Big Chuck’s door. Constantly, she alternates her attention, looking at her watch, then Terry, then Big Chuck’s door. The MOM tries to distract herself with work, but only seems to babble as she returns the many phone messages left on her desk. She has to pay atten-tion to work, she lectures herself, or someone really is going to think something is wrong. Another call, another look at Terry and then the door, again.

The MOM can see, through the office glass, that Big Chuck is walk-ing toward his door. As she turns back to look once more at her friend, she suddenly feels that hand, again, gently touch her shoulder. It is Terry. “Now, honey, I know you’re probably worried about telling me this story,” Terry said, “but I’m going to promise once again, that what you told me, stays right here,” she said firmly as she touched her finger to her head. “Now, calm down

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and concentrate on making Big Chucky, a believer.”

As the MOM watches Big Chuck approach her desk, a strange calm comes over her. She is peaceful and serene. She rises from her desk as if she were floating. She smiles warmly at her boss. “Thank you for doing this, Chuck,” the MOM said. “I really appreci-ate it.” The two turn and leave as Terry watches them disappear through the front door. She too, now worries that something will go wrong.

The MOM and her boss arrive at the restaurant, just a few blocks away; it is a favorite eatery of SLT employees. The MOM steps to the hostess desk first and requests a table in the back where they would not be disturbed. The request puzzles Big Chuck, but he said nothing, as the two are escorted to the rear of the restaurant. “How is this,” the hostess said, slyly, “Is this private enough?” “Yes,” the MOM said, sensing the hostess’s suspicions of other in-tentions. “Do you want me to close the partition for more pri-vacy,” the hostess said, again with a sly smile. “No!” the MOM said, firmly, “we’re fine, thank you.” The MOM sat so that she could observe anyone approaching the table. She had to make sure no one overheard her.

“So, what’s this all about?” Big Chuck said without wasting any time on small talk. “I have to tell you a story,” the MOM said, “but I am concerned that you will think I have lost my mind and leave before I can finish my story. Will you promise me you will hear the whole story before you respond?” “Yes, I promise,” Big Chuck said, a little worried.

The MOM begins to tell the story of her boys and their fantastic journey. Not only is she talking about an alien from another world, but she is also telling her boss about dogs who can talk to hu-mans. As she reveals the story, she watches Big Chuck’s body language. He is squirming in his seat, nervously. The MOM can tell that it will not be an easy task to make her boss a believer. Af-ter all, he is engineer, he deals in facts; he is precise. Engineers deal with reality, not fantasy. How would LarZac, in his great wis-

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dom, explain this to a skeptic? she thought.

It took over two hours to tell her story to her boss. By this time, Big Chuck is a man on fire. He can hardly keep his body still, but he does not want to alarm the MOM. “Well, Chuck, what do you think? Am I crazy?” the MOM asked nervously. “Ah, well, yes…I mean no,” Big Chuck replied, “ I mean, yes, this is a fantastic story and no, I don’t think you would be crazy enough to tell a story like that and jeopardize your job just to cover your absence. However, I really don’t know who is going to believe you?” “But the question is, do you believe me?” the MOM asked. “I do believe you; I be-lieve what you have told me is true,” replied Big Chuck.

A chill comes over the MOM. She knows what Big Chuck means…that he thinks she is nuts! This was a bad idea, I had a real reason for telling you this story, the MOM thought, half frightened and half angry, “I didn’t tell you this fantastic story just to entertain you. I need your help so that we can return this spirit to his world without harm. My husband and I wanted to show this gentle being that humans can express compassion; that we can help without asking anything in return. Maybe I was just naïve. I can tell you are very uncomfortable right now, but before you say anything, give me a chance to prove to you that what I’m telling you is true. Give me a couple of days to bring you proof and if you don’t be-lieve me, then you can tell the authorities. Promise me you will give me time. I can tell you that this ‘entity’ has knowledge that could help you, and I assume this has crossed your mind; but it would only be in return for your help in getting him to the safety of his ship. You must decide, now! I can’t trust that he will be safe, otherwise.”

Big Chuck now senses the MOM doesn’t trust him and suspects he will betray her to the authorities or, at the very least, senior man-agement. He is angry with himself for not telling her directly that he believed her, so that he would have more time to talk to his “higher ups.” He needs to save the day.

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“OK, OK, Vicki, please calm down,” Big Chuck said as he begins to sweat. “I know this is a stressful time for you. I tell you what I’ll do; I’ll give you the forty-eight hours you asked for, but you must promise not to tell anyone else in the company. Agreed?” Oh, boy, the MOM thought, I can’t tell him that I told Terry; that cer-tainly could put her in harm’s way. “OK,” the MOM said, “let’s go back to work first, there are some things I need to do.”

CHAPTER NINE

The Pursuit

The two leave the restaurant and return to the office. The trip was quiet; not a word was spoken between them. In the course of a few hours, the two had gone from friends to adversaries, silently planning their next move.

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The two arrive at the office and return quickly to their respective desks. Each can see the other through Big Chuck’s office window. They both reach for their phone, almost simultaneously. The calls begin. The MOM suspects Big Chuck is calling the big boys up-stairs. The MOM’s first call is to Terry’s desk. “Hello, Engineering, this is Terry.” “Terry, this is Vicki, things didn’t go well with Chuck. I can’t talk I have to go, but if anyone asks, you know nothing, OK? I told Chuck that I didn’t tell anyone in the com-pany.” Terry looked across the desks at the MOM and said noth-ing; she just smiled as if to acknowledge what she heard. “Stay on the line after I hang up; I don’t want it to look like we are talk-ing. The MOM hung up and pretended to continue working. Her next call was to the Pop. “Bear, the MOM said, as the Pop an-swered his truck phone, “I told Chuck. It was a good idea gone badly. We may have to move our ‘guest’.” “What?” shouted the Pop, “does Big Chuck know where the ‘guest’ is?” “No,” the MOM said excitedly, “but whoever Chuck tells may follow me, so I have to lead them away while you gather everyone up.” “OK,” the Pop said.

“Have you picked up Brett, yet?” the MOM asked. “Yes,” the Pop said, “and I’ve told him everything…it’s OK, I think; he knows his parents are crazy, but he has a real worried look on his face, right now.” The Pop turns on the speakerphone so Brett can hear the rest of the conversation. “Hi, Mom,” Brett said, “I hear you’ve been busy.” “Hi, sweetheart, it’s nice to hear your voice. We will talk later,” the MOM said. “You two better drive home fast, be-cause I’ll be leaving here in a little while and I’m sure they will be following me. I’ll drive around the valley a while and try to distract them. They may send someone to the house, but I don’t think they will call the authorities just yet, until they can figure things out.”

The two men head for home in NASCAR fashion, taking a shortcut through the canyon. As the two race up the canyon, the Pop’s cell phone rings again. “Bear,” the MOM said, excitedly, “I just re-membered something; when we moved, I never gave the Person-nel Dept. our new address. They don’t know where we live!”

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“Wow, I never thought of that,” the Pop said. “Maybe I can slow down a little, now, see ‘ya.”

The MOM keeps herself busy with work until quitting time. She constantly watches her boss, looking for any unusual activity. Big Chuck is continuously on the phone, but that’s just part of his day. No matter where the MOM goes in the department, she never loses sight of Big Chuck’s office or her desk, for that matter. She knows something is up, but there is nothing out of the ordinary; nothing that is until just before five o’clock. As the MOM walks slowly back to her desk, she sees two men walk quickly into Big Chuck’s office. They are standing and talking as if in a huddle. The MOM pretends not to notice, while she glances out of the cor-ner of her eye. Within minutes, she can see Big Chuck and one of the men point to her through the office glass. The Mom suspects something bad is about to happen. She hurriedly closes her desk. She waits until the men turn their attention away from her and then rushes through the front door and into the parking lot.

The MOM turns back to see if anyone is following her. As she does, she notices Terry rushing out the door and jumping into her car. I wonder why she is in such a rush. The MOM starts her car and heads for the main gate, watching in her rear view mirror. She drives quickly through the gate. Suddenly, there is a black car speeding up close behind her. She can see two men inside. Just as they approach the gate, a big red car darts in front of them and brakes abruptly in front of the gate blocking the exit. The MOM slows to see what’s going on. It’s Terry! “Bless her,” the MOM said out loud, “I think I know what she is doing. As they say in football, she is running interference and that was a beautiful block.” The MOM speeds away to take advantage of her friend’s brave act.

She heads directly home, now, since there is no longer a need to drive all over town trying to lose the two pursuers in the black car. The MOM calls the Pop from her cell phone to tell him what just happened. “We still must be very careful,” She said. “There is still a good chance they can find us.”

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The Pop and Buddy arrived home just ahead of the MOM and there is no chance to introduce Brett to LarZac or say ‘Hi’ to DAR and Beau or meet the other Companions. Brett was apprehensive about meeting LarZac. What should his first words be, he thought, “Hi, I’m Brett from earth and you’re not. By the way, do you have the power to get me a Corvette? No, he might zap me for being selfish and greedy. But on the other hand, if he got me a ‘Vette, I could learn to live with the guilt… Nah, I better not.

The Pop goes immediately outside to gather the leaders around him. The Pop tells LarZac what has happened at the MOM’s work and then leads the crew back to the house. DAR and Beau charge ahead, they can’t wait to greet their brother. Brett bends down to say “Hi” and is almost knocked over by Beau’s enthusiasm. “Buddy, you’re home, you’re home,” DAR and Beau say in unison. Brett was taken aback by understanding their yelps as LarZac translates their greeting. “I missed you guys, too, you hosers,” Brett said as he hugs his brothers.

As Brett rises to greet LarZac, no words are spoken. Each stares at the other in a long silence. The Pop looks at the both of them. “Ah, Hello, you two,” the Pop said, “How about ‘a hello, nice to meet you’.” Brett looked at his father. “We’ve already spoken,” Brett said. “What?” the Pop said, “I didn’t hear you say anything.” “No, Pop, we didn’t have to speak. I knew what he was thinking and he knew what I was thinking. That’s weird, huh?” The Pop looks at LarZac who has a contented look on his face.

“There are some humans on this earth who are endowed with a special energy that has been given to them by their ancestors who were the original in habitants of this planet,” LarZac said. “These inhabitants were here thousands of years before humans appeared. Their genetic structures were left in the earth from which humans came. Most of these genetic lines have disap-peared and there are only a very few true bloodlines that have survived here on the earth. This has happened on many worlds throughout the universe. The earth is one of the few worlds re-

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maining to have remnants of this early civilization. Only the Omni knows how and why they disappeared.”

“Are you telling me that my son, is an alien?” the Pop said. “No, not exactly,” LarZac explained, “Brett is quite human, however, his essence…his mind has a memory of that culture and that makes him very special.”

“Well, that wonderful revelation not withstanding, we have to get you out of here, right now,” the Pop said. “Buddy and I will take you and the boys somewhere, I just don’t know where, yet.”

When the MOM arrives home, she dashes inside to gather every-one together. Brett appears in the doorway, waiting to greet his MOM after a long summer. It is just a quick hug and greeting; the MOM has other things on her mind. She pulls the Pop and Brett into a room. “What are we going to do,” the MOM said excitedly, “we may have to hide LarZac. Sooner or later they are going to find out where we live; it’s just a matter of time,” she repeats.

LarZac joins the group to learn the plan. “I know where we can take them and no one will ever find them,” Brett said calmly. “And where is that,” the Pop said. “We can take everyone to school…to the gym at my old junior high.” “They keep that all locked up, Buddy, now that the school is closed,” the Pop said. “We would have to break in and I don’t want to do that.” “We won’t have to break in, Pop, I know a way to get in…the guys and I used to play basketball there at night. Remember, Pop, you al-ways said that ingenuity is the mother of invention…and some-times you should keep the invention to yourself.” “Well, I’m glad your learning from the grand master,” the Pop said, jokingly puff-ing his chest out. “What a Hoser,” Brett replied, shaking his head and smiling. “What is a ‘Hoser’, Pop,” LarZac asked. “It’s a term of endearment, LarZac,” the Pop answered, with pride, ”It means great and handsome wise one. It’s a sign of respect by the young for someone who has raised and fed and nurtured them and never tried to sell them at a yard sale,” the Pop replied with a cocked smile, while looking sternly at his son. “I think that is wonderful,

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Pop, that your son holds you in such high regard,” LarZac said. The Pop glances at the MOM with a look of appreciation that their new friend has not yet mastered the subtle nuances of the lan-guage.

“Bear, this is serious,” the MOM said. “We could have visitors any minute.” “I know, honey,” The Pop said, “I’m sorry, I just needed a 5 second break.”

Brett and his father take off in the truck with LarZac, DAR and Beau. As the men rush down the street, they pass a black car rac-ing in the direction of the house. The Pop picks up his cell and calls home. The MOM answers with a cautious “hello.” “Hello, Honey, the Pop said, excitedly, “I think those guys from work are headed to the house. We’ll secure LarZac and come right back. Don’t let them in, lock up the house.”

The MOM hangs up the phone and begins securing the house, hid-ing everyone outside and then locking the windows and doors. The MOM peers through the window blinds, watching for the black car.

In a few minutes, her worst fears are realized. The black car pulls slowly into the driveway and stops. No one exits the car. The two men sit in the car just staring at the house. The MOM continues to stare out the window, through the blinds, not taking her eyes off the car.

Suddenly, the doors to the car open as the two men exit the car and walk slowly toward the front door…the MOM panics. What if they break the door down, the MOM thought, what if they have guns. There is a knocking on the door. “Mrs. Reed, are you in there?” came the loud voice. The MOM does not respond. “My name is Mark Cooper from Space Logic Technologies; I’m with se-curity, Victoria. Can you please open the door; we would like to talk to you.” The MOM doesn’t answer. She moves quietly to the entrance of the hallway in case they try to break the door down.

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“Victoria, please open the door; we are not here to harm you,” Cooper said. “We are here to help.” Cooper knocks louder; the MOM is getting scared. She reaches for the phone to call the Pop. As she dials the Pop’s cell phone, she hears men’s voices outside. She rushes to the window to see who is outside. “It’s the Pop and Brett,” she said, thrilled. The Pop and Buddy had rolled up quietly and stopped the truck next door and walked silently across the front lawn and stood behind the two men. “Who are you guys?” the Pop said, “and what do you want here?” The two men, sur-prised, turned abruptly. “Are you Mr. Reed,” Cooper asked, step-ping off the porch and onto the grass. “Why don’t you show me some ID first,” the Pop said, “and then we’ll discuss who I am.”

“Sir, my name is Cooper and this is my partner; we are with Space Logic Technologies security,” Cooper said as he produced his ID. “Sir, are you Mr. Reed?” “What do you guys want here,” the Pop asked without answering the man’s question. “Sir, your wife has relayed a story to Space Logic Technologies management that was quite alarming, not to mention dubious,” Cooper said. “We would like to speak to her to see if we can straighten this out.”

“I tell you what, boys, I’ll ask my wife if she wants to talk to you,” the Pop said in a firm voice. “Wait here! My son will keep you company while I go inside.” The Pop brushes past the two men and uses his key to open the door.

“What do they want?” the MOM said as the Pop closed the door. “You know what they want,” the Pop replied, “if they bring up any-thing about aliens, just tell them you don’t know what they are talking about. And that you have no intention of discussing any issue with them that is connected to work, especially anything that may have been discussed with management.”

The MOM and the Pop step outside to confront the two visitors. “Yes, what is it you want,” the MOM said in a soft voice. “Mrs. Reed, we understand that you had a conversation with your boss, today,” Cooper said. “Is that correct?” “I had several conversa-tions with my boss, today,” the MOM said, “how does that concern

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you?” “Well, we understand that you talked about an alien pres-ence that we believe has appeared in this area,” Cooper said. The MOM starts to laugh. “What did you say, ‘an alien’?” the MOM said, playing dumb, “When you say ‘alien’, are you talking about someone from another country? A non-citizen?” “No Ma’am, I mean an ‘alien’, as from another planet,” Cooper said. “Sir, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the MOM said, indignantly. “What is this all about? Is this some kind of joke?”

The Pop steps a little closer to the men. “What are you guys try-ing to do, frighten my wife,” he said. The MOM begins to shake and tears start to roll down her cheek. “Now look what you’ve done,” the Pop said. “Why don’t you guys take a hike?” Buddy takes a step closer to the men. He is taller than the Pop who is 6’2”. The two security guys take a look at the two guardians of the MOM and quickly back up a few steps.

“Now look folks, don’t get excited, we’re here to help you,” Cooper said. “If what your wife told us is true, we can help. You know that you were seen in the park the other night, where the police were called. It’s reported that an alien object was observed before it disappeared, according to a police report. We are inclined to think you know more about this than you’re letting on. To tell you the truth, I think this is a lot of nonsense, a big hoax; but if it isn’t, you are going to need a lot of help to achieve what you discussed with your boss.”

“Well, Mr. Cooper, I tell you what; if I see any ‘aliens’, you guys will be the first ones I call,” the Pop said, “but before you go, let me ask you a hypothetical question. What if there were an alien around here, someplace, say right behind you, what would you do to help?” The security guys turn around with the speed of a Ma-rine-about-face on a parade ground. There is no one there. “Gotcha,” the Pop said, with a big smile on his face, “So, I guess you don’t think, ‘aliens from space’ is a lot of non-sense after all, huh, Mr. Cooper,” the Pop concluded.

“Mr. Reed, I can’t give you all the details,” Cooper said, “but I can 255

tell you, hypothetically, that your ‘friend’ would be protected and we would do everything possible to help the ‘friend’ get back to his ship. The authorities would not be involved. They would be kept out of the loop, we promise.” “Thank you for that informa-tion, guys,” the Pop said. “We’ll be in touch.” The Pop, Buddy, and the MOM return to the house. The Pop watches through the window as the two security guys leave. Buddy retrieves the truck and parks it in the driveway.

“You were great, Honey,” the Pop said, with a grin. “Those tears were the perfect touch. I’m going to make sure you get an Oscar for your performance.” “It’s not funny, Bear,” said the MOM, “this is serious stuff. I don’t trust those guys. How are they going to keep this quiet? Do you think they will call the police or the FBI?” “No way,” the Pop said, “there is too much value for the Company for them to tell the world. Once the government knows, it’s over for SLT. They have lost their power, their control. They need to figure out how to get us to trust them. We need to find out if they are going to help and how quickly.”

“The next Shuttle launch is scheduled in ten days,” the MOM said, “how are they going plow through all the bureaucracy and politics, not to mention all the ‘well intending’ scientists who would love to get their hands on LarZac. If we talk to these guys again, security has to be topic number one. We have to get them to move fast and not give them time to think about this too much. One thing I have learned, working at SLT, is that no one makes decisions uni-laterally. All important decisions are made by committee. The only way we can have an advantage is if we give them very short deadlines; that’s the only way this will work.”

“We have to tell LarZac what happened and make sure he is OK with this; it’s his life that’s on the line,” the Pop said. “Maybe he will want to hide until we can find another way to get him back to his ship.

Horatio has to come with me in case LarZac, and the boys had to change locations; Horatio will find them.” “You left DAR and Beau

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at the gym,” the MOM yelled at the Pop. “Yes, Honey, I didn’t have a choice, the boys insisted on staying with LarZac. You and Brett stay here with the others; we’ll be right back.”

The Pop and Horatio hop in the Silverado. As the two back out of the driveway, the MOM watches them from the garage opening. She can see two worried but determined faces through the wind-shield. She too, is worried.

As the MOM turns to go in the house, she notices Brett putting something in the backseat of the car. “What are you doing, “ the MOM asked. “Nothing, just putting something in the car,” Brett said, “Let’s go back in the house.” Brett closes the garage door as he hurries the MOM back into the house. “I have a funny feeling about the school. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything to Pop.” Brett said. “Don’t be worried,” the MOM said, “there are a lot of smart people in that crowd over there. Your Pop will think of something if things go wrong.” “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of,” Brett said.

The Pop and Horatio arrive at the school, just a few blocks away and proceed on foot to the hidden entrance, a small maintenance door that was no longer used since the building was remodeled years before. The door was essentially abandoned and never locked after the new construction was completed. The two walked slowly, looking for signs of school security or other personnel. The Pop and Horatio finally reach the door; the Pop slowly opens it. Suddenly, there are blinding lights shinning in the Pop’s face. “Stop right there, Mr. Reed,” a familiar voice said, “just step away from the door, now, I said.” The Pop snaps around, holding his hand up in front of his eyes to shield them from the blinding light. “Who are you,” the Pop said. “Did you think we would just let this go, Mr. Reed?” the voice replied. “Is that you, Cooper,” the Pop said recognizing the voice. “Yes, Sir, it is,” Cooper answered, “what are you doing here, Mr. Reed?” “I lost my dog and we’re looking for him; he usually comes over to the school when he gets out,” the Pop said matter-of-factly. “You and your dog were look-

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ing for your dog,” Cooper said sarcastically. “We have more than one dog,” the Pop replied in the same tone. “Why don’t you let us take a look for you,” Cooper said. “We don’t need any help, thank you,” the Pop said. “I’m afraid you don’t have any choice, Mr. Reed,” said Cooper, still holding his flashlight on the Pop’s face. The Pop could barely see the two figures coming toward him.

As the two security men approached within a few feet of the Pop, he could see that Cooper’s partner was holding a gun. “Hey, hold on cowboy,” the Pop said in a commanding voice, “put that gun down before someone gets hurt.” “I can’t do that, Mr. Reed,” Cooper said, “now, please step aside.” The Pop and Horatio back up slowly, not taking their eyes off the two men. As Cooper grabs the door handle, the door flies open knocking Cooper backward, to the ground. Beau and DAR fly out through the small door attack-ing Cooper and his partner. Beau jumps on top of Cooper’s part-ner and bites him on the hand holding the gun. The man screams in pain and drops the gun. Horatio runs to assist his two friends and rushes to the gun lying on the ground. Horatio quickly picks up the weapon and runs off.

DAR is standing on Cooper’s chest; Cooper tries to rise to his feet. DAR is mad. He does one of his famous rabbers on the man’s chest and then with the speed of a martial artist, scratches hard with his paw on Cooper’s nose. His nails are sharp. Cooper grabs his nose; he can feel the blood rushing down his face. DAR jumps off Cooper’s chest and stands a few feet away, growling and threatening to attack again. Cooper jumps to his feet and runs back to the safety of the car with his partner close behind.

Beau is in shock! He is in awe of his Papa’s ferocious power. “Papa, Papa, you were great,” Beau said, excitedly. I never knew you could fight like that; I’m so proud of you, Papa.”

Horatio returns from hiding the gun and joins Beau in extolling his Papa’s prowess. “I guess we will never underestimate your Papa’s ability ever again,” Horatio said. The DAR just looks at the two ad-mirers and smiles. “Just remember, that,” the DAR said, with a

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smile.

“We have to go inside and find LarZac, right now” DAR said, com-mandingly. “I’m right here,” LarZac said, as he bent down to come through the old maintenance door. “I’m sorry I didn’t help you all, but if I did, that would have confirmed that I exist and that I’m here. It looks like you men did OK without me.” “We have to get you out of here and back home,” DAR said, “but I’m not sure how safe it will be. We have no choice right, now.”

The crew jumps in the truck and returns to the temporary safety of the garage. “OK, everybody out of the truck and gather in the house,” the Pop said. “Beau, go get everybody in the backyard and bring them in the house, we are going to have a family meet-ing.” Beau smiles and jumps at the chance to do what he loves to do, what he was born to do…”herding.” Now Beau could have just told everybody to go inside, but herding was more fun.

Inside, Pop tells the leaders that he is not going to alarm everyone with the details of what happened. “It is not necessary to frighten everyone,” the Pop said, “they have been through enough al-ready.”

In typical Beau fashion, he flings the slider open with his nose, and hustles everyone inside. “What’s going on,” Mick said. “Yeah, we were just turning in for the night,” Robert D. said, “when Mr. Bus-tle Butt starts licking everybody’s face and waking us up. Mirabella was doing her business, when Mr. Round-up knocked her off her stance. I don’t think she is too happy right now.” The Pop looks at Beau who is sitting off to the side, smiling and proud of his performance. “Beau, why don’t you come over and sit next to Mirabella?” the Pop said. “No, that’s OK, Pop, I’m OK, right here.” “Smart boy,” the Pop said with a look of dismay.

“Well, everybody,” the Pop said, “ I just wanted to remind you all how important it is to keep your eyes and ears open, especially from this point forward. Be aware of any strange noises or any-thing out of the ordinary. We still must be vigilant.” “I heard some

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strange noises last night,” Mirabella said, in disgust. “I had to get up and leave the room, before I choked to death. Some of these guys can kill you while you sleep.” Muffled laughter fills the room. “Now, come on you guys,” the DAR said, “this is serious business, we need to be very alert.”

You mean in case Cooper and his friends come back,” Mick said. The Pop looks completely surprised. “And how do you know about ‘Cooper and his friends’, Mick?” the Pop asked. “There is nothing faster than the Companion-Vine,” Mick said. “Unless it’s the Beau-Vine,” the Pop snapped, looking at his handsome boy. “I couldn’t help it, Pop, when I woke Robert D., he grabbed my fur and told me I would be sleeping with the fishes, if I didn’t tell everyone what was going on.”

“Well, I guess everyone knows, now,” continued the Pop, “so I guess the only thing I can say is ‘battle stations.’ It’s important to protect LarZac and make sure he gets back to his people. We can learn much from him while he is here. I have promised we will not jeopardize his safety. Everyone has to be keenly aware of what’s going on at every point in the yard, at all times. We are going to have to double the guards around the wall. DAR, Horatio and Si-mon, you guys will be in charge of setting up guard duty. Now, let’s get organized. Everybody, whoever isn’t on guard duty, get some rest; we may be here a few days longer.”

When the sun comes up, the Pop rises to find his guards on duty, pacing the grounds watching every inch of the yard. He stares through the sliding glass door at his new band of soldiers, joining together, cats and canines united to protect a friend. The Pop feels a sense of pride; that he is doing something of value; some-thing more than just earning a living and surviving. How many hu-mans dream of a life of fulfillment; a sense that they have done something good with their life? Don’t we all dream of leaving the earth a little better than we found it, the Pop thought, even if it only affects one life.

As the MOM and the Pop watch everyone assemble outside for 260

guard duty assignments, they look peacefully at their new friends. “We have taken on a great responsibility,” the Pop said. “I know we have,” said the MOM, softly.

“You know,” the Pop said, “I think, given what’s happened, it’s a good idea if we tried to contact NASA directly and put out some feelers. What is the name of that engineer at NASA that you al-ways talk to; the one that always talks to you about the latest Star Journey episodes on TV?” the Pop asked. “Oh, you mean Mike Merrywether,” the MOM replied. “Yeah, give him a call and make up a story that’s like our situation and see how he reacts to it and then take it from there.” “Mike’s number is in my desk,” the MOM said, “Obviously, I’m not going back to work until this thing is re-solved and that could be a while.”

The MOM goes into her home office and calls Terry, immediately. She knows Terry gets to work early before anyone else in the de-partment, making it easy to approach the MOM’s desk without be-ing noticed.

Its noontime before Terry can take the MOM’s things from the building and call with Mike’s number. “Hi Terry,” said the MOM, “how did things go at work? Was there any activity there this morning?” “Boy, I guess so,” Terry said. “You know, it’s a good thing I got to work early. As soon as everybody got here, Chuck and two other guys raided your desk and took everything out of it, right down to the paper clips.” “Yeah, I don’t blame them,” the MOM said, sarcastically, “you know how much information you can get from those paper clips once you examine them closely.

I really appreciate you doing this; I know how dangerous this could be for you.” “I kinda’ like the excitement, “ Terry said, “It breaks up the boredom.” “This is not a game, Terry,” the MOM said, “you be aware of who’s around you and if you’re being followed. I don’t want any harm to come to you. You should know that those guys from Security might try to follow you. You know the cars…like the ones you cut off the other day.

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Please give me Mike’s number, now, and I’ll meet you in a little bit to pick up the rest of my stuff. We’ll meet at our favorite restau-rant, uptown. Again, make sure your not followed.” Terry gives the MOM Mike’s number and quickly hangs up and returns to her car. Taking the MOM’s advice, Terry drives around before return-ing to work to make sure no one is on her tail. She purposely drives through several residential blocks. As she turns into an area of houses, she notices a black car coming out of nowhere, driving slowly a few hundred feet behind her.

Terry recognizes the car behind her; she knows she has to delay her shadowers. She selects a house at random and turns into the driveway. She sits in the car until the two men pass by, hoping they haven’t been spotted. Terry quickly runs to the front door and frantically knocks. In a minute, the door opens and a woman appears. “Yes, can I help you?” the woman asks. “Yes, please help me. I was on my way back to my work, when I noticed these two men following me. One of the men waved a gun at me and I’m frightened. Could I use your phone to call the police? “ “Yes, of course, come in,” the woman said excitedly.

Terry quickly grabs the phone and calls 911 and tells her story, giving a description of the car. She hopes she can delay the two tailgaters long enough to get away from them. “Can I wait here until the police come; they should be here any minute.” “Of course,” the woman said.

Within a few minutes, the police arrive and Terry rushes out on the front lawn to greet the police and point them in the direction of the tailgaters. The two cops jump in the police car and race down the street toward the black car, now parked a block away. Terry watches as the police pull in front of the car. The two cops jump from the car with guns drawn. Terry knows this is her chance to make her get away. She hurriedly starts her car and heads in the opposite direction, away from the bad guys. As she races down the street, she can see the two followers exit the car with their hands raised above their heads.

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Meanwhile, Vicki wasted no time dialing the phone and calling her contact at NASA. “Hi, Mike, this is Vicki Reed at SLT. How are you, today?” “I’m great. How are you, Vicki.” Mike said. “What’s up?” “Well,” Vicki said, “I have a story to tell you, but before I do, I have to ask you a couple of hypothetical questions. Do you have a few minutes to spare?” “I’m a government employee, I always have a few minutes to spare,” Mike said, laughing. “Mike, what if I told you I had a package that I wanted to send into space,” the MOM said, nervously, “and this package was so important, that what was in the package could affect everyone in the whole world. And, if this package got into the wrong hands, it could be used to control millions of people. Would you help deliver the package into space or would you turn it over to the authorities?” Mike leans forward in his chair and partially covers the mouthpiece on the phone. He senses that this is not a hypothetical question. “God, Vicki,” said Mike, “what have you gotten yourself into?” “Believe me, Mike, I didn’t do this voluntarily,” the MOM replied, “this was all just thrown at me, like a bolt of lightning by some people I care about very much. I had to make a decision and I’ve made it.”

“Is this thing dangerous?” Mike said in an excited whisper, “Could it explode or anything like that? Is it a chemical?” “No, no,” the MOM said quickly, “it’s not dangerous, it won’t explode and it’s not a chemical, I promise.” “What is it, then?” Mike said, demanding. “If I tell you, you would never believe me, you would think I was nuts. I’m asking you to trust me. It is important to the world that this package be delivered into space.” “You mean to the ‘Space Station’?” Mike quizzed. “Ah, Ah, yes, that’s right, to the ‘Space Station’,” Vicki said, haltingly, “but no one must know what is in the package.” “I’m sorry, Vicki,” Mike said, in a worried voice,” but I really must know what’s in the package. I would not want to be responsible for the lives of the astronauts, if something went wrong.” “I’ll tell you what,” the MOM said, “if you’re still con-cerned, I will show you the contents of the package before I trans-fer it to you. If you are still uncomfortable with what you see, the package will stay here. Fair enough?” “Yes, that makes me feel better,” Mike said.

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“Do you know anyone you could trust that might help us,” the MOM said, “people who could keep this quiet?” “You know, there might be a couple of people I could trust,” Mike said. “There are a couple of guys in our Space Theory Club who might help. We jok-ingly call it the ‘conspiracy club’ because there are a couple of guys in the club we call our ‘resident aliens’. These guys think there are aliens out there in space watching us.” “Great,” the MOM said, with a slight laugh, “those are just the guys, I want. When can they be ready to help?” “We have a club meeting tonight. I’ll call you after the meeting, I have your number from the contact list.” “Great, Mike,” Vicki, said, excitedly, “I’ll be wait-ing for your call.”

The MOM hung up and rushed to the living room where Pop, LarZac, DAR and Horatio were talking. “I just talked to Mike at NASA,” the MOM said, “he’s going to help us.” “That’s great,” said Pop, “but we are bringing a lot of people into the loop here, and that’s dangerous.” “I only told him I had a package,” the MOM said, “I didn’t tell him anything about LarZac. Hopefully, these guys will treat this like it’s a game and not something real. They may see this as a challenge to test the security of the system. It will be a game to them, I hope.”

The MOM picked up her things and headed for the door. “I have to go, now. I have to meet Terry; she’s waiting for me at Mrs. Baker Bee’s restaurant.” “Well, I’m going to follow you in case you are pursued,” the Pop said, “maybe I can run interference, if I have to. Brett, please stay here with Beau and Horatio and protect the others; you know what to do if anything happens.” “OK, Pop,” Brett said, “nobody gets in here unless they’re in a helicopter or a tank…or they knock real loud.” “More humor, Great!” the Pop said, “I’ll get you an audition at the ‘Funny Bone’ when this is all over.” The Pop bowed his head and smiled as he followed the MOM out the door.

“Terry is waiting and I don’t know if she’s had any problems,” the MOM said, as she heads for the car. “I’m going too,” the DAR said,

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as he came charging out behind them, “and so is LarZac, so I can talk to the Pop. No one is going to hurt my MOM.” The MOM and Pop are stunned by the DAR’s commanding voice. They both look at LarZac as if to say, what was that? LarZac just hurried every-one along as he quickly followed DAR into the back seat of the Sil-verado.

The MOM gets in her car, and speeds down the street followed close behind by the Pop and crew. She reaches the restaurant in record time.

As she scurries into the restaurant, the MOM looks frantically around the room searching for Terry. She spots her sitting in the back of the room, off the main traffic aisle, crouched down in the booth. “Terry,” the MOM said excitedly, “how come your sitting way back here, we usually sit up front?” “I had a little trouble with your friends, Cooper and his pal, Gumbo.” “What happened,” the MOM asked. “It doesn’t matter, right now,” Terry said dismis-sively. You have to take this and get out of here before they find us. Here, take your stuff.” As the MOM reaches for the package of the documents and things from her desk, Terry gently touches the MOM’s leg. “Don’t move and don’t turn around,” Terry said in strong whisper, “two guys from the office just walked in. They are from Computer Operations. They might not know what’s going with the company and us. Just don’t turn around; maybe they won’t recognize us.”

The two women wait until the two men are seated and then slowly slink out of the booth and walk quietly toward the back door. “Vicki, Terry, come say, ‘hello’,” comes a voice from the booth where the two men are sitting. The MOM and Terry cautiously walk with heads bowed to the table where the two men are sitting. “Hi, it’s Jackie from CO and you remember Pat, don’t you?” Jackie said. “Gosh, we haven’t seen you guys in a month, where have you been?” “We’ve been here all the time,” Terry said. “Where have you guys been?” “Oh, we had to go to the Cape to coordi-nate some software for the next shuttle launch,” Jackie said. “Well, I guess that explains it, doesn’t it?” Terry said, with a laugh,

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“You’ve been hiding from us.”

“Say I heard through the grapevine, there was some kind of trou-ble with you guys,” said Jackie “is everything, OK? Is there any-thing we can do to help? We heard you were being treated un-fairly.” The two women pause for a second. “You know,” Vicki said, “there is something you could do for us, don’t let them can-cel our security cards or clearances. We really have not done any-thing wrong and we don’t need to have everything cancelled on us until we can prove we have done nothing wrong.” The two men look at each other and just smile. Jackie looks up at the two women and says with a continued smile, “OK, you’ve got it. You two have always been nice to us. We never heard you call us Geeks or Nerds, once. You always treated us right.” “Thanks guys, we can use a break about, now,” Terry said. “We appreciate your help. Besides, if you are Geeks or Nerds, you’re the best looking ones, I’ve ever seen, right, Vicki?” “Right!” the MOM said, without pause. The two women smile shyly at the two men and walk away. As the two women, exit the restaurant, The MOM said, “that was great, Terry, I wouldn’t have had the courage to say that.”

As the two approached their respective cars, they both looked at the Pop and friends, but did not wave. They didn’t want to alert their ‘security detail’, in case they were being watched.

The two women started their cars and began to exit the parking lot when two cars came out of nowhere and blocked the driveway. Four men jumped from the cars with guns drawn, pointed at the two women. Terrified, the two women raise their hands in front of their face. They wait in horror for the men to say something or do something. The men don’t move. As the seconds pass…nothing. The men seem frozen in time.

Suddenly, there is a knocking on the MOM’s window; it’s the Pop. The MOM opens the door and leaps into the Pop’s arms. “What’s going on?” The MOM said, shaking. “These men are not moving.” “I know, isn’t it wonderful,” said Pop, “I told you LarZac has some

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special skills.”

Terry jumps from her car and rushes to the MOM and the Pop. “What the hell happened here?” Terry said, still terrified. “What happened to these guys?” “There is no time, now,” the MOM said. “I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now, we have to get out of here.”

While everyone has been talking, the DAR was busy running in and out of the cars, through the doors left opened by the anxious pursuers. DAR then rushes to the bad guys and begins to jump at the men stilled by the visitor from space. The Pop notices the DAR jumping at the guns the men are holding. “Yeah, you’re right, DAR,” the Pop said, picking up on the DAR’s gesture, “let’s get their guns.” The Pop hurries to pry the guns from the men’s hands. When the task is complete the group jumps in their cars and races from the scene.

“Oh, my God, I forgot to rip out their car mikes,” the Pop said. “Oh, don’t worry about that, Pop,” the DAR said. “I took care of that and some other things, too.” “What do you mean, ‘other things, too’?” the Pop asked. “Well, I ripped the mike cords out and broke the keys off in the ignitions,” the DAR said, “and I also left my calling card on the seats.” “Radar Reed, you didn’t do what I think you did, did you?” the Pop said, softly scolding. “Yes, Pop, I did,” the DAR said, with a big smile on his face. “Well, I’m ashamed,” said the Pop, as he paused for a few seconds, before a big smile came over his face, “but that was a good idea.” The two laughed as they turned to LarZac in the back seat. “You were a lifesaver, LarZac, thanks for your help,” the Pop said. “Those guys are going to be confused for days, when they wake up.” “I as-sumed that it makes little difference, now,” LarZac said, “their ac-tions tell me they are convinced I’m real and I’m here.”

As everyone arrives back home, the MOM calls Terry to make sure she got back home safely. The Pop gathers everyone together again, to announce that they must leave immediately before the authorities arrive. “We are all going on a great adventure,” the

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Pop said, “but please don’t be frightened, we will be safe, I prom-ise. Now, gather your favorite things, before we leave.” The MOM packs clothes for the family and DAR goes to his secret hiding place to retrieve “the diamond.”

The MOM pulls the Pop aside. “Exactly where are you taking all of us?” the MOM asked. “We can’t be seen by anyone. The whole se-curity team at SLT will be looking for us, now.” “Do you remember the old Preston estate up in the north valley? We ‘previewed’ it some time ago. It’s been vacant for years. Probate and lawsuits will keep that place vacant for years to come. There are no neigh-bors. It’s perfect.” The MOM was very quiet. “What’s the matter, princess?” the Pop said, embracing his little girl. “I’m just so frightened all the time,” the MOM said. “I’m worried that some-thing will happen to all of us. I can’t help it.” “Honey, this is a tough time for us and it may seem like it will never end,” the Pop whispered quietly in her ear. “ Fear has a way of creating its own misery. We have to fight through this. This is just a brief moment in our lives; a grain of sand in time. It will pass. And when we fin-ish this trial, this test of who we are, we’ll be ready for whatever life throws at us. And maybe this time, we’ll catch it and make it our own.”

Just then, the MOM feels something warm against her leg. She looks down to see her beloved little boy, the DAR. He is holding the drawstring to a little purple cloth bag in his teeth. The MOM secretly gave him the bag to make it easier to carry the precious diamond. She crouches down to talk to big man. “Is this for me to hold, DAR?” the MOM asked, as she gently took the bag from DAR. With LarZac’s help DAR says, “Yes, MOM, I tried to think of where I could hide this while we are away from the house and then I realized there is only one person who hides things better than me, and that’s you.” “I will take good care of it, DAR,” the MOM said as she gave her boy a kiss on the forehead. “Your MOM’s purse is a great place to hide things,” the Pop quipped, “not even the CIA could find anything in there.” “I’ll bet DAR could find it, if he wanted” the MOM said, defensively.

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Brett came in from the garage and announced that he had packed his car full of supplies and had more staged to go into MOM’s trunk. “Buddy, how did you know we were going somewhere?” the Pop asked. “I just had a strong feeling that something was wrong,” Buddy said. “That, and of course, and a little telepathic message from LarZac.” “Still with the funnies, ”the Pop said. “Well, I guess we could use a little humor, right now. Maybe if we treat this as a challenge, rather than a threat, we can deal with this situation a little better.” “Now you’ve got it, Pop, if we defeat ourselves with fear and anxiety, the bad guys win by default.” “Out of the mouths of babes,” the Pop said. “Babes, huh?” Buddy said, “I’ll get you for that. On second thought, I’ll let that slide, I don’t want to hurt an old man.” The two laugh as the Pop chid-ingly shakes his finger at his son.

Soon the packing is done and DAR, Beau and Horatio pack every-one in the truck and cars. The Pop decided that Wiley would be too frightened for the task ahead. He was too new to the family. One more frightening experience and he may be terrified and run away. The Pop had called a friend to care for him while the family was gone.

The Pop secures the house and sets the alarms as well as his new, hidden security cameras that are well positioned to capture the anticipated intruders.

Within the hour, the motley crew arrives at the Preston estate. It is now dark and there is a lock on the security gate. As the Pop and Buddy decide how to break the lock, the gate suddenly flies open. “LarZac,” the two men said in unison. “Man, would we make a great burglary team,” the Pop said. LarZac just looks at the Pop quizzically and does not answer.

The vehicles slowly creep up the dirt driveway with headlights off. The group stops in front of the five-car garage as the Pop and Buddy hurry to open the doors. They need to get the vehicles out of sight, so they cannot be seen from the street.

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The gang brought in all the supplies and fed the tired crew. “Let’s get everyone settled down,” the Pop said, “so we can do some planning for tomorrow.” DAR, Beau and Horatio went about their duties getting everyone settled into the beds the MOM laid out for them.

The Pop sat down at the large dining table left behind by the for-mer occupants. The ‘sleep guardians’, rushing back from their du-ties, soon join in. “OK, let’s take inventory,” the Pop said. “We have electricity, but we shouldn’t use any lights unless absolutely necessary; we don’t want to be noticed. The owners also left the water on, for which we are grateful. We just got lucky, I guess. First, we make all calls from pay phones. We will keep the car phones off for now, so they can’t trace it. And last, we must make a plan and follow it, so we are not running helter skelter all over the city.

Simon, Mick, and Robert D. can be the protectors, for now, and Brett, the MOM and I will handle the feeding.

In the morning the MOM will call Mike, since he now has no way to contact her. We have to know if Mike and his club have agreed to help us and if they have a plan to get LarZac into the shuttle with-out the whole world knowing about it. MOM should call Terry at home, first, to see if she would agree to be a contact point for Mike to contact us.

Beau, DAR, Horatio, we need to find a back way out of here in case we need to leave fast,” the Pop said. “See if there is a gate or break in the fence or something that we can use as a quick exit.”

With everyone set to task, the exhausted crew turns in, collapsing on the remaining air mattresses’ and sleeping bags,

It was later that night when the Pop was awakened by the swift movement of air across his face. As he brushed the cobwebs out of his eyes, he peered through the moonlit room to find the source of the sudden breeze. At first he could see nothing, then in the

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corner by the door, he could see a tall, thin figure quietly exit the house into the backyard. The moonlight exposed the dark fig-ure…it was LarZac. The Pop rushed through the door and into the yard. “LarZac where are you going?” the Pop said with surprise. “I’m going to find another way to get back to my ship,” LarZac replied, “I’m putting you all in danger and I can no longer do that. I have grown fond of all of you and I can’t risk anyone getting hurt for my sake.”

The Pop was getting mad. “Oh, no you don’t, my friend,” said the Pop, “you’re not getting away that easy. We’ve gone through a lot for you and we are not quitting and you’re not either.” “I can’t,” said LarZac, sadly. “You know, Pop, I have learned much about humans. When we first landed here, I thought that all hu-mans wanted to do was kill each other; to cheat and steal from each other; to destroy the earth. Your family has taught me differ-ently. There is peace here and kindness and what you call love. I could never destroy that.” “OK,” the Pop said, “I will let you go without another word on one condition.” “What is that?” LarZac said, in a whisper. “Let’s wake everybody up, including the MOM and tell them you are leaving. Let’s let them tell you if they are willing to risk their lives to save the life of one being that has taught them by example what sacrifice is. OK?” LarZac bows his head and says nothing. Come on, let’s go tell them, now!”

As the Pop turns back toward the house, LarZac follows, still with head bowed. “It’s not necessary to wake us,” came the voice from the doorway. It was the MOM, standing with her arms crossed and ready for an argument. “We didn’t hear everything, but we heard enough of what you two said,” the MOM said. “I think you should hear what we have to say before you go, LarZac.”

First, I want to say that when I first met you I was terrified. You are an alien from another planet and, with few exceptions, hu-mans have been taught that aliens only mean to destroy us or en-slave us. However, there is a small band of humans on this earth who believe otherwise.

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I wish every human could have the experience I have had. I have come to know you as a kind, gentle, Spirit, who can teach us vol-umes about living on this earth without destroying it. But more importantly, you have not only taught us about sacrifice, you taught us about the creatures around us. You taught us to see them as true living beings with the same dreams and fears and desires as humans. You taught us that they feel true loyalty, love, happiness and sadness at the loss of someone dear to them. Sor-row, to them, was as deep, no matter whether it was a human companion or a kindred spirit. That too, has great value, espe-cially, to this band of unwanted Companions.

If you can help us think and act to save this earth we are destroy-ing, and the creatures on it that are struggling to survive, then saving you, for that reason alone, is worth the sacrifice.” The MOM, with tears in her eyes, turns back to the gang standing in the dark. “OK, everybody outside,” the MOM commanded. The boys lead everyone outside as they formed a circle around LarZac. As LarZac turns slowly to look at each trusting, sad face, he sees many with tears in their eyes. A great feeling of sadness and warmth surges over him.

“All right,” the MOM said in a firm voice, like a drill sergeant, “ev-erybody who wants to see LarZac go his way, step forward and say your goodbyes.” There is silence. Not one Companion moves. Some begin to weep openly. LarZac is overwhelmed. He remains still, with his head bowed, again. “I feel great shame,” LarZac said, “that I did not see this power you have over me, this emo-tion of love. I now know the true meaning of what you call Com-panion.

Companion love is different from human love. Companions love with complete trust and that love is unconditional and unwaver-ing, even in the face of cruelty. I have had this feeling before, in the beginning of my life. This emotion has begun to implant itself within my whole being, to every part of me. It is strange, but vaguely familiar. I feel, in a way, that it was probably always there, inside all ‘Origs’, but we learned early in our warring years

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to suppress it. It was centuries ago. Maybe it was the Omni’s grand design to send us here, back to earth, so that we could re-discover who we really are and who you really are. Whenever we came to earth in the past, we only saw the humans in their epic struggle to destroy each other; we never saw the Companions and how they lived. We were blind to the peaceful spirits inside these creatures. We should have shown them the way to share their na-ture with humans.”

No one slept very well that night. It wasn’t their beds or the house.

As everyone rose from the night’s sleep, the sentries turned in for their well-deserved rest. Beau and DAR made sure the “day shift” guards were in place. Brett prepared the food, while the MOM, Pop and LarZac prepare for the next journey; the final journey for LarZac.

DAR rushes into the house on a dead run and scurries through the rooms looking for his Pop. “There you are, Pop,” DAR said, out of breath, “I forgot to tell you that I found a back way out of here and I also found a place to hide everyone in case they find this house.” “OK, DAR,” said the Pop, “ but you have to show me where it is in case we get separated.”

As DAR leads the Pop out the back door, they are suddenly joined by a self appointed committee, with Brett, LarZac and the MOM joining the duo. “We all have to know where this place is,” the MOM said, as Horatio joined the group. “It’s there,” DAR said as he led the group through the thick vine covered gate frozen in time by the entangled growth. DAR points to an old cold-cellar, partially covered by a broken and weathered door that sits un-hinged atop the opening. “Boy, you don’t see many of these in LA,” the Pop said. “Good work DAR.”

The group makes their way back to the house to resume their planning. The MOM grabs her keys and heads for the car to use the phone. Her first call is to Terry. “Hi, Terry, it’s Vicki. I have to

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make this quick, I’m not supposed to use the car phone, but I’m not driving all over town looking for a pay phone. Has anybody tried to contact you; have you had any problems?” “Somebody tried to break into our garage last night,” Terry said with a shaky voice. “Jack went downstairs and scared them off. I guess they are on to me now. I’m getting a little concerned. Say, what was the story with those men. They were frozen like statues. What happened?” “That was our ‘visitor,’” the MOM said. “Like I told you, he has powers humans have never seen before.” “He’s a handy guy to have around,” Terry said with a slight laugh.

“I was going to ask you to be a contact point for Mike and I, but I think I better take you out of the loop. I don’t want anything to happen to you or Jack,” the MOM said. “Like I said before,” Terry said, “I’m a little scared, but I like the excitement; I’m in…” “What about Jack?” the MOM interrupted, “Do you think Jack will go along with this?” “I haven’t told him about all this,” Terry replied. “He’s an old fuddy-duddy. He probably wouldn’t believe us.” “OK, then,” the MOM said, “Will you call Mike and ask him what his club decided. We need to move on this right away, we are no longer at our home, so you’ll have to call me on the car phone. The phone will be off, so leave a message. I have to go.”

Later that day, the MOM got her answer. Terry left a message her on the car phone. “Hi, this is Terry” ”I got your message,” the MOM said. “What’s up?” “ I talked to Mike,” Terry said, “and his club is excited about helping you, but they all want to see the ‘package’ before they act…as soon as you get to the Cape. They have been sworn to secrecy.” “We both know how well that works, don’t we,” the MOM said. “Tell him, again, I agree to show his group the ‘package’. We will begin our journey to the Cape, right away,” the MOM said excitedly “We are taking everyone with us and that’s going to be a chore to travel across country with all these little people, but I know we’ll mange. We’ll be in touch. Tell Mike we are on our way.” “OK,” Terry said. “Good Luck. I’ll be home, if you need me. I certainly won’t be going to work for a while.”

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The MOM hurries into the house, and is greeted by the entire crew gathered together in the large living room, anxiously awaiting word. They know the MOM will now give them the ‘go or no go’ de-cision. As she comes through the door, she looks at the Pop and Brett and smiles. “We will begin our journey to the Cape tomor-row morning, before sunrise; so everybody please pack up tonight and be ready to go.

Before you get ready,” the MOM said to the Companions, “I want to tell you, there could be some danger ahead, but we will face each situation as we always have…with determination. Many of you have shown great courage to come this far and stay together as Companions. I know, at times, it would have been easier to es-cape this long trial that has not yet ended; but, you must know we will help DAR fulfill his promise…to find homes for all of you”

There is a silence in the room. LarZac is pleased, as he reaches out and puts his hand on DAR’s head and places his other hand on Horatio’s shoulder. Beau dashes over to LarZac with a giant smile; there is another pat on the head from LarZac. “We’re going to get you home, LarZac,” the DAR said, “but as the MOM said, we have to be strong; we have to be guarded. We may need your powers to protect yourself and us. I guess by now, there are many people who want to keep you here on earth.” “I know my friend,” LarZac said, “but I know your spirit will always be with me and mine will be with you and our friends. Our faith and trust in each other is a mighty force.” DAR smiles with satisfaction and then disappears into the dimly lit hallway.

The day passed quickly. The MOM and the Pop were busy buying provisions. Brett was organizing cargo and who was going to sit where. The Companions were buzzing with excitement. There was no talk of fear or failure. There were some who had secret wishes and dreams about the future. They would keep these thoughts to themselves, hidden inside until the moment was right.

For one brief moment, there was joy among all, even the injured and infirm. There were Companions that hid their illness. They

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did not speak of it to the others; they were afraid they would be left behind, like before. There was one entity, however, who knew of all the pain …LarZac. He could feel the torturous agony that raged inside them, but he felt compelled to respect their silence. He knew he would help when the time came, but it would be their decision to come forward, to come to him.

It didn’t make sense. LarZac would have healed them, if they only asked. There was an answer, maybe. The pain was part of them; it reminded them of their past and the humans who abandoned them. Maybe they thought, if they suffered enough, by some mir-acle, their abusers would forgive them for their transgressions and take them back. Yeah! That’s crazy! But it happens.

As the evening approached, the chatter among the Companions intensified. Who was going to sit where, what they were going to take with them, reflections on their life and their hope for the fu-ture. It was a special moment in their long struggle to find peace.

It was a time when friendships between the felines and the ca-nines were manifested. It was proof that adversity could bring different cultures together; that it was a natural process of some creatures in nature to come together; to fight for the dignity that is part of their lore.

As light turned to dark, everyone was beginning to settle down. The evening meal complete, the crew was eager to bed down with the belief that the night would be shorter and the morning would come quicker.

Finally, all was ready. There was just one last thing to do…sleep!

LarZac and DAR were up early. It was still dark. The two had a sense that something was wrong. “I want to go outside and check around,” DAR said, “LarZac, please wake everyone and tell them to get ready to leave immediately and tell them to stay inside. We don’t want everyone running around out here. We can’t risk you going outside and being discovered.” “Everyone will be ready,

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DAR,” LarZac said.

DAR darts out the front door to check the perimeter of the prop-erty. As he approaches the side of the property near the edge of the house, he suddenly stops and lies down quietly and does not move. Like a hunting dog stalking its prey, he waits. Then a sound! The snapping of a twig! DAR is still motionless. And then another snapping is heard and another. DAR leaps toward the noise, charging at full speed. As he approaches, he can see the dark figure, now moving quickly toward the house. The person is carrying a gun and is braced for action as he runs full speed onto the porch. The DAR charges after the dark menace, leaping into the air, ready with his most fierce weapon…his jaws. DAR lands on the heels of the stalker. With one giant surge, the DAR closes his jaws on the unsuspecting invader. The victim pulls his leg from the jaws of the defender, groaning in pain. Instinctively, the injured aggressor raises his weapon to repel the attacker. The masked invader raises his weapon and strikes DAR on the chest, knocking him backward.

As the weapon came forward to bear on the DAR a second time, the person’s body is suddenly knocked to the floor of the porch. Beau is now standing on the chest of the injured assailant, show-ing his teeth and growling in his most terrifying voice. The bad guy is still, trying desperately to figure out a way to escape his im-pending doom.

As the boys hold their ground, they can hear many footsteps be-hind them, rushing closer and closer. The boys look at each other, both knowing that it is time to go. In an instant the two flee inside the house and disappear.

The rescue group rushes to the porch to aid their fallen comrade. As they bring the wounded man to his feet, others pursue the boys into the house. Frustrated, the searchers find nothing as they scour each room for the defenders and their Companions. The boys are gone! There is no one in the house; the Companions have fled!

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The searchers run frantically into the backyard looking every-where for the missing group. One searcher arrives with a search dog, a German shepherd trained to find its prey. “Hey, over here, bring the dog over here,” yelled one of the searchers, “there is a gate here.” The anxious shepherd, strains at the leash, as she pulls her handler to the site. “Right there,” the excited searcher points. The handler follows the shepherd as she sniffs at the gate opening. Abruptly, the shepherd freezes. She is stopped by two glowing, fiery gold and red eyes looking directly at her. The eyes are fierce and frightening as they peer through the thick growth, in the dim light of early morning. The shepherd leaps backward and squeals, as if she stepped on a thorn. She pulls her master away from the site. “What is that?” the searcher asks. “I don’t know, I didn’t see anything,” the handler responds. “Maybe it was a skunk. Search dogs are trained to back away from skunks.” Disappointed, the searchers move on, unaware that the Compan-ions and their adopted family are just a few feet away.

“Phew,” Beau said, “that was close. I love how you can do that, LarZac. I wish I could do that someday.” “And what would you do with that power if you had it?” LarZac asked. “I would help others the same way you have helped the Companions,” Beau said. “I never knew evil until I saw the destruction it caused in the faces of the Companions. It makes me sad that sometimes you have to appear to be mean yourself, to fight the bad things in this world.” “It’s not that you become evil, my young friend,” LarZac replied, “it is just that to fight evil, you must reflect it, like looking in a mir-ror. When evil sees itself revealed, it will often be destroyed.”

DAR approaches quickly. “C’mon guys, we have to get in the cel-lar. It’s not safe here. Let’s hurry, we don’t know if these guys are still here,” he said in a whisper. The trio hurries to the safety of the hidden bunker.

The trio descends into the dark recess of the large subterranean room, to reunite with their family. “Where have you guys been,” the Pop said, in a frightened, excited voice. “We were worried

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sick.” “It’s OK, Pop,” the DAR said, with a slight smile. “Everyone is safe.” “Who were those people?” the MOM demanded, “I don’t think they were SLT security.” “They were soldiers or SWAT, I can guarantee that,” the Pop said. “How did they get involved?” the MOM asked. “I can’t believe SLT would want the government to have this information. Whoever has the knowledge LarZac could give them, could control the world.” “Maybe it is neither one,” Brett interrupted, “maybe they’re ‘Mercs’.” “What are ‘Mercs’,” the MOM asked, exasperated. “Mercenaries, guns for hire, mili-tary power for rent,” Brett answered. “Hiring these guys takes the police and government out of the loop and keeps this whole thing quiet.”

“We have to get out of here, right now, but first I have to find out if they have found the cars,” the Pop said. “I’m pretty sure they looked in the garage and found them by now.” “You’re probably right, Pop, if that’s where the cars were,” Brett replied, “but there is nothing in the garage. I moved them to the next block behind us, late last night. All we have to do is go through the field behind us and we’re ‘home free’. I had a strong feeling we could be trapped if the bad guys found us.” “That was good thinking, Buddy,” the Pop said, “but first, we have to make sure these guys didn’t leave anybody behind to watch the nest. We need some-one who is small, fast with a dark coat, who can’t been seen eas-ily.” “OK, Pop,” the DAR said, “I get it…I’ll go.

The DAR runs up the stairs of the cellar and peeks through the broken door. Slowly, he crawls on his stomach through the over-grown gate and inches carefully across the yard to the back of the house. He creeps toward the back sliding door and suddenly stops. “What was that? The DAR thought, I saw something move. The DAR can see a dark figure moving toward him inside the house. The figure is holding a weapon that is emitting a red beam of light and pointing directly at the DAR. DAR remains frozen. The sliding door opens with a thunderous sound, bouncing against the wall as it ricochets off the rail stop. The beam of light still pointed directly at the DAR’s head. The DAR is trapped, he can’t run, there is nowhere to go.

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The DAR always had a Plan B. He decides to use one of his most effective and engaging tools; he looks up at the man with his most innocent face. He knows he can’t run and he can’t fight…it would be futile, not to mention fatal. The man stares at the DAR for long time. Both are motionless. The man finally spoke. “No, it’s no one,” the man said, talking into a object coming from his ear. “It’s just a dog, I don’t see anybody here. If they were here, they’re gone, now. We’re outta here.” The dark figure disappears as fast as he appeared, swallowed by the dim light inside the house and then a flash of morning light as he opened the front door.

Breathless, the DAR gasped for air, relieved the danger was gone. After catching his breath and composing himself, the DAR races back to the hideout. “Where were you DAR,” the Pop asked. “We were getting worried.” “You were right, Pop,” said the DAR, “there was someone in the house waiting for us to come out of hiding.” “Well, what happened?” the Pop asked, eagerly. “I got rid of him. I used my secret weapon, Pop, I stared him down,” the DAR said, with his endearing smile. “LarZac was worried,” the Pop said, “we were all worried. LarZac was about to come looking for you. He sensed you were in trouble.” “I was hoping the he wouldn’t,” the DAR said, “Even if LarZac zapped that guy, his friends would have discovered him when he didn’t respond. I can handle myself, sometimes, Pop.” The DAR sat proudly as he fin-ished his declaration.

“Let’s get out of here,” Buddy said. “I’ll lead the way. Everyone has to be quiet; not a sound.” Brett cautiously climbs the stairway and pushes aside the broken hatch cover. The MOM and the oth-ers follow, led by LarZac and DAR.

The crew hurries across the open lot and into the cars parked close to other neighborhood cars to appear like they belonged. The drivers of the cars wasted no time leaving the area and head-ing for the freeway and the Cape.

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CHAPTER TEN

Escape to the Cape

Brett had put a walkie-talkie in each vehicle so that everyone could communicate. They traveled in caravan style, like a military operation. The Pop and Buddy mapped a travel plan a few days before. They selected motels across the states that accepted ani-mals. No reservations were made; there was concern that they could be tracked and captured. The stakes were too high.

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The first night, they stopped just over the border in New Mexico. The trip took all day and into the night. The motel was small and the grounds around the property were dimly lit. It was perfect!

The Pop rented two rooms. It would be crowded, but more rooms would arouse suspicion. After all, how many kids and dogs could a guy have?

The crew piled into the rooms, excited about their first night of this great adventure. Everyone was fed; the Pop, MOM and Buddy took turns walking the Companions outside to do their busi-ness. No one seemed to notice or care or suspect anything un-usual.

It was decided that a volunteer would sleep in each vehicle. Guarding the vehicles was paramount to the success of the trip. There would be no way the MOM and Pop could replace them at this point, if they were lost. Mick, Simon and Robert D. volun-teered for the duty, without hesitation. “We also need sentinels in the rooms in case someone tries to break in,” the Pop said. Speedo and Beacon were front and center. “We can do it, Pop,” Speedo said, with confidence. “Of course, you can,” the MOM said, with a warm smile, “Nobody will make better alarm dogs than you guys.”

The preparation was not in vein. Everyone had fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted from a long day on the road. It was about 2:00 am, when the Pop was awakened by the sound of a barking dog; he recognized the voice. LarZac joined the Pop as they rushed to window to see what’s going on. The Pop sees two men banging on the rear shell window of the Silverado. Robert D. was the official greeter. Upon seeing the size of the Rottweiler, begging them to enter the rear of the truck, the two, hopeful thieves choose retreat over suicide. LarZac and the Pop smile with satisfaction as they watch the two bad guys flee the area.

The Pop hurried out to the truck to thank Robert D. for a job well done. Mick and Simon look eagerly out of the cars. “It’s OK, boys,”

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the Pop said, “Robert D. took care of everything.”

As the Pop returned to the room, he was suddenly jumped by four men with knives. The two thieves had returned with two of their friends. This time LarZac did not hesitate. He exits the room with his head hooded. The thieves shout at LarZac as he walks closer to the men. LarZac’s hand flashes upward from underneath his cloak. Lightening explodes from the determined ‘Orig’. Once again, the targets are frozen in time.

Brett has followed LarZac into the parking lot. “Pop, are you OK?” Brett yelled as he grabbed his father. “Yeah,” the Pop responded, “but we gotta get these guys away from here. They can’t be found here.” “Hey, Pop, I’ve got an idea,” Brett said, “help me get these guys in the truck.” What are you going to do,” the Pop asked. “Trust me, Pop,” replied Brett. The two loaded the four motionless men into the back of the truck with Robert D. as their guardian.

“First, I need a phone book,” Brett said, as he dashes back to the room. The Pop waits in the truck as Brett quickly returns to the truck with a big smile on his face. “OK, Pop, let’s go. We’re going to 840 Main St.” What’s at 840 Main Street?” said the Pop exas-perated and tired. “You’ll see,” Brett responded as he looked at the local map. “Take your next right,” Brett directed.

The Pop followed directions without further question. Halfway down the block, Brett yells, “Stop here!” The Pop slams on the brakes. “Holy Cow, Brett,” yelped the Pop, “are you crazy, this is the police station. Are you trying to get us caught?” “Pull to the side of the building and stop,” Brett commanded. As the truck comes to a stop the two jump from the truck and hurry to the rear of the vehicle. “C’mon, Pop,” Brett said, out of breath, “let’s get these guys out and stand them up over in front of the door.” The two stand the four criminals on their feet, like statues in an out-door art exhibit. “Let’s get out of here,” the Pop said in a strong whisper. “One more thing,” Brett insisted. He approaches each thief and quickly pulls their pants down around their ankles and

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then runs for the truck.

The Pop shakes his head and looks at his son. “That’s not funny,” the Pop said with a big smile on his face. “Those guys are going to have fun explaining themselves,” Brett chuckled. “I wish I could hear those fools talk their way out of this.”

“As soon as we get back to the Motel, we are leaving,” the Pop said. “With our luck we’ll get hit by a police car that falls out the sky.”

As soon as the truck turns into the motel, the Pop warns Buddy not to mention any of this to the MOM. The two exit the truck and proceed to the rear and open the back window to the shell. “And that goes for you, too, Robert D.,” the Pop warned. “Not a word to anyone about what you saw, not even your Papa.” Robert D. says nothing; he just looks down with a sad face.

“We’re leaving,” the Pop announced as he entered the motel room, “I want to get an early start.” “Why so early,” the MOM quizzed, “it’s still dark.” “Well, everybody is up, so we might as well move on, OK?” the Pop said a little annoyed. The Pop leaves the room to help Buddy re-pack the cars. Everyone was busy hus-tling around gathering their things. Some were complaining about the early hour. Others were searching for their toys. Precious toys. DAR and Beau made sure that when the Companions first came to live with them, each frightened spirit was given a toy. DAR and Beau had enough toys to supply an army and were eager to share. The Pop, MOM and Brett had occasionally bought new toys when someone would lose theirs.

When the vehicles were packed, the Pop returned to the rooms to get everybody fed and into the cars and truck. “Robert,” the MOM said, in a firm tone, “I know why you want to leave so early. Why did you let Brett do that? It could have put us all in danger.” “I know, your right,” the Pop said, apologetically, “I should have made Buddy tell me what he was up to.” The Pop knew the MOM was mad. She only called him, Robert, when the Pop was in trou-

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ble. “OK, you’ve made your point,” the Pop said, “now, let’s get moving. I won’t let anything like that happen again.” The Pop heads for the door knowing that in this case, retreat is the better part of valor. The Pop stops in the doorway and turns to his wife who is still glaring at her husband. The Pop starts to smile. “I do have to say, though, you should have seen those guys frozen like statues, standing there in their birthday suits. When the cops see these guys and the note we pinned to their shirts, they are going to flip. They may think about different careers after this.” The MOM looks up at the Pop with the same determined glare. The Pop turns and walks through the adjoining door to the next room. “I have pictures,” the Pop said without turning around. The MOM looked up as the Pop disappeared and covered her mouth to muffle the giggle that escaped her control.

Finally, the crew is on the road, again, still on guard every mile of their journey. There is a consensus that the travelers should avoid motels, by parking in public places at night and sleeping in the ve-hicles. “Maybe we could find a parking lot at an airport where parked cars at night would not draw attention,” the Pop said. “That’s probably a good idea, “ the MOM said, “that way I can keep an eye on you and your wayward son.” “Cute,” the Pop replied.

It was very late when the caravan rolled into Amarillo, headed to-ward the airport. Most of the Companions were asleep after a long day of gazing out the windows and telling stories about the things they saw. A few of the anxious were still awake. Certainly, DAR, Beau and Horatio were at the ready. LarZac and DAR were in the truck with the Pop. Beau was riding with the MOM and Hor-atio was riding with Buddy and his charges.

“Look, men,” the Pop said, over the “walkie,” “there‘s the airport. Let’s see what the city of Amarillo has to offer.” “Peace and quiet let’s hope,” the MOM said. “You have been very quiet, this trip, LarZac,” the Pop said, “I hope nothing is wrong.” The Pop was looking straight ahead. He didn’t look at LarZac. He didn’t an-swer. DAR turns to look at LarZac, curious as to why he did not

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answer. As DAR looks into the darkness within the hood covering LarZac’s head, he cannot see the friend that has changed his life. “LarZac, LarZac,” the DAR said frantically, as he tugged on his cloak, “I can’t see you, I can’t see. Where are you? Are you OK? “ The Pop turns quickly to look at LarZac. “LarZac, what’s wrong,” the Pop said in a panic. The Pop swerves the truck to the curb and stops. “LarZac, speak to me; tell me what’s wrong.” “Boys, I am here; I’m OK,” said LarZac, “I have lost my form, again. I feel cold inside. I feel a force; it is trying to control me.” LarZac’s form col-lapses. The robe lays flat on the seat. DAR and the Pop look at each other in astonishment.

“What can we do?” the Pop asks rhetorically. The DAR begins to leap around the cab of the truck. “DAR what’s the matter?” the Pop said, “please don’t tell me there’s something wrong with you, too.” The Pop watches DAR closely. “DAR, are you looking for something?” the Pop asked, excitedly. At last, the DAR finds what he is looking for…the “walkie.”

DAR leaps back up on the seat and drops the ”walkie” in the Pop’s lap. He steps back and yelps. “Yeah, that’s it, you’re right, I’ll call the MOM,” the Pop said. “Honey, are you there?” “Yes, I’m here,” the MOM answered, …what’s the matter, you sound upset.” As the Pop tells the MOM the problem, the DAR begins to “yelp” as loud as he can. “Beau, come quick, I think I know what’s wrong with LarZac,” the DAR said. Beau hears the DAR’s voice over the “walkie” the MOM is holding. Beau begins to bark with his deep voice that has changed seemingly over night. “OK, Pop, we’re coming.” Beau begins to bark at the MOM. “OK, OK, Beau, we’re going,” the MOM said, in response.

The MOM and the Beau quickly catch up to the truck. The MOM opens the door and Beau flies out of the car and jumps up on the Pop’s door. The Pop jumps out of the truck as Beau leaps past him and into the cab. DAR and Beau talk for a few seconds before they jump in the backseat on LarZac’s robe. The two work franti-cally to raise the garment over their heads. Beau lifts the cloak with his powerful jaws, so that DAR can work his way inside. In

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turn, once inside, DAR stands on his hind legs to allow Beau to push his body under the cloak. They feel the presence of LarZac even though they cannot see or touch their alien friend.

“I feel a strong negative energy within this robe,” the DAR whis-pered to Beau, “we must fight this evil with our positive energy and hope that we can find LarZac’s spirit.” DAR places his face against Beau’s face. The two close their eyes and are quiet. The two focus all the energy in their heart and mind…their spirit. They instinctively knew they must overcome the evil that has consumed LarZac. There was no time to ask how this could have happened; their only thought was to pull LarZac back from this mysterious dark place.

The boys could feel the threatening force pulling against their spirit. Their bodies began to shake as they are pulled into the dark abyss. The two look down and can only see a deep well of endless black. “It’s not real,” the DAR said to his son, “fight with all your strength, Beau. The abyss, it’s not real. This force wants us to believe it is. We must pull LarZac back from the pit. Put the evil in your mind. Fight it as if it were a monster invading our home; as if were going to attack the MOM or one of the Companions.” Beau’s eyes begin to change colors, from red and fire to the calm of blue and back again. You could see the different shades of the struggle going on in his mind.

DAR fought his own battle against the dragon of the dark. The force tosses DAR violently inside LarZac’s robe, trying to expel the two brave soldiers from its protection.

The Pop is terrified as he watches the struggle in the backseat of the truck. He can’t believe his eyes as he watches the violent movement of the robe. He can’t see the boys, only a bright, sear-ing, white light. He knows he must help his men. The Pop must do something. He reaches back and sticks his hand into the bright light inside the robe. He tries desperately to find his boys; he wants to touch them, feel them. His only thought is to grab them

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and pull them out of danger. Instantly, the force seizes his hand and jerks the Pop backwards in his seat. “Hang on, Pop,” comes a voice in his head, “hang on; pull with all your strength.” The Pop doesn’t question the voice. He pulls with all his might. He does not have the force; the force has him.

As he strains to pull his hand and the evil out of the robe, he can feel the pain shooting up his arm. The Pop screams as he endures the throbbing sting, and sets himself for the battle that has in-vaded his body.

It seems like an eternity, as the battle for good over evil raged on. The boys become like demons themselves, fighting evil with evil. They could feel the assault on their spirits, tearing at the very essence of their heart and mind.

The boys can now see the face of the force that is pulling at the fabric of their life. They can see the Pop’s hand captured in the mouth of this dragon with a head like a snake and horns coming out of its eyes. The DAR can feel his strength grow; he can feel a power in his body that lets him rear back on his hind legs. Sud-denly, his front leg begins to grow like a dominant and mighty force of great intensity. The leg becomes like the tentacle of giant sea creature. Almost without control, the DAR can feel the right-eous force of the tentacle wrap itself around the neck of the mon-ster that threatens all that the DAR loves and lives for.

The tentacle squeezes harder around the dragon’s neck. The fire from the mouth of the evil entity explodes out of its mouth and surrounds DAR and Beau. The heat begins to tear at the boys skin. The Pop’s arm is on fire, but he does not let go. At last, the DAR has had enough. In a single, loud and roaring voice, the DAR pulls at the head of this massive creature with all the will he can muster. The monster comes hurling out of the pit and soars like a rocket over the heads of its enemies. And as quickly as it ap-peared, it is gone.

The Pop pulls his hand back from the brink of death. The boys 288

leap out of LarZac’s cloak and into the front seat of the Silverado. For a long minute, the three just stare at each other. No one speaks. The men are still in shock. Then without a word, the three embrace. Tears roll down their faces. “I was so afraid for you guys,” the Pop said, in a broken voice, “I thought I lost you.”

“We’re OK, Pop,” Beau said in a soft voice. “Did you see what happened to my arm?” the DAR said as he tried to disguise his trembling voice, “I became a monster.” The DAR hangs his head in sadness. “I saw it Papa, I saw what you went through,” Beau said with amazement, “you’re a hero, I’m going to tell everyone.” “No, you’re not, Beau,” the DAR said, “you’re not to tell anyone; you’ll just frighten everyone. We are going to keep this to ourselves.” Beau and the Pop quietly shake their heads in agreement.

Suddenly, the DAR’s head snaps up. “Hey,”the DAR said with ex-citement, “I just realized something.” “What’s that?” the Pop asked. “We can talk to each other!” the DAR replied with a big smile. The three soldiers, instantly, looked in the backseat. “LarZac!” they screamed in unison. The cloak was once again filled with the form of their mysterious friend that they fought so hard to save. “Hello, guys,” LarZac said. He pauses for a moment as if to compose himself, “I am humbled by the sacrifice you made. To risk your life for me was the highest form of caring. I will remember your gift of love as long as I exist. And I will enter this act into the ‘knowing’ of all ‘Origs’. You three will be part of the ‘Orig’ lore from this time forward.” The three men say noth-ing; they were embarrassed by the tribute.

“I must tell you, now,” LarZac continued in a soft voice, “that this ordeal has greatly diminished my energy and power. I began to notice that I was losing my energy, sometime ago. Evil has always haunted the ‘Origs’. It was our destiny. We were given the skill and power to defeat evil, but each of us had to remain strong and pure. When we become weak, the evil invades our spirit and de-stroys us. In the past, the strength of the group could help a weakened spirit and pull him or her back from the brink. If I am to survive, I must return to my ship, very soon. Time is running out.

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This earth environment will destroy me.”

The door of the Silverado suddenly flies open. It was the MOM. “What are you guys doing in here, playing cards,” the MOM said. “C’mon, we gotta’ get going.” The four guys just look at each other and shake their heads. “Why are you guys shaking your head and smiling,” the MOM said. “What happened in here? I’ve been waiting in the car for ten minutes waiting for you guys to go.” “It’s a long story, Princess,” the Pop said, “I promise when this is all over, I’ll tell you the whole story. Right now, we must hurry, we are running out of time.” “Gee,” the MOM said, sarcasti-cally, “I wish I thought of that.” Now it is the MOM’s turn to shake her head. “From now on,” the Pop said, “there will be no more stops over night. We will just stop for a few hours at truck stops, long enough to eat and grab a quick shut eye, OK?” “OK, with me,” the MOM said, “I see Brett just pulled up behind me, I’ll tell him.”

Once again, the caravan is on its way. The group will not rest again until they reach Houston, ironically the very city that may control LarZac’s destiny.

It’s late at night, when the troop rides into Houston. The Pop stops at a convenience store to ask directions to the nearest truck stop. “Just go down this street and hang a right at the first light,” the clerk said. “It’s about a mile down that road.” “Thanks,” the Pop said, as he walks quickly from the store. In a few minutes, they arrived. There it was, “Big Country Truck Stops.” Pop picks up the “walkie,” “OK, everybody this is it…home for the next few hours.”

The three drivers step out of their vehicles and gather by the truck. “So, this is home, huh?” Brett said, with a silly smile. “I love what they’ve done with the place. The porch light is a little bright, don’t ya’ think.” “Buddy, you missed your calling,” The Pop said. “And what’s that, Pop,” Buddy asked. “I don’t know, I can’t hear your calling from here,” the Pop replied, “but if you walk way over there, I think you can still hear it; if not keep walking.” “Ah

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ha ha ha,” Brett chuckled in a phony, forced laugh, “I’ll get right on that, Pop,” he said sarcastically.

”OK, enough silliness,” said the MOM, “let’s wash up and get ev-eryone fed and walked before we rest.” After the three returned from cleaning up, they began to let everyone out for their pre-din-ner business. When transporting Companions, the Pop always parked near grassy areas, so that those with tender feet and dis-cerning taste in potties could go without distress.

With everyone fed and finished with final PPS (pee, poop and sniff) duties, the gang settled down for a few hours sleep.

A few hours pass, and it is now late into the night when the Pop awakens. It’s time to move on. The Pop quietly wakes the MOM and Buddy. They are careful not to wake the others, but DAR and Beau are already awake on duty…ever watchful.

The goal is to reach Mobile before the next rest stop. As the cara-van continues its journey, the crew is anxious to be on the road again. As the MOM takes her place behind the truck and in front of Buddy’s Challenger, she realizes she must call Terry to get the news. She knows she should have called Terry from a pay phone but again, time was critical and the risk of discovery was small; she had to know what’s going on with Mike’s group at the Cape.

“Hello, Terry, this is Vicki,” the MOM said, “I m sorry to call you so late. I’m on the car phone and I don’t want to talk long. What’s going on with Mike? Have you heard anything?” “Well, sort of,” said Terry, hesitantly, “I got a call from Mike and he asked you to call him when your about fifty miles out from the Cape and tell him what route you are taking. And he also wants to know what kind of vehicles you’re driving. I thought that was a little odd, don’t you think?” “Ah, yeah, it is,” the MOM said, “well, OK, thanks Terry; I have to get off this phone. If you have to call me, could you please call from a pay phone. They may already have tapped your phone.” “OK,” Terry said, “take care and be safe and don’t trust anyone.”

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The MOM begins to think about the conversation she just had with Terry. What if it’s a trap? The MOM thinks, What if Mike or some-one in his group told their boss about the scheme to help LarZac? On the other hand, Mike doesn’t know anything about LarZac; only that there is a ‘package’ that must get on the shuttle. But, that alone could cause enough suspicion and fear to report the scheme to the Cape officials. I better tell the Bear and Brett, what I did, she concludes, three heads are better than one. “Bear, are you there?” the MOM said, as she picked up the “walkie.” “I have to tell you something.” “What is it?” the Pop replied. “I just called Terry on the car phone,” the MOM said. “You, what?” the Pop yelled back. “I know,” the MOM said, “I might have made a big mistake, but I have to tell you about what Terry told me.” “Not over the ‘walkie’,” the Pop said in a stern voice, “Let’s all pull over at the next rest stop.” The caravan pulls into the next rest stop a few miles down the road. The Pop jumps out of the truck and rushes to the Towncar. Brett immediately joins them. “What happened,” the Pop asked, exasperated, “Why didn’t you call me? We could have stopped here and made the call.” “I know,” the MOM said, with a worried look on her face. “Well, we can’t unspill that milk,” the Pop said, trying to calm the MOM. “Maybe Terry’s phone isn’t tapped or maybe you weren’t on long enough for them to trace.”

“But there is more,” the MOM said, ”It’s a good thing I talked to Terry because she told me that Mike wanted to know when we are fifty miles out and what route we are on and what we’re driving. Why was it important to him what route we were on and where we would be at a certain point in time and our vehicles? We have to treat this as a ‘red flag’.” “Yeah, I think your right,” the Pop replied, “we’re going to have to come up with a solution, for the that possibility and fast. Maybe, LarZac can help. Let’s get back on the road, and remember, don’t even answer the phone; if it’s Terry we’ll call her later.“

Once again the caravan is on its way to Mobile. As the group sped 292

down the highway, the Pop explained their predicament to LarZac. “Yes, Pop, LarZac said, “it is possible that a ‘friend’ may be an ad-versary. I have been faced with this problem many times in my long life. We must present our new ‘friend’ with an opportunity to show us his true nature. If he is an enemy, we must find a way to deflect his deceit.” “I think I have an idea that might reveal Mike’s true spirit,” the Pop said. “Here is what I think we ought to do.” The Pop explains his idea and how LarZac can help. Along the way, the two discuss different scenarios and the pros and cons of each idea.

It has been another stressful day as the caravan pulls into a Mo-bile truck stop. The routine has been established. The humans clean up and attend to their charges. Before everyone settles in for a nap, the Pop calls a family meeting. He explains the plan and who will participate in the grand charade. The Pop also de-scribes a plan B, if things go wrong.

“OK, everyone,” the Pop said in conclusion, “let’s turn in, we have a very long day tomorrow and everyone needs to be on their toes.”

The Companions have been excited about this trip. They have talked among themselves incessantly, but none has discussed who will ask LarZac the big question, “Can we go with you?” They knew that time was getting short. There was anxiety among the group; no one would step forward. No one wanted to suffer yet one more insult to their dignity.

None of the Companions noticed that the DAR decided to sleep among them. He had sensed that something was not right…he wanted to know what was going on. DAR curled up in corner of the padded carpet in the back of the truck. He remained quiet and listened. Finally, out of the dead silence in the back of the truck, Horatio stood up in the crowded truck and said, “First, I must know who wants to leave this earth and begin a new life with LarZac?” Horatio paused. No one spoke, but slowly the paws were raised. Horatio was stunned. Nearly every Companion had

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raised their paw. Horatio stood for a long time staring at the Com-panions he has helped care for, for such a long time. Tears streamed down Horatio’s face. What happened, Horatio thought, How could this happen? Why has man not learned the value of the spirit of these Companions? They love, they cry, they feel pain when they are hurt, they feel joy, they feel sorrow, they mourn when they lose someone they have spent a lifetime with…all the emotions of humans, and still they haven’t made the connection, they haven’t figured it out…those who abandoned those who trusted. These pure souls, these travelers that may have been here before...they would wonder the rest of their lives…what did they do to deserve this? How did they get to this dark place? Horatio just stood there unable to address his friends. He knew there must be thousands more in this world that have been forsaken without reason. The sadness was etched on his face.

DAR had moved toward the sliding window in the front of the truck bed. He quietly taps on the window to get Pop’s attention. The Pop reaches back and opens the slider. The DAR slips through the window and into the backseat where LarZac is sitting. DAR sits silently for a while without talking. He wants to take the burden from Horatio and the others by asking LarZac the feared question. The DAR was not nervous or uncomfortable; he just wondered how the world had lost its humanity. He remembered a story Dobbs told him when they first met and DAR had seen the Companions for the first time. “LarZac,” DAR said, breaking the silence, “I want to tell you a story Dobbs told me, of a time when he and Hor-atio were walking near a dumpster a few years ago. They heard squeaking puppy noises from inside. The two climbed up on some wood stacked near the huge trash bin. Fortunately the dumpster was nearly full. There was a chance to rescue them. Horatio leaped into the dumpster and one by one picked them up gently and gave them to Dobbs. They were just babies and they were crying for their Mom; and they were very hungry. There were six of them. They were beautiful, the epitome of innocence. They were the stardust that made angels glow.

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The two rescuers found a shallow box and piled everyone inside. It took hours before they could drag the box from the Mall to the nearby green where the Mansion was discovered earlier; soon they would discover the safety of the sanctuary inside. Dobbs and Horatio were part of that tribe of lost spirits.

They entered the Mansion to tell the others of their discovery. Several of the dwellers rushed outside to aid Dobbs and Horatio. Finally, everyone was inside and safe for the moment, but the im-mediate problem was food. The babies had to be fed, but how? Where would they find the milk the newborn babies desperately needed? Everyone had ideas on how to feed the babies, but it was the middle of the night and all the suggestions seemed futile.

Then walking unnoticed, a quiet, gentle creature emerged from the dark and walked slowly over to Dobbs. She was a Sheltie and no one knew her name. She had just arrived at the Mansion and no one knew much about her. No one knew that underneath her tattered coat was the answer... food for the babies. “My name is Cassie,” she said, “after my babies were born, they took them from me and they brought me here and left me on the green. They loved me once, I thought. I loved them too. They arranged for me to meet a mate. They wanted me to have puppies and I thought that I would please them. They didn’t say why, there was no reason to abandon me. I was their Companion for several years and they just left me here. “Let me have the babies, Dobbs, I will feed them and we will become a family.

“I asked Dobbs what happened to her,” DAR said. “Dobbs told me after the puppies were a couple of months old, she just left one day and the puppies followed her. The puppies would not leave her side. They were devoted to her. She finally had her family.” Dobbs said, “they didn’t know what happened to her.”

“DAR,” LarZac said, “I have learned your heart and I know your thoughts, the ones you want me to see, that is. I know that the Companions want to leave this place, this earth. If they are to come with me on my journey, they must first understand our cul-

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ture and our life. We cannot promise them a place like earth, but there is hope. We have recently discovered a planet we call Thrae Eurt, it is like earth, before man walked on it. We must travel far and there may danger, but my people, like the Companions, are hopeful they will find a place of peace.”

“It sounds wonderful,” DAR said, “In a way, I wish I could go to, but the people I love are here on this earth. Maybe someday soon, the people who live here will begin to do the things necessary to heal this planet. But like you, I haven’t seen man change the way he treats the place that supports his life. Maybe it’s too late.”

“I will talk with them, now and tell them what I told you,” said LarZac. “I want them to have time to think about the journey. It may take a year or more, in your time, to reach our new home. We know the Omni will guide us and protect us.” LarZac disap-pears through the open rear window, like a wisp of smoke, and reappears in front of the waiting Companions. DAR listens as LarZac begins his presentation. He repeats the words he said to DAR. In a few moments, DAR can see all the paws go in the air, confirming what DAR had told LarZac earlier. However, DAR no-tices that one paw is not raised. DAR smiles warmly and is pleased.

The Pop is restless as everyone settles down for a few hours rest. He barely closes his eyes. He wants to get on the road for the fi-nal leg of the journey, but he realizes the MOM and Buddy need their rest. The Pop looks in the back seat to see that two of his fa-vorite people have fallen into a deep sleep. Beau has joined his Papa. He wonders what they are dreaming.

The hours pass and the Pop prepares to wake everyone who needs to be up and alert. Finally, the last leg of the journey be-gins. The Pop knows he must stop in a few hours and find a truck rental company. A truck rental will be part of the plan devised by the Pop and LarZac as well as the MOM and Buddy. The group maintains “walkie” silence as much as possible to minimize the chance of discovery. If communication would be necessary, the

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group established certain code words to disguise their conversa-tions.

After several hours, the group estimates that it is time to stop and look for a truck rental. “We have to stop and find an ‘AV” (code for ‘alternative vehicle’), the Pop announced over the “walkie.” JV (Jacksonville) is just up ahead, we’ll stop there.” The Pop comes to a stop at a local convenience store to locate a truck rental com-pany.

The group proceeds to the rental yard. “We have to rent a box truck so that all the Companions can fit inside,” the Pop said. “Buddy, we’ll leave your car in a hotel parking lot; the MOM can follow you and bring you back. In the meantime, I’ll rent the truck.”

With the task complete, the nervous family is once again rushing down the highway toward their destination. Brett left several min-utes ahead of the Pop and the MOM, in the rented truck and is now nearly five miles ahead of them. After about an hour, the Pop estimates they are fifty miles out. He picks up the “walkie.” “OK, honey, make it (the call),” the Pop said. The MOM calls Mike on the car phone and gives him the details he requested through Terry. The MOM reports back to the Pop on the “walkie.” “OK,” replied the Pop, “now we wait and see.”

The proud parents follow their son into the early morning light. And within a few miles, their suspicions are confirmed. They can see the flashing lights of the police cars, stopped by the roadside, surrounding Buddy in the rental truck. They do not slow down; they just look at their son as they drive by. Brett smiles as he watches his parents pass by with the Companions safely inside. “The DC (decoy) was successful,” the Pop said proudly, over the “walkie.” “Let’s hope they don’t detain him very long,” the MOM said. “We have to meet Buddy at the RV (rendezvous) in another hour.”

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both worried that their ‘little’ boy may be hurt…and nothing would be worth that…nothing.

The two finally pull into the Cape and the pre-arranged truck stop they inquired about at the truck stop in Mobile. The two come to a stop and the MOM joins the Pop in the truck. The two hug briefly; the MOM has tears in her eyes. “It’s OK, princess,” the Pop said, “everything is going to work out.” “I know,” replied the MOM, “I just get worried.” LarZac gently places his hand on the MOM’s shoulder. She doesn’t look back; she just bows her head. “It’s OK, LarZac,” the MOM said softly, “I’ll be OK in a minute.”

The parents and the Companions wait quietly for signs of their son. Two hours pass and still no sign of Buddy and the truck. The Pop is now getting anxious. He gets out of the truck and begins to pace back and forth. The Pop is beginning to have doubts as he walks around to the passenger window. “Honey, maybe I should go back and see what happened,” the Pop said, in a worried voice. “No, you may not find him and it could be a trap. They could be waiting for you,” the MOM said, firmly. “We have to remember, our son is man now and can take care of himself. Let’s give him a lit-tle more time.”

Another hour passes and there is still no sign of Buddy. “OK, time is up, that’s it,” the Pop said, “I’m going looking for him.” The Pop heads for Lincoln to begin his search. Just then, a car pulls up with two people inside. It’s an old VW Beetle. The car stops abruptly. The Pop looks intently at the car that has stopped just inches from his back bumper. As he walks close to the passenger side of the car, he recognizes one of the occupants. “Buddy,” he screams, as he quickens his pace toward the car. “What happened? Are you OK?” the Pop said, excitedly. “Hi, Pop,” Buddy replied. “Yeah, ev-erything is OK. Pop, this is Linda, she gave me a ride.” The Pop bends down to peer through the door window; he waves and smiles, as if to say thanks. Buddy walks to the driver’s side, to say goodbye to Linda and thank her for the lift. The woman smiles and takes off, disappearing onto the highway.

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“Boy, are we glad to see you,” the Pop said as he gave his kid a hug. Hearing her son’s voice, the MOM leaps out of the truck to hug her son. “You scared the Hell out of us,” the MOM said, as she thumped her hand against her son’s chest. “There was no way I could call you. The cops took the truck and left me by the roadside. I knew you were waiting for me, so I called the rental company and told them what happened and then stuck my thumb out by the roadside and here I am.”

“What happened with the cops?” the Pop asked. “Well, they pulled me over with guns drawn. They searched the truck and came up with air. The cops asked me where all the dogs and cats were and where was the alien. I just laughed and told them I was a college student and one of my buddies was probably playing a trick on me. They searched the truck for two hours, looking for something that would lead them to you and LarZac. They finally let me go. They even looked under the truck; they took the tires off and removed the rims. They pulled the seats out and tore them apart. I almost lost it and started laughing; it was great! I suggested they look in the air cleaner and the muffler, too. I guess I shouldn’t have said that, because they nearly disassem-bled the whole truck. Anyway, that’s over, so let’s plan our next move.”

“Well, now we have to take Mike out of the loop,” the Pop said. “No, Pop, let’s call him and pretend nothing happened,” Buddy said. “Let’s just tell him we had a little trouble, but we are here now. The cops wouldn’t tell me why they stopped me, so there would no reason why we would suspect him as the cause of the stop. For all we know, it could have been a coincidence. Let’s run it up the flag pole and see how it waves.” “Why not, it’s worth a try,” the Pop said.

The MOM picked up the car phone and called Mike to let him know we arrived at the Cape. “Hi Mike,” the MOM said, in a cautious voice, “we made it. We’re here at the Cape. We need to meet and go over the details. We will show you the package when you arrive.” We are in a rental truck, that says Movin’ & Haulin’ Truck

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Rentals, in the ‘Truck Stops of the South’. It’s located near your main gate. There is a long pause, Mike does not respond right away. The MOM knew that if Mike were the one who betrayed them, he would know she was lying about the truck; the cops would have called him. “Ah, OK,” Mike said, “I’ll be right there.” “Oh, Mike,” the MOM added, “I know I said everyone in your group could see the package, but at least for the first meeting, I would appreciate it if only you would come.” After another long pause, Mike said OK. “By the way, what are you driving,” the MOM asked. “I’m driving a bright, red Mustang,” Mike replied. “OK, we’ll be waiting,” the MOM said. The MOM hangs up the phone and reports back to the group.

In the meantime, the parents prepare everyone. Brett moves LarZac, into the Lincoln, to the other side of the parking lot in clear view of the Silverado. They are still not going to risk LarZac’s safety until they are sure they know whom they are deal-ing with.

In a few minutes, the anxious family watches as a red Mustang convertible pulls slowly into the parking lot, searching for the rental truck, among the eighteen-wheelers. The Pop and MOM hold back and wait a minute to see if there are any police follow-ing behind him. Mike begins to drive more sporadically around the lot, unable to find the box truck. “I don’t see anyone, honey,” the Pop said, “let’s flag him down.” The Pop moves out into the middle of the parking lot and waves his arms above his head, like a cheerleader at a ball game. Finally, Mike spots the Pop and drives quickly across the lot.

“Hi, are you Vicki’s husband?” Mike said as he rolls up beside the Pop. “Yeah, I’m Bobby,” the Pop said, “thanks for coming. I apolo-gize for the cloak and dagger stuff, but we have some very special cargo and we have to be careful.” The MOM hurriedly approaches the two men. “Hi, Mike,” the MOM said, as she looks around ner-vously, “I’m sorry I told a story about the truck…” “That’s OK,” Mike interrupted, “your husband explained. Now where is this mysterious ‘package’ you want to shoot into space,” he said with

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a wry smile. “It’s right over here,” the MOM said, “but first we have to prepare you for what you are about to see. Let’s go into the coffee shop and find a quiet place to talk.” The three walk to the restaurant as Brett and the Companions watch them vanish into the building.

Nearly an hour passes before the restless crew sees the trio emerge from the coffee shop. They proceed directly to the back of the Silverado. As the Pop opens the shell glass and drops the tailgate, Mike looks anxiously past the huddled Companions as they slowly separate and reveal the much sought after and in-triguing ‘package’. Mike strains to see the large figure crouched in the front of the truck bed, concealed by a hooded cloak.

“I cannot see his face,” Mike complains. “Yes, I know,” the Pop replied, “he is very shy and afraid; I know he won’t come forward. He is ill and time is critical for him.” Mike continues to stare at the cloaked creature so meticulously described to him while he and the MOM and Pop were in the coffee shop. “OK,” Mike said, “and you said in the restaurant that all these animals want to go with him?” “Yes, that’s right,” the Pop said. “This is going to take some planning. I didn’t know we were talking about live crea-tures, especially, not one from another planet.”

“You must hurry,” the MOM insisted, “LarZac doesn’t have much time.” “I know,” Mike replied, “I’ll tell everyone in my club and we’ll start working on this right away. Keep your phone on; I will call you in a few hours.” Mike smiles nervously, as he gets in his car and speeds off.

As the MOM and Pop watch Mike drive off, the MOM said, “I still don’t trust him. I hope I’m wrong about him, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” “Me too,” the Pop agreed. The couple turns back to the truck as they watch Brett crawl past the worried Com-panions and out the back of the truck. Brett stretches for a minute, trying to un-cramp from the prolonged crouched position in the truck bed. He throws the hood of the cloak back off his head and looks at his parents. “How do you think it went, Pop,”

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Brett said. “Do you think he believed I was LarZac?” “I think so,” the Pop said, “at least I hope so.” “After you get out of that cloak,” the MOM said, “please go check on LarZac and see how he is doing.” “OK, MOM,” Brett answered.

The MOM and the Pop turn back to the truck to reassure and calm the frightened Companions. DAR and Beau quickly work their way through the group, touching each face with theirs and whispering words of comfort for each cat and canine.

The Pop turns and sits on the tailgate to collect his thoughts. He looks up across the parking lot searching for Buddy and LarZac in the Lincoln, only to see Brett speeding toward him in the car. The Pop jumps from the tailgate to greet Brett as he pulls up along side the truck. “Is everything OK?” the Pop asks, as he leans in the open window. “No, Pop,” Brett said, in a panic, “LarZac is get-ting weaker; I’m getting real worried about him.” LarZac looks up a the Pop, “I am losing my power, my energy. I must find a source of energy, quickly or I will just simply dissolve in this environment. My defenses have weakened and I can no longer defend against the destructive forces of your atmosphere.” “There must be something we can do; we’re so close to getting you back to your ship,” the Pop said.

LarZac paused for a long time and then slowly raised his head slightly. “There is something that may help me for a short time, but there are certain dangers in the process.” “ What do we have to do?” the Pop asked. “You must find a strong power source and a way to direct it into my form.” “Do you mean like a power grid; a substation, a bolt of lightning, a nuclear plant,” the Pop said, frantically throwing out wild suggestions. “That’s right, Pop,” LarZac said. “WOW! That’s going to be almost impossible,” the Pop said, “if not fatal. Besides we don’t have the time, Mike may call any time and when he does, we will have to go immediately.”

“Hey, Pop,” Brett said, as he taps the Pop on the shoulder, “there might be a way.” “How?’ the Pop asked, with a pained look on his face. “Look up,” Buddy said, with a hopeful smile. Brett points to

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the sky. “What?” the Pop said. “Pop, look at those dark clouds,” Brett said. “Look over there; it looks like it’s raining. Maybe there will be lightening too.” The Pop stares at the sky for a minute. “I think I have an idea, Buddy,” the Pop said.The Pop jumps in the cab of the truck. He yells back to Buddy, close the tailgate and hop in. “Honey, follow us in the car,” the Pop continued. “Where are you going?” the MOM shouted. “Into the storm,” the Pop shouted back. The Pop takes off heading down the road toward the building storm, a few miles away.

“Pop, what are you going to do?” Brett said. “Probably, something very stupid, but I don’t know what choice we have. Look for a probable lightening rod, near water, a power substation, any-thing!”

The Pop drives the truck into the rainstorm. As the rain comes pouring down, the Pop looks frantically for anything that could be an energy source. “Pop, Pop, look, look over there,” Buddy said. “What do you see?” the Pop shouted, squinting through the blind-ing rain. “Is that one of those power substations?” “Yeah, it sure looks like it,” Brett replied. The Pop pulls the truck to the curb. By now the rain is coming down in sheets. The Pop leaps out of the truck and runs back to the Lincoln. Brett follows suit. The Pop jumps in the back seat, next to LarZac. Brett jumps in the front seat, next to the MOM; both men are soaked.

“LarZac,” the Pop asked, “are you sure you want to do this? I don’t have a good feeling about this.” “It’s OK, Pop,” LarZac said, “I know what I must do. Before I go, I want to thank you and your family for what you have done for me. I would never have imag-ined that humans would do what you have done to save someone who is not even of their kind.” “If you had more time here,” the Pop said, “you would come to know that many humans have an unlimited capacity for sacrifice. Throughout the history of mankind, millions have laid down their life to save the lives of oth-ers. You should know, however, although there is great evil and untold cruelty in this world, often, hidden from our view, there is also

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great good. We never know what a human’s last thoughts are when he or she makes that decision to sacrifice themselves to save others. Please remember that about us.”

“I must make one more request of you, Pop,” LarZac said. “Of course,” the Pop said. “Please allow me to speak to DAR alone, before I speak to the others.” The Pop jumps out of the car and rushes to the rear of the truck. DAR and Beau were pushing wildly at the rear window. The Pop quickly opens the rear window and sees all the sad faces. “LarZac wants to speak to alone, DAR,” the Pop said to the crew, “then he will be here to talk to all of you.”

The Pop gently lifts the DAR and holds him in his arms; reminis-cent of the night they first met. As the Pop rushes to the car and scoots DAR into the back seat with LarZac, the Pop pauses for an instant and looks at the two special people who have graced his life. By now, the MOM and Brett have returned to the truck; the Pop soon joins them. The three watch intently through the rearview mirrors, not taking their eyes off the Lincoln.

“I heard your thoughts,” the DAR said, “I am frightened, LarZac, isn’t there any other way to help you.” “No, DAR,” LarZac replied, “I have to do this by myself. It is important to my people that I survive and to do that, I must go through this tribulation. DAR, know that I am always with you. Soon you will be given a sign that will help you lead. The sign will give you great power to lead. You will be given this power because others have given you one of the greatest gifts of all…trust. That is a rare gift.

But you must know, that there are those who will try to take ad-vantage of you and exploit that trust. Beware of those who cast their spirit into the depths of the dark abyss. Those spirits must pass through many lives before there is redemption. You will know who they are…you will have the power.” Tears are now streaming down DAR’s face. “I don’t want you to go, LarZac,” the DAR said, as the tears continued, “but I know you must. Will I ever see you again?” “Yes, DAR, I will see you again,” LarZac said, as

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he tried to dry DAR’s eyes, “and when I do, it will be a glorious re-union and you will know peace and joy you could never imagine.”

“I always wanted to tell you,” the DAR said, looking directly at LarZac, “that I am the Kott, that Dobbs chose. I have not told anyone, not even my parents; no one.” “Yes,” LarZac said, “I know, Dobbs told me.” “But Dobbs died before we met,” DAR questioned, “How could he tell you?” “Dobbs has always been with you,” LarZac ex-plained. “He is now part of the unity of the Omni. He made it known that you were here on earth. I knew when I first saw you that it was part of my destiny to be with you, even for this brief time. It will be explained to you someday when you join us. And your destiny is the reason that it is so important to protect you and I will do that always.

Now, DAR, come and be close to me and be quiet with me for a while.” DAR slowly moved inside LarZac’s cloak. And as the two embrace, suddenly, there is a silent explosion of light, so powerful, it obliterates the view of the car from the truck.

“WOW! What the hell was that?” the Pop yelled, as he jumped up in his seat. The MOM and Buddy were sitting there in awe. Their jaws dropped, they were all fearful for their little boy. The three leap from the cab and rush to the car. The Pop bangs frantically on the window of the Lincoln. “DAR, LarZac are you OK,” the Pop shouts. The Pop hurriedly opens the door. “DAR,” the Pop shouted. “We are alright,” the DAR said calmly, “we’re OK.” “What was that bright light? It almost blinded us; we thought the car blew up” the Pop squealed. “I will explain later,” said the DAR, “right now we have to help LarZac.

The DAR jumps out of the car and leads LarZac and the others to the back of the truck. Beau is so anxious, he flips the window up with his nose. Beau and Horatio are sitting inside the truck against the tailgate; Beau leaps up with his front paws on the edge of tailgate, sticking his head out into the rain. “LarZac!” Beau yelps. Without hesitation or comment, LarZac instantly em-

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braces his friend. There is another flash of light, much less in-tense than before. Again, the frightened creatures inside the truck are startled. Brett and his parents are also taken aback. DAR remained still, and was calm; he knew what had taken place. LarZac releases his friend from his embrace and steps back. LarZac says nothing, just smiles and walks away.

LarZac walks toward the power station, stops just outside the fence and hesitates as he turns a take a last look at his worried friends. LarZac turns back and calmly walks through the fence and disappears in the blinding rain. The family is now holding tight to each other; they see nothing and hear nothing. Several minutes pass and then there is a strange silence. The rain is still pouring down, but the sound of rain is gone.

And then, a tremendous explosion; the blast creates an incredible white light so great that all objects lose their form and disappear into the blaze of the brilliant flash. The explosion is so great that it knocks the Pop and his family off their feet. Beau, Horatio and his charges, inside the truck, are blown back against the front of the truck bed. DAR is unmoved, unaffected by the incredible blast. The MOM, Pop and Brett are unconscious. The silence is com-plete. There is no sound anywhere.

The DAR is the first to move as he rushes to his family’s side. He begins to lick the MOM’s face. Slowly she begins to regain con-sciousness. “What happened,” the MOM said, in a raspy voice. DAR sits beside her and yelps. The MOM only hears a voice in her head. “It was LarZac,” the voice said. The MOM looks at the sub-station across the street. It has been razed to the ground. There is nothing left. She panics and frantically crawls to Brett and her husband. She shakes them both, hard. “Wake up, you guys, wake up,” she yelled. The two men begin to regain conscious-ness. “What happened,” the men echoed, in whispered voices. “Look!” the MOM yelled, “it’s gone; everything is gone. We have to find LarZac.” As the crew slowly rose to their feet, they looked around. Everything in and around the substation was burnt and blackened.

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The dazed crew tries to shake off the dizziness from the explosion. The trio quickly checks the Companions in the back of the truck. “Beau, Horatio, are you and the others, OK?” the Pop asked. The trio leans in the truck hurriedly checking each of the Companions. Beau seems anxious and begins to yelp. “OK, boy, I know what you’re saying,” the Pop said.

Again, the MOM hears that voice her head again, “We’re OK. Go now, find LarZac!” “We have to go, now, you two,” the MOM said, to the two men. The group turns their attention to ground zero…the power substation. It is now a very dangerous place, with live power cables everywhere. As they stand at the edge of the power station property, they try to assess the situation. “I have to go in there and look for LarZac,” the Pop said, “you guys wait here.” As soon as the Pop disappears in the wreckage of the power station, DAR and Beau quietly slip away and race to the other side of the debris field. Brett soon joins his father in the frantic search. The MOM is so intently focused on Buddy and the Pop, she does not notice DAR and his son are gone.

Valuable minutes pass and still there is no sign of LarZac or his re-mains. The Pop and Brett fearlessly continue their search through the dangerous area. In the distance, they can hear a deep bark-ing; it has a certain rhythm. DAR and Beau raise their heads to listen to the voice. “It’s Horatio,” the DAR said, “let’s go.” DAR and Beau run through the debris, careful to avoid the sparking ca-bles and small explosions from different devices in the stations ap-paratus, that are now compromised and threatening.

“Over here,” Horatio shouts to his friends, “I’m here.” “Horatio,” DAR shouts as he and Beau catch up to their friend, “what are you doing here, you should be protecting the Companions.” “Mick and Robert D. are there,” Horatio said firmly, “I have found LarZac!” he declared. Horatio raised his paw and pointed to a cave in the rubble carved out by the explosion. LarZac was sitting peacefully. His form was glowing brightly and he was not moving. The three canines rush to his side. “LarZac!” DAR shouts, choking on his

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words. Horatio moves closer and sniffs around LarZac’s form. He turns to DAR and slowly shakes his head. “NO!” DAR shouts. Tears, once again, roll down the faces of the search team. “We have to move him back to the truck. He can’t be found here.” DAR said to the others.

The MOM, can no longer stand the wait. She can’t see her men; they are out of sight. She races across the road and into the de-bris field of the power substation. “Bear, Brett where are you?” the MOM shouted at the top of her lungs. And then, she heard that voice again, “MOM, we’re here, I will guide you, just follow my thoughts.” “MOM, we’re here,” the MOM repeats in her head. Her mind races. “That’s my DAR,” she screams out loud, that voice I’ve been hearing is my DAR’s, she squealed. The MOM immedi-ately starts running through the destruction. “DAR, there you are, I can see you,” she shouts. “MOM be careful,” Brett shouts. “Watch where you are going.” “Did you find, LarZac?” the MOM asked, still shouting. “Yes, Honey, he’s right there.” The Pop an-swered. The MOM’s jaw drops. She, too, begins to cry. The MOM hears DAR’s voice, “please don’t, MOM, he is gone, now. We have to move him before the humans come.” The rescuers can hear sirens in the background.

The MOM just looks at DAR and does not mention the secret that DAR has shared with her; that she can hear DAR’s thoughts and he, hers. For now it is their secret, alone.

“Honey, we don’t have time for tears, we have to….” the MOM in-terrupts, “yes, yes, I know. “Mom, you carry him,” The DAR’s voice begged, as it rang in her head. Without questioning his call, the MOM moves close to LarZac and quietly kneels next to him for a moment, as if in prayer. She knows he is different now. His life-less body is aglow as it sits upright in the shallow cave. The MOM leans forward and gently picks him up. His body is almost form-less and is nearly weightless. The MOM rises to her feet effort-lessly, carrying her dear friend. She walks past the men, without comment. The men follow her as if in a funeral procession. As they approach the vehicles, the MOM places LarZac in the back of

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the truck, where he can’t be seen from the outside through the tinted windows. The Companions are shocked as they look at LarZac. He was their hope for a chance of a new life and now, it appears to be lost. The Pop looks at the beleaguered crew and sees the sadness on their faces. “Everything is going to be OK,” the DAR said as he leaped in the back and sat next his mentor.

Brett and Beau accompany the MOM back to the Lincoln. As they settle into the car, the MOM wonders where the crew will hide while they wait until they hear from Mike. The car phone ringing broke the MOM’s fog of thought. “Hello,” the MOM said. “Hi Vicki, this is Mike. I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you, but we have a big mess here. The shuttle launch has been delayed in-definitely. The electricity is out all over this part of the Cape.” “We have had a problem here, too,” the MOM said, as she started to panic. “Our package has taken a turn for the worst. He needs a place out of the public eye. We can’t stay in motels any longer; we could be discovered.” “Maybe there is a place where you could stay for a while until this mess straightens itself out,” Mike replied. “ My brother runs a place called Refuge. It’s an orphan-age for children and animals who were lost; who have been aban-doned. It’s a very different place. It is funded by private money, so there is no government interference.” “Do you think he would take us in for a little while?” the MOM asked, “as you recall we have other animals with us as well.” “Yes, I remember,” Mike con-tinued, “when the announcement of the shuttle launch abort came, I anticipated that you might need a place to stay so, I called my brother and asked him if he could help and he said yes. His name is StephenJay. You need to go now, in case they close roads to everyone except residents.”

The MOM takes down the directions and phone number and hangs up. She conveys the situation to Brett and the Pop, who are standing outside the car. The Pop rushes to the truck to find the address on the map. The Pop can hear the sirens approaching the sub-station. He quickly starts the truck and heads away from the area, down side streets, with Brett and the MOM close behind.

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It’s now getting late, as the two vehicles pull down a narrow road and into an unmarked driveway. The Pop drives down the long driveway and approaches a large, old Victorian house. A short, portly, middle-aged man is standing on the porch as if waiting for the arrival of the desperate travelers. As the vehicles come to a stop, the man descends the long staircase and walks toward the Pop as he exits the truck. “Hi, I’m StephenJay, welcome to Refuge, sir.” “Hello, StephenJay,” said the Pop, “it’s a pleasure to meet you. I want to thank you for extending your hand to help us. Welcoming strangers to your home is not a common thing these days. We appreciate it.” “Well, it is a ‘common thing’ here at Refuge. This is what we’re all about,” StephenJay said, gently cor-recting the Pop. The MOM and Brett quickly join the two men. “StephenJay, this is my wife, Vicki and my son, Brett; my friends call me, Bobby,” the Pop said.

“We also have some very special friends with us; we call them Companions,” the Pop continued. The Pop walks StephenJay to the back of the truck. “Before I introduce them to you,” the Pop said, “I want to tell you that we also have a friend in here who is different from any creature you have ever seen. When you see him, please don’t be frightened. He is in an unknown state and may or may not come back to us. To be honest, we don’t even know what his condition is or if he is even alive. This entity has extraordinary skills, never before seen on this earth. I want to as-sure you, he is not a danger to anyone here.” “It’s OK, Bobby, my brother told me what he knew about your special guest.” The Pop then spent several minutes, telling StephenJay about LarZac and the recent events at the power station. StephenJay just looked at POP with a reassuring smile. “OK,” StephenJay said, “let’s bring everyone in the ‘Victorian’. I know you’re all tired and hungry.”

The Pop lifts the shell window and lowers the tailgate. StephenJay just stares for a minute, taking in the sight of the stressed Com-panions and the image of LarZac cradled in DAR’s arms. Beau sits beside his Papa, guarding the two against possible danger. The Pop knows that look on Beau’s face; it says, don’t even think about messing with my Papa and my friends. Beau’s “teddy bear”

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face was deceiving; he was strong as an Ox and quick as Jaguar and he was willing to fight against any odds. Beau never warned his opponents with a growl; he was just there, in your face, right now. “It’s OK, Beau,” said the Pop, “he’s a friend. He will help us.” Beau slowly walks toward the man, out onto the tailgate. StephenJay lifts his hand carefully to greet Beau and assure him he really is a friend.

Beau lets the man touch his head and gently caress that beautiful face. “You’re a pretty handsome guy aren’t you, Mr. Beau?” StephenJay said. “I’ll bet the ladies just love you.” Beau just stands quietly. “Alright, everybody out of the truck, and follow Ho-ratio,” the Pop said in a quiet voice. StephenJay leads the way into the Victorian. The MOM and Brett help DAR carry LarZac. “I’ve got him, big guy,” the MOM said to DAR, “I’ll carry him.”

StephenJay opens the front door of the Victorian and is greeted by several young people looking curiously at the new guests. “StephenJay, what’s going on?” a young voice asks. “Everything is OK, guys go back to what you were doing and we’ll introduce everyone later,” StephenJay said, as he halted the Companion pa-rade. He didn’t want LarZac seen by anyone, yet. As he waved the Companions into the Victorian, StephenJay hurriedly ushered the MOM, carrying LarZac, into a large room just inside the en-trance. All the Companions followed quickly behind.

“This will be your new home until we can figure out what the plan is,” StephenJay said. “After dinner, I will tell you all about our mod-est effort here and give you a tour of the grounds.”

The food was quickly prepared for the hungry crew. Everyone was starving, since there was almost no food given to the Companions that day due to the course of events. Survival was the goal of the day.

After dinner, StephenJay announced that the tour was about to be-gin. Everyone scurried outside to take care of business before the walkabout. As everyone gathered in front of the house, Mick,

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Robert D. and Oaffie were assigned to protect LarZac, still ‘lying in state’ inside the Victorian. DAR and Beau were reluctant to leave, but they wanted to know the lay of the land, in case of emer-gency. Better safe than sorry. “ ‘Trust but verify’, as they say,” StephenJay said, sensing the interest of the crew.

During the tour, StephenJay described each building and its pur-pose. There was a building to process and store food from the garden, electronics and education building, a building to process and store water, and a repair shop. “Boy, your sure have thought of everything,” the Pop said. “We also grow most of our food here,” StephenJay continued, “but it’s just not enough. It still costs too much to operate this place, even with some of the older kids working in town. One of the problems is that, from time to time these kids meet someone in town who needs a meal or some place to stay for a few days. No one is ever turned away or asked to pay.” “Isn’t there anywhere you can get funding?” the Pop asked. “No, we don’t want any interference from government agencies; their involvement would eventually destroy what we have built here.” “I understand,” the Pop said.

StephenJay told the visitors, “the size of the property is substan-tial, nearly two hundred acres, donated along with the Victorian, ten years earlier, by the Jefferson estate. The plantation was called Destiny and goes back to the Civil War; it was built by Colonel Lincoln D. Jefferson, a Confederate war hero. When this place was given to us, the Colonel’s heirs told us they wanted this place to be a positive force for good. We named this place, Refuge, so everyone would know who we are and what we are about.

We call the residents, Founders, because when young people first arrive here they are lost. They are encouraged to stay here until they are ‘found’, until they know who they are and regain their sense of self worth and balance. With our help, they know when they are ready to find their place in the world. Founder is a nick-name the young people gave themselves. It reminds them of their

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most important goal, here at Refuge.”

StephenJay concluded the tour by telling the Pop and the MOM that as far as he was concerned, the Companions could have the run of the compound immediately surrounding the Victorian. The compound was a five-acre parcel that was completely protected by a solid wall. “The Colonel built this wall shortly after the end of the Civil War,” explained StephenJay, “he wanted to keep the Yan-kee carpetbaggers out.” Brett and his parents smile politely.

“At one time, we used the repair building as a kennel, but as time passed we found that a lot of the young people here enjoyed the animals and became attached to them. They asked if the Com-panions could stay with them in their rooms. We found that this helped the kids come out of their shell and slowly open up about the events that brought them here.”

The Companion visitors were left in the yard to play and explore the compound on their own. For a brief moment, they would be able to run and play in safety; to act normal and feel at ease. The parents smiled with delight as they watched the little ones play and be free, if only for a little while.

The day was too short. The Companions were having the time of their lives, making new friends with Founder Companions. There was a lot of talk between the Companions and their new friends. For the older Companions, and those still recovering from the trauma of their past lives, fatigue came early. They wanted to go back to the Victorian and rest. There were resident Companions who knew the aches and pains their new friends were feeling. They knew, as humans know, that when you are not feeling well, it’s nice to have someone to be with you. The resident Compan-ions accompanied their new friends into the Victorian and nestled together as they settled in for a well-deserved nap.

As the sun finally set, everyone returned to the Victorian, there were certain people sniffing around for their supper. One of those was the beautiful blond boy.

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StephenJay provided food for everyone after which, DAR and his helpers made sure the Companions went outside to take care of business. When the Companions returned to the room, it only took a few minutes before all were sound asleep. “Well, I guess that tells us what kind of a day they had,” the Pop said, “everyone is out cold.” There were exceptions, of course, DAR, Beau and Ho-ratio, were sitting vigil for their dear friend. “Papa, what’s going to happen to LarZac?” the Beau asked. “You should remember the things we learned from LarZac,” the DAR replied, “that we achieve great things when we have faith in ourselves and perse-vere through adversity. I know we will talk to him again, someday; he promised he would not abandon us and I believe that.”

Beau and Horatio say nothing. The words ring hollow as they look at LarZac’s lifeless form. Horatio and Beau finally lay down with sad faces and slowly drift off to sleep. DAR remains at his post, sitting motionless in the quiet of the room; the darkness lit only by the glowing, sparkling of light surrounding his friend. He refuses to believe this the end.

As the night wears on, fatigue finally captures the DAR and he succumbs and falls into a deep sleep. The room is filled with the now familiar noises of sleeping Companions.

The morning comes too quickly for the weary Companions. The Pop is the first to rise. He quietly begins to wake the MOM and Buddy, who struggle for just a few more minutes of sleep on their makeshift beds. With few exceptions, the Companions are still sound asleep. The Pop looks over at the couch where they put LarZac. The Pop leaps to his feet, startled. “DAR, where is LarZac?” the Pop shouts in a panicked voice. The Pop’s shouting wakes everyone, immediately. The Companions are all standing straight up. The MOM and Brett are now awake and out of bed. “Where is LarZac?” the MOM shouts at the Pop. “I don’t know,” the Pop replies. “Where is the DAR?” Brett said, alarmed.

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mentor and his devoted friend. Horatio, MOM, Pop and Brett fly out the front door and into the yard. A quick search of area around the house turns up nothing. StephenJay quickly joins the crew, still dressed in his pajamas and robe. “What’s going on?” StephenJay asked. “We can’t find LarZac or DAR,” the Pop an-swers. “We can’t find them anywhere around here.” “We have other buildings, out behind the tree line, let’s look there before we panic,” StephenJay said. “By the way, where is your friend, Beau?” “Oh, Man,” the Pop yelled, “I forgot all about him.” Everyone starts to run toward the outbuildings. As they round the tree line, the crew spots, Beau sitting outside one of the buildings. “We use that building as overflow housing for both people and Compan-ions,” StephenJay said, as he picked up the pace.

“Beau, are you OK?” the Pop asked, as he knelt down to check out his boy. “Where is your Papa?” “Yes, Pop, I’m OK,” Beau said, “Papa is inside with LarZac.” The Pop jumps up without another word and rushes inside to find his men. StephenJay, the MOM and Brett follow the Pop into the building. The worried family rushes into the main living room. The Pop abruptly stops dead in his tracks; the others follow suit. They can see the DAR sitting straight and still in the middle of the room; he is looking up at LarZac. The family looked in amazement at their alien friend who is suspended in mid-air. The bright glow that surrounded LarZac is now gone. There is now a fully formed body clearly visible; the cloak that protected the frail form lies on the floor below him.

The DAR turns and looks at his family. “LarZac has come back to us,” the DAR said with a tear in his eyes, “he just spoke a few words. He said he will leave us soon and that was all he said. When I asked him where he is going, he did not answer me,” DAR said with a worried look. Everyone looks intently at LarZac. He appears to be staring blankly into space.

”DAR,” StephenJay said, excitedly, “Is your friend is alive?” “I don’t know,” DAR answered. “This is incredible,” said Stephen-Jay, “for the first time in my life, I’m actually hearing man talk to animals. I thought it was just man’s fantasy; something you would

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see in the movies.” “They can only talk to us in the presence of our friend LarZac,” the Pop injected, “when he is gone, we will no longer be able to do that.” The MOM looks at DAR with a sly smile; they say nothing to the others.

At that moment, the group hears loud noises and shouting coming from outside the building. A young man rushes into the habitat and hurries over to StephenJay and whispers in his ear. Stephen-Jay turns to the others. “We must hide your friend, now. There is some kind of military unit on the property. A few of the young people are trying to distract them; we must hurry.” StephenJay looks at the DAR, “do you understand me, DAR?” he said. “Yes, I do,” the DAR said. StephenJay rushes outside to help the others stop the trespassers. The Pop locks the door behind him as he and the crew follow close behind StephenJay.

“What’s going on here?” StephenJay demanded, as he approached the unidentified aggressors. “Who’s in charge?” “Step aside, sir,” comes a commanding voice from the crowd of soldiers, “we are going to enter the premises.” “Wait a minute, sir,” StephenJay said, “What are you looking for?” A tall figure steps forward. The man is dressed like a robot warrior. “We have information that an individual of unknown origin is on these premises; now step aside, sir or you’ll be placed under arrest,” the man said. “Who are you, sir?” StephenJay asked in a demanding voice. “I’m Lieutenant (Lt.) Clark and I’m in command of this team,” the man said, impa-tiently. “What do you mean, ‘individual of unknown origin’?” StephenJay asked. “I cannot discuss that with you right now, sir,” the Lt. replied. “Well, you’re on private property, mister, so, somebody better explain what’s going on before I call the police and my Congressman. Do you people have warrant?” StephenJay further demanded. “Sir, we don’t need a warrant, as I said, we have a report that there could be a dangerous entity on these premises,” the Lt. explained, “I can only tell you that we are a ‘Special Government Unit’ and we have authority to be here, now, please step aside.”

“Let me see if I understand you, right,” StephenJay said sarcasti-316

cally, “you’re with the government, the same government that for decades has denied the existence of ETs and UFOs, yet, you’re on my property looking for one? Let me save you some time, com-mander, we keep all the aliens in that building over there,” as StephenJay points to the furthest building at the back of the com-plex. “But we’re very strict here, we make them park their space ships behind the tree line so they can’t be seen.” “Sir, sarcasm doesn’t help,” the Lt. said in a stern voice, “now let me do my job.” “That’s great,” said StephenJay, in his deep base voice, “someone just calls you up and tells you there is an ‘unknown life form’ on this property and you guys come storming in here with guns drawn without a question. That’s crazy! There are young people here; someone could get hurt.” The Lt. just ignores StephenJay and walks quickly past him toward his team.

The SGU soldiers rush up to the front door of the Victorian and stop while two other men survey the interior of the building through the window. “Stop!” StephenJay shouted, “there are chil-dren in there.” The soldiers ignore StephenJay’s command. One of the men at the window gives the OK for the other men to enter the front door. As the door flies open from the force of the hand-held battering ram, there is a rush by the SGU as they enter the building with weapons ready.

The soldiers return to report to the Lt. The search reveals noth-ing. The Lt. orders that the rest of the buildings be searched. One of the residents steps forward, shaking her finger at the Lt. “The door was unlocked genius,” the angry girl said, “all the buildings are unlocked, so you can leave your little ‘pass key’ here.” The Lt. does not respond to the protest and motions the sergeant to con-tinue the search of the other buildings.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Loss317

The MOM, Pop and Brett have not taken their eyes off the front door of the building where they found LarZac. They are terrified that something bad is about to happen; their friend and their little boy are inside.

The building hiding DAR and LarZac is the last to be searched. The SGU follows the same procedure used in entering the other buildings. This time, the Lt. enters the building behind his men. Suddenly, two shots ring out and then silence. The MOM rushes to the building screaming DAR’s name. She looks frantically around the room for DAR and LarZac. The MOM can no longer see LarZac suspended high above the floor.

The Lt. turns and faces the MOM. He is holding what appears to be LarZac’s cloak. The cloak is covered in blood; under the cloak is a small form, partially exposed. The MOM can see the black silk coat of her precious boy. “Put him down, now,” the MOM screams at the top of her lungs. “We can’t do that, Ma’m,” the Lt. said, “we have to take him to our facility for examination.” “I said, put him down, now,” the MOM continued, screaming at the top of her voice. One of the soldiers tries to restrain the MOM; that was a mistake. Without hesitation, the Pop and Buddy jump in front of the MOM and shove the soldiers back. The Lt. stands fast, deter-mined to hold on to the lifeless form. Beau suddenly appears from nowhere and lunges at the Lt. He feels monstrous pain in the back of his leg and drops to his knees. The MOM lunges forward and grabs the cloak and her boy from the Lt’s arms as she falls to her knees and gently lays the cloak and her man on the porch.

The MOM slowly pulls the cloak back to reveal the body. It’s the DAR. He had been shot twice. The MOM begins to scream and cry, hysterically. She picks her brave soldier up in her arms. She holds him close to her cheek. “I can feel him, he’s still alive; I can feel a heart beat,” the Mom shrieked. The DAR opens his eyes slightly and looks at his MOM; he smiles at her. The DAR takes one last deep gasp of air and quietly lays his head in the MOM‘s

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hand.

“He’s gone! The DAR is gone!” the MOM screamed.

The MOM looks at the Lt.; there is blood in her eyes. Brett does not think, as the Lt. rises to his feet, he strikes the Lt. with his bare fist, knocking him backwards. The Lt. drops like a rock, to the ground. The soldiers rush to subdue Brett. The Pop now has two guns pointed at him as he struggles to get to the Lt. “You guys are going to pay for this; you’re going to regret the day you came on this property,” the Pop screamed. “You guys must feel very proud of yourself, that it took twenty armed men to kill one inno-cent little dog.”

“Lt., I strongly suggest you do whatever you have to do, and then get your men off the property,” StephenJay said, in a low, angry voice. “It’s going to be worse for you if your men hurt someone else.” Embarrassed and nervous, the Lt. turned to one of the sol-diers coming out of the building and said, “did you find anything else in there, sergeant?” “No, sir, there is nothing in there,” the soldier replied. “Alright then, take the men and get everyone in the trucks.” The sergeant motions the men to follow the order. The Lt. motions to the soldiers to release Brett and the Pop.

The Lt. moves toward the MOM to take the DAR. The MOM quickly jerks back, holding DAR close to her. The Pop and Brett step be-tween the Lt. and the MOM. “Don’t you dare touch him, you mis-erable lowlife,” the MOM yells at the Lt., “haven’t you done enough; you’ve taken my little boy from me.” The MOM begins to sob uncontrollably. Brett grabs his MOM who is becoming faint. He quickly takes her inside the buildingAnd sits her down on the couch. The MOM won’t let go of her brave soldier. Tears run down Brett’s face as he tries to console his mother; nothing seems to calm her.

Outside, the Lt. turned to leave. “Lt., shouldn’t we take the dog,” the sergeant asked, “it’s evidence, sir, we need to take the dog with us. If the body disappears,” the sergeant said, whispering in

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the Lt.’s ear, “they have nothing.” “Nothing except, the thirty people that watched us shoot the poor thing,” the Lt. snapped, “now get in the truck and let’s get out of here before we have more trouble than we came for.” The military men, like lightening flashing, vanish into the fog that has descended around the prop-erty.

The MOM is still inside the room, the floor covered with the DAR’s blood. She is still sitting, holding her man, still embracing her ‘best Christmas gift ever’. Her head is bowed; her tears fall on DAR’s lifeless face. Her hand gently caresses the soft silk of his coat.

The Pop enters, walking quietly across the room. Beau and Hora-tio are sitting by the door guarding against more invaders. There will be no more surprises; next time men with guns will be at-tacked without notice, Beau resolves. The Pop kneels down to comfort his wife, a seemingly hopeless task. He touches his boy’s face and lays his head on DAR’s chest. Two hearts are torn and shattered forever. Hearts that will repair in time, but will never forget, will never be the same.

Who could ever understand the sorrow? How can you explain to another human being that your soul has been abandoned? That this sweet Companion could have overwhelmed you, so com-pletely. That he could control you, with the warmth of his smile, with his strength and determination. He was a boy and a man with a caring heart, a mischievous mind and a pure spirit. He was faithful and loving. He kept his boys in line and protected them against all odds. He gave his life for the Companions. It was the bravest of all acts, to be selfless, to lay down your life so that oth-ers might live.

Brett sits beside his mother and puts his arm around her to give her comfort. Horatio walks slowly to join the family. Beau sniffs the wounds on his Papa’s chest and back. He puts he face against his Papa’s face and pauses briefly as if finally realizing his Papa is gone. Beau makes one last attempt to confirm his father’s fate.

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Beau places his nose under the DAR’s ear and flips it up so that he can silently whisper his last words, “Papa, don’t go, I love you, please come back.” There is no response. Beau drops like a rock to the floor and lies at the MOM’s feet.

Beau’s life will be different now; the joy of life will be diminished. He will pine for his Papa; and he will age quickly like other Com-panions who have lost someone they love. Horatio lies down be-side his pal and lays his paw across Beau’s leg to comfort him. But there will be no consoling Beau, today. He is in a daydream world, now, thinking about his Papa and the brief life they had to-gether. Beau just wants to close his eyes and go to sleep, and then wake up and find that all of this is just a bad dream.

StephenJay walks into the room and stops, respectfully keeping his distance from the grieving family. Brett senses that Stephen-Jay wants to speak to the family and motions to him to come closer. StephenJay moves to the couch and kneels down next to the Pop in front of the MOM. “Victoria, when you’re ready, we would be honored to help you with the DAR,” StephenJay said, in a quiet voice. “We can help you prepare the DAR for burial. I know when you leave you will want to take DAR with you, but in the meantime, we can prepare a sarcophagus and keep it above ground. We will take steps to make sure the DAR won’t be dis-turbed.”

The MOM tries to control her tears. “Has anyone seen LarZac,” the MOM asks in a broken voice. “No, princess,” the Pop answers, “no one has seen him. We don’t know where he went or what hap-pened to him.” “If he is alive, I can’t believe he would abandon us after all this,” the MOM said, her voice still hoarse. “Please let me sit a while with my DAR, I want to clean him up, myself.” “There is room behind you that will allow you to care for him,” StephenJay said. Brett and StephenJay rise and walk outside, leaving the MOM and the Pop to grieve alone. “I have to have your help,” Brett said, firmly. “I want to search the grounds to see if I can find LarZac.”

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“We will start immediately,” replied StephenJay without hesitation, “I know everyone will want to help.” StephenJay quickly gathers everyone together and takes a few minutes to explain about LarZac and what to do if he is found. Although some Founders are shocked to learn that there is alien among them, everyone to a person is excited about finding him.

Word spreads fast through the complex. The entire family of Refuge spreads out throughout the grounds to search for LarZac. The search continues for several hours with every inch of the property being uncovered in a desperate hunt for the ET.

When night begins to fall, the exhausted crew returns to the Victo-rian. StephenJay gathers everyone in the “great room” to get a report of their search. The answer is the same from all in the room. There is no sign of LarZac!

After hours just sitting, holding her boy, the Pop finally convinces the MOM, that it is time to prepare the DAR for his temporary rest-ing place. The MOM rises from the couch and carries her beloved to the adjacent room where there is a large sink. She gently laid her man on a stainless steel table. As the MOM began to wash the DAR’s tattered body, she begins to cry again. The Pop gently takes the washcloth from the MOM’s hand and continues to clean their guy. The task is slow and exact.

When the long task is complete, the Pop and the MOM return to the Victorian to rest. StephenJay is waiting in the hall for the cou-ple. He motions to two women standing nearby. Without a word they leave the Victorian to retrieve the DAR and carry him to the temporary tomb that the Founder craftsmen built for DAR’s re-pose.

The two women laid the DAR on the pedestal bed located in a group of trees they called the grotto. They covered all but his head with a white silk cloth trimmed with a border of gold leaf. The craftsmen immediately sealed the glass tomb protecting the lifeless hero.

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The two women quickly return to the Victorian to report that the DAR is at rest. StephenJay knocks on the door of the private room given to the family. The Pop answers the door; StephenJay quietly tells the Pop the DAR is ready.

Shortly, the family appears in the hallway and they are anxious to see their DAR. The MOM walks between the Pop and Brett. Beau and Horatio follow close behind leading the entire family of Com-panions. The entire orphaned family of Refuge walks slowly be-hind StephenJay. As the procession reaches the sarcophagus nes-tled in a small tree lined grotto, the MOM stops and is amazed at what she sees. The DAR is enclosed in beautiful glass tomb. The craftsmen have artfully placed lights that reflect a soft lumines-cence on the tomb. DAR looks like sleeping royalty. Candles sur-round the tomb and cast an ancient glow throughout the grotto.

Brett and the Pop held the MOM tightly as they walked toward the DAR’s resting place. As the three approach the grotto with the others, the MOM abruptly stops and looks at the DAR lying on an all white plinth. “StephenJay, you and your family have done a wonderful thing, honoring our DAR, in this way,” the MOM said, “thank you for all of this.”

The gathering forms a circle around the glass enclosure. The Refuge Founders begin to sing songs about “a brighter day on the other side.” Tears stream down the family’s face as they step for-ward and place their hands together on the glass vault. The Omni knows his deeds there is no need to pray for the DAR. DAR will not be judged. No one is judged; their next life is pre-destined by how they lived in this life.

When the singing stopped, the Pop stepped forward to speak for his boy. “I want my words to be brief,” the Pop said, “but the story of this beautiful creature is not. In the years to come, his story will be legend. Only his son, his true friend and Companion, knew the real DAR, what he thought and why he dedicated his life to helping those who were lost. He never thought of himself, he

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never voiced his fears to others, only his mission. He knew if he were to change man’s heart, he would have to learn how to com-municate with him, to teach him that all creatures have value and that they have a spirit. When you destroy or abandon another liv-ing thing without just cause…a spirit that is entrusted to your care…you only diminish yourself and your fate is sealed, for your spirit will ultimately abandon you.

There are those who say, when your heart controls you and be-comes the force that directs your life, you are weak. And they say that the weak will be consumed by the power of evil. But, those who only know hatred and greed will only know self-loathing in the next world.

The DAR did not know why he was driven by selflessness. Perhaps he had won the battle of his own rage; that he was conquered by the love we gave him. But in the end, he learned to trust those with pure hearts completely, his Companions. Dobbs taught DAR that to be truly fulfilled, he must be willing to take risks. That will-ingness to take those risks is our moment of truth. Most men lead by following; great men lead by example.

We never know what instructs our lives, what is deep inside…that place that defines who we are; that place we can never really find, but know is there. It is that essence that moves us forward to-ward our destiny, our fate that we and we alone determine.”

The DAR was a joy to us; there was poetry to his life and he shared that with us…and we are content that he came into our lives.

Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, ‘When he shall die, take him and cut him out into little stars and shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun’."

The Pop bowed his head with the others, for a moment of silent prayer. With the prayer complete, the Pop raised his head. He

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was about to thank everyone for coming, when one of the young children of Refuge, shouted, “Look, on top of the ‘DAR’s house’, an angel.” Everyone’s eyes were drawn to the top canopy of DAR’s house. Sitting on top, was a beautiful, large, white butter-fly. Like a chorus, there was a sigh from the gathering. The but-terfly was still for moment and then took wing. It flew downward to the MOM, then to the Pop and Brett and then just hovered for a moment, as if to say goodbye. Then as in a beautiful, graceful bal-let, he swirled upward into the night, into the next world, to take his place with the others, waiting at the Rainbow Bridge.

“What was that?” the child asked. The Pop walked over to the lit-tle girl and bent down. “That’s the best part of who we are,” the Pop said, “that’s DAR’s spirit, and you know what?” the Pop asked rhetorically, “there is a butterfly inside you, too and he always stays right there,” as the Pop points, “right next to your heart.” The little girl smiled at the Pop, as she placed her hand over her heart. The tears streamed down the Pop’s face, as he reached over and kissed the child on the forehead. A tear from the Pop fell on the little girl’s cheek. The girl was a little startled. The Pop quickly wiped the tear from her face. “It’s OK, sweetheart,” said the Pop, quietly, “it was just a tear of joy.”

The Pop returned to his place next to his family. The MOM turned and took the hands of her two men and began to lead the gather-ing back to the Victorian. As she turned her head to look at her DAR one more time, she noticed Beau and Horatio still sitting next to the DAR. The MOM squeezed the Pop’s hand a little. “Let them stay a little longer,” the MOM said, “This is their time to be with their DAR. They’ll be OK. Let them grieve in their own way; they’ll be back when they’re ready.”

When the procession of mourners reaches the Victorian, Mike is waiting to see his brother and the MOM. “Hi, Vicki, StephenJay,” came the greeting from Mike, “I heard about your DAR; I’m so sorry this happened to you.” “Mike, how did the feds know Vicki and her family were here?” StephenJay questioned. “I don’t know,” Mike answered, defensively, “I had nothing to do with it.

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There are only ten of us in the club and I’m the only one who saw your ‘special package’. I never really told the rest of the members what I saw. I just told them it was very important that they trust me when I said that the package was very special and should be returned to space.” “Returned to space,” StephenJay said, echo-ing his brother’s words, “Well, I guess no one could figure that out,” he said, sarcastically, to his brother.

“I’m sorry,” said Mike, “I did the best I could. I’m so sorry I caused all this harm, but the issue is now moot because the shut-tle launch has been cancelled.” “What? Why?” the MOM asked, excitedly. “There was a thunderstorm at the Cape, and the fuel tanks were damaged by hail; and there is no new launch date.” Mike replied. “We have a big problem, here, as well,” the Pop said, interrupting, “Our package has disappeared; we have no idea where it is.” “Oh, wow, what are you guys going to do?” Mike quizzed. “We don’t know, yet,” the Pop replied. “But…” “But, whatever it is,” StephenJay injected, “we are not telling you. Now, go home. I’m sure you were followed, so when they ask you why you were here, just tell them you were here for DAR’s service.” Mike apologizes again and quickly exits the Victorian.

“OK, everybody, thank you, again for being part of this, tonight,” StephenJay said, “I know the MOM and Pop will not forget what you did and the kindness you demonstrated, but, now, let’s get some rest, we are all exhausted.” The Founders smile and wave, as they disperse to their rooms. The family says goodnight to StephenJay and returns to their quarters. Food was prepared for everyone, but there were few takers. Everyone just collapsed on their blankets and fell sound asleep.

Beau and Horatio have not returned from the “DAR’s house.” The MOM and the Pop surmise that the boys will probably spend the night guarding the tomb. The two parents settle into bed, but nei-ther one can sleep. They both realize that not knowing where LarZac is, and what happened to him, will create an enormous dilemma.

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CHAPTER TWELVE

Reunion

It is early morning, barely four thirty, and the MOM and Pop have slept little. “Are you awake?” the MOM asks the Pop. “Yes, I am,” the Pop replied. “I can’t sleep, I’m going to find the boys,” the MOM said. “I’ll go with you.” The two, still dressed, put on their shoes and make their way down to the grotto. The MOM walks faster as she nears the grotto; she sees Beau and Horatio rush to-ward her at full speed. She kneels to greet her boys. Beau seems anxious and begins to yelp and leap in the air. “What’s the mat-ter?” She said, her voice concerned. Horatio was mimicking Beau’s behavior. The MOM rises quickly as she and the Pop hurry into the grotto. The ‘DAR’s house’ comes into view. The MOM and the Pop stop in stunned silence. The MOM places her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. “What the hell happened here?” the Pop uttered in disbelief. “He’s gone!” the MOM whis-pered, barely able to breathe. “Bear, where is my DAR?” she begged, as she began to cry. As the tears ran down her cheeks, the MOM began to get angry. She looked at the Pop, “Who could do such a thing? What kind of a person could do this?”

The two stare at the sarcophagus. The canopy has been torn away and is lying on the ground. The MOM and the Pop walk around the grotto, looking for some sign of what could have hap-pened; some sign of the DAR.

StephenJay and Brett soon join the parents. “I heard a noise,” Brett said, “and when I woke up, you guys were gone. This was the first place I thought of to look for you.” “I heard a loud noise, also,” StephenJay said, “but it sounded like it was in my head” “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Brett said. “It sounded like it was in my head. It didn’t sound like it came from inside the house or out-side. It was weird.“

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“Shusss,” the MOM said, hushing everyone, “do you feel that?” “Feel what?” the Pop said. “Can’t you feel it,” the MOM said, get-ting more excited. “It feels like an earthquake.” The men begin to feel the earth move. “ I feel it! It does feel like an earthquake,” the Pop exclaimed. The rumble of the earth gets louder; the noise grows deafening. The group puts their hands over their ears. “Hey, you guys,” Brett yells out, “you better look up” he said as he points above. Everyone looks skyward into the black sky; they can’t believe their eyes.

Above them is a massive craft, hanging stationary in mid-air, just a few hundred feet above them. “Is that a space ship,” the Pop asks, “or is it military?” “I don’t think the military has anything that big that can hover,” StephenJay said. “And it’s certainly not a weather balloon,” Brett said sarcastically. “It’s not round, like a space ship,” the MOM added.

The huge craft was almost diamond shape; having four sharp points with an antenna-like structure above each point. They were shaped like snakes crawling on their belly.

Everyone was perfectly still as the mammoth spacecraft hovered above them. Frozen with fear and wonder, the group gazes up-ward. No one speaks. The air around them begins to churn like the start of a whirlwind. The tempest intensifies. The group fears the worst…that they will be swept away and vanish. The family huddles closer together with Beau and Horatio nestled between their legs. Everyone just closes their eyes and prays that the tor-ment will end.

And then there is a loud cracking sound, like the sound of light-ning striking a power poll. There is a brilliant spark of light, like the flash of a nuclear explosion; so bright that all things in and around it have no form and cannot be seen. The family has seen this before. In a nano-second, the light is gone and there is dead calm, but there remains a strange bubble that surrounds the grotto and the family within.

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Everyone begins to release from the huddle and slowly look around them. “What is this?” StephenJay asks, in amazement. “It seems like there is a radiant glow, almost like a mist, inside this thing.” “Yeah, it’s like we are inside some kind of dome,” Brett added. As the crew looks around, nothing can be seen. There is fear of what may happen next. Beau stares off into the distance, through the glass enclosure of the ‘DAR’s house’. Beau begins to bark and moves toward the enclosure, as if agitated.

The group looks in the direction of Beau’s stare. “I see something moving!” the MOM exclaimed. “Where?” the Pop said. “There!” Brett replied. The group watches as two figures slowly emerge from behind the glass enclosure that once held the body of their beloved boy. One of the figures is tall and is dressed in bright red, hooded robe with a gold sash around the waist. The other figure is small; the two stand silent.

The MOM whispers, “Oh, my lord,” as she collapses and falls to her knees in astonishment. “It can’t be, it can’t be,” she said out loud, “it’s my DAR, it’s my precious DAR,” She said, screaming, as she starts to sob uncontrollably. “DAR, Is that you?” the Pop said, softly. “Yes, Pop, it’s me. I’m here, right here,” the DAR said, “I’ve come back to you.” “But how?” the Pop asked.

The DAR does not answer. Instantly, he leaps forward into his MOM’s arms. The MOM buries her head in the DAR’s fur and be-gins to kiss him all over his head. The Pop and Brett quickly join the love fest as they gently caress the DAR’s silky fur. Beau rushes to the DAR’s side and begins to lick his Papa’s face. The DAR does not pull away from his son’s big, wet kisses; it was the first time Beau dared to do that. “Are you, OK, big man,” the Pop said, excitedly, “What happened to you?” The DAR, still in his MOM’s embrace, just turns his head and looks at the tall figure.

The creature reaches up with both hands and pulls back the hood covering his head. “LarZac!” the men screamed in chorus. LarZac is no longer a ghostly form. His body is now fully shaped.

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His features…his face and skin are remarkably human like. There is a halo like glow above his head. There seems to be a mystical aura surrounding the resurrection of the family’s old friend.

“Hello, Pop,” came the firm, gentle voice, “ I am filled with great joy to see you and your family, again,” LarZac said. “ It pleases me to be in your presence once more and know you are well.”

“I have returned to you a very special creature who is part of your heart and mine. We share many things with the DAR. His heart is pure and just.

I have given the DAR special gifts, which he will share with you in time. And as time passes, so shall Beau know these gifts. Among them are special powers that we know DAR will use to advance the human condition and bring peace to an angry world. It will take many generations to destroy this odium that has infected your earth.

“I have a million questions for you, LarZac,” the Pop said. “What happened? You were both lost to us. And how is it that your com-panion vessel could approach our atmosphere without being de-stroyed, as yours was?” “As you know, when my ship crashed and before it ‘passed’, it transferred critical information to my proces-sor that is part of me,” LarZac explained. “I knew I would be weakened someday and eventually destroyed by your atmos-phere. It was important that I transmit this information to my companion craft. I did not know if it would be useful, but my peo-ple were able to create a protective shield that would surround the ship. The shield will only protect us for a short time; the toxins in your air will soon destroy it, as well.

After the incident at the sub-station I was revived by the great surge of power inside my body, but it was necessary that my peo-ple rescue me so that they could channel the immense energy in-side me. Much of that energy was absorbed into the ship.

We were able to use that same energy to repair the DAR’s body. 330

We have the knowledge to replicated his destroyed organs and re-place them. We placed him in a special chamber that regenerates the cell’s tissue and reconstructs them into their original form and position.”

“He looks better than new,” Brett said, smiling through his tears, “did you make him less stubborn?” “He is as he was,” LarZac said, chastising by waving his finger at Brett. “It is his stubborn-ness and determination, that we find endearing and necessary. But the DAR has also demonstrated an ability to be kind, and self-sacrificing. He will be a persuasive force in the battle to defeat evil.”

“What will happen, now?” the MOM said, not letting go of her boy. “I’m afraid that the time is near when the Companions must choose their future…whether they wish to explore this universe with the society of the ‘Origs’ or stay here in the world they know.”

DAR moves from his MOM’s arms and sits beside her. “There are some who have already chosen to accept your invitation and are ready to go,” the DAR said, “but a few have been invited to stay here, at Refuge, Robert D., Mick, Simon and Oaffie are among them.” “We are too old to travel to other worlds,” said Robert D., “this earth is what we know and where we will stay. We have a chance to live in friendship, again. At this point in our lives, this is all we need or can hope for.” “They have made friends with the Founders and have expressed a desire to be their Companions,” said the DAR. “This bond that has been formed here, shows great promise of a new life for them.”

Those Founders, who have themselves been abandoned and abused, have been chosen by their new Companions. There was a quiet joy among those battered few, who wanted just one more chance to be loved, to be a friend, to be at peace. They stood out-side the bubble and watched the ‘space traveler’ as he prepared to leave the earth, perhaps for the last time.

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“LarZac, I must speak to you before you go,” the DAR said. DAR moves toward LarZac. The tall mentor crouches down to listen to his friend. No voice can be heard, just thoughts exchanged be-tween the two leaders.

“When you leave this earth,” the DAR said, “please remember me and all the Companions who are lost in this world. Because I am the Kott, please know that you will be included in the lore of our perpetual clan. And after a time, when word has spread through-out the world, all creatures of the clan will look into the starry night searching for you in the hope that someday you will return to us.” “I am LarZac, one of the seven Shepherds of the Omni, the Abso-lute Spirit. You are one of a special few who has been chosen to liberate mankind; to bring new life to this forgotten place and heal the earth. I will return someday and hold you in my arms again. Together we will breathe the cleansed air of harmony, of an earth reborn.”

LarZac reaches out and embraces his DAR. DAR says nothing, as he fights the tears. He is struck with apprehension by the daunt-ing task ahead. His task is exigent, but the DAR now knows his life’s mission…more dedicated than before.

“It’s time, now, for those who are joining us, to gather around me,” LarZac said, to everyone. All the Companions have said their goodbyes. There were many tears among them and wishes of a better life. “The future will be better for us; LarZac has promised,” Cassie said. “We trust that our injured bodies will no longer know pain. LarZac has told us he will take us to new worlds. And maybe, someday, we will return with him. May all of you be blessed and loved.”

Rocky and Simon have also chosen to go with LarZac. The Com-panions who are leaving gather tightly around LarZac. “I want to

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tell you all how much you mean to me,” LarZac said. “You have made me part of your family, you have sacrificed and protected me at your own peril. You have taught me that there are humans upon this realm you call earth, who dedicate their lives to exorcise the evil around them and demonstrate the goodness that is inher-ent in your kind. Your names will be scribed in the history of the ‘Origs’ for all time. We will be watching you, and we will be stead-fast in guiding the pure hearts that beat inside you. My blessings on you all.”

Suddenly, there was a loud snap, like the single crack of a whip and a blinding flash of white light, as before. As the flash of light dissolved, the grotto became visible, again. The dome that sur-rounded the grotto was gone. Those who remained looked up in amazement as the colossal diamond vessel disappeared in the blink of an eye. Their friends were gone, friends who had suffered with them through the ravages of life these past months and longer. Many standing with tears still streaming down their faces. But this time, they were tears of joy. The sadness was gone.

As the group began to disperse, Beau and the DAR turn to look for Horatio. “Where did he go,” Beau said, frantically looking around the grotto. “I can’t believe he would have left us without saying goodbye, the DAR said. The family starts to search for their loyal friend around the grotto. Others volunteer to search the com-pound. The search continued for nearly an hour, but to no avail.

Disappointed and hurt, DAR and his family return to the Victorian. “I’m sure the emotion of saying goodbye would have been too much for him to bear,” the MOM said trying to ease the anguish, “I’m sure he just wanted to find a peaceful life away from this world.” “It’s OK, boys, Horatio will always be in our hearts,” said the Pop, “we will remember what he did for us.” His boys just looked at the Pop and then turned and ran outside and back to the grotto. “I better go with them,” Brett said. “Strange stuff happens around here; I don’t want anything else to go wrong.”

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leaving and returning to California and their home. “We will be leaving in the morning, early,” the Pop told StephenJay, “we have a long trip ahead of us.” We would like to stay in touch with you,” the MOM added, “we have become fond of this place in the short time we have been here.” The three talk for some time, exchang-ing stories of their lives with animals and the lost children. At the end of their conversation, StephenJay tells the MOM and the Pop that Refuge and the Founders of some unhappy news. “We may be forced to move,” StephenJay said, “the County wants our land for development and we don’t have the money to fight them. The County said they need the land for a ‘higher purpose’. What ‘higher purpose’ could there be than to rescue these lost hearts and fill them with love and give them purpose.” The parents just shook their heads in disbelief. “When we return to California, StephenJay, I’ll try to find a way to raise some money,” the MOM said. “I can’t promise results, but I can promise you I’ll try.” The MOM and Pop turn to go back to their room. The Pop is startled to see his three boys standing in the doorway of the great room. “Hey, he said, any luck?” “No,” said Brett, “we looked every-where.” “How long have you been standing there,” the MOM asked. “Long enough,” Brett responded, “I heard what Stephen-Jay said, that’s a real shame. It makes me angry.”

Before anyone can say another word, the DAR bolts from the group and heads outside and leaps into the back of the open bed of the truck. “I wonder what got into him,” the Pop quizzed. In an instant, the DAR returned to the room. In his mouth was a small, purple drawstring bag. The DAR walked slowly and deliberately over to StephenJay, and looked up at his new friend. “What do you have there, big guy,” StephenJay said. The Pop recognized the pouch and choking with emotion said, “I think that’s for you, StephenJay.” “Really,” StephenJay said with surprise as he bent down to retrieve the pouch. DAR releases the little bag and runs full speed from the room.

StephenJay carefully opened the pouch and emptied the contents into the palm of his hand. “Oh, my,” gasped StephenJay, “what is this?” “It’s a diamond, a very big diamond and it’s the answer to

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your problem,” the MOM said, surprised and proud. “I don’t know how he knew, “the Pop said. “I don’t know what to say,” Stephen-Jay said completely in awe of the gift. “I will tell everyone of our good fortune tonight at dinner. We will all dine together here in the great room.”

As the evening approached, all within the compound gathered in the great room. Founders, guests, canines and felines; places were set for all. StephenJay sat at the head of an odd collection of tables each having a variety of homegrown foods suited to each group of hungry faces.

“Tonight, I want to share great news with all of you,” said StephenJay. “Refuge has been given a gift that will allow us to stay right here on this land. The land that we built into a sanctu-ary, for those that society has cast aside. We have built Refuge into a place of hope, a place where lost hearts can realize the po-tential inside them. When our Founders challenge themselves they find their dignity and come to know that no man is above them.”

“And for this gift, we must thank our benefactor,” StephenJay con-tinued, “the one who gave us a chance to carry on this important work; the DAR.” A roar of approval thunders through the room as the Founders and guests search the room for their champion. The DAR is nowhere to be seen.

Beau sits by the Pop and family, looking embarrassed. The Pop looks at Beau and asks his boy if he knows where the DAR is. Beau looks at the Pop, as if knowing his thoughts. He bolts to the doorway and stops waiting for the Pop to follow. “StephenJay please pardon me for a few minutes, while I locate our ‘guest of honor’,” the Pop said. Beau and the Pop quickly exit the room and hurry outside. Beau leads the way, as they head down the path toward the grotto. Beau runs to the glass house that once held his Papa. DAR is sitting quietly, looking into the night sky. The Pop realizes the reason for his boy’s absence. “DAR, they are gone and may never come back,” the Pop said, “I know you miss them.

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We all miss them, but LarZac trusted you carry on with the task ahead.” DAR turned his head and looked at his boy and his Pop. There was a single tear on DAR’s face. DAR took his paw and raised it to his face and wiped the tear away.

The DAR walked past Beau and his Pop and led them out of the grotto for the last time.

When they returned to the Victorian, DAR walked directly to the bedroom and lay quietly in the corner. The Pop and Beau return to the great room with apologies for DAR’s absence. StephenJay said he understood DAR’s modesty. “Let us rise in salute to the DAR,” StephenJay said, standing and raising his glass in the air.

The dinner lasted into the night, as everyone was busy saying their goodbyes and talking about the future and how DAR and LarZac had affected them.

The evening finally ended after midnight, with kisses, hugs and promises of ‘keeping in touch’ and plans for future visits.

The morning sun burst through the window of the guest bedroom. It shined directly on the Pop’s face; the bright glare soon awak-ened him. As the Pop rubbed the sleepers out of his eyes, he slowly rose and sat on the side of the bed, trying to get his bear-ings. He glanced in the direction of the DAR’s blanket. Again, he was gone. The DAR was up and already outside. The Pop and Beau rushed outside, fearful of yet another disappearance. The Pop was worried that losing LarZac and Horatio had sent DAR into a deep depression.

The two find the DAR, lying quietly in the back of the truck bed. “Hey, buddy what are you doing in there?” the Pop asked. “I’ll bet you’re just anxious to get on the road?” The DAR does not re-spond. He just looks at the Pop with the same expression he had that first day in the pet shop, a long time ago. “OK, pal, we’ll get everybody up so we can get on the road,” the Pop said, trying as-sure his boy that all was well.

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The Pop retreats back to the Victorian, while Beau hops in the back of the truck to be with his Papa. When the Pop returns to the room, everyone is up and preparing to leave Refuge. The MOM asks about DAR; the Pop explains that he is OK and not missing.

Soon the vehicles are packed and everyone is outside in the yard saying their final goodbyes. Beau leaps from the tailgate and looks back at his Papa. “C’mon Papa, Robert D. and the others want to say goodbye. They will be disappointed if you don’t come out.” The DAR rises to his feet, realizing that it is time to say farewell and it can no longer be delayed.

As DAR leaps from the tailgate, all the Companions gather around their dear friend and leader. “Those of you who are staying,” the DAR said, “will find a good life here, but I think you already know that. StephenJay will be a good shepherd. He has brought his dream to life here by building Refuge.

Most of you have found new Companions to share your life and that will be the greatest treasure of your life. My only wish is that you spend the rest of your life in peace, and dedicate yourself to watch over each other. And as you journey through this life, be steadfast and do not retreat from those who would destroy the spirit of another. There is no greater quest, no act nobler than to give of yourself. What saddens me is that so few act upon the in-justice they see that surrounds us all.”

The DAR smiles for the first time in days. The Companions draw closer as many place their muzzle close to his. DAR fights the emotion of love expressed by those spirits who have come to be part of the DAR’s heart. These were the rag-tag souls that sparked the fire inside him and gave him purpose. As the Pop opens the door to the truck cab, DAR and Beau turn and hurry into the backseat of the truck. The DAR turns his head away from Beau and looks through the dark tinted window. The Companions run to the side of the truck for one last look at the creature that saved them from certain death and gave them purpose. The Com-

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panions cannot see through the tinted glass, the boy who became a man through the baptism of fire. They cannot see the tears streaming, uncontrolled, down the DAR’s face.

The MOM and Pop say goodbye to StephenJay and thank him for his kindness and hospitality. The Pop promises that their friend-ship will not dissolve with distance and time, but grow stronger.

As the parents drove away with Brett following behind in the Lin-coln, the Pop looks in the rearview mirror at those left behind. The hands waving goodbye overwhelm him with a feeling of empti-ness. The MOM reaches out and touches the Pop on the shoulder. “We did OK, Bear,” said the MOM, “we did OK.”

The journey home seemed never ending. The family stopped only once overnight, after picking up Brett’s car; once driving through the night. The family was anxious to get home, stopping only for food and a few hours rest.

Two and half days later, the family finally pulled into the driveway of their home at midday. It was a welcomed sight. Everyone was completely exhausted. The travel and the stress had taken its toll.

The Pop briefly inspected the house to determine that all was well, before everyone headed straight to bed. The family slept the rest of the day and through the night.

It was about ten o’clock the next day. The MOM and the Pop were still asleep as the nudging of a wet nose against the Pop’s face awakened him. The DAR was up early rustling around, inside, out-side…preparing.

“Hey, big guy, good morning,” the Pop said, in a groggy voice, “did you sleep well?” The DAR seemed anxious for the MOM and Pop to get up, as he jumped back and forth on the bed. The DAR made no sound. “Honey, wake up,” the Pop said as he gently shook his wife. “What is it?” the MOM said with her eyes still

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closed. “Honey, I think DAR wants us to follow him,” the Pop said. “OK, OK, give me second to wake up,” the MOM said. The two slowly dragged themselves from the warm bed and followed their DAR to the living room. The MOM headed straight for the kitchen to make some coffee.

“You probably don’t understand a word I’m saying, DAR,” the Pop said, still half asleep, “but I had this crazy dream about you and all these wonderful creatures, a guy named Dobbs and a Bloodhound and an alien from outer space…and you could talk and I could un-derstand you.” The Pop looked down at the expression on DAR’s face; he was smiling. “I know, big guy,” the Pop said, “I’m just babbling.”

The DAR walked to the front door and the Pop followed. DAR scratched on it, suggesting he wanted the Pop to open it. “I know, Pal, OK,” the Pop said, “let’s see what your so excited about.” The Pop opened the front door. He gazed through the morning sun, shining in his eyes. The Pop raised his hand to shade his eyes and clear his view. Sitting on the front lawn was a familiar face. It was the Bloodhound. It was Horatio.

The Pop said nothing; he just crouched down in the doorway. “You see, Pop, the DAR said, “it wasn’t a dream, it really happened…all of it.” “Well I’ll be,” the Pop said, “I guess you were….. The Pop stops. His head snaps around like it was spring loaded. “DAR you can speak, I can understand you!” the Pop exclaimed, excitedly. The Pop grabs his boy and picks him up and holds him close to his chest. “But, how can….” the Pop whispered in DAR’s ear. “Do you recall that LarZac said I had been given special gifts?” the DAR asked, as he interrupted. “Yes, I do,” the tearful Pop responded. “Well this was one of them,” the DAR said, “LarZac told me I could teach all in my family; but that I should choose wisely, if I chose to teach another in the Outer World.

And Pop, do you remember that you once said you would like to have a cat?” “Yes, I do, DAR,” the Pop answered in a suspicious tone, “but why do you….” At that moment, a much smaller figure

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stepped from behind Horatio. It was another, familiar face…it was the cat. It was Mirabella.

“But DAR, where did they go?” the Pop asked, “They must have hidden. Why? We looked everywhere for them.” “They were afraid, Pop,” the DAR said, “they wanted to stay here on earth; it’s the world they know. They wanted to come with us, but they were afraid you wouldn’t want them.” “Not want them?” the Pop re-peated. “And how many people have we turned away from our door?” the Pop asked rhetorically.

The Pop turned to the two worried, hopeful faces. “Well, you two, you’d better get in here…it’s almost time for breakfast.” The DAR just smiled. “You see, you guys, I told you not to worry,” he DAR yelled. “I know my Pop.” The two race into the Pop’s arms. Hora-tio showers his new Papas’ with kisses; Mirabella jumps in the Pop’s lap.

It was a long time ago, a very long time, since the Bloodhound and the cat first dreamed of a place called home.

“Just one more question, DAR,” the Pop said, “how did they get here so fast?” “You should know that by now, Pop” the DAR said. “Let’s just say they got here in a ‘flash’ with just a whisper from an ancient traveler. “Of course, DAR, you’re right,” the Pop said. “I should have known that.”

The Pop just looked up and yelled as loud as he could, “Honey, come here, I need you!”

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Epilogue

Our family seemed complete now, but that would always be sub-ject to change. The MOM always knew the Pop would never stop bringing home those who were lost and wanting. And the MOM al-ways knew she would cherish these orphans.

The DAR’s parents were always mindful that these “huddled masses yearning to be” loved, sometimes came to them with heavy ‘baggage’, scars from those former “guardians” who long ago destroyed their own spirit with indiscriminant acts of evil upon the innocent lives of those who trusted them.

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It would be a colossal task to convince those humans, with black hearts, of the immorality of harming Companions, of terrifying them, beating them, and killing them with impunity. But then, hu-mans do that to their own kind, the children that trusted them with little thought or care that it was they, the abusers, who suf-fered most.

Home should be a “refuge,” a place of peace, a place of hope, love; a place where dreams are born and nurtured. Home should be a place where there is no ridicule, a place of learning, a garden where hearts are grown and gently nourished.

How we treat children and Companions in this world reveals who we are as a society, who we are inside. We cannot honor the dig-nity of man if we do not honor the children and creatures around us and mimic their life.

The Indians believed in the sanctity of all life. And when an animal was taken for food, the Indians apologized to the creature and thanked them for their sacrifice, even though there was no dignity in that death.

And there are those who believe that no life should be taken; that nature can sustain man with the nourishment that grows in the earth.

And this will be the battle, to teach man about himself. To teach him that love is easier than hate…much easier.

And if he learns to stop killing his neighbor, maybe by the grace of a greater power, he will show greater compassion to the innocent creatures who share this tattered place called earth.

Did you ever think about helping someone who is homeless, the ones without the signs, someone who has less than you? I mean face to face. Did you ever just walk up to someone in need and offer them help, give them food or money or the coat off your back? And do this without a lecture, without advice, without a

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word.

You’ll be nervous at first; maybe even afraid, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. You will be amazed how it makes you feel.

Did you ever think of making a commitment, a commitment for the life of a gentle spirit of the earth? To go to a Pound or special shelter and rescue someone who is lost, who is hurt, who needs your love. Don’t do it on the spur of the moment or as an impulsive gift; ask all in the family if they will make the commitment with you.

And when you spend your life with these Companions and they grow old, they will need you more than ever…and that’s when your love and that bond you have hopefully forged will be tested.

As you look back on your life, you will cherish among your memo-ries the joy these earth angels shared with you and your life will be complete.

And if you did it right, they will welcome you as you ascend to the Rainbow Bridge and walk together into the Great Hall of the Omni in the Grand Dome of Aul.

Are you ready to sail the ocean of life and be an instrument for change?

It is said that, “Ships are safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”

Maybe I’m a dreamer, they say that’s what I am, but I have the greatest power…I believe. I have faith in man and in something greater…out there. I have a voice. I have a will…and the spirit that lives within me.

His name was Radar Reed. Remember as you grow, as your life changes and you evolve, that he walked the earth and across your path.

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