Friday chapter V Reunion of Dead Lives
#3 of Friday
* * * * * CHAPTER V Reunion of Dead Lives * * * * * It had been even longer, the grass was high around her former masters' house. But the house was not what she had come to see, thoughts of her former master were only in passing this trip. Friday looked in the trash burn pit, the earth steamed after the rain, bringing up the scents of the underground better than any other time. She dug, rooting in the pit, cutting herself on cans and broken glass, never tending to a wound too long, her white gloved paws where pink and red with her blood as she pulled up charred bones. She carefully set the bones she found to one side. For three days she routed in the pit digging through years of char ash and debris for every bone she could find, and there where two piles. One obvious as it towered over a foot high, the other could be missed by all but one, as it was only five almost unidentifiable bits of char. Covered in soot and charcoal she finally abandoned the pit and went to her former masters' house. She walked into the house fearless and to the bedroom. She picked up the pillow that was dusty and smelled of must. The squeaking told her that a family of mice had a nursery in the white stuffing, but she was after the pillow case. She left little blood spots on the pillow as she pulled off the case and left the house back to the burn pit. She shoved all the bones into the case, all but five tiny bits of char she carried in her paw all the way back to the Athens ranch. It was still dark when she finally put the bag of bones down the five bits of char she put on top of a nearby rock her paws tore into the virgin earth beside Berrys' grave. After about two feet she upended the bag of bones into the hole unawares of her new audience of two. It was Jake that first alerted Tiffany to the noise outside, they arrived to see Friday as the charred bones clattered into the hole. They watched as Friday pushed dirt over them. Thinking she was done Tiffany stepped forward almost stepping on the rock with the five charred bits on it. Friday leapt and made the most audible growl she had made in her life, it was still a wheezy rasp but it was a shock and a warning and she stepped back. "Friday, you came back, what are you doing?" Tiffany crouched down as she spoke hoping to coax Friday to communicate but the dog only began digging down into Berry's grave. She ignored any attempt to communicate with her as she dug into the stinking soil until she came to the white slats that were Berry's ribs. She came up and took the five charred bits and placed them carefully oh the rib bones. She looked down into the hole after she crawled out. She pushed the dirt over the scene and then filled the hole. She sat back at the tilled earth, she had put their pup with it's father. Her vision became watery and when she blinked the tears washed from her eyes and turned black with the soot and soil on her cheekruffs and they did not stop falling as she thought about her life, and the things she could have had, like a family, Berry and their pup. She rested her forehead and the top of her muzzle on the ground, her tears falling out the corners of her eyes and onto the ground that held her family. Jake wanted to go forward to comfort the sobbing bitch but Tiffanys' hand gripped his collar and held him. "Not now" she whispered and watched Friday. It was almost an hour and even Mr. Athens stopped by to ponder the scene. Finally Fridays' chest heaved less and she became more still and Tiffany shoved her collie toward her, "now" she whispered and watched. Jake wasted no time in going to her and lifting her shoulder. Before he could say anything the collie wrapped her arms about him and buried her filthy head into his chest her tears still fell and she felt unnaturally weak in his arms, she seemed frail. He pulled her to him and picked up her small form and walked her to the house that he shared with Tiffany. She reeked of blood and soot. Tiffany opened every door all the way to the stand in shower she turned on the warm water to let Jake carry Friday in. he carefully put her down and sat before pulling her on his lap and holding her. She never let him go, she just held him. Tiffany did most of the washing, the water black and red as it circled the drain. Tiffany shook her head with how cut up Friday was, some cuts were angry looking and leaked pus. But Friday seemed not even to notice. It was a while before all the dirt and blood was cleaned off Fridays' limp form. She was so docile Tiffany checked to see if she was even still conscious. Tiffany helped Jake bring Friday to the towel covered toilet where she was dried and bandaged, some spots her fur was shaved to take care of the wounds. Dry enough Friday was carried by Tiffany this time to the pet bed and laid down, and quickly Jake was there to curl to her. She held him and buried her head in his chest. Tiffany looked on the dogs, a little bit of envy to Friday to have Jake tend to her, and she had no one. * * * * * Friday wandered the house she now called home, like the family graveyard she had given it no interest other than the dog and human that resided inside, but now there was an interest in details. She noticed the flowers on the wall paper, the blue of the bathroom, the soft used look of the furniture. Everything was new with her eyes and those eyes saw something interesting, a border collie toy behind a glass and wood door. She tried to open the door to get it but it was stuck like the grain bin after a few days of rain. She figured this door was not made well either and found a flathead screwdriver. She wedged the screwdriver between the doors and pried them open with the splintering of wood and a metal tink that made her look down. A piece of metal had fallen off something and got suck in the doors. She was sure Tiffany would be happy to know she fixed the doors and as her self reward she took the plush border collie from the cabinet and went into her room and laid on her bed cuddling the soft toy. Tiffany was not thrilled at all about Fridays removal of the pesky metal slat that protected the things in the glass. Her teeth ground as she made her way angrily to the collies' room and swung the door open and froze. Friday was serenely curled to the prize Tiffanys' first boyfriend had won for her at the fair. The relationship had long ago ended but it was her first date ever so it was something she cherished, but the look of motherly serenity on the bitchs' muzzle and how Friday had curled about the toy protectively, as if it were her pup. Tiffany was struck with what her father said months before, and it made her heart turn to ice looking at Friday with her stuffed toy. How could she sell Fridays' pup if it didn't work out on the farm? How many pups would Friday whelp in her life? She gently closed the door and retreated to the living room where she flopped on the couch and turned on the TV so she didn't have to think, much less about the future. * * * * * Tiffany was awoken by incessant squeaking and opened her eyes to see Friday standing over her with the squeak bone in her mouth and squeaking it as if the sounds from her mouth were words. Tiffany shoved Friday back a bit and sat up, she had fallen asleep on the couch. She looked at Friday who squeaked the bone, jutting her muzzle at her as if she could make words with the motions and juts. Tiffany rubbed the bridge of her nose "Great, she found a voice and it's a goddamn squeak toy." Refocusing on Friday she saw the stuffed collie toy held to her chest like a child would hold it. Tiffany sighed and pet Fridays head before she realized she was doing it and was not expecting Friday to be not only receptive but to crawl up on the couch beside her. Friday put her head on Tiffany's thigh as she was pet. Tiffany smiled and played gently with the collies' half fold ears and was rewarded with the soft swish of her tail hitting the couch cushion. Tiffany sat there petting the collie tenderly hoping she would accept her now. Jake Came in, cleaned from the fields and saw how docile the feral bitch was. She had changed, even if her pregnancy was false, she was making a real effort to be part of the family. * * * * * Tiffany woke and stretched comfortably in her bed then heard the constant squeaking of Fridays toy. She must have been trying to carry on a conversation with Jake for all the different ways of squeaking that she heard. She got up and entered the kitchen as a pattern started to emerge. "I taught Friday how to talk with the squeak toy." Jake announced proudly. "So it's your fault she was squeaking that thing so much this morning?" Friday smiled and held up the toy collie and wiggled it as if it was somehow a communication through interpretive dance device and then hugged it to her chest again. "Watch this," Jake said enthusiastically, "Friday, would you like to have breakfast?" Two quick piercing squeaks rang out and Jake sat there looking at her beaming with pride the bitch had her eyes squinted in obvious joy. "See, she said yes, two squeaks for yes, one squeak for no." Jake said happily. Tiffany pulled a coffee cup from the cabinet and sighed, so this was going to be her communication device. "Well now she can answer questions like she could before, with a nod or a shake, but now with sound." Jake was unsure of his mistress's meaning but took it as a compliment. "Yea, so now we can ask her things from further away, that and she has been using it in the sheep pen to bark at the sheep, she looks so cute doing it." Tiffany had to crack a smile at the thought of the collie barking at sheep with a squeak toy bone in her mouth. She smiled as she turned on the coffee pot and sat down waiting for her brew. The sight of the mute collie answering questions with single or double squeaks was amusing. Friday cuddled her toy to her more and licked its head softly as she sat at the table watching the woman drink her coffee. Jake was showing Friday how to use the can opener but she was not really interested, her mind was drifting to thoughts of her as a mother. She however came out of her thoughts as the smell of food came to her nostrils. She wagged her tail and put the stuffed toy in her lap as she ate almost civilly with a fork, half eating with it and half holding it to the side as she lapped up the food like a dog. Tiffany figured she would not make it far on a dinner date and that reminded her to check her e-mail. Tiffany excused herself from the table and to the office in the back of the house. She sipped her coffee as she waited for the computer to boot up. Soon she was on the internet and in her mail, she found a few more that were interesting but one stood out. She read and reread it and decided that this was worth answering. It took her a little time before she thought of the perfect response. * * * * * Jake was on the far side of the pasture watching the sheep lazily as Friday wandered around trying to find something to amuse herself when Mr. Athens called her over. He gave her a pat on the head and smiled, "Friday, would you go and find me a younger ewe, probably one that didn't lamb this past year." Friday squeaked her toy twice and was off to Jake. ‘I need to find a ewe that did not lamb this past season, I was not here for the lambing here, so can you help me?' Friday signed Jake nodded and pointed to one of the ewes that failed to produce and Friday licked his cheek before she began herding the one ewe to Mr. Athens. Mr. Athens was happy to see Friday and the ewe. "Bring her in here girl." He said going into a smaller unused shed. * * * * * Jake heard something scratching at the door. It was odd because the only dogs on the place could use a door handle and Tiffany would not scratch she would kick the door if her hands were full, so curious he opened the door and saw Friday coated in blood and squeaked her toy at him. He yelped and fell backwards then stood up angrily remembering the dead lamb joke, really how was he supposed to forget something that still gave him nightmares, he thought she pulled another prank on him and grabbed her shoulders and pinned her against a porch support. "Why do you keep doing,.." He was cut off as she pulled something from her muzzle and stuck it into his. Reflexively he spat it out but then he began to get a flavor and looked down at the thing. Friday was able to slide down slowly out of his grasp and pick the thing back up and put it in his mouth again, this time he chewed it slowly and swallowed. As he did he saw Friday bring up a weird brownish blob, then he realized it was a sheeps liver. She took another bite off of it and pulled the piece from her muzzle and fed it to Jake. She ate it a little better enjoying this new taste even as the blood stained his muzzle from the paw Friday pet the side of his muzzle. he tried to take the liver from her and share it but Friday was having none of that and hid it behind her body until he stopped trying to get it from her, then she brought it back to her front and bit off another piece of the still hot organ and pressed her muzzle to his pressing the bloody bit into his muzzle with her tongue. They sat on the porch, Friday sharing her treat with Jake peaceably until Tiffany shrieked and was at their sides, "Who's hurt?" She said on her knees in front of them looking for wounds that would produce that much blood. She really looked Friday, the blood matting her fur. "It's okay, Friday was just feeding me some sheep liver. I really like it." He smiled to his mistress and turned back to Friday. "What was Friday doing? Using it as a bath sponge? She looks like she wallowed in blood." Tiffany said As if by magic Friday produced her squeak toy in her mouth and answered with gleeful Squeak-squeak, Squeak-squeaks. Tiffany sighed and stood back up using her knee to lift up, she really had to talk to her father about letting Friday in with the slaughters for the farms use. Make sure you two clean up before sitting on anything inside." Tiffany told the dogs and was about to turn when she saw Friday grab Jake by the back of his ears and hold him as she groomed the blood from his muzzle, her licks looked a bit more than grooming to Tiffany and it was confirmed when Friday opened her eyes to look at Tiffany as her tongue traveled along Jakes bloody lips with a lovers care. Tiffany was shocked, was the collie trying to make her jealous? She was disturbed to realize, it worked. * * * * * The thoughts and wants that Friday put in her mind annoyed her. How could a feral hateful uncooperative bitch, and not in the term of a female dog in this case, find a loving caring mate like Jake? If Jake were human she would date him in a second, and not just because he could lick himself, he was honest sweet and knew how to pull his weight on a farm. But the paternal love of raising him made even that entertained idea wrong to her. But to see how Friday changed. It seemed baffling to her, but her adopted abused collie, was something she never expected to have, or have so much trouble with. Tiffany walked into her house with the image of the collie in her head. Jake was too good for her, but it was her fault for not getting a bitch sooner, so he would take Friday as a mate, and as far as breeding went she would not have chosen that bitchs' traits. She was beautiful for a collie but her personality traits were what were her detractor. That and seeing Jake and that collie together made her feel hollow and alone. Jake slept with Friday now, left her feeling lonely at night. She checked her email now hoping for responses from her personal ad and found quite a few. She browsed the mails deleting most of them and keeping two of the thirty mails she had gotten. She stared at her computer thinking if she should write them back, and what to write to them. she shook her head sighed and clicked off her email. She thought about Andrew, she knew he was handsome if not a bit on the geeky side, but he was good with children and liked Jake. She began to daydream about Andrew putting him in the place of Jake and her in the place of Friday.