"Wake up, sleepyhead," a voice filtered through Jared's dream-like state. "Time for dinner."
The smell from the dish in the impostor's hands made itself known to Jared at almost the same time he heard the words spoken by the impostor.
In his dream, he had been walking on a beach with his parents during a vacation before the birth of his kid brother, Kevin. He had been a tyke of about four or five, so he had to take big steps as he followed the huge impressions left in the sand by his father's large feet. His mother left smaller footprints in the sand as she walked by her husband's side and turned often to offer words of encouragement to keep Jared following closely. Toward the end of their walk, Jared's endurance gave out and his dad scooped the little boy into his arms. "So, what will you want to be when you grow up, little man?" Jared's father inquired in a serious voice.
"What are you, daddy?" Jared had pealed in a boy's sing-song lilt.
His dad had laughed. "I'm a vice president at the bank," he said.
"I wanna be a vice president, too, when I am all grown up, daddy!"
It was at that point that the impostor, who had never been to the beach with Jared's parents, arrived with Jared's dinner and interrupted the dream. As he tried to bring his thoughts into focus, Jared reflected on the fact that he would never have imagined telling his father he wanted to be a dog when he grew up.
"Hungry, boy?" The impostor asked, keeping the dish held above Shaggy's head.
He was hungry, but that wasn't important. He barked out a message, determined to make the impostor listen to him. "They're my family, not yours," Jared said.
"I like them," the impostor admitted. "They're great."
Jared felt like his mind had melted into that of the five-year-old boy on the beach. "Mine! You can't have them!" Jared pitched a tantrum. "Give them back! Do it!"
"Oh, Shaggy, you silly dog," the impostor said. "You're still a part of the family. Mom and Dad like you, and Kevin just adores having a big, shaggy sheepdog as a pet."
No! He felt himself losing the threads of his planned argument. He grabbed for one of the unraveling threads only to lose others.
"Don't you want your dinner, boy?" The impostor swished the dish through the air to release more of the tempting smell.
No! Oh no! He tried to ignore the food. He needed the impostor to listen to him. Jared whimpered. "My family! Mine!"
"Yes, they are, boy." The impostor sat the dish on the dirt in front of Shaggy's home, the one his father had constructed on a weekend after they brought the new dog home. He might be a bank president now, but he still knew how to work with his hands when the need arose.
For an instant, Jared looked at the food in the bowl with his former eyes. The gray-brown lumps of soft, gravy-soaked chunks of slimy meat turned his stomach. Then the smell hit his nostrils again and his overtaxed brain screamed "Eat!"
Jared lowered his furry muzzle over the dish and ate. He savored each bite of his dinner. When he finished, he used his pink tongue to lick the dish clean of every last drop of gravy.
The impostor, who had just enjoyed a meal of sirloin steak, potatoes and grilled asparagus, watched the sheepdog wolf down its meal. Jared's attempt at conversation had eased the impostor's worry. The effort had been, at best, a feeble one. It wasn't that surprising. The more he adjusted to his life in human form, the more difficult it became to understand Jared's canine barks. Soon, he would no longer be able to understand him at all. He suspected that, by that point, it would no longer really matter from the sheepdog's perspective. He would be content to live his life as the family pet.
The impostor petted his former body on its head. "Don't worry, boy. I'll make sure you're always a part of our family."
Jared woofed in agreement.
"Someone will be back soon to take you for a walk before bed," the impostor said as he picked up the dish. Jared looked hopeful, as if he might be served seconds. Instead, the impostor turned and walked back to the house to join the rest of the family.