Tom struggled to drag Buddy back to his house. The more times he tried to pull on the dog’s leash, the more his pet would resist.
“Come on, Buddy” Tom growled, as he pulled tightly on the leash. “Let’s go.”
Buddy continued to growl and bark, trying to force Tom back into the direction of Michael house.
“Let’s go.”
It took several minutes, as Tom had to exert a lot of energy to get him to his house. Finally, after struggling to drag his stubborn dog through the neighborhood, he arrived back at his house. Making his way inside, Buddy almost managed to break free from Tom, before he was smacked on the muzzle and picked up to be placed into the house.
“Stay!” Tom scolded, as he closed and locked the front door.
Buddy aggressively pawed at the door, trying, to no avail, to make an escape. He did this for a moment, before he saw Tom looking at an incoming call on his communication device. He hopped down and went over to look at Tom. At a brief glance, he saw a number from the mayor’s office on the display of Tom’s communication device.
“Oh shit” Freddy thought to himself, as Buddy barked loudly.
“Quiet, Buddy!” Tom scolded. “I’m trying to take a call here.”
Buddy ran up to Tom and pushed him onto the floor.
“Ack!” Tom exclaimed, as he fell onto the floor. “Buddy, bad dog! Stop doing that!”
Buddy tried to take the phone with his muzzle, but Tom smacked his snout away. In that moment, the call was answered.
“Hello?” the mayor said on the other end of the line. “Tom?”
Tom picked up his communication device, slobbered in Buddy’s saliva and wiped it on his shirt, before he answered.
“Hello Mr. Mayor” Tom replied.
Buddy whimpered nervously, as Freddy thought of an idea. He knew that time was running out. If Tom was in touch with the mayor, then that meant he was going to try to hand him off to his bitter enemy. Buddy barked loudly, as Tom tried to shush him.
“Quiet!” Tom scolded.
“What’s going on over there?” the mayor asked.
“Uh.”
Buddy lightly bit into Tom’s leg, as his master let out a screech. He dropped his communication device onto the floor, almost breaking it in the process.
“Son of a bitch, Buddy!” he scolded, as he bent down to try to pick it up.
Buddy pushed it away with his paw, as Tom struggled with his dog to get it back. In anger, Tom smacked Buddy on the muzzle, who whimpered in response. Slowly, Tom stood up and rubbed the saliva on his shirt again, before he continued his conversation with the mayor.
“Sorry about that” he said apologetically.
“So?” the mayor asked with an irritated tone in his voice. “Did you find the dog?”
“No!!!!!” Freddy exclaimed, with what he thought was a yell only heard in his own head.
“Who said that?” Tom asked, startled upon hearing Freddy’s voice.
“Tom?” the mayor asked nervously.
“Hmmm” Freddy thought to himself, as Buddy began to pant. “Did he hear that just now?”
“Who said that?” Tom asked again.
“Who said what?” the mayor asked. “Tom, are you alright?”
“Maybe” Freddy thought to himself, before he tried it again. “Tom! Tom can you hear me?!”
“Who is calling my name?” Tom asked, covering his communication device with his shirt.
“Tom?” the mayor asked. “What’s going on over there?”
“Who is calling my name?”
“It worked” Freddy thought to himself, before he began to project his thoughts into Tom’s head. “Tom, end the call right now!”
“Who is saying that?” Tom asked in a confused state.
“Who is there?” the mayor asked. “Hello? Tom?”
“Uh” Tom replied, when he put the communication device back to his ear “I have to call you back.”
“Don’t hang up the—“
Tom ended his call with the mayor, before he began looking around the living room.
“Hello?” Tom asked nervously. “Who’s there? Who is calling my name?”
“Tom” Freddy communicated. “Tom look down at the floor.”
“Huh? What?”
Tom looked down at Buddy, who was happily panting. His dog sat on the living room floor, staring up at him with knowing eyes.
“No one is here!” Tom yelled, as he looked up to the ceiling. “What’s going on?! Is this supposed to be some sort of prank?!”
“Tom” Freddy communicated. “I’m in the room with you.”
“I don’t see anyone. All I see is—“
Tom looked down at Buddy again, before he jolted when his dog nodded his head.
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed, as he fell onto the floor. “No! No way!”
“It’s true” Freddy communicated, as Buddy got up and trotted over to Tom. “Need help getting up?”
“Ha, ha, how? How is this possible?”
Buddy helped Tom get into a sitting position, as the dog looked him deep in the eyes.
“I’m not sure how I’m able to communicate with you right now, but Tom, you cannot call the mayor back. He’s very dangerous.”
“How do you know this, Buddy? How are you talking to me? How am I hearing your thoughts in my head right now?”
“I have no idea how you’re hearing my thoughts, but thank god you can. Tom, I’m not your dog Buddy.”
“Ya, ya you’re not?”
“No, Tom. I may look like your dog Buddy, but I’m actually your neighbor, Freddy Benson.”
“Son a bitch. No. No, it can’t be.”
“It’s true, Tom. I turn into a dog whenever the inscription on that ring you sold to the mayor is read aloud. I’m in a lot of danger right now, so we don’t have a lot of time here.”
“Prove to me I’m not hallucinating right now.”
“Uh, ok. How can I do that?”
“Buddy, if I’m hearing your voice in my head right now, then nod your head.”
Buddy nodded his head.
“If I’m hearing your voice in my head right now, then bark three times.”
Buddy barked three times.
“If—“
“Tom!”
Buddy growled, as he put a paw on Tom’s lap.
“Tom, I don’t have any more time to play tricks with you right now. You have to listen to me. I am not your dog Buddy. I don’t know what happened to him, but I am actually Freddy Benson, turned into a dog. You have to contact Michael right away and tell him that you know this. You need to bring me back over to my house right away, so I can work on getting back the ring from the mayor and ending this curse once and for all.”
“Why? The mayor is offering me $1 million to sell you to him. That’s a lot of money, asshole.”
“My husband offered to help you out financially months ago when he tried to buy the ring from you. Why didn’t you take his offer then?”
“He’s an asshole.”
“Is he a liar though?”
“If you’re not my dog and you’re actually Freddy, then I suppose not. So, I guess those times he had you in his possession, that wasn’t actually Buddy, but you all along?”
“Yes, Tom. That was me.”
“Jesus, I really feel like a real piece of shit right now. I assaulted your husband, that girl and that guy in your house. Oh my god! They are going to call the cops on me, aren't they?! They could have me arrested!”
“They won’t do that, Tom.”
“Of course they will! They’ll—“
Buddy growled and nudged Tom to look at him.
“No, Tom. Michael will not do that. He will not press charges against you, so long as you call him right now and tell him that you know I’m here. If you do that, then I promise you that you won’t face any criminal charges.”
“You promise?”
“Absolutely, 100% promise you. Now pick up your device and call him right now.”
“I don’t have his number. How would I reach him?”
“I know his number off the top of my head. Get to the call feature and I will tell you what his number is.”
“Ok.”
Tom pulled out his communication device, as Buddy sat alongside him. At Michael’s house, Chris and Sofya were debating a plan with him for how to get Freddy back.
“Son of a bitch just assaulted me!” Chris said angrily. “He just overpowered me like I was made of cardboard. I don’t know how the hell he managed to do that.”
“He must have had an incredible amount of adrenaline running through his veins” Michael replied nervously. “That was something else.”
“I’d be really pissed right now that he just assaulted me like that” Sofya replied, as she rubbed her achy back “but we have a much bigger problem on our hands now. My father is back.”
“Are you sure?” Chris asked.
“Positive. I’d recognize his energy signal anywhere.”
“But how? I thought you guys said he was locked away in some magical high security prison complex. How did he manage to escape like that?”
“Beats me” Michael replied.
“He’s a very powerful wizard” Sofya said. “He may not be the most through thinker, or the smartest, or the wisest, but he has both an incredible amount of brawn and an equally high level of magical power. If anyone could overpower correctional officers like that and escape, it’s him.”
“He’s probably the reason why the ring came back into town all those months ago. He probably broke out in January, stole it from the museum and then came back here with the intention of trying to hurt Freddy and I."
"He was probably recaptured and must have dropped the ring during his apprehension.”
“But wouldn’t the magical world have noticed the ring was missing like that? Wouldn’t they have come here to find it again to bring it back to the museum?”
“Perhaps not right away. Once Tom gained possession of it, then it becomes harder to just collect, lest you reveal too much of the dealings of the magical world. Maybe, as long as nothing too serious was happening, they were of the mindset of just letting it stay out in circulation.”
“It could also be that they simply forgot about it” Chris suggested.
“After a big robbery at the museum?” Michael asked incredulously. “After knowing that this was the last place the ring ended up? I don’t think so.”
“Whatever the reason is” Sofya said “it doesn’t matter now. The fact of the matter is, my father is out of prison and is likely aiding the mayor in his quest to kill you and your husband. Our hopes of just barging in there and taking the ring back are over now. We’re going to need a more sophisticated strategy for dealing with both the mayor and my father.”
“What do you think we should, Michael?” Chris asked.
“Hey! I have good ideas too.”
“Well” Michael replied “let’s all brainstorm together then. We’re a team. Let’s share our thoughts. I’ll go first. Number 1, we need to get Freddy back from Tom. If we can get a hold of him again, before the mayor and the wizard do, then that’s one less thing to worry about.”
“We need to be careful about that, Michael. My magic isn’t as strong as it was before. My father’s presence is draining me of my energy.”
“Maybe it was just a quick jolt that knocked you down earlier. Want to try again?”
“I guess.”
Sofya stood back and pointed her finger at the table in the living room.
“Here goes nothing.”
Sofya zapped the table and turned it into one that looked similar to the one she had in her apartment.
“My powers are working again” she noted. “That’s a relief.”
“So let’s try to get to that guy Tom right now” Chris suggested “before the mayor and his goon squad get to him first.”
Just as Chris said that, Michael noticed his communication device ringing.
“Don’t answer that” Sofya said, as Michael peered over to look at the screen.
“Tom!” Michael exclaimed, as he went to answer the call. “Tom?”
“Hi Michael” Tom replied nervously.
“Tom! What the fu—“
“Listen, I don’t have a lot of time here. Let me get to the point. I know that Buddy isn’t my dog.”
“You…what?”
“You heard me. I know that the dog is actually Freddy.”
“Oh thank god!! Wait, what?! How?! How the hell did you know that?!”
“Uh…”
Tom paused, as he looked down at Buddy, who was nudging him to continue speaking.
“He told me.”
“Told you!?”
“Told him what?” Sofya asked with concern in her voice. “What’s going on?”
“It’s a long story” Tom replied “but he’s been communicating with me in my thoughts, somehow.”
“Oh!” Michael replied. “Wait, how?”
“I have no fucking clue. Listen, I’m sorry for assaulting you guys back there and accusing you of stealing my dog, Michael. If I bring him back to you guys, will promise me that you won’t press charges?”
“Of course we won’t press charges, Tom!!!!!!”
“I never said—“ Sofya tried to say, before Michael loudly shushed her.
“Just bring Freddy back and we’ll tell you what’s going on!”
“Alright” Tom replied with a sense of relief in his voice. “I’m heading over there now. See you soon.”
Tom ended the call and looked down at Buddy. Buddy barked happily, as he trotted over to the front door.
“Sorry for tugging on your leash so hard, Freddy” Tom said, as he went to open the door.
“Eh, whatever” Freddy communicated, as Tom grabbed his leash and let him out of the house. “Just don’t do it again, ok Tom?”
“Ok, but I have to hold you by the leash or people might start to get suspicious.”
“Fine, but just don't tug too tightly.”
Tom nodded, as he locked his front door and walked Buddy back to his house. Tom looked down at his communication device and noticed ten missed calls from the mayor.
“I’m not fucking calling him back” Tom grumbled to himself.
The mayor went into a rage in his office, as he tried to call Tom back.
“Son of a bitch is not answering my calls!!!!!!!!!!” he boomed loudly, as he kept redialing the number.
The wizard stood silently, having a bad feeling as to why Tom was not answering the mayor's calls.
“Freddy or Michael must have tipped him off” the wizard thought to himself. “That’s the only explanation for those voices he kept trying to talk to. I think it’s time to pay this man a visit.”
The wizard coughed, to try to gain the mayor’s attention. The mayor stopped dialing and listened intently.
“You’re not going to get him to answer your calls anymore” the wizard said. “Freddy or Michael have somehow already tipped him off. The only chance you have of getting him back is to kidnap them, before Michael has a chance to get to him first.”
“Fantastic idea!” the mayor replied, as he looked at his fear stricken advisors. “Somebody go over to to Tom’s house right away and kidnap them!!!!!! Bring them to me at once!!!!!”
“If I may, Mr. Mayor.”
“Huh? Sure, though I never got your name.”
“Victor. Victor Roshkovich.”
“You wouldn’t happen to be related to that girl Sofya, would you?”
The wizard stood silently, as the mayor tried to read his expressionless face. Though the wizard didn’t show it, hearing his daughter’s name just now made him emotionally crack. The last time he had seen her, she was on a witness stand, convincing a jury to send him to the prison he hated so much. Although he was mad at her, he also still loved her. He regretted trying to kill her all those years ago. He wanted to patch things up with her, once he had completed his goal of killing Freddy and Michael.
“That’s my daughter” he replied.
“Wait a second!” the mayor shrieked. “Freddy and Michael were trying to see her just a couple of days ago in Sacramento! We have a flight log from a nearby airport! You aren’t part of some trick to help them defeat me, are you?”
“Of course not!” the wizard snapped, freaking out everyone else in the room.
The wizard composed himself, before he continued.
“My daughter is a wayward soul. She fell out of my grasp and betrayed my trust. She’s probably assisting them, hence how Tom was convinced to stop speaking to you. Our mission has gotten a lot harder now. We need to move to a new location, before they try to barge in here. It’s too small for us to fight them in here. We need a bigger location and more troops.”
The wizard levitated up and extended his hand to the mayor.
“Hop up” he demanded.
The mayor reluctantly took the wizard’s hand and was pulled up onto his back.
“Listen up” the wizard commanded to the mayor’s advisors. “Our goal of killing Freddy Benson has gotten much harder now. I need you all to split into groups. Some of you stake out Freddy’s house. Some of you stake out Tom’s house. The rest of you, meet me at the mayor’s house and call up every police officer and assassin you know. We’re going to need an army to defeat them. With my daughter at their side, our goal has gotten that much harder to achieve.”
At Michael’s house….