The first thing that you see as you approach the cluster of brightly colored pavilions of Circe's Funhouse is that each pavilion has an animal name in their title. You also notice that the pavilions seem to be divided into species. Driven by curiosity and a feeling that you really can't put into words, you ignore the other pavilions of the Funhouse and try to find the one that deals with dogs. You walk through the cluster of pavilions and note which animal is being represented by the title. That large pavilion over to your left that is as big as a barn is for horses. While that brown pavilion sitting mere feet from a large puddle of mud is for pigs. There are pavilions for wolves and deer. Pavilions for bears, tigers and lions- oh my!
As you continue walking through the cluster of Funhouse pavilions, it seems if every animal on the planet is represented here by a colorful looking pavilion. You wonder if you are ever going to find the pavilion that you have looking for. Minutes pass by as you look around at each pavilion that you pass. Where is it? You wonder to yourself. And just as you feel yourself beginning to get bored and are thinking about giving up your search, you stumble upon a rather quaint looking pavilion. You look up at the title that is overhanging the door flap leading into the pavilion and read it: Madame Circe's Canine Obedience School. You smile with amusement at the title and say out loud to yourself:
"Looks like I am going back to school."
As you close the distance between yourself and the pavilion entrance, the feeling you have been having ever since you came upon the pavilions increases. You want to go in. But you don't know why.
You pull aside the door flap leading into the pavilion and walk inside. You walk inside and stop. The interior of the pavilion looks very different from what you saw on the outside. It looks like you walked into some animal shelter for there are two rows of cages lining both sides of the room you are in. You turn around to go back outside but when you do you notice that the door you came through is no longer there. A blank concrete wall greets you instead of the door. The only way out for you now is to walk down the aisle where the cages are and out the other end.
You step away from the wall and begin walking down the aisle. You slowly walk down the aisle and peer into each of the cages. And what you see are lots of dogs. There are big dogs and little dogs that could fit in your lap. There are dogs with smooth fur coats and dogs with thick shaggy ones that remind you of mop heads. There are sporting dogs and herding dogs. Toy dogs and Non-sporting dogs. Working dogs and Terriers. Sled dogs and hounds. It looks to you as if every dog breed that you know of is here in this room with you. And you notice that the dogs are doing many doggy things. Some are asleep in plush doggy beds. Some are just lying down on the ground and panting contentedly. Others are slowing pacing around in their cages. And others still are socializing with their fellow canines. The picture the dogs present to you is one of calm acceptance. And that kind of bugs you because you expected that they would have reacted to your presence by now. They should be up on all fours or leaning up against the door to their cages and be very vocal about seeing you. But they are not. They are just doing doggy things as if your presense didn't really mattered to them that much. The absence of you what expected puzzles you.
Minutes stretch out as you continue walking down that aisle between the cages and looking at their canine occupants. And there is no end in sight to the aisle you are in. There should be an end to this aisle, you think to yourself. You should have reached the other end of the room by now. You look away from a cage containing an Alaskan Malamute by the name of Aidan and look down the aisle toward the other end of the room. It looks so near to you, so why haven't you reached it yet? You sigh to yourself and try your best to keep a cheerful face in spite of your current predicament.
But you are starting to feel so tired. All of this walking and looking is getting to you. And it begins to look like you are never going to reach the end of this room and get back outside to the rest of the Funhouse. You might as well as go and find a place here to sleep the night away. You smile weakly at the thought and look at the cages and their canine occupants. What would it be like to go asleep with a dog by your side? To feel its' furry presence next to yours. To know that it will faithfully watch over you as you sleep on its' bed. To know that it will be there to greet you in the morning, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed. You stop walking and look around at the cages that surround you on both sides. All of these cages are full with their canine occupants. All except the one on your left that is three cages down from where you are standing. That cage is empty and its' emptiness beckons.
You walk up to the empty cage and look inside. Like the other cages, this one has a nice and very large plush dog bed inside. You also see two bowls lying on the floor next to the bed. One is full of dog food. And the other one is full of clean fresh water. Dog toys litter the ground before you. The empty cage looks so inviting.
Without thinking about it, you step into the empty cage and quietly close the door behind you. You look through the cage at the cages beloning to your canine neighbors. And you see that they are looking at you with a sense of approval? Why are they approving what you just did? But your mind can't come up with an answer to put an end to your confusion. You shrug your shoulders and then look down at the dog bed. It looks big enough for you to sleep on comfortably. You smile weakly at thought of a dog bed being comfortably enough for a human to sleep on. And then you yawn a big one.
Covering your open mouth with one hand, you gently lower yourself onto the dog bed. And then you grab a nearby towel lying near the dog bowl and fold it up into a make-shift pillow for your head. You curl yourself on the dog bed and then lay your head down on the make shift pillow. After that sleep begins to claim you and pull you down into the darkness. The last thing that you hear is the sound of dogs doing doggy things. You smile at the relaxing sounds they are producing just for you. And then you go into that darkness. You fall fast asleep. And as you do so something begins to happen to your body.