by Nico Augusto
He found his game amongst dozens of arcade games with steering wheels, skateboards or old-fashioned joysticks. It was a “beat them all” fighting game with four environmentalists who attempt to arrest a gang of dinosaur poachers. It was a synopsis that might make a seasoned gangster shake in his boots. Amongst the noise and ever-changing colors Yann began his game.
Shirley allowed him to play until he’d had his fill, not thinking until they were back on the road about the traffic that would have clogged it by now. The daily routine of the traveler in their vast city involved road construction, traffic and a lot of stress. As she maneuvered the car through more than one obstacle Shirley had to wonder if the administration would ever resolve those issues.
Fortunately, the temperatures had dropped after having reached a sizzling point in the afternoon. The end of the afternoon was delicately warm, as the sun caressed the roofs of the neighborhood. When they drove up in front of the Northman’s residence Yann jumped out of the car and looked up at the sun. He was dazzled by its glare and while he stood there looking up he found himself wondering if there was anything else up there…behind the sun. He burned with an avid curiosity…always. Even with the excitement of his birthday pressing down on him from all sides.
As they started towards the house Yann had a strange and sudden feeling that everything he knew was about to change. He felt a sharp, pinching pain in his stomach. It was there one moment and then gone. He shrugged it off as a reminder that he was alive and re-focused his thoughts on his parents being home soon and his birthday celebration. He hoped that they would have a present for him. Youth was that magical moment where every gesture counts, and every action embodies a dream.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“NEW FRIENDSHIPS”
NORTHMAN’S RESIDENCE LATER THAT NIGHT
Yann sat at his chair in the dining room, finishing his dinner when Shirley called out from the kitchen,
“Do you want some more?”
“No thanks, I'm not really hungry...What’s my present?”
“Golly! You are so impatient,” Shirley told him with a smile, “Finish your plate first.”
“It’s so hard to wait...”
Shirley brought out their dessert and sat down at the table with him while they enjoyed it. Yann had almost finished his when he heard the sound of the front door unlocking.
“Daddy, Mommy?” Yann called out.
“Hello my son, I’m coming!” Tim called back.
“Finish your plate please,” Shirley told him. “He’ll come to you.”
Tim came in then and took Yann in his arms, giving him a warm squeeze.
“I bet you are giddy about your birthday,” he said to the boy.
“You have no idea; he’s been spinning around the house for hours,” Shirley told him.
Tim looked at Shirley and with a wink he said,
“So, how was your day? What did you guys do?”
“Tell him Yann,” Shirley said.
“Ahh, what’s that on your face dad? Did you fight?”
“That’s nothing son, you should’ve seen the other guy,” Tim told him, trying to play it off. He didn’t want Yann to worry.
“Did you at least go the hospital, Mr. Northman?” Shirley asked him.
“I’m ok, don’t worry about it Shirley,” he told her. Then, looking back at Yann he said, “Ok, so do I have to beg you to hear what you’ve done today?”
“Ok so… we went to the mall, and Shirley took me to the arcade. It was so much fun... By the way dad, can we play baseball together tomorrow? I want to play but I can’t play alone.”
“Ok, I see. That was a very instructive day!” He winked at Yann, “As for tomorrow, I’ll play with you, but only if you promise not to lose,” he told him with a laugh.
“Mr. Northman, I’ll prepare the cake, Mrs. Northman should be home any minute now,” Shirley told him.
“Great idea, thank you, Shirley.”
“How about my present, does mom have it?” Yann asked him, excitedly.
“Be Zen, my son, and calm yourself down by helping Shirley clear the table. You could also help her prepare the second round.”
“Did you finish? I will put the leftovers in the fridge.”
“Don’t worry, Shirley, I’ll eat later,” Tim told her. He finally took his coat off and hung it on the coat rack in the hallway as Shirley and Yann cleared the table in the blink of an eye. Tim stood in the doorway for a few minutes when he came back, just watching them. If ever there was a day that he needed a reminder that the whole world hadn’t gone mad, today was the day.
Not long after Tim came home, Yann heard the front door open and close again, and then he heard the sound of his mother’s high heels on the shiny wood floor. He raced from the dining room into the front room to greet her. Shirley and Tim, laughing at his excitement, followed him.
“Mummy!” he yelled as he saw his mother come through the door. Elise looked professional in her perfectly tailored blue suit and heels. She normally wore her hair in a bun to work, but she had taken it out as soon as she got to her car tonight and her hair was hanging loose down her back.
She worked for the U.N. as an International Official. Her job was often stressful, most recently because of the events taking place between the U.S. and Iraq. She had to spend a lot of time at work and the stress of having to spend so much time away from her family had taken its toll as well. In spite of all of that, the sight of her home and her family seemed to wash the worry from her face and the stress was replaced with a look of benevolence and hope.
“Hello honey...” she said to Yann with a smile, “Take it easy sweetie, you’re so agitated.” Elise looked towards his father for answers to their son’s excitement. Tim smiled and said,
“Clearly he’s been this way all day. Shirley was telling me that he couldn’t stop pacing the room.”
“Mom, it’s a dog, isn’t it? It’s talking to me!” Yann jumped up and down, hardly able to contain the excitement that was ripping through his small body.
“How do you know?” Elise asked the boy. Then, turning towards her husband she said, “You just couldn’t hold your tongue, could you?”
Tim held up his hands, palms out and said, “Nope, I haven’t said a word.”
“He’s talking to me, it’s so cool.” Yann told them, only confusing his mother more. How could the dog be talking to him wasn’t the most troubling question. How could he have known about the dog otherwise was what troubled her. It was apparent from Yann’s face that he believed what he was saying to be the absolute truth.
A little muddled by what her son was telling her, Elise asked him, “What are you talking about?” Then she looked at Tim and said, “Did you really get Yann a dog?”
With a smile that was reserved for a parent with an ecstatic child, Tim said, “Yes we did...but apparently, it’s not a surprise anymore. What do you say, should we give it to him now?”
Elise looked again towards her enthusiastic son and smiled,
“Okay, I guess we have no choice,” she said.
Tim, Shirley and Yann went back into the dining room. Shirley brought the cake out from the kitchen and just as she did, Elise came into the room with a large package. She sat it on the floor next to Yann. His eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared at it, but he stayed in his chair, waiting for permission.
Tim looked at his wife and noticing the lines of worry and fatigue etched into her lovely face he asked her. “Honey, how was your day?”
“Horrible,” Elise said quietly where only Tim could hear. Then she said, “I’ll tell you later...”
Elise looked at her beautiful family, sitting around the table, waiting to celebrate Yann’s birthday. She realized that she didn’t want to talk about her awful day. She didn’t want to think about it. She wanted to completely forget that a truck full of young American soldiers was taken hostage. She wanted to escape the harsh reality of life and her job that was often difficult to cope with and immerse hers
elf in all the positive things she had in her life. The most of which was right in front of her, her family.
While Shirley put the colorful candles on the yummy looking chocolate cake, Yann squirmed in his chair. His impatience was palpable and his parents and Shirley were all able to feed off of the positively animated vibes that the little boy was radiating.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you Yann! Happy birthday to you!” Yann’s face was a wide smile as his family sang to him. He stared wide-eyed at the present on the table, dying to open it. He had to be re-directed back to the cake as his mother told him,
“Go on, make a wish and blow out the candles, Yann!”
“Smile!” Shirley told him, laughing and taking a photo as the little boy blew out his candles all at once. He blew so hard that in his enthusiasm, some of the whipped cream on the cake was gusted off the top and spun around a little while in the air above the room.
“Congratulations my son!” Tim told him.
“I think it’s time you opened your present,” Elise said.
Looking as if he might bust Yann said, “I'm so happy, he’s so cute, isn’t he?”
Tim was still stumped about how Yann knew what was in the box. He whispered to Shirley, “How does he know?” Shirley shrugged, just as clueless as Tim and Elise as they all watched Yann pull the finely wrapped box towards him. He pulled delicately on the ribbon that encircled it and slowly took the lid off the box. There was a quiet moaning coming from inside and as Yann looked in two round dark eyes looked back at him. A pair of funny-looking little ears could be seen sticking out from the box and then suddenly a pair of paws was put up on the side and a little black head poked out over it. The puppy looked around at his new environment.
Yann reached in the box and took out the sweet puppy. He looked at him almost reverently, admiring the dog’s shiny black coat. He had a pure white collar that emphasized the blackness of his fur and he was as soft as down to the touch. Yann brought the puppy up to his shoulder and hugged him gently. Then he held him back and looked at him again. He was so cute with his flat face and funny little ears. Yann thought he looked like a little angel.
The family watched as the two new friends got to know each other. For Yann’s loved ones watching him so happy, falling in instant love with the puppy was an intense experience. It was as if for a few moments time stood still. Shirley at last broke the spell by saying,
“Oh my god, he’s so cute, look at those ears.”
“Mom, what kind of dog is he?” Yann asked.
“The woman at the store, Sophie said he was a French bulldog. Do you like him? He is so cute,” Elise said.
“You’ll have to take good care of him son…” Tim told him.
A silence pierced the room, Yann was speechless and he and the puppy were staring into each other’s eyes as if an extraordinary connection was taking place. Something unexpected, magical, was happening. Yann was thinking what a wonderful present his little French bulldog was. It was love at first sight, and he didn’t even realize yet how much the puppy was going to help him change his life. Yann would come out of his shell and telepathically be able to communicate with the dog. They would have their own unique language and a one of a kind relationship.
Finally, nervous with the silence Tim said, “You are not saying anything, are you ok? You know, he’s delicate and a little sick, you’ll have to take very good...”
“I know, I know...” Yann said, “He told me everything, but everything is going to be alright.”
“What...?” Tim didn’t know how to react to the fact that Yann seemed to believe he and the dog were communicating, especially since it seemed like the dog really had told Yann things that he otherwise couldn’t have known.
Elise put her hand on Tim’s arm. She could see the worry in her husband’s face, “Give him time, and don’t worry!”
Kneeling down next to Yann and the puppy Shirley said, “So, are you going to give him a name?”
“Anak...ANI! He told me that it was his name,” Yann said.
“I like it, it’s very nice. What do you think about that, honey?” Tim asked Elise.
Elise and Shirley both agreed that it sounded great….Ani. Ani was a little French bulldog. He was sick, suffering since birth from a medical condition called pulmonic stenosis. This condition impeded his breathing and would reduce his lifespan by half. The decision to buy Ani for Yann hadn’t come lightly. Elise had read a lot of studies about pets and autistic children. Almost all of the research had been positive, but the couple never wanted to do anything that might hinder Yann’s growth and development so they asked his doctors for their opinion as well, just to be sure. His doctors had been all for the idea telling the couple that it would only help Yann with acquiring the life skills and developing a taste for responsibility that he would need later on in life. They also talked a lot about how it might help him with the loneliness that came from being an only child with parents that were so often away from home.
They had then begun their search, going to almost every pet shop in town. They had found Ani at a small shop in the city and besides the fact that he was adorable, they had chosen him because they wanted to be sure that the sick puppy went to a home where he would be well cared for and have nothing but love. They knew their home was the perfect place for him, and Yann the perfect boy. The instant bonding that seemed to take place as well as the seemingly mental communication made the parents feel like they had definitely made the right decision.
The room was energized at that moment with the presence of love. The family, all with stressors and problems of their own to cope with had put everything else aside and come together united in their bliss to welcome this new member into their fold.
That night as the peaceful neighborhood they lived in began shutting off its lights for the night the little boy lay sleeping deeply, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as his new best friend looked around his new home. His black coat was barely visible against the darkness of the night. The only light in the room was from the sparkle and shine of the stars against the azure sky as it shone through the window. The puppy sat like a sentry on the end of Yann’s bed watching over his new companion. It had only been hours since they met, but they had already forged that deep bond that had led people throughout the decades to say that a dog was “Man’s best friend.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“ALLIANCES”
NORTHMAN’S RESIDENCE
1991-One Year Later
Yann woke up to the morning sun in his eyes with a smile. He jumped out of bed, eager to get his day started. There was no school today and he and Ani could work on their shed in the backyard. Ani jumped out of the bed after him. He slept in Yann’s bed nightly and every night before they fell asleep, they shared stories with one another. One of the big advantages of the telepathy they had is that they could communicate in complete silence.
Yann dashed into the bathroom and brushed his teeth and put on his sweat suit. His independence had grown by leaps and bounds since Ani came into his life.
“Today we are going to finish the construction of our shed, comrade!” Yann told Ani as they raced down the stairs. Ani stopped in the kitchen and sniffed, checking for food or the presence of anyone else. The house was empty with the exception of him and Yann. Shirley was expected to come later. Ani checked out his food dish and then Yann opened the sliding glass door to let Ani outside to attend to his business.
Ani ran through the garden, sniffing around. First he sniffed a patch of grass on the left and then one on the right. He peed a little. He usually only peed a little at a time because of his sickness. In spite of his diagnoses Ani was not a sickly looking pup. He was just a little arched in his stance because of his back problems. Otherwise he had a healthy, shiny coat and an almost perpetual smile. He stopped and listened, he could hear Yann filling up his water bowl and that enticed him back inside the house.
Ani stopped next to Yann’s le
gs and barked. Yann smiled at him as he sat the dish down on the floor and told him,
“Here, you can drink, but take it easy, keep your energy. We have to finish our shed. I have my backpack, it’s full of comics. What do you think will happen in the last chapter of "Emperor’s Blades?"
Ani looked up at the boy as he talked and then watched Yann walk into the living room. Yann climbed up on the couch. He sat there looking around at the family photos that hung on the walls. He was feeling curious today so he wandered into his parent’s room and looked around at his father’s books. Yann knew that it was a privilege to be left alone in the big 2000 square foot house. He did a lot of exploration, but he knew what the boundaries were and he respected them.
Yann smiled as he looked at all of the photos of Ani scattered around the house and pinned on the walls. The puppy had truly made his mark on this family. Then, his dark eyes fell on the red baseball bat that rested against the wall in the corner. Tim had been so busy with the serial killer case that the baseball bat had not been used very often as of late. Yann used to be good at baseball, often impressing his neighborhood friends when they played together in the street. He hoped that he wouldn’t lose those skills while he waited for his father to find the time to play.
Yann’s backpack was another important accessory. He took it everywhere and filled it with what he may need for the day. Today it was full of what he and Ani would need to construct the shed.
In the backyard of the house behind the trees and near the fence, Yann had built a very impressive shed. The place was magical to him, a place where he and Ani often shared their stories. The stories were always full of adventure and sometimes a touch of danger just to make it more exciting. They both loved to imagine they would someday be able to travel towards an exciting adventure together.
