The Dog is still alive …

The llama is lying upside down in the rocking chair in the living room eating some kind of green cotton candy. And it is watching the Watchmen on the big TV screen.

'Have you ever wondered who ist watching the Watchmen?' the llama asks.

I am trying to ignore this for this is another story and another thought for another time, so I say, 'The dog is not dead.'

'What?' the animal asks.

'The dog is still alive', I repeat in other words.

'What dog?' the animal asks. It is eating its cotton candy very noisily

'Our neighbour, Mrs Gruber, has a pet dog called Eddie', I try to explain. 'She went on a holiday trip to Turkey some weeks ago and left Eddie to spend that time in a pet shelter some blocks from here.'

'Bad shelter?' the llama asks. 'I would prefer a hotel or a motel at least.'

'Pet shelter!' I shout. 'Are you listening to me at all, animal? And do you remember that we wondered what happened to the dog last weekend since Mrs Gruber returned home to her apartment and we hadn't heard a single bark from Eddie since then?'

The llama is building humanoid foam puppets from its green cotton candy.

'Well, the dog is well', I say. 'I met them both in the elevator this afternoon. Mrs Gruber says the pet shelter was good for Eddie. The gave him some kind of education and now he is the most well-behaved dog in the whole Whitaker Lane. No more senseless and noisy barking in the evening.'

The llama is yawning.

'Did you hear one word I said?' I ask.

The llama is sneezing. 'Our neighbour Mrs Grauber has a pet - a turkey or something like that - called Freddie. But it might be a shark because of bad shelter.'

'Animal, animal, animal.'

I shake my head hiding my face in the palm of my hand.

'Hey, I am not your pet, dumbo', the llama complains.

'And I am not your dumbo, animal', I say starting to sing quietly,

'We're only making plans for Nigel

We only want what's best for him

We're only making plans for Nigel

Nigel just needs this helping hand.'

'Nigel? Who is Nigel? Is Nigel that turkey? Or that shark?' The llama is getting nervous.

And the fortune cookie says,

Pay attention to your dreams,

But beware of too simple interpretation.

Today is Tuesday, the 19th of November 2019.