DREAMWEAVERS : DARK MOON

CHAPTER TWO : THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE COMPOUND

“Where’s your Manager?” Deline growled the words out with gritted teeth.

“How can I help you?”

A cheerful voice broke the tension in the air. All four heads turned towards the radiant distraction.

Deline’s rampaging silver-flecks promptly retreated back into the serene whirlpool of black irises. Her face that burned a few seconds ago in black charcoal receded back into pale yellow skin.

A pleasant-looking woman stepped out of the door marked PRIVATE. She introduced herself as Dr. Susan Lee, the veterinarian representing the Ministry of Agriculture.

“I would like to make an official complaint about these three men who mishandled my dog. They slammed her crate on the floor, as if it was just a piece of wood.” Deline stated grievously.

The three men stared guiltily at each other.

“Madam, we are very sorry, we didn’t mean----” One attempted to plead.

“That is totally unacceptable and I will complete an incident report regarding this matter.” Dr. Rodriguez interrupted the ground staff. She stared disapprovingly at the three men. She quickly turned to face Deline to ensure that the volatile incident was immediately contained.

“We deeply apologize for the incident Miss… Amaranthine”. Dr. Lee sympathized after an alert glance at the documentation of Moon.

“We will arrange for them to attend a full day’s session with us tomorrow regarding proper handling and care of animals travelling as cargo. In addition to that, they will be closely monitored for a month.”

The senior vet continued with a sincere smile that made her eyes crinkle, soothing Deline’s frayed nerves.

“Thank you Doc.”

She accepted the apology as she already felt reassured that there was a planned corrective action. She was also concerned about losing precious time to soothe Moon who must be very agitated by now. Also, Aunt Laya and Rhyll for sure were already waiting impatiently outside. They must be wondering what happened to her and Moon.

After completing the vet check-up with Moon achieving a clean bill of health, two porters personally selected by Deline carefully wheeled Moon out of the airport as she danced around inside the crate. She pranced like a prized horse with her stage mommy in tow. Deline whispered reassuring words directly on the steel metal door.

The 15-year old ex-stray mixed saluki clamped her canine teeth into the steel door of the crate with an anxious whimper in a failed attempt to chew her way out. She wanted to tear down the only barrier that separated her from her Mom.

Deline always considered her dog a medical miracle as she could still run at her age like the wind, faster than her ancestral line of Persian greyhounds. She could even jump as high as a panther.

Deline!

Two gorgeous women shrieked in unison. They attracted the attention of a magnitude of onlookers as they gaped admiringly at them.

Both ladies were statuesque. The first one had a stoic demeanor inspite of a widespread grin plastered across her face. She had long dark wavy hair streaked with indigo and eyes that glittered with amber crystals. Her porcelain alabaster skin was so smooth you could almost see cracks if ever there was one. She wore a royal blue kaftan with floral chains swirling around the edges accompanied by simple flip-flops. She emitted a quiet air of confidence amidst the raging sea of people rushing to and from the airport.

The second woman boisterously screamed Deline’s name as if she was a rock star. She had long butterscotch hair embracing eyes and skin the color of golden honey in a monochromatic look. She almost appeared to be a vibrant statue of a long-lost golden goddess. She opted to wear a sleeveless shirt in true gypsy style. Her left wrist was adorned with an Earth Day bracelet containing badges of the world, recycling, trees and heart charms. They clinked and clanked as she waved regally in one fluid motion. Her long and lean legs tapered into a slim silhouette of long ankle-length skirt and open-toed sandals.

Deline instantly recognized the voices. She gravitated towards them while still keeping a close grip of Moon’s crate.

“Nan! Rhyll!”

She squealed and closed the distance between them in one sprint. She flung her arms out to enveloped them in a very tight squeeze and cheek-to-cheek besos. She had no choice but to tiptoe and raise her heel off the ground to reach the two towering Amazons.

“Welcome home Deliiine!” Rhyll screamed excitedly. She dipped her head, leaned forward and almost lifted Deline off the ground.

They both burst into giggles.

“Hey! Wait a minute. You got silver in your eyes missy. That is goooorgeous! How’d you get that? Did it just sprout on its own?”

Rhyll cooed, as she held Deline at arm’s length and peered into her eyes. Rhyll’s fascination made Deline laugh out loud.

Laya’s cheek was ice-cold as usual which reminded Deline of home as she already got used to the cold temperature of her aunt’s skin growing up, rain or shine.

“Welcome home sweetheart. Hmmmm, those silver flecks are beautiful but very peculiar. When did you start having them?” Laya noticed as she cupped her niece’s chin to check out the silver flecks closely.

“Hey Nan. So glad to be back home.” Deline called her aunt “Nan”, a term of endearment she used since she was a toddler.

“Maybe I’m turning into a mutant, who knows?” She joked lightly. The last thing she wanted was to give her aunt something to worry about.

“Here’s Moon.” She casually steered the attention away from her.

“Oh of course Mooniee.”

Laya got the message loud and clear that Deline did not want her to make a fuss about the silver flecks in her eyes. She calmly strode past Deline to intertwine her fingers around the metallic squares of the crate. She cooed fondly at Moon. The black saluki hurriedly rushed to the steel door whining in protest that she still did not obtain her freedom until now. She lovingly gave Laya’s fingers tons of slurpy kisses.

Rhyll hastily claimed Deline’s suitcase and carry-on bag. She was just adjusting the strap of the bag when she saw one guy tossed a lit cigarette recklessly on the pavement across from them.

“Yeah! Such a good citizen. Keep our environment clean why don’t ya?!”

Rhyll’s voice dripped with heavy sarcasm as she left the suitcase right beside Deline. She adjusted the strap of Deline’s bag and walked towards the lit cigarette on the floor. She crushed it in disgust under her foot before throwing it in the garbage can nearby. She scowled which only enhanced the glow and beauty of her face.

The man blushed and walked away.

“Rhyll, your staunch sarcasm never fails to amaze me.” Deline chuckled.

Laya was engrossed in trying to tickle Moon’s nose inside the crate. She led the two porters to carefully maneuver around the maze of the parking lot to reach the car. She totally missed the environmentalist versus parasitic human species showdown.

After a few minutes of securing the crate with Moon still inside at the back of the white SUV, Deline tipped the two porters generously. Rhyll drove the car into the highway.

They left behind the buzzing chaos of the airport constantly inundated with people arriving, departing, taxi drivers hounding everyone to ride with them and airport staff running around as if there was no tomorrow.

The airport was swamped with bystanders who loitered around either waiting for their loved ones to arrive or to bid them tearful goodbyes. It was always a recurring practice to give a big send-off of native food and delicacies to loved ones who are leaving the country which would end up being removed by ground staff due to baggage weight restriction.

Rhyll insisted everyone to roll their windows down to enjoy the breeze and avoid contributing to global warming by keeping the aircon off. Laya rode shotgun and Deline stayed at the back having a miniscule view of the regal saluki at the back.

“How was your flight sweetheart?” Laya twisted around to inquire.

Deline momentarily stopped wiggling her index finger lodged into the metal square of the crate which gave Moon the perfect chance to nibble at it.

“Dreadful experience upon arrival, although I didn’t have much appetite to eat the meal I ordered so I just watched a lot of inflight movies.”

Deline proceeded to give them a detailed account of the way the airport staff mishandled Moon inside the crate.

“Oh dear! Staff who are assigned to handle animals should be properly trained and have true compassion for them. Otherwise they should just find another job where they don’t inflict pain on innocent souls.” Laya lamented shaking her head in frustration.

“Don’t worry Nan as the vet there assured me they will undergo training and will be monitored.” Deline responded quickly.

“That’s great news then. By the way you must be starving.” Laya’s maternal instinct kicked in once again as her looks could be quite deceiving. She looked extremely young for her ripe age of 60, not a day older than 25.

“Not really, don’t feel like eating these days.” Deline surmised dismissively as she finally pried her finger out of the metal crate. She gazed out of the window with the wind rummaging her jet black hair. She raked in the vast fields of green and farmers’ huts peppered all over the route towards home.

Deline turned her attention briefly away from the window and saw her aunt’s concerned frown and promptly retracted her nonchalant declaration of lack of appetite.

Laya twisted back to face the front so Deline completely missed the wisp of smile that curved her lips.

After a smooth 45-minute ride without a hint of traffic because it was a lazy Sunday morning after all, the white SUV which Rhyll borrowed from her mom crawled to a slow hum by the entrance of the gated compound called THE MEADOWS. It was where Laya’s shabby chic home was located. Villa 22 right at the end of the compound.

A home she proudly owned for the past 35 years. The cozy 2-bedroom bungalow became the secret gatekeeper for all of Laya’s treasures collected from various nooks and crannies of the world. She was a confessed addict when it came to travelling and exploring countries. She would regale little Deline with her adventures into foreign lands. She slammed the door shut on her past life of jet-setting around the world the moment she was appointed as Deline’s guardian when Deline’s parents passed away.

During her time as a wanderer she was very fond of bringing home unique but strange-looking pieces, especially the painting of Giuseppe Arcimboldo from the 16th century aptly titled THE SPRING. It made Deline chew the inside of her cheeks in contemplation if it was really beautiful or hideous.

The vehicle came into a rhythmic roll into the open driveway. They were greeted by the fresh nostalgic scent of hybrid roses filling the front garden in an abundant symphony of purple, plum, periwinkle, lavender and lilac.

Deline closed her eyes for a split second and gravitated towards the open window eagerly to take in the familiar scent of what she considered her childhood home.

As soon as Rhyll killed the engine the incessant loud barking in the background permeated the air to wrap a constricting ribbon inside their ears.

WUFF! WUFF! WUFF! WUUFFF!!!

A resounding bark pierced the stillness of the breezy summer day either in elated approval or severe objection of another furry baby officially residing in the last quaint bungalow at the end of the compound.

The whitewashed wooden door that served as a stalwart of cushion to the rampaging miniature torpedo of a dog from the other side reeled a few centimeters at the top from his persistent furry paws.

Boris was Laya’s mischievous dog. Boris was the type of dog who wiggled himself straight into your heart and never left. He was just a big ball of kinetic energy who bounced around like a wayward torpedo and gave slurpy kisses to anyone he liked but growled threateningly to those he disliked.

Deline remembered Boris already as an adult dog while she was growing up. She had asked Laya about his age as he was already an adult when she was still a child. He must be old..really old. But his energy and appearance was still that of a dog in the prime of his life.

His mom would just shrug her shoulders nonchalantly and said that her rambunctious  fur baby must have drank thirstily at the fountain of youth.

She always narrated his story first with sadness and then relief that she found and rescued him. Boris’ journey started even before Deline was born.

He was a one-month old Desi (oldest breed of stray dogs of Asia) puppy with thick brown fur, paws dipped in milky white fountain and short floppy ears. He had black spots that appeared to be eyebrows circling into black streaks leading towards his nose with a pink birthmark and petulant lips.

His birth mom was tied to a tree by abusive kids. They started to throw four of her babies heartlessly into the raging river to drown.

Laya was on her way to a friend’s house when she saw the incident. She hastily slammed on the brakes of her car to a screeching halt.

In one swift move along with thunderous expletives she rescued the four drowning babies and scared off the diminutive criminals as she called them.

Deline asked her time and time again to tell her exactly how she scared them away and if the authorities were called. Those vicious kids would definitely grow up to be the problems of society.

She always avoided answering Deline’s query. Instead she offered her a mysterious glance before looking far into the distance with a frown. She seemed to leave behind her concern as she turned back to give her a sly wink.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, they have been given their just desserts. I guarantee you 100% they could never hurt any living soul anymore for as long as they live several lives in this world.”

She reassured her niece in a cryptic but whimsical tone of voice.

Then she would continue the story with her fostering the mama dog and her four puppies for a few months. They eventually found permanent loving homes except for one little munchkin who stole her heart with his funny antics and boisterous attitude.

And that was how Boris fluttered his little adventurous wings into Laya’s life and nested his chubby bum straight into the center of her heart as well as Deline’s.

The three women carried Moon warmly encased in the crate like an ancient palanquin of royalty. They giggled and wiggled and shimmied and tangoed their way up the wide steps towards the main door.

Boris fluttered around them like a little bumblebee. He was curious and excited to meet this new exotic visitor inside the crate all the way from distant shores.

Rhyll nearly missed her step trying to avoid Boris as he playfully blocked her way.

They finally managed to gently rest the crate into a small but quaint living room. It was bounded by floor to ceiling windows. The beige curtains were embossed with gold leaves that were parted and secured at both sides. They kept the sun at bay from the back garden heavily populated by gigantic trees. The trees were adorned with velvety emerald leaves floating in the air until they landed bashfully on the grass. 

Laya lifted Boris by the chest with his arms outstretched in protest towards the back garden.

A nosy nose with pink birthmark blew hot bubbles on the window glass of the living room.

He curiously investigated the invaders inside the living room. It contained his favorite beige plush sofa filled with tuffs of his shiny brown fur. It became one of his favorite places to hangout besides Laya’s colorful floral sofa in the bedroom and large cushy bed.

The anchor that became a spotlight and an interesting piece of conversation for all visitors serendipitously claimed the center of the wall above the sofa. It was the eccentric painting of Giuseppe Arcimboldo from the 16th century aptly titled THE SPRING.

It was a human portrait that composed only of flowers and plants representing every part of the body.

It looked very odd in the midst of the shabby chic décor. But then, it in fact heightened the fragile beauty of the living room with its eccentricity.

Rhyll always thought it was gorgeous.

Deline felt ambivalent towards it though.

Laya sauntered to open Deline’s bedroom. It was decorated with pastel old rose from its walls all the way to the maple wood furniture and velvet single seater sofa. The room wrapped up into a double bed adorned with rose chintz bedspread cuddled securely by dark mahogany wooden floor.

“Alright! Now we are ready for you Moonie!”

Laya crouched as she whispered softly towards the anxious dog.

“Here we go Moonie shookie girl. Home sweet home.” Deline wistfully cast her wish of murmur towards the regal canine.

She squatted and slowly unlocked the door of the crate.

She was just about to pull it sideways to open when a very enthusiastic slender black figure with narrow muzzle, white armored chest and brindle gray paws slammed through the door. Long legs that never seemed to end made her appear more of a miniature horse than a dog. She darted straight into Deline arms.

She knocked Deline onto the floor and infused her with eager smooches like there was no tomorrow.

Laya and Rhyll burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs as Deline remained pinned on the floor, cracking up “Oh Moon! I---missed---you—too--very muuchhh!”

She could barely get the words out as Moon continued to pepper her with smacks of love all the while whimpering as if asking her why it took so long for them to be reunited.

Deline finally managed to pick herself off the floor and dusted her white jeans as Moon stepped a few inches aside to give her a breather.

But as soon as she gained her footing, her furry companion leaped high into the air to bestow a flying kiss on her nose. Deline out of habit reflexively wrapped her arms around Moon’s shoulder and bottom the way a person would carry a baby.

Moon’s tail with the tip dipped in white snow wiggled erratically like an overzealous paintbrush over a blank canvass. Her long vertical jump never failed to secure her in the warm embrace of her parent. She continued to block Deline’s vision with pecks of endearment and absolute loyalty.

“Ahahahhah! Okay! Okay! Moon!”

Deline surrendered as she gave Moon a very tight hug before placing her back on the ground. The galloping dog zeroed in on her bedroom and sprinted in the direction of the rose chintz bedspread. She made a wide dive onto it with one leap of her long extended legs.

She landed gracefully with hardly a dent and a sound at the center. She flopped onto it and laid her chin on the bed between her brindle gray paws. Her long black tail tipped with white wagged like a rotor blade in anticipation of the next revelation.

“Oh she is such a wonderful darling, Deline.”

Rhyll gushed as she met Moon finally in the flesh instead of all those virtual hellos in their weekly video calls for 15 years when the mixed saluki was just a two-week old puppy.

Deline rescued her from the harsh streets of the Gulf. She found her wobbling and crying. The tiny puppy attempted to wander around in circles on the side of the road while drivers in the busy intersection coldly passed her by. The tiny pup must have whimpered for hours. Not a single soul stopped to respond to her tiny sobs for help until Deline came along. Right beside the little pup was the lifeless body of her mommy, her torso ripped wide open and caked with blood. She continued to stare blankly into the distant eyes of her beloved offspring. She was most probably hit and killed by a reckless driver as she came back to be with her baby after hours of hungrily searching for food. The heartless driver who murdered a living soul did not even bother to stop and save her one and only stray baby.

Rhyll strode into the bedroom and laid beside Moon. She started tickling her short floppy ears.

Deline breathed a huge sigh of relief that the long trek home was over and turned to Laya with a conspiratorial wink. “Shall we bring in the chubby Romeo?”

“We shall! We shall!” Laya groaned humorously in between gales of laughter as she opened the drawer of the coffee table to bring the short leash for Boris.