Inspired by Jorge Luis Borges

On the Dock
Originally uploaded by saratron

The cover to my next book.

First contact

First contact
Originally uploaded by saratron

Yesterday, unbeknownst to me, there was a clandestine meeting of the minds outside our front door.

The Minor Fall, The Major Lift

James the dog was in a very bad mood. He was angry with his owners for leaving him and as a result had defecated all over the tiles of their kitchen floor. He had been stuck inside for four hours instead of going to the dog park as originally intended. Today was supposed to have been a very important day for James. For he was planning upon conducting a social experiment. Now it would have to be postponed until tomorrow. James ambled upstairs and proceeded to tear up a tissue.

Tomorrow arrived and James the dog was hooked by his collar to his blue leash and walked to the dog park. It was a hot day, and the humidity caused James’s long fur to frizz. He panted as he collected his thoughts. Lately, James reflected, he had noticed a difference in the behavioral interactions between himself and the other canines. For the past two weeks, James had finally begun to feel comfortable with himself: his movements, his speech, and his appearance. He was far from perfect, he noted to himself, but there was an interesting and compelling dynamic that he’d noticed lately when he’d socialize with his fellow dogs. He would place himself far away, toward the corner of the park by the large rubber tubing used for agility training, arrange his features in order to appear nonchalant, and see which dogs would come over and stand with him.

Last Tuesday was one such occasion. Huddled around the plastic water tub were about twelve different dogs in the park, including two mixed breeds: Sophie and Michael. James situated himself away from the crowd in his usual corner, and began to watch as the dogs subconsciously clustered around him, forming a semi-circle with James as the center. He watched the movements and actions of his peers, in order to see who he felt was a challenge, a conquest, or perhaps most narcissistically, worthy of his true loyalty. James noted that Sophie was the only animal who stayed close to the watertub, quietly separating herself from the crowd and simultaneously presenting herself as an equal to James. Nonplussed, James sniffed the hindquarters of the cocker spaniel next to him until his owner clipped him once again to his leash and led him away. It was during the walk home and subsequent grooming session that James began to formulate his thesis and thus devise his experiment.