Tail as Old as Time

Tail as Old as Time - Part 1

As sure as the red maples that lined the streets, every postage stamp yard along Daffodil Way included a dog. There were small brown dachshunds, large white poodles, fluffy cocker spaniels, massive blue-eyed malamutes, and ankle-biting chihuahuas; any and every kind of dog could be found among the long line of friendly row-houses.

On the other side of the park stood a tall, dark mansion surrounded by a fence of stone and iron. In that lonely house lived a bad-tempered inventor named Seth Maxwell who didn't like people, and positively hated dogs.

Seth spent most of his time cooped up in the house using metal hinges, brass knobs, spindly wires, pulleys, ropes, and cogs to create fantastical contraptions. A constant whirring and clanking echoed through the halls as machines operated window shades, cleaned dishes, and opened doors.

The people who lived on Daffodil Way kept their distance from the Maxwell Estate. They knew Seth grumbled at any person who walked by, and he'd be especially unpleasant to them if they were walking a dog.

#

One stormy evening, while Seth sat in his den working on a design for a new invention, he heard scratching at the door.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled with anger. He suspected one of the neighbor's mongrel dogs escaped and was maiming his hardwood door. A peek through the peephole confirmed his suspicion; a sopping wet puppy dripped on his porch, whimpering with cold.

Seth swung the door open, and yelled at the top his lungs, "Shoo! Get out of here!" Then he grabbed a broom to sweep the poor dog off his porch.

But when he swung the broom forward, his feet went out from under him and he fell, landing flat on his back. Seth lay on the hard stone tiles, shaking the stars away from his vision, when a soft female voice spoke to him, "Get up."

Seth saw a beautiful woman standing on the porch with the drenched puppy tucked safely in her arms. 'I must be dreaming,' he thought while rubbing his eyes trying to bring the world into focus.

But when he looked again, the Lady in White stood there petting the small puppy behind his ears. She seemed ghostly with her layered white gown blowing in the soft wind.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"This poor animal is in need of help," she answered in a sing-song voice. "Will you leave him out in the cold rain?"

Seth smirked, "Well, in case you hadn't noticed, it's just a dog; a mangy, good-for-nothing, trespassing dog."

The Lady in White stroked the contented little puppy's ears. "If you landed on my porch in a storm, how would it feel if I swept you away rather than helping you?" her voice was soft, but angry.

"It is a dog," he stressed the word dog, trying again to impress on her the insignificance of the animal. "I am a human. It's different."

"Different to you perhaps, but not to him," she gestured to the puppy, still wet, but comfortably buried in the billowing white sleeves of this strange woman.

Seth rolled his eyes, "What do you want from me? An apology? I'm not sorry. It's a mangy, lousy dog!"

The Lady in White smiled sadly, "I see that there is no love in your heart for this or any other dog, and so as punishment, I will transform you so that all dogs who come across your path will see you as a hideous Beast."

Seth laughed, "That's not a very good punishment. What do I care if all dogs see me as a beast?"

"I am not finished," she continued, "Dogs do not discern by sight, but by smell. Your physical appearance will not change, but your odor will be offensive. It will remain this way until you earn the love of a dog and she allows you to pet her willingly."

Then the Lady in White disappeared into the storm. Seth watched for a moment, squinting to try to see her, but she was gone.

"Bah!" he yelled, and slammed his door.

#

Seth walked to town the next day to visit the portly grocer who wore a striped blue apron and a white cap. As usual, he rudely demanded his order, "Give me a dozen eggs and a quart of milk."

The grocer gagged when he tried to answer, and raised a pudgy hand to cover his nose. "Yes sir," he said, gathering the eggs and milk. As soon as they exchanged money, the grocer quickly ran toward the storage room, spluttering an excuse about a peanut butter emergency he must attend to.

Seth walked down Main Street and couldn't help noticing the townsfolk covering their noses and gasping as he passed by. He overheard several strange conversations.

'Is there a dead animal nearby?'

'Oh my goodness, maybe a skunk sprayed?'

Seth didn't smell anything out of the ordinary. He had taken a shower this morning, and his clothes were clean, so he felt sure it wasn't him they smelled.

But his day only got worse. The flour covered baker held a hand over his face when Seth purchased bread, the butcher pulled at his thick mustache and suddenly found something to do in the freezers when he asked for five links of sausage, and even the stalky flowers at the florist-stand wilted as he walked by.

None of this compared to the reaction he triggered in dogs. They barked and sneered and whined and leaped in their collars when he came near. Dogs of every shape and size recognized him as the Beast, and if Seth had ever thought this would be a blessing he discovered how wrong he was. He was used to being ignored by these mongrels, but now he was assailed by every dog that walked past!

No matter how much he showered or cologne he sprayed, everyone in town wretched when he came near and he was attacked by every dog he passed. The only explanation was the curse of the Lady in White, which meant the only way to fix it was to earn the love of a dog. Seth found the thought detestable, but better than the alternative of living in hiding with this repellent smell for eternity.

Seth tried to obtain a pet dog without success. The volunteers at the animal shelter would not let him adopt. He could not get a stray to come anywhere near him, and the breeders he met took one whiff of him and changed their minds no matter how much money he offered.

He eventually gave up, retreating into his beautiful estate across from the park. Seth invented ramps and pulleys that delivered parcels to his door, so he never had to leave his home.

His only outdoor refuge was a garden surrounded by stone walls and an iron gate. Seth planted sweet smelling flowers, but his favorite was the red rose at the center of his yard. There was no other flower so fragrant, and he often sat next to it breathing in the fresh scent.