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Shadows of the Academy | The Story of the Tenacious Mutt - sky

The
Tenacious
Mutt

As told by Jun + Jia’s
Great Grandfather

As a young boy, I wasn’t that interested in schoolwork. I was far more interested in climbing trees and daydreaming. So the day the stray dog showed up on Academy grounds, like so many kids, I couldn’t get over his mangy dog-ness and get on with my studies.

The first day was a write off. I chased that dog any chance I had, revelling in fantasies of bringing him home and turning him into my best friend in the world.

I quickly learned my short legs would never allow me to outrun the dog. I’d have to outsmart him.

Shadows of the Academy | The Story of the Tenacious Mutt - sky Shadows of the Academy | The Story of the Tenacious Mutt - hill

A week passed and the other kids lost interest. But not me. And not a pale young girl who stood in the shadows, watching my every move.

She could look all she wanted; the dog was mine.

I used my lunches to lure him nearer and nearer the doors of the Academy until finally, one day, he crossed the threshold. And as he devoured my sandwich, I gently closed the door.

The smell was worse than I ever could have imagined. But it didn’t matter. I had done it. I finally had a dog and I would name him...

“Come, Mastermind,” said a small voice from behind me.

Wagging his tail, the dog, my dog, walked past me to sit at the feet of the pale young girl. She pulled a jewelled collar from her frock and fastened it around his neck. Something about that collar made me want the dog for my own even more.

“You can pet him if you like,” she said.

I did like, and I moved toward him with my hand outstretched. He sniffed the tips of my fingers. The foul smell forgotten, I strained to scratch the fur on his head. That’s when something inside me snapped.

I needed this dog. Possessed, I grabbed him hard, hugged him tight and buried my face in his fur.

Shadows of the Academy | The Story of the Tenacious Mutt - background door

“Solomon! Don’t!” This time it was the voice of my older sister.

I opened my eyes in time to see two hind legs disappear into an open locker.

My sister stood over me, a worried look on her face. I glanced down. My clothes were covered in black sludge. And there was that smell again. It clung to me for days.

Shadows of the Academy | The Story of the Tenacious Mutt - panel 4 bottom background

I never saw the dog again, or the girl. My sister made sure of that. But I could swear I heard her voice in the back of my mind until the day I graduated.

“Mastermind misses you. Come visit him anytime.”

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