The Misadventures of the Magician's Dog

The Misadventures of the Magician's Dog Read Online Free PDF

Book: The Misadventures of the Magician's Dog Read Online Free PDF
Author: Frances Sackett
eyes and gritted his teeth as if he were taking a poop.
    Peter leaned over to check the carpet, just in case. When he looked back, The Dog was grinning wickedly. And there on the bed was another dog, and next to him another Peter.
    â€œWow,” said Peter. He could even see his own chest rising and falling as he breathed.
    The Dog tilted his head at a cocky angle. “Nice work, huh? They won’t last forever, though, so we’d better get going.”
    Peter went to the window and very quietly pulled it open, then lifted out the screen. The Dog immediately leapt through, while Peter followed more slowly. He put the screen back so none of the neighbors would notice. Then he looked around for The Dog.
    â€œArrooo!”
echoed from down the street. And then again,
“Arrooo!”
    Peter started off toward the sound.
    It was a beautiful night. Peter did not in general like the weather in Arizona: the hot days of the previous summer had left him sticky and miserable, and even in September and October, it had been too warm for him to enjoy being outdoors. But nighttime was another story. Once the sun set, the desert cooled off, the darkness seemingly absorbing the heat. Tonight, Peter felt almost cold as he hurried down the sidewalk, and for a moment he wished he had changed out of his shorts and into jeans. The street was empty except for him, and through the windows of the passing houses, each identical to his own, he could see the blue flickers of televisions; it was easy enough to imagine his neighbors parked on their couches, remotes in their hands. They were inside, staring at screens, all of them the same as the others, and he was out here, in the night, following a magic dog. He sucked the cool night air into his lungs, astounded by his own daring.
    â€œArrooooo!”
The Dog howled again. He stalked out from the shadow of a cactus. “There you are. Finally. What took you so long?”
    Peter didn’t bother to answer. “Where are we going?”
    â€œSomeplace private,” The Dog said. He turned right at the end of the block, Peter following. A few houses later, he turned right again.
    â€œHere,” he said finally, his beard bobbing in satisfaction.
    â€œThe golf course?” Peter asked in confusion.
    â€œThe golf course,” repeated The Dog.

    The first thing The Dog did was pee on the green. His urine ran down the flag and into the hole.
    â€œGross,” said Peter.
    â€œIt’s not gross,” said The Dog. “It’s friendly. Like leaving a note when you visit a friend who’s not home. It’s letting them know I was here.”
    â€œPee is not the same as a note,” said Peter.
    â€œIt is if you’re a dog,” said The Dog.
    Peter sighed. “I still don’t understand why we’re here. Why the golf course?”
    â€œIt’s private,” answered The Dog. “It’s quiet. It has a lot of open space. And I’ve always wanted to pee in one of those holes. So are you ready to get started?”
    Peter shivered. He didn’t know whether or not it was from the cold. “Yes.”
    â€œThis is the thing about magic,” The Dog said. “It’s really just a question of using your brain in a way that you don’t normally use it. For example, if you weren’t ever taught to read, then that would be a capability of your brain that you weren’t using. Magic is kind of like that.”
    â€œSo anyone can do magic?” Peter asked. “I mean, if they’re taught?”
    â€œIt’s not quite as straightforward as that,” The Dog replied, raising his nose to sniff experimentally at the breeze. “My old master had this theory. You know how some people are able to do incredibly complex math in their heads, without calculators? Or to compose music from a very young age? Well, it’s the same with magic, which comes naturally for some people and doesn’t for others. The
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