Saturday, October 15, 2016

Growing up in Coney Island - My story and I'm sticking to it!


 
I have company. Some of my best Great Dane friends from the neighborhood.
 
Ma's  going to tell them my favorite story. How she grew up. I'm giving them one bone each, just one though. I have to save them.
 
 



We finally settled down and got comfortable. 
 
Imagine life, living just one block from the renowned Coney Island Amusement Park, she started....
It was even better than you're imagining.
The exciting carousels, roller coasters, ferris wheels, water slides, and who could get enough of the “spooky houses.”

As a kid I thought Coney Island was the best place in the world to live. I was so lucky.

What fun I had in the cool ocean on a hot day or walking up and down the boardwalk feasting on tasty treats.

All was good.  Best of all were my wonderful friends. I knew all the sideshows and the people who ran them.  My friends were the people visitors called freaks.  They weren’t freaks.  Maybe oddly different, but a kinder, merrier group I’ve never met.
Of all the circus people, one of my very best friends was Slimshadow.  Slimshadow was 9 ft. tall and skinny as a rail and he always had his 8 inch brown spider, Cookieface, with him. She was as well known as Slimshadow.

Hairy Harriet the bearded fat lady and I were just as close.  Weighing in at 650 lbs. with a beard 5 ft. long she was as happy-go-lucky as could be.


The four of us would sit sometimes for hours, Cookieface included, while I listened to their fascinating stories of old.  Cookieface had a way of letting me know when the two started stretching the truth a bit.  She’d come over and perch on one of my feet and look up at me with what had to be a big smile.  After a while Slimshadow and Hairy Harriet caught on and when Cookieface did this we all would bust out laughing.

 

What a happy time that was, though things had a way of changing quickly in the Coney Island underground, which is what it was called by the folks that lived there.
Another popular attraction was Jasmine the Snake Lady who could make her body do anything a snake could.  She was as long and slim as Slimshadow and for this reason she thought they should be together forever.  She hated Hairy Harriet and even little Cookieface.  She wasn’t fond of me either.


While taking a walk down the boardwalk one day, I met Hairy Harriet who had been coming to find me.  She was moving fast with a worried look on her face.  She said Slimshadow was nowhere to be found.   Cookieface had somehow relayed to her that the snake lady Jasmine had wrapped herself around him and rolled him away.  Cookieface was so scared that she was hiding in Hairy Harriet’s beard while leading the way to her master.


They took off in a run with me following, while wondering how a 650 lb. bearded lady could run so fast.  We went through parts of Coney Island I didn’t know existed, and came to a passageway that Hairy Harriet couldn’t get through.  I was about to tell her I’d go ahead to see if he were at the other end but before I could get the words out she had hit the wall so hard that it cracked, then fell, leaving a hole big enough for her to enter.


We found Slimshadow at the other end with Jasmine still wrapped around him tightly.  She was yelling, telling him why she should be his closest friend instead of Hairy Harriet.  Slimshadow was just as loud while being twisted into a pretzel, telling her that if she continued to act this way she would never have any friends.


Upon looking at this sight, Hairy Harriet ran over and pulled Snake Lady so hard that she almost broke in two.  But when Hairy Harriet finally calmed down, sadness had come over her.  She was actually feeling sorry for Snake Lady Jasmine.  Hairy Harriet slowly sat down. Her and Slimshadow had a long talk with Jasmine.

Cookieface and I stayed on the sideline, not knowing what else to do, but soon enough we were called over and were all lounging carefree while the Snake Lady happily told “her” stories of long ago. 
 
During more than one of those tales, Cookieface perched on a foot and looked up at me.  After a while we shared its meaning with Jasmine and she laughed loudest of all.She also promised us that she would never be jealous and mean again. She kept her promise.


I’ll never forget that day.


It wasn't long after that my friends moved on. I was lonely for a while but I met new friends. They were also known as freaks to outsiders, but definitely not to me.




 

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Omar Blue - The Takeover and The Seers Retaliation



Hi everyone. I'm waiting for some of my Facebook friends. They're coming from the Dobermans Owners Group that me and Ma belong to. They don't like the way the timber wolves came into K-9 Town.

I'm going to put their minds at ease by telling them what happened recently. Our biggest problem is, "what will our elderly Seers do next." Lol.


I see them now. "Wrong house you all. Over here!!"

Here they come. Aren't they cool. Did you know Dobermans came in so many colors? Blue, Black, White, Red and Fawn.

I'm going to skip a little. Everyone's settled in now. Ma has even given out the snacks. She's waiting to hear this too.

Here goes...I had started calling Komondor Rasta Mama, Great Dane Grannie and their watchers the Magic Four because I knew I'd be hearing from them again soon, and this time, it would have to do with the two Elders magic gifts.

-------------------------
The Magic Four were hiding outside of Shocka Din’s camp and had heard him telling his pack to go in groups and come back with anything out of the ordinary that they came upon. The Seers were elated that Shocka was sending out small groups. So much so, that they couldn’t hide their excitement, though Thor nor Bennie knew how this could benefit them.

It was Rasta Mama who spoke.  “It’s obvious we are all thinking alike. Shocka’s orders open opportunities for us to help Omar and our pack. We must seize these opportunities.”

“Come, we have to make plans, said Great Dane Grannie, who was already heading back home but turned to hurry them along.”

Though they knew they were falling into the Seers' trap, they couldn’t help following obediently. Curiosity had completely taken over. They knew whatever the two had in mind, they would somehow be included. Anyway, they were doing what Major Diggs had instructed them to do. Neither said a word, their sly glances told that they were having the same thoughts.
When they arrived at the Seers' den Thor and Bennie were told to wait outside. “Sit,” said Great Dane Grannie. “We’ll only be a moment.”

In less time than that, they were ready.
 
The two Seers shot pass them, yelling, “Come on you two. There’s work to be done.”

The younger canines were caught off guard. They had to run at top speed to catch up. 

Top speed for Thor and “The Ghost” was faster than any but Omar. Bennie was delighted at his friend’s speed. He could tell Thor was enjoying this as much as he was, while wondering what was in store for them.

But how were the elderly Seers keeping this pace? Where were they going?”

The answers were evident when they met up with several of Shocka Din’s followers.

The Seers never broke stride. They pounced on their enemies before they knew what hit them.

They were so thorough in their beat down that there was absolutely nothing for Thor and Bennie to do but stand down and watch in utter amazement. They wished the rest of the pack could be there to enjoy this.

When the battling duo had done enough damage, they waved the beaten timber wolves on with a few choice words, and joined the two sideliners.

“We couldn’t tell you our plans beforehand. You would never have believed what we were capable of doing. They deserved every bit of what we gave them,” they said as they laughed out loud.

“Let them tell their leader what the two oldest in Omar Blue’s pack was able to do. Our potions never fail us,” said Rasta Mama.

This may be true but Bennie and Thor noticed on the way back home, the Seers strength and energy were well below normal. The exertion had taken its toll, though they would never admit it.

They made the Seers stop to rest by pretending to be tired themselves. They now fully understood Omar and Major Diggs’ concerns and swore to each other that nothing like this would happen again.

The beaten timber wolves couldn’t believe what had just happened nor the swiftness in which it had occurred.

“They had to be the oldest dogs we’ve ever seen,” said one. Where did they come from? How could they do this to us? We can’t tell the others they agreed, and made a pact.

I had been headed for the Magic Four when I saw them leaving. As soon as I saw the Seers running at a speed beyond their natural capabilities, I knew what they had done. They had obviously tricked their watchers into thinking their antics were harmless, which was never the case. I was coming to warn my brother and friend about the trickery they were up against and the consequences that would surely follow, but I was too late.
I ran after them. Not to catch up to them but to be with them if needed. As usual, the Seers were very entertaining. Their speed when approaching the timber wolves was something I had never seen before. The fight was over before it had begun. There was no time or reason to interfere.
 Like Bennie and Thor, I was mesmerized. I knew there would be a price to pay but I could only wait to see what it would be.

It wasn’t long before the penalty became apparent.

I noticed their pace steadily slowing. It was obvious that Bennie and Thor had noticed it too. They rightfully must have come up with a reason to stop and rest after detecting the problem.
I ran to the group at top speed. They say, I'm pretty fast.
Putting their surprise aside, I could tell, Bennie and Thor were glad to see me. Neither said a word as I went directly to the elders.

“How are you?” I asked while determining for now that their main problem was exhaustion. They would be taken directly to the females for appropriate care, just in case.

“We’re fine leader Omar,” they said at the same time, heads held low, giving their most remorseful stares, which I am quite familiar with.

“We’re sorry to worry you and we’re sorry we didn’t tell Bennie and Thor what we were going to do. We won’t do that again, we promise.”

Then, hoping to avoid scolding, as though suddenly refreshed, they were taking the lead, headed back to K-9 Town, leaving me, Bennie and Thor to follow.

I told the others, “No, they won’t try the same thing again, but you can be sure that as long as Shocka Din and the others are here, those two will need even closer watching then before, so stay on your guard.

The two gave me a look, showing their concern about what had just happened.

“They’re okay,” I told them. They can’t ignore their gifts. It’s what they are. We give our love and support and will always be there for them. That’s all we can do.

Bet you wouldn’t have missed what just happened for all the fish in the lake, I know I wouldn’t.”
 
The two perked up, realizing Omar’s way of handling the Seers was the only way to assure their happiness. Both Thor and Benny Ba felt a surge of fondness and respect. Thor again thinking how proud Nitro and Saifon will be when he shares this and everything else he encounters, with them and the rest of the family at Iron Dog Land.
If it weren't for Bennie's Togetherness Ceremony, he would take him back home to visit for awhile.
 For the rest of the walk, though keeping all eyes on Rasta Mama and Great Dane Grannie, the three went over every detail of the one-sided battle, ready to tell all to the others.


Note:
What you have just read is an excerpt from the third book of the Omar Blue saga, The Takeover.