ANNIE AND THE SEVEN DOGGIES Part four: Schanni

ANNIE AND THE SEVEN DOGGIES

Part four: Schanni

 

Disclaimer:

Although based on a real person and true accounts, this story remains primarily a work of fiction. Names of people and places have been changed to protect privacy.

 

They buried Pepper in their backyard, wrapped lovingly in her favourite blanket. There were some smooth stones in the garden and Annie laid them over the earth to mark the spot. Casey and Nut watched from afar, neither willing to come near, as if they sensed that it was Pepper's place now.

Annie and Mummy deeply felt the empty place in their hearts where Pepper had been, but the other two doggies were there to offer comfort. Nut now took over as Mummy's shadow. She accompanied Mummy on her daily routine and whenever Mummy knelt to say her prayers, she was there beside her. Casey, always the follower, willingly relinquished the role of top dog to her younger sister.

Over the years, the house-cleaning chores had been getting too much for Mummy, so they hired a lady who came for a few hours three times a week. It took a while, but she soon got used to the doggies and they to her. Mummy gave her a set of house keys to hold so that she could come in to clean even when they were out.

One morning, they came walking home from the market to find the cleaning lady standing outside the gate, peering intently into the house. When Annie and Mummy came nearer and the familiar barking resounded, the lady give an exasperated cry of relief.

It seemed that the lady had come to clean as usual. However, this time, the window near the front door was half closed and as she fumbled with the keys, she noticed an indistinct white shape appearing there. Looking hard, trying to make out what it was, all the lady could see were a pair of feral eyes staring balefully back at her and a white hand poking through the half open slats.

Frightened by the apparition, the lady dared not enter, half convinced that a ghost or demon had taken up residence inside the house. It wasn't until Annie and Mummy arrived home and the barking ensued, that she realised it was only Nut standing on the chair just below the window and looking out at her. Her story kept Annie and Mummy laughing for a few weeks.

Annie and Mummy hadn't really considered getting another doggie, but one day, a friend told them of an acquaintance who had puppies to give away. The mother doggie had gone wandering one night and returned home pregnant. Now, she was unable to nurse the puppies and they were in need of homes.

Annie and Mummy came home from the visit with another black and tan little girl. Remembering how they had all enjoyed Pepper's 'singing', Annie decided to name this new doggie Schanni, the name Johann Strauss II had been called by his close family.

Shasha, as they called her, was a tiny puppy, sitting comfortably in the palm of Annie's hand. Nut and Casey didn't quite now what to do with this new intruder, and Annie was afraid that they would accidentally hurt her. When she and Mummy had to go out, they decided to shut her in the toilet to keep her safe. Poor Shasha wailed and cried loudly until Annie relented and let her out.

Eventually, the three doggies got well acquainted and Shasha loved to play with Nut. Casey was getting on in years, but she did enjoy a romp or two with her younger siblings. Every morning, as Nut lay down beside Mummy while she said her morning prayers, Shasha would playfully bark and dance around them, trying to lure her playmate into chasing her.

Nut would make a show of ignoring the noise until Mummy finished her prayers. Then, a game of catch around the house would ensue, usually ending with one or both of them jumping on Annie as she lay in bed. It was an incomparable wake-up alarm.

There had always been periodical problems with mice in the house. Pepper and Casey had been a formidable rat-catching team, so that few rodents had dared to venture into the house while they were on duty. Any foolhardy attempts quickly ended in extermination.

Nut, while less proficient, was nevertheless good enough to track down any unwanted intruders. Now, it was time for Shasha to learn the ropes. Unfortunately, her first attempt was not quite what Annie had hoped for.

They had been alerted to the fact that a rat had invaded the house when Nut and Casey began sniffing around noisily. Shasha watched quizzically while the two older doggies searched relentlessly to flush out the unwanted visitor. Annie got a good stout stick and prepared to scream should the rodent make a run for its life.

Sure enough, the rat scampered for freedom. Nut and Casey turned just a little too late, as the creature dashed for the outdoors, right in front of Shasha. Annie screamed for her to get the rat, but the inexperienced rat hunter merely sniffed curiously at the fleeing quarry as it sped past her to liberty.

Shasha had more success tracking down missing crayons. Annie's nephew, Earth, came for a visit. Shasha was fascinated with a new friend and sat nearby while the little boy enjoyed playing with a new set of crayons. When it was time for lunch, Annie helped him to pack them back into their box, but three were missing. A search around the table proved fruitless. The next day, the mystery was solved when they discovered Shasha's colorful 'leftovers' in the garden.

Casey was 11 years old when Annie suddenly noticed that her belly appeared to be bloated. Concerned, she made plans with Mummy to take her to the doctor the next day.

That night, when the three doggies followed them up to bed, Casey seemed to be labouring. She whimpered as she sat on the floor by the bed, while Nut and Shasha took their accustomed places on either side of Mummy and Annie.

Troubled by her soft cries, Annie and Mummy got up to pet and comfort Casey. The little doggie panted and gazed up at each of their loving faces, as if she were committing them to memory. Still worried, Annie left the hall light on before laying back down in bed. She peeped through the open bedroom door, watching as Casey went towards the bathroom where there was always a bowl of water for the doggies.

There was the sound of Casey taking a drink, then she came out of the bathroom and seemed to slump down at the doorway. Getting up, Annie and Mummy quickly went to kneel beside the little doggie, but it was already over. Cassidy had said her final goodbye.

To be continued in Part five: Muscat