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That Thursday morning, Dargust accompanied Tommy to school. Dargust had said he would walk to school with him, but after he wanted to have a look around the town, get familiar with the area he would be living in. He didn’t tell Tommy the real reason ... he wanted to make sure the bounty hunters hadn’t landed. He was about to tell Tommy to be careful about talking to him, especially when he was invisible, when Tommy spotted Mary who was just ahead of them. He quickly caught up with her.
“I’m sorry about last night,” apologized Mary. “It’s just that... that... ”
“Mary, it doesn’t matter. No need to apologize. I understand.”
“Do you,” said Mary in a small voice. She sniffed and pulled a paper handkerchief from her pocked and dabbed at her nose.
And all of a sudden Tommy had to tell her about Fella.
“Fella, would you mind if I tell Mary?” he whispered.
“Tell her?”
“About you.”
Dargust thought about it. “Tommy, it might be better to keep my presence a secret, until the bounty hunters give up.” He caught the disappointment in Tommy’s mind and quickly decided. He felt he could trust Mary. In fact, he felt he could trust most earth people, especially teenagers.
While Tommy had been whispering to Dargust, Mary had been frowning.
“Tommy, what are you whispering about?”
“If you wish to tell her, you may,” said Dargust. “But make sure she doesn’t tell anyone else.”
“Thanks, Fella,” said Tommy smiling.
“Fella?” said Mary, stopping and staring at Tommy who seemed to be staring at the ground.
****
It took Tommy a couple of minutes to explain. Mary was quickly beginning to think he was going crazy, when Tommy said, “He’s here.”
“Here?” exclaimed Mary, looking all around. She stared at Tommy.
“Yes, he’s invisible.”
“Invis ... Tommy, what is all this?” asked Mary.
“Fella, he can make himself invisible.”
Mary frowned. “This dog, this alien you were telling me about, the one I saw last night, he’s really an alien?” exclaimed Mary, stopping.
“Yes, well he’s not really a dog ... he’s disguised, like a dog, like a German Schnauzer”
Mary’s frown deepened. “Disguised.”
“He’s here, beside me,” said Tommy. “Do you want to see him?”
Mary studied Tommy. It had been quite a while since she had had a good night’s sleep, weeks before Paul’s death. She guessed Tommy hadn’t had much sleep either. She knew how much Tommy liked her brother. They had always been friends. She gave a start. A dog had suddenly appeared beside Tommy.
“His name is really, Dargust, but I call him, Fella.”
He’s beautiful, thought Mary.
Dargust caught Mary’s thoughts.
“Thank you,” he said.
With a cry, Mary staggered back. “Did ... did ... he ... did he just talk?” she gasped.
Tommy giggled at her reaction. “I was shocked too. Yes, he can talk. I told you, he’s from outer space.”
“An alien,” said Mary.
“I suppose I am,” said Dargust. “Mary, I must ask you to promise you won’t tell anyone. There are other aliens looking for me. If they find me they will kill me.”
“Kill ... no ...” exclaimed Mary. She was quickly recovering from the shock of seeing Dargust. “I won’t tell anyone,” she said, reaching to pat him. Suddenly she drew back her hand. “Should I be doing that?”
“He likes it,” said Tommy. He watched as Mary patted Fella, a smile coming to her face. Tommy would have bet it was the first time she had smiled since her brother’s death.
As they walked on, Dargust became invisible again. He listened as Tommy explained to Mary all about his grandfather’s reaction and how he hoped his mother would allow him to live with them.
****
As they approached school they encountered Murphy and the others. The bullies were loitering near the school gates.
Tommy tensed. They were about to pass them when Murphy stepped in front of him. Tommy made an effort to go around the bully. But Murphy pushed him in the chest. He was angry. He could see that Tommy wasn’t limping.
“How’s the leg now, Ginger Bap?” he asked.
“OK. Good enough to whip you in the race on Saturday,” said Tommy, glaring right into the bully’s face.
Murphy grew angrier. He looked around then stepped aside to allow Tommy past. As Tommy was about to pass he aimed a kick at his ankle. But the kick never landed. Dargust had intervened. With a cry the bully’s legs got into a tangle and he lost his balance and fell back.
One of the other bullies laughed. His laugh had Murphy scrambling to his feet, his face blazing with anger. He was about to grab Tommy when Mr. Carlin, one of the fifth form teachers appeared. Tommy and Mary quickly walked beside him, past the school gates and into school.
****
From the school gates, Dargust, still invisible, watched as Tommy and Mary disappeared through the double doors into school. Seconds later he was heading into town.
****
Visible again, he ambled down the sunny side of Main Street. Dargust looked around. Just to his right he could see a man placing newspapers on a rack outside his shop. He was smiling. On down he looked into a small fashion shop and saw a girl pulling a dress on a mannequin. She glanced out at him and waved. A man, around the same age as Jim came walking towards him. He was holding the hand of a woman who was older than Tommy’s mother. They stopped. The man held out his hand saying, “Hello boy. What are you doing here all alone? Are you lost?”
Dargust barked then side-stepped around the man and headed on.
****
An hour later he was making his way back to Tommy’s house. He was about to become invisible when he heard a voice hailing him.
“Fella!”
It was Jim.
Minutes later they were walking through the park. They stopped at the summer seat near the racing track and Jim sat down.
“Tommy get to school OK.?”
“Yes,” replied Dargust, alerted to three teenagers who were walking along the path towards them.
“Dargust, look I’ve been thinking about things.”
“Things?”
“Yes. Tommy won’t get hurt, will he? I mean, if these bounty hunters come for you? I mean ... I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him because of you.”
“Neither would I,” said Dargust, his eyes still on the teenagers. He could sense danger. One of them pulled his hood up over his head.
“If there is any danger will you promise me you’ll stay away from him?”
Dargust stared up into the old man’s gray eyes. He digested the worry from him. “I won’t let anything happen to Tommy,” he promised. Just then the teenagers stopped. Two of them sat down beside the old man. The hooded one towered over Jim staring down at him.
“You own this mutt?” the hoodie asked, his eyes narrowing.
“No ... I mean, yes,” answered Jim, growing quickly afraid. He had heard that recently a couple of pensioners had been attacked by three hoodies.
“You don’t seem too sure,” snapped the hoodie.
Jim glanced at the teenager beside him as he lit up a squashed cigarette. His hair was long and greasy and his face was covered in pimples.
“Yes, yes, he’s mine,” said Jim, quickly.
“Is he a nice dog? I mean he wouldn’t bite, would he?” asked the hoodie.
One of the other teenagers laughed.
“No, no, he wouldn’t bite,” said Jim quietly. He was cursing silently for allowing himself to get into danger like this. He would never have come to the park alone. But then he wasn’t alone.
“You wouldn’t like to see him get hurt, would you?” said the hoodie, slipping a small knife from his jacket pocket and opening the blade.
“What do you mean?” asked Jim, his heart beat speeding up. He felt sick. He looked up and down the path, but there was no one else in sight.
“I’ll stick this in him if you don’t give me your money,” snapped the hoodie, raising his knife.
Jim knew he had over twenty pounds in his wallet, along with his Debit Card, but afraid as he was, he wasn’t going to give it to the hoodie.
“Look, just go away and leave us in peace,” he said. “You’re not getting any money ...”
It was then the hoodie grabbed the back of Dargust’s neck. He raised his knife. “Your money!” he shouted. Just then one of the other teenagers grabbed Jim.
Suddenly the hoodie gave a cry and fell back holding his hand. The knife was lying on the ground. He could see the blade melting quickly. The teenager holding Jim suddenly leapt back as if a bolt of electric had shot through him. Now the teenagers were all on their feet, dancing about, and crying with pain as the shock of Dargust’s attack ran through them.
All of a sudden it stopped. Barking loudly, his voice sounding like a giant wolfhound, Dargust made a run at the teenagers. With cries of fear they ran off. Jim, laughing with relief and shock at the same time, watched the teenagers race up the path and out of the park.
****
Around the same time, the bounty hunters’ ship landed, not a hundred meters from where Dargust had arrived.