anything

by nick nelson

where am i, blackie wondered. the night was dark. the streets were deserted. and it was cold, there has to be someplace open, he thought, where i can get a cup of coffee. he had just enough for a cup of coffee. he had panhandled all day to get it. he saw a man approaching him, wearing a hat and carrying a stick. excuse me, sir, blackie said, can you help me out? the man walked around him without answering. i am not a bum, blackie called after him, i used to be a commander in the space corps. but the man with the hat and the stick did not look back. a second man bore down on him, a heavy individual with no hat and no stick. can you help me out, blackie said, i am not a bum, i have enough for a cup of coffee, i just need a few more cents for a donut. but the second man passed him by without a glance and disappeared into the darkness. blackie walked and walked. the temperature dropped, and the wind picked up. there was no sign of anything open, and no sign of any life at all. i better turn back the way i came, blackie thought, or i will be out in the wilderness with the lions and tigers and alligators. just then he saw a third person coming his way. a woman this time, wearing a fur coat and walking the biggest and hairiest dog blackie had ever seen. the woman stopped when she saw blackie. her eyes were hidden behind dark glasses. the dog stopped too. it did not bark, and blackie could not see its eyes under all its hair, but felt them. can you help me out, blackie addressed the woman. i am not a bum, i have enough for a cup of coffee, i just need enough for a donut. what would you do for it, the woman asked. a sudden blast of cold wind almost knocked blackie off his feet. he could feel the dog’s eyes on him, and the woman’s, behind the dark glasses, anything, blackie said. anything? that covers a lot of territory. anything, blackie repeated. all right, i want you to change places with my dog. um - how does that work? you will find out. you are not backing out on our deal, are you? it sounds like a lot for the price of a donut. all right, i will give you a check for a billion dollars, how’s that? better. but how do we do it? there is a mad scientist, doctor z, just around the corner. he will fix us up and do the job right. follow me. blackie followed the woman a couple of blocks. they turned a corner and came to a big old house, almost hidden behind big trees. the whole time they were walking, the dog never barked or made a sound. the big house was completely dark, and silent. the woman pressed the doorbell and blackie heard the sound of chimes inside the house. they waited. i wonder if this is on the level, blackie thought. as if reading his mind, the woman said, you are not getting cold feet, are you? not me, blackie assured her. i used to be a commander in the space corps. that’’s good. then you are just the man for the job. they waited some more. a billion dollars! blackie thought. i will never get a chance like this again. maybe he is not at home, he said aloud, he is here, he is just a little slow, that’s all. he’s old. the door began to open.