Black Eyed Dog

Black Eyed Dog(Cory Ault) The thin man sat huddled in the corner of a bistro downtown, meticulously biting his nails until they were nothing more than nubs. He’d rock back and forth from time to time to try and alleviate the ever constant gnawing his busy consciousness created. Under a plethora of ideas his true thoughts flourished. He watched people, their movements, and their interactions with one another. He studied how he could maintain himself to fit into the herd, grouping up with everyone else to make himself look more appetizing. Considering the possibility that maybe he could actually conform, maybe just maybe if he gave it his all he could be one of them. This thought was quickly kicked in the dirt when a lavishly lovely blonde strides in. She looked over at him with disdain in her eyes. The visceral hatred of people like that came on like a downpour. He could feel it reverberating off his chest, bouncing into his mouth.

“Bitch” he said abruptly breaking the bustling bistro’s daily social gathering with his unneeded insult.
“What did you call me?”
“I called you a bitch” he said smirking from the corner. Dark bags found their homes under his eyes, he looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks.
“I’m a bitch? And what are you? All you do is set in the corner. You loser, get a job; go meet someone… just get out of here. No one likes you.”
The onlookers sitting at their tables, enjoying their meat sandwiches could do nothing but gawk at him. Their prying eyes testing the very limits of his anger. It rose up in a burst of energy; he leaped out of the corner making a beeline for the front door.

Outside the world was boisterous, cars honked, people talked as they walked down the busy streets. The thin man was against this, everything about it made him cringe. He pulled his large European style coat closer to his body as if he had contracted some kind of fever. As he walked he couldn't help but wonder if everyone on the street was looking at him. They gave him those eyes, the eyes that offered nothing but contempt. He had always felt this way, ever since he was a child. The insecurity had only flourished in High School, the butt of every joke and then some. His eyes began to water as he thought of the constant presence of the black eyed dog following him down the street. “Shoo” he said throwing his hand backwards at nothing. “Why!” he said picking up his pace.

The street was morphing now; bright colors were beginning to fill his peripherals. Green, yellow, and purple all faded in and out as he was now sprinting. He felt his heart beating faster and faster, thumping with each stride he took. Everyone on the street was now moving out of the way for the uncontrollable locomotion he had thrown himself into. They pointed, seemingly entertained by the site of the thin man crying and running down the streets of Manhattan.

He looked back once more, the black dog still tagged along. Its eyes were dead black, inside them nothingness looked back. In fear and frustration he couldn't take it anymore. A manhole was being worked on at the opposite end of the street. He changed his direction running towards it, the construction workers were just outside of it. Drilling around it fixing the road, it remained open however. He ran up to it peering over the edge, the men turned around yelling as they realized his intentions. With one last look back he saw the dog running up on him. It jumped towards him as he jumped into the hole.

A blackness overtook him, he fell deep, deeper than the hole was, deeper than it could have been. As he fell he looked at the ever diminishing light piercing the ceiling of the nothingness. He went limp, his appendages flailing as he fell. He closed his eyes to try to imagine being somewhere else, somewhere tropical, a beach perhaps, a place where anyone could find bliss. This was something he had never experienced before, and for a brief moment he was enthralled by the idea of happiness. He thought of all the people he had watched, at how they adorned smiles. He had assumed they were fake, a façade they kept up to keep themselves sane. An afterthought now as he fell to his impending doom, he opened his eyes again. Directly in front of him the black eyed dog snarled, drool dripping from its lips. Showing its sharp teeth, it latched onto his coat. It bit down with all its ferocity. “No!” he exclaimed trying to shake it off of him. “Don’t follow me here too, please no”! But to no avail, it was latched on for good. Tears began to well up under his stone cold expression. It’s all he ever did, feel sorry for himself; he wanted to be someone else in another time. No family, no friends, and no girlfriend. His only true friend was this dog. He looked at it with the curiosity of a child. He reached his hand out patting it on the head. It growled as he did so, but he kept petting. “It’s ok boy” he said scratching its ear. Suddenly the dog let go, its eyes changed colors to bright white. It floated away into the darkness surrounding him. He felt a thump as he hit the ground below him. There was no pain, only a woozy feeling. He realized he was at the bottom of the manhole now, staring up at a group of men staring down at him. Water rolled over his body, soaking his clothes. Everything began to blur as he closed his eyes in an effort to not vomit. He once again thought of the beach, staring out into an endless sea of blue. A smile manifested itself. He felt happy, almost blissful... For once instead of fading to black, the thin man's vision faded to white.