The Pet

Ever since the heat wave followed the final melting of the ice caps in 3462, the weather had never been the same. Temporal and meteorological oddities had sprung up all over the planet and life drastically changed from the reports found in the archives. Some things remained the same, and the need for companionship was one of few constants.

Dorvian placed the electronic leash over the carefully groomed head of Vandra, his beloved pet. She nudged herself against his leg and seemed glad to go out for another walk. Once again he admired her sleek form, her long legs and her brilliant eyes. He was fussy about her hygiene, she slept on his bed and he sent her to the groomers twice a week to make sure she didn’t bring any unwanted virus mutations into his house.

The sky was overcast again. The rain was never constant, but it was so much a part of the weather patterns that it seemed to be so. Today, the sun was shining its orange-yellow light over the landscape of stunted brush. Sounds of scurrying could be heard in the veldt landscape near their home. Surprisingly, it was not as green as one would have thought. The acid in the rains changed the vegetation from green to yellow and stunted the growth of the jungle plants. The heat had done the rest. Dorvian wanted to take advantage of this break in the rain and let Vandra have her head and run off some of her energy. The two of them had been pent up in the house with minimal walks while the rain poured down in torrents. They needed a change of scenery from their usual route.

Together they walked to the park. A gigantic bubble not far from their home enclosed a park the size of four pre-melt, or PM, football fields. It captured the prolific acid rain, purified the liquid to potable water and created one of the only PM parks left. Foliage from seed rescued around the globe thrived from the constant watering, making the park a place of fruit, vegetables, flowers and trees, tended by Security. Just the scents alone were a thing of beauty to noses deprived of fresh vegetation for centuries.

An artificial stream rambled through the park, ending in a fake waterfall to fill a small lake. It was Dorvian’s favorite place to sit, the sound of the water calmed his mind while Vandra scampered around the lake, splashing at the edge, enjoying the feel of water and the freedom to run. Pets, if well trained, were allowed twenty minutes of off leash around the lake. If they misbehaved, or tried to run away, Security would catch them with Tasers and hidden electric fences. Their free run privilege would be immediately revoked. It was a harsh punishment.

Vandra also seemed to be anxious to go out today. It was hard to know with her but she had been restless this last week. Vandra had her moods, but then, so did all the pets these days. They were a nervous bunch, excitable and erratic in their behavior, no matter how much training they received, one was never sure they would respond to commands. The electronic leashes had helped; they emitted a calming vibration that appeared to work on the capricious nature of the formerly feral animals.

Dorvian had been quite successful in training Vandra. She never soiled inside the house, but waited patiently for his arrival home to take her outside to the special flush box he had installed where she could relieve herself. She had never ripped the furniture, chewed his shoes or bit him when he fed her treats. She always took them gently when offered and rewarded his generosity by rubbing against him and pushing him with her nose. Sometimes she even licked him when the treat was special. She was an excellent pet.

The idea of having a pet had been a new one to Dorvian, it was the fashion centuries ago and recently revived. All pets had been banned after several flu epidemics in a row in the 3120s threatened to wipe out all life. In those ancient times before the banning, all kinds of pets were kept. He had read of gerbils, rats, cats, horses, snakes and monkeys as well as the exotics of lions and zebras. To preserve the species, a few had been kept in special scientific study areas, but they were not allowed in the general public. Now, only one kind of pet was permitted and they were all the rage with those who could obtain a permit and afford their upkeep.

Sienphysios had decreed pets were better than tranqs. Some old PM studies showed therapy pets in hospitals helping the infirm live better lives and heal faster. The governance was always looking for new ways to keep the people happy and the unrest to a minimum. Permission to have pets was a simple and pleasant fix all around.

Dorvian was a loner and paid little attention to the new decree at first. He didn’t take well to crowds and did not like living packed together like most of his kind. He preferred the solitary life with time to read and write at his leisure. As head philosopher in the realm, he needed it for his work. Others around interfered with his thinking and interrupted his most prolific times. He knew, he had tried it before. He was growing older and with some prodding from his family decided it might be better to experiment with having some company rather than his total solitude. Vandra had seemed to be the perfect solution; a companion who wouldn’t interfere with his work.

The pet store assured him she was the right age and would be easy to train. Her rambunctious days were over and if he was patient with her she would eventually have a limited vocabulary of comprehension. He thought it worth the commitment.

After having her thoroughly checked out by a veterinarian, her heart, lungs and teeth in perfect condition, he bought her two collars, one for training, the other had a small golden locket with her name, address and registration number inside. He was excited and a bit fearful as he took her home. What if this experiment didn’t work? What would he do with her then? It wasn’t in his nature to have her put down and the pet sanctuaries he heard were filthy and dangerous with all the pets caged together. Perhaps, if it became a problem he could re-home her?

She was slightly larger than he had expected, but she seemed to be docile enough. After a few days, he saw she was more than willing, she was anxious to learn. She paid constant attention to him to try and understand and obey his commands. He relaxed, secure he had made the right decision.

She came when she was called, and when he wanted to be undisturbed, he could command her to lie down on her bed and stay. She never seemed to mind and would obey without comment.

That was over five years ago. They were good friends now, understanding each other well, and he was delighted he had made the decision to bring her home. They took long daily walks in the nearby veldt, they slept snuggled together in bed on cold nights and she filled the void in his life. He worked hard at his writing; she gave him the unconditional love he needed to go on with his work.

He stopped musing as he felt the tug on the electronic leash. Vandra stopped and he could see she was listening for something. His ears caught the sound she had heard. It was their friend Paulinus and Ferdando, his new pet. Vandra had shown great interest in Ferdando, but Dorvian had her fixed, she couldn’t have litters. This was prohibited, breeding of any kind was strictly controlled and only by permit.

Paulinus appeared around the corner of the trail, hanging on for dear life to the electronic leash pulled taut by Ferdando.

Dorvian and Paulinus exchanged pleasantries as usual and the two pets stayed close together while their masters chatted. Dorvian and Paulinus were in similar lines of work and soon became involved in a lengthy conversation until something caught their attention. The two pets were sitting very close together. Vandra was smiling. Ferdando embracing her, sniffing her hair and then licking her.

Dorvian roughly pulled on the leash. He looked at Paulinus with disgust “No matter what we do, we can never teach these animals to be canine. They really have no shame.”

Paulinus nodded his agreement as he pulled Ferdando away. “What do you expect, they are only humanoid,” he said as he leaned his head forward to sniff Dorvian’s hind quarters in farewell.

Ferdando gazed at Vandra as if enchanted. Her eyes were tearing as she touched the gold heart on her collar and nodded at him before the leash tugged her to go.