The Wonderdog

Amir De Witt was having a bad day.

Actually, since he and his family had moved to Delhi a month ago, every day was a Bad Day. He missed everything about his old home in Johannesburg. He missed the view from his bedroom window; the monkey puzzle tree in their front garden; his friends; his old school; but most of all he missed Trixy, his dog.

"I know it's hard, darling," his mother had said, putting an arm around shoulder, "but they won't let us take the dog to India. But Trixy will be happy here. She's going to stay with Aunty Mira and Uncle Jack. She'll be fine."

It was all very well, and he was sure in his heart of hearts that she would be fine. Uncle Jack and Aunty Mira were great, and they had a lovely farm with grounds where she could romp about to her heart's content but what about him?

He missed the snuffle of her wet nose on weekday mornings, getting up and out of bed. He missed the swish-swash of her feathery tail or legs, the little pink pads of her paws when she jumped up to greet h the sloppy wetness of her tongue licking his face when he came hom from school each day. These days, Amir thought, he felt like One Bi Missing Machine.

"Hey, Witless," called out Aruna, the big bossy girl from Class VII. "Yeah, Dim-witty, come over here," joined in her friend Mona.

They both collapsed laughing, like this was the biggest joke in the whole world. Amir sighed. No one in South Africa had made fun of his name. In fact, it was a pretty common name.

During the first period- maths - Amir sat by the window, doodling in his notebook. Instead of working, he gazed out on to the dusty playing field and imagined Trixy dashing around outside.

"A-meer!" Mr Venkatesh suddenly shouted.

Amir jerked out of his daydream. "Y-yes, sir?"

"Would you like to share with the class what is so very fascinating outside?"

"Er... er... nothing, sir."

"Exactly. And nothing is what you're going to get in the next test if you don't get on with your work. Right now."

Amir turned back to his book. He found that in the margins he'd sketched a long fluffy ear, a black triangle for a nose and whiskers, four ovals and a blob that looked just like a dog's pawprint.

"We'll see you at breaktime, Witless," hissed Aruna from the desk behind. "And you better bring our money."

Oh help, thought Amir to himself. Yesterday, he'd managed to wheedle. twenty rupees from his mother on the pretext that he needed a new notebook. A few days before that another fifty, saying that their class was going on a school trip. But it wasn't going to be long before his mother cottoned on to the fact that the money wasn't going anywhere but into the pockets of Awful Aruna.

Trixy, Mixie, Wonderdog. Where are you? He sent a silent plea up into the air.

The words floated out of the open window and up into the air. Up, like a kite- magic words, floating out of the school yard, over the town, up and up into the clouds; above the clouds; up and away to the furthest reaches of the great velvet dark-and-light spangled sky, until...

...A light flashed on the console of a strange-looking spacecraft, and a beeper went off.

The captain adjusted the headphones beneath his long fluffy ears. "Red alert!" he woofed into his mouthpiece. "Star Command to Trixy. Come in, Trix."

There was a crackle of electricity and then the captain heard a tinny voice: "Trixy to Star Command. What's the problem?"

"It's young Amir," the captian growled. "He's sending distress signals. You better get on it right away."

"On my way, sir."

"That dog's gone crazy," said Uncle Jack, watching Trixy spinning around. "Hey, girl, you want to go walkies?"

Trixy barked twice, and dashed to the back door. The moment Uncle Jack opened it, she was off like a flash of brown lightning. She rounded the corner of the yard, and screeched to a halt behind the coal shed. She concentrated with all her canine might on the little boy that she'd loved and looked after, until she could see his face clearly- the mole

just above his right eyebrow, the shock of floppy hair, the dimple on his left cheek that appeared whenever he smiled - and the tag of her collar glowed red... redder.. superbright... Pchang!

With a single great bound, she leapt into the air, paws outstretched. Trixy streaked across the sky, speeding onwards towards India.

 The clock's hand was creeping towards eleven. Amir's hand kept creeping towards his pocket, hoping madly that by some miracle, a twenty-rupee note lay there. He was doomed.

How would he explain another torn shirt, and a fresh set of bruises to his mother?

The bell went for breaktime. Twenty-nine chairs scraped backwards, twenty-nine notebooks were flung into twenty-nine bags, and fifty-eight feet were pounding out of the door. The thirtieth pair of feet belonged to Amir De Witt, and they seemed to be glued to the floor.

There was no escape. Amir told his feet sternly not to be so pathetic. They moved reluctantly, first one, then the other, then the first again, until they carried him into the playground.

"Where's our money?" demanded Aruna, pushing her face close to his.

"Yeah, come on, dweeb. Cough up." Mona flicked her long pony-tail in his face and mimicked Aruna's scowl. "We know your folks are loaded, Mr Richy-rich Ambassador's son. So why not spread a little of your wealth around?"

"I thought I had some here," Amir stuttered, frantically searching his trouser pockets. "Maybe it fell out... erhm..."

"Fell out?" mocked Aruna. "If you've got so much to lose, you can just pay up double tomorrow."

"Ish-sh-shan't!" he said, desperately.

"Oh yeah?" The two girls advanced on him. "Well, in that case..."

Amir edged backwards. He winced, and closed his eyes waiting for the first punch, when suddenly - suddenly, he heard a whoosh! And a woof! And a swish-swash-swish of a feathery tail..

He opened his eyes and to his amazement he saw Mona lying backwards in the dust with her legs in the air being licked to death by...

*Trixy?" Amir cried.

"Woof! Woof!" replied Trixy, and then bounded after Aruna, catching her skirt in her teeth.

Aruna fled across the yard, yelling, Trixy bounded after her, barking, her tail rotating like a helicopter, her ears flying, Aruna scooted up the nearest tree and perched in one of the lower branches, terrified.

Trixy bared her teeth in a pretty convincing snarl. Turning around, she trotted happily back to Amir.

Amir was still leaning back on the wall, stunned by the turn of events. Trixy bounded up to him and jumped up. Her paws made two dusty prints on either shoulder of his shirt, and licked his face until he thought she might lick it clean off.

"Trixy, you came!"

"Grrrruff!" she replied, which meant, in dog language. "You betcha".

Then she trotted a few paces ahead and stood stock still. The little red tag on her collar glowed.

"Trixy to Star Command. Come in, Star Command."

 Reading you loud and clear. What news?"

"Situation sorted," she barked. Then wuffled a bit to clear her throat

 "Excellent work, Trixy," came the reply. "Was there something else?

"Requesting permission to relocate, sir."

"Relocate?" barked the Captain. "What on earth are you barking about?"

"Well, sir," Trixy replied, "Delhi's really quite nice at this time of year and L... well, I think the city needs me."

"Oh," wuffed the Captain sarcastically. "It does, doesn't it?"

 "Well, sir, one corner of it, anyway," Trixy looked back at Amir.

 There was a pause. Then the Captain's voice came through loud and clear.

 "Permission granted," he barked. And then added in a softer voice. "Now go walkies."

 As he ran back home with Trixy frisking along by his side, Amir decided that Delhi looked like a pretty nice place to live in after all.