SAUSAGE

Once, late at night, a very imposing man of about thirty-five and a funny dog responding to the nickname of Sausage stepped out from a cool foreign car that stopped at the entrance of an ordinary house. The dog was like a thick chocolate bar on short legs with long, not very thick brown hair hanging from the sides. The stump of the tail with the hair growing on it in such a way as if the tail were much longer, was swaying from side to side.

The big black nose and the expressive clever eyes were complemented by little hanging ears. It was, apparently, a cross of a spaniel with a dachshund or a basset hound. The dog waited for her master Slava to close the car, to take the bags from the trunk, and then briskly trotted behind him towards the doorway.
Heavy and sticky snow was falling, just like three years ago when Slava walked out of the Bank after his working day and found a strange creature under his car. A most funny looking puppy crawled from under his car. It had a thin skinny body, short legs and long dirty matted hair in some places. It looked like a hairy caterpillar that had a space suit head instead of its own, as the doggy’s head seemed to have grown first and immediately. The eyes had nothing to do with the body at all. They were huge and “human.” The understanding of that something was wrong with it, or with the world, reflected in the eyes of the little puppy. There was bitterness, but no fear in them. It crawled out from under the car, ran to a snow-drift, then turned around and looked at Slava just in case, not expecting anything good. That look made everything “turn upside down” in Slava’s soul. That was the look of somebody knowing something that you would never know.
 “Now it is afraid of everybody and wouldn’t come to anyone; it doesn’t even take the food until you go away,” — the parking guard Innokenty Ivanovich said from behind Slava’s back. “Three days ago, tramps killed his mother and all the others and ate them. Only this one escaped by a miracle, and at night it hides under the cars in the parking lot. The tramps are afraid to enter the parking, but I heard how they tried to lure him out with food. But the doggy is smart and has a dignity. Although he is hungry; I wonder how he keeps body and soul together. But it growls at them from under the car and doesn’t come out. But sooner or later the hunger will win. They’ll catch it anyway.” Slava remembered that he had a meat pie that he had not eaten in the glove compartment. He took it out and threw it to the dog. It started, cowered, and then dashed to the next car and huddled under it. Slava sat behind the wheel, shut the car door and turned the ignition on. The warming-up car comfortably purred.
But Slava was feeling as if someone nailed a stake into his heart. His colleague was going to the car the doggy was hiding under. The puppy jumped out from under the bottom and ran away across the parking lot. The pie was left lying in the snow. There were no more cars to hide under. But it didn’t matter anymore. Slava knew as soon as he looked into the puppy’s eyes that he would definitely take it home. And that his heart would not rest until he saw joy and happiness in those eyes. Slava sat in the car for another five minutes trying to understand the surging thoughts and feelings, and then turned the engine off. He opened the trunk, took out all the rags that he had there, and threw them under the car. Then he went to the nearest supermarket and bought some “doctor's sausages” that went to the same place. Filling a tin with some water from Innocent Ivanovichs’ kettle for the dog, and carefully placing it between the wheels, he asked the guard to look after the puppy, explaining that from then on, it was his dog. Innocent Ivanovich refused to take money. He wanted to help the puppy, too, and was delighted to see the way out. Slava went home by subway. In the morning, when he was back to work, he was relieved to learn from the guard that the dog slept under his car, and that the tramps didn’t get it. When Slava appeared, the dog immediately huddled under it. Slava repeated the operation: he slipped more sausages under and carefully added some water. The puppy did not run away. That went on for several days. The guard informed that the doggy moved under his car and didn’t run away. One morning, while changing the water, Slava saw attention in the puppy’s eyes: their expression had changed. A day later the puppy stuck its face out. Curiosity was written on it. When the weekend came, the whole Gusevs family: Slava, his wife Tamara and their daughter Maroussia of ten arrived early in the morning to the Bank’s parking lot in order to persuade the doggy to move into their house.
During nearly the whole week they had been discussing the latest doggy’s news and preparing a contingencies plan. But no special action was required. The puppy was eating well for a week and realized that he was safe. He already recognized Slava’s smell and came out from under the car to his voice, but he didn’t allow to take him in hands. Maroussia was the first to run to her father’s car. A thick cloud of frankfurters and sausages’ smell enveloped it. As soon as Maroussia leaned over and called out, the puppy got out on his own volition; first it went shyly to her, then to Slava, and finally wagged its tail. “Dad, look, it recognizes you!” Maroussia picked the puppy up and laughed on breathing in its smell: “Look, it’s a sausage; only a very dirty one.” —  “Of course, it is Sausage. And she is a girl,” — Tamara said, looking at the puppy. Sausage flattened her ears and whined. Slava took her in his arms and began to stroke and to calm her down. He told her that she was a special and a very nice dog.
He was confident that the worst in her life was already behind her, because from then on he and his family would take care of her and would never let anyone to hurt her; that it withstood with honor all the tests befallen to her; that he had not yet met such a bold and smart doggy in his life. And that she would have as many sausages as she could eat. She would be washed like a lady and sleep on warm bedding. The only pain that she would have to stand would be to take some vaccines, and also to shorten the tail, as she was more a spaniel than a dachshund. Slava even told her that she was a very original dog, and she that she had very beautiful eyes. Sausage didn’t start screaming with joy; rather, she listened to him intently. At Slava’s last phrase, she turned her face and looked him straight in the eye, although it was not very comfortable for her to twist being held in his arms. Slava said afterwards that she had read all his thoughts, looking straight into his soul.
Not even Tamara ever looked at him the way the doggy looked at that moment. Then she licked his hand with dignity as if saying: “We'll see. I have no choice.” She was not in a hurry to trust people. Slava had a feeling that Sausage expected to be killed even after living in the house for a few days. During the day she slept in her bed, but when in the evening all came home, then she hid under the sofa and would go out only at night when everyone went to bed. She was nervous during a walk, first trying to run away, then huddling close to his feet and whining. The family council took the decision to give the dog time to understand everything on her own and to adapt to the new conditions. They decided to relieve her of the annoying attention, and to go for a walk to the places with many other dogs. That decision bore its fruit. Sausage made friends and also enemies among the dogs; she discovered her preferable walking places. But most importantly, her fear of people began to dissipate.
Dog lovers are rather special people anyway. Despite her unpresentable looks, Sausage always felt kind attention, sympathy, and interest towards her. In addition, she couldn’t but feel and understand how the owners treated their pets. Time and love did their job. A few months later Sausage believed her good fortune, indeed. A plain puppy looking like a tadpole grew up, “leveled out,” and turned into a likeable chocolate bar with intelligent eyes and an innate dignity. She was invisible in the apartment when there was no need for her, but as soon as somebody called her she would appear from somewhere. Sausage gradually learned to enjoy the arrival of people, to gambol on the carpet playing ball with Maroussia, to merrily bark and to bring a stick thrown into the bushes.
When Slava brought Sausage to an instructor for the first time, he immediately realized that the guy had a shock. The instructor ought to have decided that the rich dandy had his quirks, but made Sausage go through the whole training course as requested by Slava. After a few lessons his shock passed, and Volodya got involved into the training of “that funny dog” with interest and full dedication. At the end of the course he enthusiastically said: “This is an amazing dog. She got such an awkward body by accident. She has the spirit of a big, noble, smart and strong beast who knows what devotion and loyalty mean.” Sausage worked with great interest and spirit, as Vladimir put it. She was keeping good attention on the task, and conducted a detention in an uncommon way. She never bit an outstretched hand wrapped in rags, but instead would dive under it and clutch at a groin or a knee.
Then she would abruptly retreat, re-evaluate the situation, and attack again. She had the highest score in the search program. She was able to cleverly hide and to wait for long time without giving her presence away, like a wolf or a tiger do. She caught the meaning at once with a word or even a look; moreover, she worked “ahead of the schedule” as Vladimir put it. Vladimir noticed something at the sessions when Slava and Sausage trained in joint action, and decided to check it out. He asked Slava to give the dog the same order, but mentally. Slava mentally said: “Come!” Sausage came up. Then: “Sit.” The dog sat down. In short, Sausage never made a mistake. At the end of the course, sad at parting, Vladimir tried to joke about it and asked Slava whether he had anyone else, for example, a cat for training? Slava replied to that very seriously that he knew a cat called Moo-Moo that in fact could train people.
Only that most people were much dumber than animals, and were not capable of understanding and controlling even their own thoughts, let alone distinguishing those of the others’. Volodya agreed with him saying that after many years of working with dogs and their owners he noticed that even dogs with a low “intelligence ceiling” after the training revealed a desire to serve someone, to follow someone, and not only to eat, to sleep, and to bump off the other gathering in flocks and using their new abilities. “What have we come to if we must learn loyalty, devotion and love from dogs?” They parted as friends...
Time went on. Sausage was no longer afraid of surprises; she was discovering and understanding the world better and better, realizing her connection with and her place in it. Sausage grew up and realized that she was a strong dog, and as bold as ever. One summer an interesting episode took place on the boulevard where Maroussia used to make morning exercises taking Sausage with her.
A beautiful Russian wolfhound swept along the boulevard far ahead of its owner, and making a loop, went back to him. Suddenly, for some reason it abruptly changed its trajectory and scampered towards a bush where Maroussia was waving her arms and legs standing on a small hillock. Maybe the wolfhound only wanted to get past Maroussia, and it was simply doing it for the fun of it. But Sausage did not like it. She darted from the bushes, and jumping up like a ball, bristled, denoting the beginning of a circle which was better not to cross. The wolfhound abruptly braked, sat down and glided on its tail a short distance on the grass right to where Sausage was. Maroussia told that wolfhound was clearly embarrassed; it elegantly, like a kangaroo, side-jumped away to a safe distance and took off as quickly as it had appeared. Meanwhile, Sausage was puffing like a young hog and throwing earth away with hind her legs.
She felt confident, because she protected Maroussia and forced a big dog to reckon with her. Sausage was praised the whole day, and they bought a bone in a “dog shop” for her. That night she probably had dreams that winners have. Everyone except Maroussia understood that, despite the favorable situation, Sausage made her dog’s choice: to give her life for the other, although she cherished life. Sausage was a very calm and friendly dog. She was very fond of children, always aware of what should be ignored, for example, if they pulled her tail or tried to sit astride. Sausage didn’t react to cats at all. But when she saw a duck in a pond, then she “stood at attention”, raised a paw and stood completely motionless, clearly unable to figure what was happening to her and what to do next. “Why, you’re my universal hunting dog!” Slava said proudly.
 “Judging by your upper body: the face, the back and the tail, you're an expert on birds, but given the lower part: the short legs, you are skilled for catching those who live in burrows.” Sausage looked into Slava’s eyes and jumped up excitedly. She loved Slava more than anyone else in the world. In the evenings, when he sat on the couch, Sausage lied by his side on the floor and put her head on his slipper. Slava stroked her warm ears, head and sang an especially composed for her song to the tune of a children's song: “Sleeping toys...” Only he changed the words for sleeping frogs, silly turkeys, strange cuckoos, the tricky Sandman, and of course, the brave Sausage. After a while, Sausage learned to whine to the tune funnily pulling her lips.
She did not like to walk in winter, especially when sticky snow was falling. She did all her “affairs” quickly, and immediately asked to go home. Apparently, she had enough of cold in that terrible period of her puppy life.
Cold and snow caused Sausage unpleasant memories, and she was sad. She would go anywhere and anytime only with Slava. Slava often took her with him in the car when he had to attend to things. One day, when they were in the city center, he decided to pass by a supermarket, and left Sausage in the car, closing it and turning the alarm on. She comfortably curled up in the seat next to the driver and began to doze off. Suddenly, something clicked in the trunk. Sausage rose on her short legs and saw a man who opened the door on the driver side. He obviously didn’t see Sausage, or else didn’t take her into account. When the man opened the door, Sausage made two silent short throws. First, she bit his arm. Surprised, he cried out, and then she bit him twice in the groin. The man howled and sat down in the snow. Slava got back after not less than ten minutes.
When he came out from the store with bags, he saw the open door on the driver side and a chain of blood droplets starting from it. Sausage sat in the driver's seat and wagged her tail as if nothing had happened. Slava went cold inside. He examined her, and could not calm down even after seeing that the blood was not hers. He cursed himself like blazes.”It would be better if the car was robbed than something happening to you!” He realized that Sausage would gladly give her life for him and his property. Since then, he never left her alone in the car. She was his friend. On another occasion, when Slava met his friend in Sheremetyevo, Sausage finally came face to face with her past, and was able to bury it forever. Slava met Vadim, they got the luggage and were about to go to the exit, when Sausage began to excitedly sniff the air and rush among the people, pulling the leash. And suddenly, with a jerk she pulled Slava after her.
He only had the time to shout to Vadim to wait for him in the parking lot, and ran after the dog. She was rushing like a wind on her short legs. The large Slava, bumping into people and raising bumps on his head, making great strides, was barely able to keep up with her. In the middle of the airport hall she overtook a very respectable looking man of Vietnamese or Korean nationality. He was dressed in an expensive suit; a trolley porter was carrying his stuff behind him. Slava didn’t have time to see anything else as Sausage, excitedly growling like a wild beast clutched at the right leg of the gentleman. She began to chew it and almost reached to the knee, until she received a strong blow with the case to her head. Having flown away, she turned, bristled up and baring her teeth, was ready to jump again. The gentleman took a gun out. People scattered in all directions, a panic started.
Slava protected Sausage with his body, and standing in front of the man, met his gaze. He was standing on one leg, keeping the other slightly hanging; a trickle of blood flowed from the trouser leg to the clean floor. But the gun that was almost resting on Slava’s chest was not trembling in his hand. There was such a wild rage and hatred mixed with an arrogant contempt in his eyes that Slava realized: “He is not who he pretends to be.” The police arrived; they were detained. The gentleman was shouting in English that he was a foreign citizen, he would not leave it just like that, and that the embassy spokesman would come soon. Slava was in big trouble. During the clarification of all the case circumstances Sausage, obeying all Slava’s orders, produced a good impression: she was a well-trained and intelligent dog. However, a Customs representative noticed the unblinking stare of the dog watching the gentleman. So he loudly said in Russian: “It looks like the dog knows you, Mr. Wao-Heh!”
But you are saying that it is your first visit to Russia.” “How can this bitch know me?” — The man  blurted out, turning to her. Then he realized that he spilled the beans. Sausage hadn’t breathed a sound but her scruff reared, and her lips crept up to the nose, exposing the fangs. Slava gave the dog a short order, and she lied down. He told the Customs representatives and the police that he was ready to apologize and to do “whatever was required in such cases” for Mr. Wao-Heh, he would also provide all the necessary documents for the dog proving that she was healthy in case he and his dog made a mistake. But he requested to please examine very carefully Mr. Wao-Heh and his luggage, since he was sure that he was not who he claimed to be. Slava knew that three years ago Mr. Wao-Heh lived in Russia near the Rossiysky Reserv Bank. His dog recognized Mr. Wao-Heh between thousands of people with her upper scent because it was looking for him for a long time. And his dog was special.
It couldn’t make a mistake because they had a personal grudge. The Customs officer smiled: “We, too, have many mongrels among “the special dogs”. They have a sharper sense of scent.”
After a thorough examination of Mr. Wao-Heh a belt with heroin and LSD tablets was found. The investigation also revealed that it wasn’t long since he became a “gentleman” and a highly paid drug carrier. Three years ago he had a “copping zone” at a market located near Rossiysky Reserv Bank where he was pushing arms and drugs. He used his compatriots as slaves. Men were forced to work virtually for free in a camouflaged in the market underground shop, and women were sold to pimps. When the police cleaned the market and his own business broke, he was “promoted”. In the evenings he and his compatriots would lure the dogs, strangle them with a stranglehold and eat them. He was doing it for fun; his compatriots, rather because of their living hand to mouth. Puppies’ meat was especially highly rated.
At the trial he spitefully smiled, but then apparently lost his nerve and shouted to Slava who appeared as a witness that he had made two mistakes in his life. The first was when he didn’t catch and kill the smart puppy, the last of the nine, and the second one, when he didn’t shoot it together with the owner. Thus he tightened the noose on his neck even more. Big Slava who looked like a bear smiled and rumbled with his bassy voice: “So, you did recognize the dog, you rascal. Don’t forget her from now on. And rest assured that she won’t forget you. It’s not up to you to decide who lives and who dies.”
Slava left the courtroom and walked out into the street. At last he felt light at heart. Tamara, Maroussia, and Sausage were waiting for him in a park. In the evening, they held a family celebration on the occasion of a local victory over evil. Straining, trying to shout down Sausage, who howled in a particularly happy and heartfelt way, they sang as loud as they could in unison:
Tired frogs and ducks are sleeping, and the cats,
Only stupid turkeys are talking till no end
But our Sausage goes to bed
Dreams of all that ended well
Now you close your eyes
Lullaby
What about you? Do you know how to make your friends happy?