Chapter Three
Seti's Trouble
Alex heard the opening and closing of the front doors of the British Museum. Not wanting anyone to see him and question him and "his" dog, Alex crawled into the bushes where he had found Seti.
"Come Seti. C'mere boy." Alex whispered and clapped his hands. Set looked over to him and followed him into the bush. Alex fixed the bush so that it looked "normal".
Evelyn frowned, watching the rainfall in front of her and feeling the rain pelt against her skin, or raincoat. She couldn't believe she had come out in the rain to investigate and dog bark; now it seemed perfectly normal for a dog to be barking, maybe a dog and its master were walking past the museum and it happened to bark. Evelyn was sure that people walking their dogs would stop them from barking if they knew a "jumpy" ex-librarian would come outside in the pouring rain every time one of them barked.
Evelyn turned and started heading up the stairs when she heard the bark again.
Inside the bush Seti barked, his regal head lifting and shaking water off the bush leaves and onto Alex and itself. Alex clamped a hand over the dog's muzzle. "Shush." Alex pleaded, knowing he would get in trouble if he and the dog were found.
Evelyn rounded the corner of the museum and listening carefully for the dog bark again. It didn't come; she frowned, hoping she wasn't crazy, she had heard it.
Alex peered out between some leaves in the bush. The boy gasped. "It's my mum." He whispered. Seti sniffed and bounded out of the bush.
Evelyn didn't have time to think before the large Golden Retriever leapt out of the bushes at her side and leapt onto her. The dog knocked Evelyn to the muddy ground, barking and licking her face. Evelyn cried out in surprise and tried to push the dog off her. She felt sure that this was a rabid dog and that it had bit her and that she was going to die. She stopped trying to push the dog off her when she realized it wasn't biting her, it was licking her. Licking her face all over and getting slobber on her cheeks and in her mouth.
The dog's uncut whiskers tickled her cheeks. Evelyn laughed. "Get off, get off you monster." Evelyn laughed and managed to get the dog off her.
Alex watched Seti "attack" his mother from inside the bush, too surprised to do anything but stare. Now, he was even more confused because his mother was laughing. She pushed Seti off her and began to wipe her face.
Evelyn wiped the large dog's slobber off her face, still laughing. "Where did you come from you monster you?" Evelyn teased. The dog barked and wagged his tail. Evelyn studied the dog, it was underfed and mangy furred. One of London's many strays. Evelyn scratched the dog's face and under his muzzle; the dog wiggled and made Evelyn laughed. "You are a character aren't you? You are so darling, yes you are." Evelyn cooed, talking like a mother to her infant child.
The dog barked and wiggled some more; he licked Evelyn's hand.
Alex decided now was as good as any a time to greet his mother and Seti. He crawled out of the bush, knowing he was going to get yelled at for more then one thing.
Evelyn and the dog turned their heads to watch Alex climb out of the bush. Seti barked and bounced over to Alex; he jumped over the boy and covered him with licks. Evelyn was as surprised as any mother to see her eight-year old son, soaking wet, crawling out of a bush.
"Alexander O'Connell!" Evelyn exclaimed as she watched the dog roll around on his back, licking Alex as he climbed to his feet.
Alex smiled at his mother. "Mum." He said.
Evelyn was speechless; she didn't have a thing to say to her son other then "Who's your friend?"
Alex was surprised, was his mother really not going to yell at him. At least, not right now she wasn't. "This is Seti. I named him after the Pharaoh." Alex explained.
Seti jumped up and turned circles on his hind legs. Both Evelyn and Alex laughed, watching the dog's tricks. Evelyn joined her son, closer to Seti. She took his face in her hands. "Look at you, you're soaking wet. Alexander, I would have thought you'd have better sense then to put your raincoat on a dog. You'll catch phenomena." Evelyn said, looking her son up and down. "Let's get you inside or you'll catch cold."
Alex looked at Seti. "Mum what about Seti? We can't leave him outside. He'll catch phenomena." Alex said, struggling with the large word.
Evelyn laughed. "Yes, but we can't bring him inside. The curator doesn't take to dogs, you know that." Evelyn said, looking over at Seti. She didn't want to leave the friendly dog outside anymore then her son did.
"We can sneak him inside. Please Mum." Alex pleaded, looking up at his mother.
Evelyn couldn't help but give in.
Getting Seti inside wasn't hard; the curator was in the back of the museum, supervising the creating of new exhibits. Evelyn led her son and the dog up to her "office" where she had been until minutes ago. Once inside, Evelyn shut the door and turned toward her son; Alex was shivering now that they were inside the cool building. Seti looked around and trotted over to Evelyn's desk; as if knowing how important the papers were, he shook water all over them. Evelyn cried out in ran over to her desk; she shooed Seti away and looked down at her ruined papers.
Instead of "disciplining" Seti, she tended to her son. She had him strip his wet clothes and wrapped him in a warm blanket; Alex sat by the window while Evelyn yelled at Seti for messing up her work papers.
Evelyn turned to her son. "See, the museum is no place for a dog." Evelyn said. Seti looked up at her and blinked. Then he barked; Evelyn turned to Seti and "shushed" him. "If Mr. Curator hears you then we'll all be in trouble." Evelyn said.
However, it was too late. Without even knocking the curator, a nearly bald man in his late forties, entered the room. "I thought I heard a-" The curator began but his eyes fell on Seti.
"What is that horrid beast doing in here!?" The curator cried.
Seti barked and charged at the curator, barking. The curator leapt out of the way and Seti bounded down the hall, barking. Evelyn, Alex -still wrapped in the blanket- and the curator ran down the hall after Seti. Seti ran into the main part of the museum, past all the people who were there to enjoy the exhibits and bounded into one of the exhibits. Evelyn, Alex and the curator ran past all the people there to enjoy the exhibits and followed Seti into the exhibits. All the people were laughing, pointing and staring.
Seti had bounded into the exhibits about the chariot race; real sand was on the floor of the exhibit to make it look authentic. Seti turned circles, kicking up sand. He leapt onto one of the chariots and barked; Evelyn leapt from him but he jumped out of the chariot. Both Evelyn and the chariot fell to the ground. Seti barked and ran around the exhibit, everyone was yelling and the poor dog was confused.
"Seti!" Alex cried and whistled. Seti stopped running and headed over, calmly, to Alex. Evelyn stood up, not bothering to right the chariot and ran over to Alex and Seti. Alex had knelt, stroking Seti's back.
The curator, panting because of the excursions joined the O'Connells and Seti. "You…Mrs. O'Connell…had better take that horrid creature out of this museum now! And…please wait a considerable amount of time before returning. Good day." The curator. Seti growled and bark; he leapt upon the curator, barking. Evelyn pulled Seti off the poor man. "Out!" The curator yelled.
Seti's Trouble
Alex heard the opening and closing of the front doors of the British Museum. Not wanting anyone to see him and question him and "his" dog, Alex crawled into the bushes where he had found Seti.
"Come Seti. C'mere boy." Alex whispered and clapped his hands. Set looked over to him and followed him into the bush. Alex fixed the bush so that it looked "normal".
Evelyn frowned, watching the rainfall in front of her and feeling the rain pelt against her skin, or raincoat. She couldn't believe she had come out in the rain to investigate and dog bark; now it seemed perfectly normal for a dog to be barking, maybe a dog and its master were walking past the museum and it happened to bark. Evelyn was sure that people walking their dogs would stop them from barking if they knew a "jumpy" ex-librarian would come outside in the pouring rain every time one of them barked.
Evelyn turned and started heading up the stairs when she heard the bark again.
Inside the bush Seti barked, his regal head lifting and shaking water off the bush leaves and onto Alex and itself. Alex clamped a hand over the dog's muzzle. "Shush." Alex pleaded, knowing he would get in trouble if he and the dog were found.
Evelyn rounded the corner of the museum and listening carefully for the dog bark again. It didn't come; she frowned, hoping she wasn't crazy, she had heard it.
Alex peered out between some leaves in the bush. The boy gasped. "It's my mum." He whispered. Seti sniffed and bounded out of the bush.
Evelyn didn't have time to think before the large Golden Retriever leapt out of the bushes at her side and leapt onto her. The dog knocked Evelyn to the muddy ground, barking and licking her face. Evelyn cried out in surprise and tried to push the dog off her. She felt sure that this was a rabid dog and that it had bit her and that she was going to die. She stopped trying to push the dog off her when she realized it wasn't biting her, it was licking her. Licking her face all over and getting slobber on her cheeks and in her mouth.
The dog's uncut whiskers tickled her cheeks. Evelyn laughed. "Get off, get off you monster." Evelyn laughed and managed to get the dog off her.
Alex watched Seti "attack" his mother from inside the bush, too surprised to do anything but stare. Now, he was even more confused because his mother was laughing. She pushed Seti off her and began to wipe her face.
Evelyn wiped the large dog's slobber off her face, still laughing. "Where did you come from you monster you?" Evelyn teased. The dog barked and wagged his tail. Evelyn studied the dog, it was underfed and mangy furred. One of London's many strays. Evelyn scratched the dog's face and under his muzzle; the dog wiggled and made Evelyn laughed. "You are a character aren't you? You are so darling, yes you are." Evelyn cooed, talking like a mother to her infant child.
The dog barked and wiggled some more; he licked Evelyn's hand.
Alex decided now was as good as any a time to greet his mother and Seti. He crawled out of the bush, knowing he was going to get yelled at for more then one thing.
Evelyn and the dog turned their heads to watch Alex climb out of the bush. Seti barked and bounced over to Alex; he jumped over the boy and covered him with licks. Evelyn was as surprised as any mother to see her eight-year old son, soaking wet, crawling out of a bush.
"Alexander O'Connell!" Evelyn exclaimed as she watched the dog roll around on his back, licking Alex as he climbed to his feet.
Alex smiled at his mother. "Mum." He said.
Evelyn was speechless; she didn't have a thing to say to her son other then "Who's your friend?"
Alex was surprised, was his mother really not going to yell at him. At least, not right now she wasn't. "This is Seti. I named him after the Pharaoh." Alex explained.
Seti jumped up and turned circles on his hind legs. Both Evelyn and Alex laughed, watching the dog's tricks. Evelyn joined her son, closer to Seti. She took his face in her hands. "Look at you, you're soaking wet. Alexander, I would have thought you'd have better sense then to put your raincoat on a dog. You'll catch phenomena." Evelyn said, looking her son up and down. "Let's get you inside or you'll catch cold."
Alex looked at Seti. "Mum what about Seti? We can't leave him outside. He'll catch phenomena." Alex said, struggling with the large word.
Evelyn laughed. "Yes, but we can't bring him inside. The curator doesn't take to dogs, you know that." Evelyn said, looking over at Seti. She didn't want to leave the friendly dog outside anymore then her son did.
"We can sneak him inside. Please Mum." Alex pleaded, looking up at his mother.
Evelyn couldn't help but give in.
Getting Seti inside wasn't hard; the curator was in the back of the museum, supervising the creating of new exhibits. Evelyn led her son and the dog up to her "office" where she had been until minutes ago. Once inside, Evelyn shut the door and turned toward her son; Alex was shivering now that they were inside the cool building. Seti looked around and trotted over to Evelyn's desk; as if knowing how important the papers were, he shook water all over them. Evelyn cried out in ran over to her desk; she shooed Seti away and looked down at her ruined papers.
Instead of "disciplining" Seti, she tended to her son. She had him strip his wet clothes and wrapped him in a warm blanket; Alex sat by the window while Evelyn yelled at Seti for messing up her work papers.
Evelyn turned to her son. "See, the museum is no place for a dog." Evelyn said. Seti looked up at her and blinked. Then he barked; Evelyn turned to Seti and "shushed" him. "If Mr. Curator hears you then we'll all be in trouble." Evelyn said.
However, it was too late. Without even knocking the curator, a nearly bald man in his late forties, entered the room. "I thought I heard a-" The curator began but his eyes fell on Seti.
"What is that horrid beast doing in here!?" The curator cried.
Seti barked and charged at the curator, barking. The curator leapt out of the way and Seti bounded down the hall, barking. Evelyn, Alex -still wrapped in the blanket- and the curator ran down the hall after Seti. Seti ran into the main part of the museum, past all the people who were there to enjoy the exhibits and bounded into one of the exhibits. Evelyn, Alex and the curator ran past all the people there to enjoy the exhibits and followed Seti into the exhibits. All the people were laughing, pointing and staring.
Seti had bounded into the exhibits about the chariot race; real sand was on the floor of the exhibit to make it look authentic. Seti turned circles, kicking up sand. He leapt onto one of the chariots and barked; Evelyn leapt from him but he jumped out of the chariot. Both Evelyn and the chariot fell to the ground. Seti barked and ran around the exhibit, everyone was yelling and the poor dog was confused.
"Seti!" Alex cried and whistled. Seti stopped running and headed over, calmly, to Alex. Evelyn stood up, not bothering to right the chariot and ran over to Alex and Seti. Alex had knelt, stroking Seti's back.
The curator, panting because of the excursions joined the O'Connells and Seti. "You…Mrs. O'Connell…had better take that horrid creature out of this museum now! And…please wait a considerable amount of time before returning. Good day." The curator. Seti growled and bark; he leapt upon the curator, barking. Evelyn pulled Seti off the poor man. "Out!" The curator yelled.