The Dog of the Shenjia Condo

The Dog of the Shenjia Condo

 

There’s nothing wrong with the dog, but he wants to die. When they moved in, the neighbors already knew this. “That dog is depressed,” said Mrs. Lin from the building before theirs. She also said that somebody saw that dog running next to the canal. Mady thought that was strange because she never saw him leave the condo. He’s a relatively small dog, so she didn’t understand why they said they saw a big one but insisted it was the same. They also said it smelled like rotten flesh. 

That day, Mady left home around 5 pm; it usually takes her around one hour to get from Shenjia Condo to the other side of the canal by bike.  Although it was the afternoon, it was already dark. She noticed that the days never get too bright in Smoke City. She hopped on a shared bike that she unlocked with a QR code, but the brakes were a bit stiff, and the pedals made a weird sound. The motorcycle would stop from time to time. She felt that when the wind stopped, the bike stopped. As usual, the roads were full of cars, but she couldn’t distinguish any specific vehicle from the car next to it. The only visible thing was the large buildings with neon always in the distance; it didn’t matter how long she would ride, those striking buildings seemed so far away, unreachable. She wondered if she could get there one day. 

It wasn’t just that it was already dark; it was the typical fog. There was no fog like the one in Smoke City. Maddy thought Smoke City was marvelous, full of mystery that couldn’t exist without the mist. 

She would rarely go to the other side of the canal, but she was excited to see Sam. The first time she saw him at the Shopping Mall, he sniffed some of the t-shirts at the clothing shop she worked in and almost said, “A lot of smoke today, isn’t it?” but he didn’t say precisely that, but she knew that that’s what he meant. He brought the carrots to the coffee shop on the first floor with him on their first date. She understood that he sold carrots, but carrying them to the coffee shop seemed uncomfortable. The bag of carrots took the space of an entire person in another chair. Those carrots seemed delicious, and she was curious to see Sam’s garden. How could he keep a garden in the heart of a city like that? It seemed like something worth seeing. She kept on riding, and the bike kept stopping. Eventually, it got darker, foggier, and windier. “A marvelous place,” she repeated to herself, almost letting a car hit her bike but not hitting it.

To find Sam’s house on the other side of the canal, she had to cross two bridges, take a left, go straight, and turn right, “you’ll see a large green building that is also blue when looked closer, my house is behind it” he instructed her. When she approached the green building, it was indeed blue; she suddenly could see a row of attached houses shining. When she moved toward it, she noticed that those weren’t houses; those were just boxes, and they were burning. Mr. Yu from the 5th floor rode down the street in a Zhifubao bike. People in Smoke City could adapt to technology, even older adults like Mr. Yu; that was another incredible feature of the city. She went to speak to him but as he turned, she noticed that he was quite a handsome man who still resembled Mr. Yu, maybe it was Mr. Yu’s grandchild?

- Hi, I’m sorry; I thought you were a neighbor of mine. – She said when she noticed that she was already too close to him not to say something. But he kept riding his bike past her and didn’t stop as if he didn’t listen. She saw him stop next to the burning boxes and come back walking, leaving the bike behind.

- I saw the dog. – He said. – I saw the dog; he’s over there and burning. 

- Are you sure it is the dog from the Shenjia Condo? – She asked. – Are you from Shenjia Condo? Are you Mr. Yu’s Grandchild? 

But he didn’t reply again and just kept walking. He then entered the greenish-blue building. Mady felt suddenly curious and couldn’t help herself but follow him. She entered through the same door and got to some stairs. The interior of the building had the same fluorescent greenish blue as the outside. There was no sign of the younger Mr. Yu. She climbed a few stairs but couldn’t see where it led her. She kept going as her breath started failing. There was no way of knowing which floor she was on, but when she stopped from exhaustion, she finally saw a passage in a dark corner that she had noticed before. 

….

As she went to open it, an intense light blinded her for a few seconds; a pungent smell of plants entered her nostrils, almost suffocating her. When she could finally see again, a tropical garden full of lush, emerald foliage surrounded her. She didn’t know if it was in an open or closed space, as the light was too strong to let her see anything in the distance. It was warm and humid. Between what seemed to be banana plants, she could distinguish the contour of the back of someone sitting on a bench. “It must be the young Mr. Yu,” she thought. However, when she walked in the person’s direction, she saw that this was a skinny, tall, red-haired man. 

- Sam, is that you? – Mady asked. Sam turned to her.

- Mady, I thought you weren’t coming! What took you so long? The highly poisonous catfish are coming, and you might not be able to cross the canal again tonight. 

- I didn’t know there were catfish in the canal. 

- Yes. Not everyone can see them, but after a specific time, it is not safe to cross the canal until the next morning. Maybe one day you’ll be able to see them.

- Is this your garden? – Mady asked. 

- I created different levels to give it more interest and character. Levels make a garden look more prominent and allow you to enjoy various views and angles. Here, have a seat. I want to show you the blackbirds. 

The bench sank when Mady sat on the bench, and she fell on the floor. Sam didn’t even notice it. All at once, she sensed that nothing in this garden was real. Even the blackbirds had weird, gloomy expressions. She avoided the bench and sat on a large rock under a palm tree. The rock was strong and probably wouldn’t collapse. How can a garden like this exist in the middle of a city, at some unknown building level? Sam’s expression kept calm as he spoke. 

- Once, a catfish ate a bit of a carrot, but they are usually carnivorous. Considering the size of catfish species, it can be suspected that no freshwater fish can grow to become very big without a rich source of protein. Feeding on plants cannot provide the amount of protein needed to grow very big. Yes, catfish are carnivorous; however, this depends on their habitat. For example, if you breed catfish in your pond, they will eat what you feed them. However, the smaller catfish in the pond may be at risk of being eaten by the giant catfish. I will try to feed them some carrots occasionally, anyway. They might get used to it.

- I was outside and saw someone who looked like a neighbor of mine. He said he saw a dog from our condo burning and came up here. Where is he?

Sam looked at her face for the first time since he started talking. 

- There’s no one else here; it’s just you and me. I think I saw that dog, too.

He had this hilarious accent from someone from the West. It was bizarre and attractive. She noticed that he had been holding a carrot. 

- I think that the blackbirds are trying to tell you something. Can you listen to their squawk? 

- Yes. So, do you speak to birds?

- Sometimes. All those bird sounds you hear are forms of communication. Most birds communicate vocally, although some are much more vocal than others. One of the most common forms of bird communication is a call note. In small birds, call notes may sound like chirps. In larger birds, call notes may sound like squawks.

- What are they trying to tell me? 

- I don’t know. I think they like you.

Sam started to peel the carrot and eat it. 

- Do you want some? 

- I’m ok, thank you. Do you only eat carrots? – She asked him.

- That’s a stupid question. Who can survive only eating carrots? You’re so funny! – He said, laughing in a bizarre accent.  – Come over, sit on the bench with me!

She pressed down on the bench with both hands; the chair didn’t sink at all, so she cautiously sat down again; nothing happened this time. They sat for a long time in silence, looking at the blackbirds, but when she looked at the clock, only three minutes had passed. She felt it was getting late but didn’t know if she could leave. It was warm on the bench next to Sam. She thought he liked her more now that she didn’t sink on the bench. She could see that he wanted her more now. When she saw him carrying the carrot bag in the shopping mall, she thought he looked very odd, but now she could understand that he could sustain a whole tropical garden just by selling carrots. 

The gardener should arrive soon. Yes, I care for my garden, but I also work with a man named Liu Meng. He should be coming now. 

- It was nice to see your garden. – Mady didn’t know exactly how to feel. Was this a suitable date? Maybe.

- Nice to have you here. It would be best if you went now before the catfish arrived.

Opening the same door to leave, she couldn’t see anything. The greenish fluorescent light was too much of a brightness contrast. Sam stood there without seeing anything as she closed the door behind her. The light, the humid smell, and the warmth had gone, and she felt like she was just back in Smoke City again. Trying to feel the stairs in the dark with her feet, she heard a strange noise. She recognized the roar of what seemed to be a large dog entirely close to her. She recognized the shadow of a big black dog standing before her in the darkness. It stopped roaring, and she could see his big yellow eyes. Those were very familiar, sad eyes. She immediately knew that this was the depressed dog from Shenjia’s condo. It smelled like rotten flesh.   

Suddenly, she heard someone calling from downstairs. It was her neighbor, Mr. Yu, from the fifth floor. 

- Come here, doggy. - He said, calling the dog and tapping his leg. Maddy went down to try to talk to him.

- Mr. Yu, so you were indeed here! - She exclaimed. 

- I come here every night to fish. I sell catfish for the supermarket of the Xixiao Shopping Mall. I saw the dog running to this building and came after him.

The dog started jumping and waving its tale, seeming joyful to see Mr. Yu. 

- He’s such a lovely dog, but he has bad habits. He just came from eating some corpses. 

- Was the dog burning when you saw him coming here?

- Yes, he was burning; he came from the burning boxes. That’s where they cremate the deceased. What are you doing here? I never saw you around here before. 

- I went to visit Sam’s garden. 

Do you mean the tropical garden?

- Yes!

- So you entered it through the dog’s eyes.

- What do you mean? No, I climbed the stairs and went through that door.

- That garden only exists in the dog’s eyes. You were lucky to see it. I feel that there’s something very particular about you, Maddy.   

- I didn’t enter it through the dog’s eyes… - Maddy tried to explain herself, but Mr.

You were already leaving and didn’t answer as if he didn’t hear her. The dog followed him. Maddy left as the streets were getting even darker and smokier. It was time to go back to Shenjia Condo.