Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

We pointy-nosed dogs are well known for sleeping a lot.

You humans may wonder how we manage to sleep so much. You watch our noses and paws twitching and hear our muffled yelps and growls, and you think maybe we’re dreaming about chasing rabbits or running away from Malamutes. But we do much more than dream when we’re asleep – we have a whole other life that most humans know nothing about.

You see, we pointy dogs are descended from the dogs of ancient Egypt, who were recognised as spiritual beings and associated with Anubis, the jackal-headed god who helped souls cross from the physical world to the afterlife – so we know a bit about travelling between worlds!

Pearl and I don’t bother much with the afterlife – we prefer Fairyland because it’s closer to Earth and easier to get to. When we first arrive, everything looks a bit like this…

…but it soon resolves into something more manageable.

This is the time of year when Nature goes to sleep and the fairies go deeper into Fairyland to do important preparation work for Her next cycle. This means we have to go deeper into Fairyland if we want to see them, which can involve us in some hair-raising adventures – like the time Pearl was kidnapped by goblins.

Along with five other greyhounds, she was made to pull a chariot the goblins had stolen. I managed to avoid a similar fate by doing my invisible act. All night I followed those joyriding goblins, making sure I kept out of sight, until daylight came and they went to bed, leaving the chariot unattended. I snuck out and chewed through the reins, freeing all six greyhounds. They were so pleased to see me – I was the hero of the hour!

(Well, five of them were pleased to see me – Pearl just complained about being exhausted and gave me an earful for not stopping the kidnapping in the first place.)

Once we were safely away from goblin territory, we stopped by a stream for a long drink. The other five greyhounds told us they were from a shelter and the goblins had lured them with promises of luxurious new homes. The joyriders had needed a sixth greyhound to make up a team and Pearl had been in the right place at the right time (or the wrong place at the wrong time, depending on how you look at it). We also heard that one of the goblins – a taxi driver called Shorty – had been looking for a dog like me to pull the scruffy old cart he used for work. An animal with my invisibility skills would have been most useful when ferrying his goblin customers to their various dodgy business appointments.

So next time you see our paws twitching, we might just be running away from goblins. And next time you call us lazy, Annabelle, think of the peace and quiet we give you to do your writing – not to mention the invaluable research we do for you in the perilous Land of Faerie!

Pics found here: Shapeshifter dog, Anubis, Fairyland fractal, Fairyland, Goblin