Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Latest from the Janitors, Asps, and Other Books - Monster's Palace (Other Books) - Clyde's life saved in unusual manner.

Today’s excerpt is from Monster’s Palace.  After a mission, Clyde and his dog, Greta, walk to his home, but Greta stops him from going in…thus saving his life.  Enjoy and have a great day.
m.j.
        On the walk home, Clyde always walked on the sidewalk while Greta gleefully smelled everything she could in the grass.  Also, she didn’t much care for walking on concrete.  Greta had been trained to work with bomb disposal units in Afghanistan.  Her job there was to sniff out explosives. 
       Once she, along with her handler had neared a roadside bomb.  Greta sniffed it out, stopped and barked, even as she pulled back.  The handler knew what the situation was immediately, so started to move back with her, but not in time.  The bomb was detonated by remote control.  The handler was severely injured, while Greta lost part of her right front paw.  It so happened Clyde knew the handler, as they were stationed at the same base.  The handler asked Clyde to look after Greta and he agreed, since he was due to rotate back to United States shortly.  He took the injured dog with him.
       In time, he mentioned the situation to his friend Bob Becker.  Bob had what he thought was a brainstorm.  As it turned out, he was right.  He knew Jim Scott funded a medical clinic in the St. Louis, Missouri area, which was located near where Bob lived.  The clinic’s main function was to affix military amputees with bionic limbs.  Bob called Jim to ask if a dog could get a prosthesis put on at the clinic.  After he explained how Greta had been injured, Jim readily agreed.  The upshot was that Greta now had a prosthesis attached to what was left of her paw.  When she walked on concrete, or any other hard surface, it didn’t feel all that good to her.  Also, she clunked, a sound she didn’t much care for either.  Thus, as much as he liked bare, hardwood flooring, every inch of Bob’s home was carpeted—including the kitchen.
       After cutting across his lawn to reach the front porch—which was not carpeted—Greta clunked about two steps before she stopped, barked, and backed away from the door.  Clyde knew exactly what the problem must be.  He went with Greta as they returned to the lawn.  There he quickly called Merrill.  “Hi, boss—got a problem.  As you know, Greta was trained to sniff out explosives.  When we got home from walking over from Dick’s place, she stopped, barked, and started heading away from my door.  Could you send a bomb-squad over, please?  My gear is on the plane—plus which, as tired as I am, I might blow myself up if she’s right.”
       “Hell yes.  Get away from your door right now.”
       “Duh.  We got away before I called you.  We’re moving still further away as we speak.”
       “Good.  I’ll get a bomb squad on the way, then I’m on my way, too.  Now that I think of it, are you armed?”
       “Yeah, pistol only—but it should be enough if someone comes at me.”
       “Call Mitch and Dick anyhow.  Get them over there to give you cover, until I get there with the posse.”
       “What posse?”
       “The damned posse I’m bringing with me.  So long.”
        Clyde was chuckling as he put away his phone.  Having no intention of calling either Mitch or Dick—knowing they could use the sleep—he sat on the ground with the end of Greta’s leash under his buttocks.  He really needn’t bother worrying about her going anywhere because ever since he had stopped moving away from his home to make his phone call, she had sat down, staring at the front door.
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