The Dog in a Bag

 

by Henry Lewi

 pression with a slice of lemon

 

The dark clothed man first appeared walking along the boulevard by the old town of Menton on the French Riviera. Tall and elegant, wearing a floppy hat to protect him from the afternoon sun he strolled with a relaxed gait carrying a large bag which when he sat at the harbour cafe clearly demonstrated a sleeping dog curled up in the bottom of the bag. Ordering a pression he languidly lit up a cigarette and the dog lazily raised its head to look over the edge of the bag, its red eyes looking out at the press of people passing by. He patted the dogs head and whispered calming words the dog settled back into its bag and the man continued to sip his drink.

The late afternoon turned into early evening and still the man sat in the cafe the dog slumbering in the bag.
The early evening peace was shattered by a tumultuous barking from a number of nearby dogs and a crowd suddenly surrounded a fallen tourist who lay face down in an ever-enlarging crimson pool. The man stood up to survey the scene and the dog raised its head from the bag as did a second identical head and then a third head.  The dog with three heads stood up from the bag and leapt into the crowd.

The three headed dog Cerberus had come to claim another soul for his master Hades.

 About the author

Henry is a retired Surgeon and member of the Canvey Writers Group.
He has published a number of stories on the CafeLit site