A Tramp's Life

Giselle cowered into the corner of the alley. Her dark brown eyes quivered with fear, as the sinister monstrosity trudged towards her. The saliva dripped slowly from his mouth, trickling onto her black hair. He stuck out his tongue, and traced it slowly across her face. She detected the faint aroma of old onions. Giselle shuddered in revulsion, and gave a small whimper. She was used to having males drool all over her, but never at such breathtaking proximity.

Jack had seemed nice enough. Dressed in expensive attire that denoted class and good taste, Giselle had been charmed by his suave looks and confident gait. As she stepped down from the stage of her latest beauty contest, she noticed him from across the room. He had a well-groomed look about him, and she had blushed when, in that smooth sophisticated voice, he had asked if she wanted to take a walk.

Giselle would not have been floored by just anyone. Having entered several beauty contests, Giselle had been trained to be the perfect lady. The way she held her head up, the soft glow of her raven black hair, her intoxicating scent, her sensuous stroll - all of it gave off an air of sophistication, and had the added effect of doubling the heart rate of any male within a 200 meter radius. Fire hydrants literally blasted off as she walked down the street. There was no doubt about it, Giselle was drop dead gorgeous.

It hadn't always been this way.

There was a time when she had spent cold nights sleeping in the streets, scrounging the trashcans for food. Giselle was but a child then. She had gone hungry for days on end, while people walked by her, never stopping to take notice. It was then that she had met Diesel.

He had chanced upon her one night. Giselle had been too weak to complain as he had picked her up by the neck, dragged her into an alley and set her in the small makeshift cardboard home. She could barely mumble her thanks as Diesel dragged the tattered blanket onto her shivering frame. He had stood watch over her silently through the night.

Diesel had never been one for conversation. Giselle would tell him about her dreams of traveling around the world one day. He would listen patiently and smile as they gnawed on their breakfast of half finished chicken bones.

Diesel had been about her age, but he seemed to possess a maturity and wit beyond his years. He had not been very exciting, nor was he very charming, but he had always taken care of her, had always been there by her side. After Emily had taken her in, she had never seen Diesel again.

Giselle had been too shocked to protest as the woman picked her up and hugged her tightly.

'You poor thing!' Emily had cried, as she cradled the young Giselle in her arms.

She had taken her in and treated Giselle as if she were one of her own. A famous pop singer, Emily lived in one of the largest mansions around the city. Giselle had gotten her very own room in the west wing, complete with servants, toys, and an excessively grand bed five times as large as she was. Giselle would marvel at the extravagant feasts that Emily had her multinational team of chefs prepare for them each night.

Emily was as beautiful as she was rich. The way she held her head, her chestnut brown hair, her intoxicating scent, her sensuous stroll- all of it gave off an air of sophistication, and had the peculiar effect of leaving a trail of traffic accidents in her wake wherever she traipsed. Men unlucky enough to be in barber shops while she walked past the front window would frequently lose small bits of their ears. There was no doubt about it, Emily was drop dead gorgeous, and she was determined to shape Giselle in her own image.

It had worked. The private lessons, frequent trips to the beauty shop, and multinational nutrition had turned Giselle into an exemplary model of alluring refinement. Emily entered Giselle into various beauty contests, and she had finished within the top three of every single one of them. Giselle had become a star in her own right, and she soon forgot about her bone-gnawing days in the streets.

Diesel rummaged through the trashcan, looking for something to eat. He pulled a half-eaten burger out of a particularly ominous-looking, reeking pile of refuse and proceeded to attack it with relish.

It was a pathetic excuse for a life, Diesel had to admit, and if it had not been for the memory of Giselle, he might have allowed himself to rot away years ago.

He had been there when the woman had taken her away. Strolling back with another bone for their breakfast, Diesel had been tempted to call for Giselle. But, then he had noticed the blinding flash of light from the disturbingly large diamond ring on the lady's hand. This woman was obviously amazingly rich. Giselle would be far better off with her, he had reasoned. He had nothing to offer her but cardboard roofs and chicken bones. So Diesel had watched her go.

She was happy now, Diesel was sure. He often saw her on the evening news on the television sets in the display window of Eli's Electronics Store, walking down some red carpet with the rich woman, or winning some beauty contest. Diesel remembered how she used to talk to him for hours on end. He had rather enjoyed listening to her; her voice was soothing to him. After spending years on the streets all by himself, Diesel had been exceedingly grateful to have found someone to share his life with, someone who gave some meaning to his dreary existence. Not knowing how to express his gratitude in words, he had done all that was in his power to take care of her.

But Giselle was in a different place now, she lived in a different world from him. Diesel was happy for Giselle, he truly was, but there were times when he wished that he had taken her away from that lady on that fateful day. Maybe, just maybe¦ no, that was selfish of him.

Pulling himself together, Diesel spit out the rotten remains of the lettuce from the hamburger and got up. He would have to return to his shelter before nightfall. He had clearly marked his territory, but that would not deter some of the more determined tramps. If he did not hurry, there was a good chance they would take over his makeshift home.

That cardboard box was all he had left of Giselle.

Jack watched his prey from across the room. Sleek, poised, and elegant, Giselle was a great catch. He would enjoy boasting of how he managed to bag her.

Jack's family had started off from humble origins. His father had been working at a police station, and had provided a reasonably comfortable existence for his son. But reasonably comfortable had not been enough for Jack. Determined to make his way in the world, Jack had set off by himself one day, vowing never to return to his home. He found work at a pet shop, where the owner had taken him in and given him a job. He had placed Jack in front of the store, where Jack did his best to try and lure the customers in. His charm and winning smile had almost doubled sales.

That had been years ago. Today, that shop had turned into a massively successful chain of nationwide pet stores. The sign in front of each store proudly depicted a portrait of Jack. The owner had been exceedingly grateful to Jack, and had given him all that he asked for.

Jack had grown used to getting what he wanted, and right now, he wanted Giselle.

Giselle felt herself blush again as the big strong male held the door open for her. She had been courted many times before, but none of them had ever exuded the same kind of confidence that Jack did.

As she followed Jack down the street, Giselle found herself fantasizing about her future with him. She could not believe she was walking with Jack, the richest, most eligible bachelor in the city.

'Where are we going, Jack?' Giselle asked in anticipation. Visions of a romantic walk in the park or a fancy dinner swarmed her imagination.

Jack grinned mischievously and led Giselle down an alleyway.

Giselle gasped in surprise.

There, in a damp corner of the alleyway, was a cardboard box. It was all coming back now. The nights spent huddling under the worn blanket, the mornings spent gnawing on discarded bones¦

'What's wrong doll?' asked Jack.

Giselle shook herself from her reverie and turned to face Jack.

'Oh, nothing' she replied. She had tried to look for him after Emily had taken her in, but she could not find her way back to the alley. Now it was too late. He was probably long gone by now.

Suddenly, Giselle found herself pushed violently against the wall of the dark alley, crushing the cardboard box in the process. She whimpered in surprise as Jack pushed himself against her.

'J-Jack! What are you doing! Stop this at once!'

'No chance doll. I'm going to get what I want.'

Giselle squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel his face coming closer to hers. She could feel his warm breath on¦

What on earth was that smell?

Giselle squirmed and wriggled with all her might as she tried to escape from the male with the severe case of halitosis.

'Help!' she screamed in desperation.

Suddenly Jack was knocked back by a flying streak. As Jack's head concluded its meeting with the hard floor, he felt a drop of blood trickle down his mouth. He struggled with his aching head and managed to get up on all fours.

Diesel stood protectively in front of Giselle. Glaring at Jack, he emitted a low growl.

Jack grinned. He enjoyed challenges, although this particular one would not pose much of a problem.

Diesel wheeled around in surprise as three of Jack's cronies let out low growls of their own. This was not turning out well. Years of living on the streets had toughened him, but it hadn't made him stupid. Fighting one on one with the frail weakling who had crushed Giselle's box was one thing, but standing there getting slaughtered by him and his three cronies was an entirely different issue.

Until he had met Giselle, Diesel had never stayed in one place for long. Now that he was faced with death, Diesel found his old habits returning to him. Yes, he decided, he would be a nomad again. And if he was to be a nomad, he couldn't very well be dead, because well¦nomads were wanderers, and dying had a nasty tendency of forcing you to settle down, permanently.

In line with his newfound philosophy in life, Diesel slowly backed off and prepared to make a quiet retreat.

'Err¦ quite sorry. I'm afraid I've mistaken you for someone else. Silly mistake really¦'

It was then that he saw Giselle. Beautiful Giselle, sweet, sweet Giselle, the Giselle he had spent his nights dreaming about, the one who had kept him alive all these years. She looked in his eyes and gave him that enchanting smile.

Well then, perhaps it was time he settled down.

Diesel made one last attempt.

'I say, is there any¦what I mean is, could you be so kind as to¦erm¦turn around and walk the other way, perhaps?'

Jack cackled with delight. He had a sense of humor, Jack had to give him that.

'No? I'll even throw in this half eaten hot dog I found the other day. It's an acquired taste really, I'm sure if you give it a try¦'

'Get 'em, boys.'

Diesel grabbed Giselle and darted past Jack. Running for dear life, he turned a corner of the street past a red fire hydrant¦

And slammed into another one of Jack's cronies.

Dazed, but still very much wanting to stay alive, Diesel turned around and started running in the other direction¦

And slammed into another one of Jack's cronies.

Apparently, he had inadvertently provoked the ire of someone who just happened to be in command of a small army.

As Giselle snuggled up against him, Diesel closed his eyes and prepared for the worst.

At that moment, the fire hydrant burst into the air, water spewing in all directions. The red piece of metal flew straight into the air, did a beautiful reverse somersault with a half twist, and tumbled right into half of Jack's small army, knocking them down like so many bowling pins.

'What the- Why that lucky little¦'

Jack and his now significantly reduced army rushed towards Diesel and Giselle with fervour.

'Gizzy? Gizzy! There you are!'

Emily came rushing down the street and scooped Giselle into her arms, oblivious to the acrobatic fire hydrant and the noticeably large heap of bodies.

'Gizzy, baby! Mommy's been looking all over for you!'

Jack and his cronies stopped in their tracks and tried to come to terms with yet another implausible turn of events.

'So, err, boss, you want we should err¦get rid of the lady?'

'Yes, umm no, err¦I don't know, let me think for a moment.'

'And who is this little fellow? Oh, I see little Gizzy's gone and found herself a boyfriend, hasn't she?'

Diesel barked in response and waved his tail enthusiastically. Giselle jumped down from Emily's arms and nuzzled against Diesel, barking in affirmation.

'And he saved you from these mean bullies, didn't he? Good boy'

Emily gave Diesel a pat on the head, then turned and waved an indignant finger at Jack.

'Bad dog! Bad dog!'

Jack could only stare.

Emily gave a little whistle and picked Gizelle up as the limousine rounded the corner and parked in front of them.

'Hop on, little fella.'

As the limousine sped off, Emily stuck her voluptuous body up the sunroof, turned around, and gave Jack one last indignant look.

The truck driver's jaw dropped as he saw what must have been the most beautiful woman in the world rise out of the limousine in front of him like some kind of Venus and give a sensuous pout. Temporarily losing control of his motor skills, the driver veered the truck into the unsuspecting pack of dogs standing next to the overturned fire hydrant.

Jack was formulating a plan. No one got away that easily. He would have his revenge. As he turned around to reveal the details of his next evil scheme, Jack noticed a huge mass of metal that appeared to be advancing towards him at an inconveniently fatal speed. His eyes widened in surprise. He was not unfamiliar with the concept of girls throwing themselves at him. Automobiles on the other hand, that was new. He had always known that the purpose of cars was to take you from point A to point B, but it suddenly dawned on him that they could sometimes take you from point B past the point of no return. Jack raised a paw in protest and uttered what were to be his final words.

'Woof?'

Off in the near distance, a man screamed as his barber absentmindedly cut off part of his ear.

Emily pulled herself back into the limousine and took a look at Diesel.

'Oh my, aren't you filthy. We'll make something out of you yet!'

Diesel looked in horror at the pink ribbon in the domineering woman's hands and gave a small whimper.

The End