Happy Ficlet Friday. Where is
MagiKal? Not only you are wondering that, dear readers.
Hope you'll enjoy this one.
The Magic of DogsA pale red hue flickered across the sky. Lois saw flames licking from empty windows and thick clouds of smoke.
Clark’s muttered ‘sorry’ had been loaded with pain, guilt and fear, so much so that she couldn't help but wonder if that were her emotions or his.
Clark was gone as if he'd never been there in the first place. But the icy slope he'd created melted before her eyes. Her knees were still trembling with terror induced by the struggle between Toni Taylor and the Toasters. The explosion still rang in her ears.
She couldn't believe what had happened. Suddenly, she'd found herself in Clark's arms, hovering several feet above the ground. Time had seemed to stand still, suspending their fall, like a dream. His wide eyes and drawn face, the hasty heaves of his chest, however, had been real enough.
There was only one possible explanation.
Clark Kent was MagiKal.
It seemed absurd. How could a man who hated crowds, who never seemed to be going out without his dog, be MagiKal? He was timid and shy. There was no way he would voluntarily be standing in the limelight.
Or so she'd thought.
The long, heart-wrenching whimper of a dog caught Lois' attention. It was a desperate sound that slowly turned into a deep howl.
"Houdini?" Lois whispered, taken aback.
The dog once more voiced his despair. Lois instinctively followed the sound. She went around the ruin until she spotted the Irish setter in a small alley. Houdini barked and whimpered. The poor dog darted back and forth in obvious confusion. He seemed to be fighting both the impulse to rush into the ruin and to jump up into the sky even though he couldn't possibly reach it.
He threw his head back and let out another long howl, a picture of misery.
The presence of a dog who seemed worried out of his mind was about the most unsettling thing of all. Because Houdini represented Clark more than anything, he reinforced the strange events of the night and sort of proved that she hadn't just been hallucinating.
"Houdini!" Lois stepped forward.
The dog focused on her, his body tensing. Every hair on his body seemed to stand on end. He released a low growl, baring his teeth as if Clark was behind him in need of his protection. Lois kept a respectful distance.
"Clark vanished," she told Houdini quietly. "He left you alone, too, didn't he?"
The dog watched her, no longer growling. But he was still tense, his expression unreadable. Lois' heart hammered in her throat. She was nervous, but also curious. This dog would probably know what was going on. If only he could talk. Right about now, she desperately wished she had someone, anyone to share her confusion with.
"He's MagiKal, isn't he?" She went a bit closer, careful not to threaten Houdini.
The setter remained where he was.
"He saved my life." Saying the words aloud made her breath go faster as if, just now, she realized how close to dying she'd come.
The dog seemed to relax a bit. His slowly-settling fur gave the strange impression of Houdini shrinking before her eyes. His whimpers softened.
She made a step toward him. "You miss him, don't you?"
The dog whimpered again.
Lois looked up into the sky, seeing nothing but smoke and darkness and the faint red glow of fire. Sirens filled the air, announcing the fire trucks.
Lois knew she should probably go and see what was happening at the scene, but she couldn't quite bring herself to leave the dog alone just yet.
Would Clark be back soon? Would he even talk to her? She remembered their interview, the moment of intense pain in MagiKal's gaze when he'd told her about how lonely he'd once been. Had he been so reluctant to talk to her because he'd been afraid she would guess his true identity?
It was odd that he would hide who he was. His magic was so wonderful, he could be a celebrity. Yet he chose to work as a freelance reporter covering dog shows.
"Will he be back?"
The dog whimpered again and lowered his head. He approached her carefully, pressing his nose against her leg and settling his head right under her hand as if begging her to stroke him, desperate for her comfort.
"You don't know either, do you?" She knelt and started to scratch his ear.
Houdini looked at her with pain in his gaze. She was certain that if dogs were able to cry his eyes would be filled with tears. Lois continued to stroke him, no longer sure who was offering comfort to whom. She felt a little silly for talking to Houdini, too. Clark's infatuation seemed to be rubbing off on her.
"What do I do with you?" she asked.
The sirens once more begged for her attention and her reporter's curiosity won over. Lois got up.
"Care to join me, while we wait for your master?"
Naturally, Houdini didn't reply. He just tilted his head and started wagging his tail.
***
"Okay, thank you." Lois waved at police officer Billings and turned to leave.
“Any time, Lane.” The man smiled. "Er… what I've been meaning to ask you - what's with the dog? Are they implementing safety measures for overzealous reporters back at the Planet?"
"Haha, very funny," Lois deadpanned. "He belongs to… a friend. I'm just keeping an eye on him."
She felt a pang of regret, because she wished that were true. But would Clark think of her as a friend now that he'd revealed his identity in front of her, a reporter?
Billings raised a single brow. "Looks more like he's keeping an eye on you."
Lois turned her head and glanced back at Houdini, who was standing at a distance and watching their exchange intently.
"Houdini's got a protective streak," she muttered. "Anyway, thanks for the quotes. I've got to get going."
"Need to make the early edition?" Billings asked.
"Something like that." Lois waved at him once more and went toward Houdini who promptly fell into step beside her.
She'd given her statement on the events that had led to the explosion. In turn, the police officer had filled her in on the condition of the five victims. Surprisingly, all of them were alive, sporting only minor burns and a few cracked ribs as far as the EMTs had been able to tell from their initial assessment.
Lois vaguely remembered that she'd seen them hurling through the air as if the blast had propelled them out of the way. Only, the barrel had exploded after she'd been out of the building as well.
So, what had really happened? More magic?
As she walked off, Lois glanced around, strained her ears and tried to make out anything in the darkness. But if Clark were back, Houdini would have spotted him already. She doubted the setter would be patiently following her if his master were close.
"What's keeping him so long?" Lois asked quietly.
Was he purposely keeping his distance because he didn't want to give her any more information than she already had, afraid she was going to publish it? Or was something else going on? She was worried for him. It had been almost two hours since his hasty retreat.
"What am I going to do with you?" Lois wondered aloud and looked at the dog at her side.
Houdini had ducked his head and looked as miserable as any dog probably could.
Should she take him with her and hope that Clark wouldn't mind?
The deadline for the morning edition had already expired. There was no sense in going back to the Planet to write up her article. Should she take Houdini home with her? It wasn't like she was prepared to accommodate a dog. Water wouldn't be a problem. But would the convenience store have dog food for a dog of Houdini's size?
Before Lois had a chance to make up her mind, the Irish setter took off. They'd just reached a broader street and it seemed that - unlike Lois - Houdini knew exactly what to do.
Lois ran after him. "Houdini! Where are you going?"
The dog stopped. He looked over his shoulder and barked at her as if asking what took her so long. Then he waited until she'd closed the distance between them before he moved on.
"Do you know where Clark is?" Lois wondered. "Have you heard him?"
She laughed, feeling silly. It wasn't like he was going to reply. But it seemed the dog wanted her at his side. Now and again he darted off, but he always waited until she’d reached him before moving again. And as they went on, Lois started to wonder whether she followed Houdini because she was curious or because she seemed to have no other choice.
They wandered through the city for a while. Houdini headed for a subway station and entered a train. They left the main island and got off the train as they reached a suburb. Houdini trudged on until they'd reached an industrial area.
Lois felt her frustration grow. She no longer knew where they were, much less where they might be going.
They passed a junkyard. "What is this place?"
In a corner of the yard there was an old RV. Houdini barked and sprinted toward it. When he reached the door, he jumped up and scratched at it. He barked, trying to get the attention of someone who obviously wasn’t here.
“That’s your home?”
Lois stared at the shabby RV with a mixture of shock and fascination. MagiKal was so popular, he could have made a fortune with his tricks. And yet he decided to live in an old trailer that looked so worn that it seemed like pure luck it hadn’t fallen apart.
Suddenly, Houdini let up and spun around. He started wagging his tail like crazy, barking and jumping around, his misery gone. There was a soft woosh behind Lois. As she turned her head, she spotted Clark, standing in a distance, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his pants.
He shifted from one foot to the other. His eyes couldn’t quite meet hers.
“You know where I live?” He sounded surprised rather than angry.
Before either of them could say anything else, Houdini was all over Clark. He put his huge paws on Clark’s chest and started licking his face. Clark laughed and tried to calm the excited dog. He ran his fingers through Houdini’s soft fur and seemed just as happy to see him.
“Houdini came here, I merely tagged along,” Lois explained.
Suddenly, she felt like an intruder. What if Clark didn’t want her here? She was a reporter and he had carefully avoided the press - until recently. Would he throw her out?
“You mean, Houdini dragged you along.”
Lois looked at the dog, wondering if that was what had happened. “Well, kind of, I guess.”
A smile flashed across Clark’s face. “That’s a relief. He’s a good judge of character, this one.”
