at they needed to locate the person responsible for the birth of Aromat. It was possible that creating new sounds required a great deal of practice, and the vet suggested that similar to a weight lifter, after a heavy workout, Aromat might merely be suffering some extra muscle aches and pains.
The medical lab was lit brightly with white lights. There were tables full of scientific equipment, medical reports, papers depicting scientific formulas, and many bottles of different liquids. The entire lab looked like there had been a tornado through it. Everything was in a state of chaos. In the centre, a man was wearing a lab coat, stethoscope, and glasses. A surgical mask covered the man’s face, and his gloved hands were working on something. Something on the table in the centre of the room was where the light was focused.
The constant beeping sound in the room indicated a heartbeat that was slow but stable. Then there was the doctor working on the creature on the table. The creature was none other than a dog – a dog that looked unexpectedly just like Aromat. The same brown and white fur, the same eyes, but it was not Aromat. The dog was unconscious as the man continued to work on it. The dog was female and looked older than Aromat. While the farten hound remained unconscious, the doctor/scientist was operating on her.
The dog didn’t look injured, but the surgery was being performed on its torso. The stable sound of the heartbeat provided a background for the otherwise silent room. As the doctor kept working on the dog, his hands were covered in blood as he used a laser tool on the dog’s mid-portion. The dog twitched a little but remained unconscious. The doctor kept operating on the farten hound as it lay unconscious.
“Well, mate, I think we are going to find out some things about you and where you came from, eh?” Tyson mumbled to Aromat as he lay on the floor in front of Tyson’s bed. Tyson had just turned on his computer, the words of the vet rolling around his head.
What the doctor had explained made sense to Tyson and his parents. Obviously, Aromat was a special dog, and all his illnesses or health conditions would be unique. They couldn’t expect a regular vet to know about the oddness of his being. The person who had created farten hounds must be able to tell what could be wrong with Aromat and what it had to do with his farting powers.
They had known that farten hounds were a rare breed, but they hadn’t known that the rare breed was not a natural one. When Tyson’s mother and Tyson had told his father William about their conversation, he didn’t know what to say.
“So, they’re not a rare natural breed?” William asked just to be sure.
“No, Dad. They are a product of what looks to be a science experiment. Someone must have wanted to create a super special dog breed with superpowers, so they tweaked with some dogs, and farten hounds were born. At least that’s what the vet thinks,” Tyson explained.
Tyson was too young to understand the implications of a science experiment like that. He was also too young to know the moral dilemma of it all.
“Wanda,” was Tyson’s mum’s name.
“If dogs were experimented on, this makes it a much more complicated issue. Are we sure we should take care of a dog like this? Shouldn’t we go to experts and let them deal with this issue?” Will asked.
“I thought the same, Will, but there’s a problem with that. Aromat seems too attached to Tyson already. And Tyson seems bonded with Aromat. Separating them now would be cruel. I think that it would be better for us to find out where Aromat came from, who created farten hounds, and what more there is to learn about them,” Wanda said wisely.
Tyson had overheard his parents’ conversation and knew that they were right. He had to find out about Tyson’s origins. That was why he came upstairs to his bedroom to get started on it right away. It was a fundamental matter, after all. He had to find out about Aromat’s origins, not for any other reason but for his own sake. Aromat was fine for now, but if he got sick or faced some horrible health condition, they wouldn’t know what to do. Tyson knew he had to find out about where Aromat came from and who created farten hounds in the first place.
As Tyson had already searched online for hours, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated. The closest thing he could find was a fan page for Aromat on Facebook. Tyson had almost given up, about to close every tab and switch off his computer before angrily going to bed when he came across something. It was a newspaper article that wasn’t even about farten hounds. Tyson had tweaked his search slightly and started looking for anything regarding “unique, special, extraordinary dogs”. The article mentioned a “special dog with unique abilities”. Tyson was excited to find a reference to a “unique dog”. It seemed that the dog mentioned was located in a town nearby. Finally, he might get some answers.
Chapter 4: Town Kajabbi
Ever since Tyson had discovered the news article about the farten hound in a nearby town, he wasted no time in trying to track down the details. It was the first dog who had similar abilities to Aromat. Tyson knew that it was the connection he was looking for. He just wanted to find someone or something that could help him understand more about Aromat and his kind. If even the veterinarian couldn’t understand more about the dog and its anatomy, then there was an urgent need to find someone who could.
Tyson was working tirelessly to find out more information. He would spend every day after school searching for more articles or links that could help him find the dog he had read about. He wouldn’t even go to his friend’s house or play with them in the park because he was determined to find out about Aromat’s origins.
“Still nothing?” Wanda asked her son as she saw him rifling through the recent newspapers he had bought with her at the news agency.
“Nope,” Tyson sighed. “I have looked at every newspaper this town gets every day for the past week. There’s nothing more about that farten hound. I don’t know what else to do.”
Wanda felt her heart break at the sight of her sad son. She knew how much he cared for Aromat, and she felt helpless because she had seen how hard he had been working to find out more about the hound and from where he came. She wanted to help him but didn’t know what she could do.
“Where was it that you read that article?” She asked Tyson. “Maybe if you retrace your steps, then you could find out something more.”
“I’ve already looked through that entire website. There was only one post about farten hounds, and it was that one. They never wrote about it again,” Tyson replied.
Of course, he had already looked through there, Wanda thought. He was an intelligent boy, and she was so proud to see the evidence of that.
“Did you look for the author? Maybe they wrote about farten hounds but on some other website?” Wanda suggested.
Tyson’s eyes widened. “Wait! Mom, that’s a great idea! I didn’t even think of that!”
Wanda smiled, glad to have been of help. “Well, I suggest you start looking, son.”
After his mother went to the kitchen to work, Tyson went back online to look for the article again. He had it bookmarked. He had memorized the author’s name and then went to the search bar on Google to type it in and see what popped up. He was determined to try as hard as he could without giving up. He felt that he owed Aromat that much.
It didn’t take long for Tyson to find the author on a social media site, but there was one downside. The author only contributed to one particular website and the newspaper where Tyson had read the article. He had written other articles on the website, of course, but nothing about farten hounds other than that one article. Tyson was sad to discover that, even with his mother’s help, he hadn’t been able to find much. He went into the kitchen, his face drawn, and sat on the bench while his mother worked.
When she noticed his downturned expression and heavy shoulders, Wanda paused from kneading the dough. “What’s wrong, Ty?”
“I couldn’t find anything,” Tyson sighed dejectedly.
“You couldn’t find the author?” Wanda wiped her hands on the wet cloth she had tied around her waist to the apron.
“I did, but the man works for that website only. He has written other articles but nothing more on farten hounds,” Tyson replied.
“Well, at least you found the author,” Wanda responded, trying to cheer her son up.
“What’s that gonna do?” Tyson said, still upset.
“How about this: you track down the author and try reaching out to him about the article. Since he wrote that article, maybe he has some answers for us,” Wanda said.
Tyson looked up at his mother, contemplating her suggestion. “I guess it’s worth a try….” He went back to his search, opening up his computer and cracking his knuckles. “Let’s find out where you came from, Aromat.”
Aromat was curled up near the fireplace and looked up at the sound of his name. He fart-barked in excitement, not knowing what was going on but still interested since Tyson seemed excited.
Tyson found the author’s social media and sent him a message regarding his quest to discover more about the farten hound. He told the author that he had Aromat, a farten hound, and how he had found him in an alley all alone. Tyson told him all about how Aromat had become sick a couple of days ago, and the vet couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. Then he asked him and pleaded with him to help him with his questions. He wanted to find out more about farten hounds for Aromat’s sake, and he asked the author to help him since he was the only one who had reported about it.
After sending the long letter to the author, Tyson waited for him to reply. He was not sure if the author would even respond any time soon, but he was hoping his story and queries would make the author at least sympathetic to Tyson’s cause. As Tyson waited, the author didn’t reply. Then his mother called him for dinner, and he had a quiet meal with his family. His parents tried to cheer him up, telling him the author would surely respond to his pleas since he had a genuine concern and questions. Tyson didn’t want to get his hopes up, though.
Tyson was done with dinner and then asked his mother to help him find more connections since the author wasn’t replying. As they went upstairs to look for more things online regarding farten hounds, Tyson was surprised to find a response from the author he had messaged. He was surprised but also delighted since he never thought this would work out.
“Hello, Tyson. I am glad to have received your message and learn that there is, in fact, another farten hound in the world. And so close! I am surprised and pleased to know that the farten hound I had found is not alone in this world. I am also intrigued to listen to your story about your dog, Aromat, with his peculiar habits and abilities. I am also
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grateful that the article I wrote impacted and allowed you to reach out to me. There is so much I would like to discuss with you, but unfortunately, we cannot do it over these messages. I also would like to see your dog, Aromat, and see for myself how these farten hounds function. Hopefully, we can agree to meet somewhere and discuss your queries about farten hounds.”
Tyson read out the author’s response out loud to his mother, and they were both surprised to see that he was so eager to meet. Things could not have turned out better, Tyson thought. He discussed the author’s request to meet with his mother, and they considered it. Wanda didn’t let Tyson know, but she was a little bit hesitant to let her son go and meet a stranger. Sure, he sounded friendly, but he was still a stranger, and the last thing that she wanted was for her son to meet a stranger he met online.
“If you go, I’ll come with you. I am not letting you go alone,” Wanda told Tyson.
He knew that his mother wouldn’t let him go alone, and he was okay with that. He just wanted to talk to the author about farten hounds.
***
The next day, Tyson and his mother set out to meet the author in the early hours of the morning. Tyson was hopeful about the meeting. Wanda explained to him that there was a possibility that it wouldn’t work out, and the author might not have the answers they were looking for. Tyson understood that, but he was sure that the author would be able to tell him something to start him off.
They met the author, a bald, skinny man in his thirties, wearing glasses, a white polo, and khakis. They went to a café, and the man was completely smitten with Aromat. Aromat loved the attention and rolled over on his back so the man could rub his stomach. Then the author and Tyson started talking about the article he had written. He told them all about his research and the way he had found material for the article. As the author told them all about the farten hound he had written about, they were surprised to learn of all the similarities it shared with Aromat.
“Where did you find the dog?” Tyson asked curiously.
“I found her owner one day. I was writing a piece on the unethical practices being done on different dog breeds. That was when my curiosity led me to a doctor named Frank Copper. At the time, I didn’t know anything about farten hounds, but once I met him, I found the dog I wrote about. She was in his facility, and I knew there was something strange about it. I also noticed that she had a pup. When I saw them, I asked the doctor about them, and he told me they were a rare breed. There were only two of them in the world – the mother and the pup. When I went back to try to rescue the dogs, the doctor and his facility were gone,” the author named Ben told Tyson and his mother.
“So, Dr Frank owned the dogs originally?” Wanda asked, trying to understand.
“Yes. I figured that the doctor still had them. That was until Tyson reached out to me. That was when I knew that Aromat was the pup I had seen in the facility. Since you found him alone in an alley, I am guessing the doctor still has his mother,” Ben responded.
“You’re telling us that Aromat and his mother are the only two of their breed in this world?” Tyson asked, shocked.
“Yes. That’s what the doctor told me, but before I could investigate it further, he was gone. I tried looking for him and found nothing. He could be in a new facility in the same facility or some new country altogether. But he is your best bet to learn more about Aromat and his kind,” Ben said.
“You hear that, mate?” Tyson rubbed Aromat’s ear. “We know about your mum. Now we just have to find her.”
Wanda smiled at her son, but she and Ben shared a look. Tyson was too young to understand that the doctor Ben spoke of didn’t sound so ethical or nice if he was keeping the two dogs with him in his medical facility. Wanda wondered how the doctor even found the farten hounds. There was definitely something strange about the entire situation.
“Dr Frank would know more about Aromat and his mother, right, Mr. Ben?” Tyson asked innocently.
“I am hoping he will, yes. He is your best option since he was the original owner of the dogs,” Ben replied.
“This means that we just need to find Dr Frank now!” Tyson said excitedly. “Isn’t it great, Mum? We will find Aromat’s mother!”
Wanda gave her son a hesitant smile, not wanting to crush her sons’ enthusiasm but also feeling uncertain about the doctor.
“Tell us more about the doctor, Ben.”
“Well, I found him during my research. I did a little background research about him. He is apparently a scientific genius. He graduated early from high school with a 4.0 GPA and went to Harvard for his medical degree. He was in human science before he switched to veterinary studies. During his childhood, Frank owned many pets. One time, there was a newspaper article about him. He had a pet dog who broke his leg one day during an accident. Frank panicked and decided to try and help the dog himself. He treated his dog himself, set his bone straight, and bandaged him up. When they finally did take him to the doctor, the vet was surprised because it looked like the work of a professional vet. Frank was only eight years old. They started calling him the ‘Junior Vet’ after that. Frank would help out his friend’s pets and even treat his own. The vets in his city were shocked because how could an eight-year-old be such an expert at veterinarian practices. But he was. He would help injured animals, and they would heal properly.”
Tyson and Wanda listened with rapt attention as Ben told Dr Frank’s story.
“He opened up his clinic after receiving his Ph.D., but the clinic shut down soon after. Nobody really knows what happened; just that the authorities deemed him unfit to practice anymore. After that, I guess Dr Frank had been working in the low-key medical facility I found him in,” Ben finished.
“Where can we find him?” Wanda asked.
“I’ll give you his last-known address, the facility where I found him with farten hounds. After that, I have no clue where he went, but maybe you could find something at the facility as a lead,” Ben said helpfully. He
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