Grace was so frightened of Seth that she did not struggle against him, but laid quietly whimpering in his arms with her ears laid flat back against her head. Why had Moe handed her to this Beast, she wondered? She hoped he would be back to get her soon.
"Quiet now," the Beast had a gruff voice that did nothing to soothe her fears. "Be quiet now, dog."
He walked into his den and sat down on the couch, still clutching her tightly so she couldn't escape. The Beast stroked her head, but it didn't comfort her like Moe's gentle caress. And the smell! The horrible, thick, disgusting smell! Grace whined.
"Here," Seth had prepared for her arrival by setting a bowl of treats on the side table. "Have a treat, dog." Grace turned her head away from his hand and began to wriggle.
"Be still dog!" Seth lost his grip and Grace jumped onto the floor and under the sofa. "Wait!" he tried to snag her, but she moved too quickly. Before he could stop her, she was safely hidden between the hardwood floor and the padded bottom of the sofa. He crouched down, trying to lure her out with doggy treats, but she had no intention of getting anywhere near the hand reaching out to her.
Seth finally gave up and sat in a chair across from the couch. 'I should have gotten a crate for her,' he thought. She would have to come out eventually if she wanted to eat, but for now, she remained safely hidden beyond his reach.
The horrible smell of the Beast overwhelmed Grace. It penetrated every pore and surface of the furniture. The shadows lengthened and moved across the room as time passed, making it less likely Moe would be back to collect her. Grace felt hungry and homesick. She laid her head down on her soft paws and allowed her eyelids to droop.
Seth waited patiently as long as he could stand it, but the puppy under his sofa fell asleep before he could coax her out. He took one last look at her before retreating to his room for the night. She lay there with her eyes closed, just barely beyond his reach. "If she doesn't eat with me," he thought, "then she doesn't eat at all."
#
When Grace awoke, the smell of the Beast had greatly diminished, so she sneaked to the edge of her hiding spot to peek out. The room was cloaked in darkness, but Grace could still see the high ceilings and ornate furniture. A quick investigation showed the treats, however, were no longer on the side table for her to eat.
Without the Beast around, it was easier to smell other things in the household, so she gingerly poked her nose at her surroundings. Luckily he had left out a pile of newspapers as a potty and a water bowl to quench her thirst. She poked her tiny pink tongue into the bowl, lapping up the cold water, but still felt the pangs of hunger and wondered where the puppy food was hidden? Then she suddenly doubted if there was any puppy food in this house at all. At this thought, she inadvertently let out a high-pitched whimper of misery.
She heard a loud 'thwump,' from upstairs, and she let out another squeak. "Shut up!" Footsteps pounded down the steps, "I didn't bring you here to keep me up all night!"
Grace's paws scrambled on the hardwood floor as she tried to get back to her hiding place under the sofa. The Beast's footfalls in the hallway were frightening, and fear made her clumsy. She made it to the sofa just in time.
Seth leaned down and peeked at her, shining a bright flashlight in her eyes. He stood back up and plopped down on the sofa right above Grace, causing her to squeak again as the roof above her shook and creaked with his weight. "This is useless," he sighed and held his face in his hands.
#
Grace spent the entire next day hiding under the couch. The Beast came in and out of the room with various treats, but he would not leave them sitting on the floor like Grace hoped he would. Ideally, he would shove one of the treats toward her so she wouldn't even have to come out, but that didn't happen.
"Come on, dog," he coaxed, holding the treat tantalizingly between his fingers. "Come get a treat."
But Grace wasn't moving.
Seth remembered back to the Lady in White standing on his doorstep. He genuinely thought that he could give this pup some food and she would love him. He even bought the most expensive treats available! But it wouldn't work if the dog starved herself.
Seth sat in his chair and rubbed his temples. Why was she starving herself, he wondered? He lightly touched a fragrant bloom in the vase on the table next to him, and then looked again under the couch to see the pathetic little animal. He felt nothing but annoyance at her stubborn behavior. "Come on, dog! Will you starve yourself to stay away from my stench? Is it so bad?"
Grace recoiled at his angry words, and he walked over to his desk, defeated.
I can't just leave the food out for her, he thought, she has to be coaxed out of hiding if I am ever to pet her. I need to make a connection with her, but how can I if she won't come near me? How can I feed her if...
Seth sat up straight in his chair. He had an idea.
#
Seth spent the rest of the day collecting parts from his workshop. He would build a machine to feed her with, a machine that allowed him to give her a treat or even a bowl of food without being so close to her that his smell overwhelmed her hunger.
He spent all day connecting cogs and wires, welding shafts of metal into long poles, roping pulleys and connecting dividers into a wonderful contraption that reached from one end of the room to the other. It felt good to have a purpose again.
Grace heard the Beast working, and without him knowing she looked out a couple of times to spy on his strange activities. She didn't understand behavior of this kind, but felt grateful he was staying away from her.
She visited the pile of old newspapers and water bowl as quietly and infrequently as possible, but there was no food. She felt weak from hunger, but still unwilling to venture anywhere near the Beast for sustenance. In his distracted state, maybe she could sneak out in search of a snack? Or better yet, an escape.
Deep in thought at the edge of her hiding spot, Grace suddenly realized it had gotten very quiet. She looked over and the eyes of the Beast were on her. She yipped and leaped, and dove deeper under the sofa.
Seth did not come any closer, but he did speak to her from across the room, "Come on out, come get some food."
Grace heard excitement in his voice, a much more pleasant tone than the gruff anger he yelled at her with last night. She peered out again, encouraged by the distance between him and her.
"There you go, dog, come on out. Aren't you hungry?"
Grace couldn't understand his words, but she did smell something other than his stink. It was food, some kind of wonderful food she never tasted before.
Stepping tentatively out from her hiding spot, she walked slowly along the edge of this strange contraption. Her eyes never left the Beast, but he remained stationary on the other side of the room where Grace could beat him to the sofa if he charged her.
She chanced a look at the strange device tangling through the room, searching for the source of the food. The Beast sat far enough away that his smell only distracted her slightly and did not completely obstruct the food smell. She came to a spot that must be close and began pawing at the machine, one eye always on the Beast.
The small ivory keys Grace pushed on moved slightly, but nothing happened. She nuzzled them with her nose and the Beast continued to encourage her from afar, "Go ahead, dog, play a note and you'll get a treat!"
Grace pawed and pawed at the keys until finally one made a small melodic sound. "Hoorah!" The Beast whooped, and he sent a treat along the ramp to fall in front of her on the ground. But Grace no longer stood there, she had run scared at his loud whooping, back to safety under the sofa.
Seth slapped his hand on his head in frustration. He took a deep breath, reminding himself inwardly to keep the volume of his voice down for the sake of not scaring the small animal. "Come back out, dog," he said quietly. "I won't yell again."
He waited patiently until Grace re-emerged and walked cautiously over to the treat, her hunger overcoming her fear. She wolfed it down hungrily and continued playing notes on the keys to earn her dinner, receiving different treats depending on what note she played. Grace soon had favorite keys that she pushed over and over again.
After almost an hour, a very tired Grace tottered back to her spot under the sofa and lay down. Seth stayed on the other side of the room until she was safely in her hiding spot, then he walked over to his desk to begin the plans on his next project.