"MONDO CANE" story by Augusto Romano Flakes
Design Judith Flakes
The case was desperate. It was even called Dr. Djembé. A legend tells that the hospital Dr. Djembé was among those who had visited Salvador Dalí when he was surprised to crawl down to the ground believing an earthworm. On that occasion Dr. Djembé proposed a treatment history that surprised everyone - Let's get to fish.
Dr. Djembé arrived in the evening. After paying the taxi driver without leaving a penny tip, entered the park Hospital. I went through everything. He walked with a pitch fall on the carpet of dead leaves of the avenues. He spent the clinics of Internal Medicine, Obstetrics, Cardiology. A silent fog seeped into his nostrils. He had the disturbing smell of musk. Psychiatry was not far away. With his step seemed fanciful a patient who had been released instead of a doctor that you should enter. The head nurse stopped him at the door with a dirty look from parturient cat.
- I'm Dr. Djembe, - said he missed with his Portuguese accent.
The look of the head nurse is tamed:
- I do it just to accommodate you, doctor.
Dr. Djembe was escorted up to the study of Professor Vitali. The nurse opened the door. There was no one. Filtered through the window the smell of musk. He was going to be confused with the smell of disinfectant. Dr. Djembé ran his eyes on the shelves of books that covered an entire wall. He turned and saw a tall, thin shoulders hunched, his thick mustache and long hair and a grizzled old man Don Juan. It was another Dr. Djembé watching him from a full length mirror. He recalled that Professor Vitali used it to go down in the basement of the soul - to study their own image - he had once said - it increases the awareness of identity medical staff and the extreme detachment from the patient.
suddenly became Professor Vitali, shook his hand, thanked him for coming. Professor Vitali was a stocky man, blood type, the traits of a rough peasant, full lips. They sat facing each other, him beyond the desk. Professor Vitali leafed through a medical record and handed it to him:
- Here is all what we know about patient X, - he said. Shrugs unhappily. He got up, walked up to the window, turned around: - As I wrote in my e-mail, I want you to see him soon, it would be better just now, but without suspicious.
- pretend I am a new patient, - said Dr. Djembé missed with his Portuguese accent. Professor Vitali
approved with a smile. He called the head nurse and had to wear a pair of white linen pants and a jacket chamber. So it was that Dr. Djembé made the fool. Be after so many years on the other side of the fence gave the inescapable feeling of a victory.
When he entered the ward, the patient X was sitting on a bench along the side of the hall. It was a funny little man, the bald head with a strange survivor cowlick over his forehead. Leaning his head against the wall, the look that crossed the ceiling and tried to infinity.
- My name is Leo. And you, - said Dr. Djembé.
- Are you a lion?
- Oh no, Leo's name. You know, like that famous Russian writer.
- What is a writer?
- Be ', is one who tells stories and makes them run through the books. Did you ever read?
- read what?
- Books.
- I do not know what they are.
- but you know who you are. I mean, you know your name.
- My name is Medora.
- And the name?
- We dogs we have no name, only the name that gives us our master.
Dr. Djembé silent. Had to ensure that the patient X opened his world. But there was no need.
- First it was not so, - said the Patient X.
- Before when?
The Patient X turned to the stunned air Dr. Djembé:
- Oh beautiful! - He said - before they catch on the civilization of mankind.
Patient X was so that she began to relate to Dr. Djembé the most amazing story he'd ever heard. He was silent, listening.
- There was a time when we cani ci comportavamo da uomini e gli uomini da cani. Abbaiavamo guaivamo mugolavamo ringhiavamo e ci capivamo tutti alla perfezione: era il nostro linguaggio. Gli uomini parlavano invece una lingua individuale, ognuno la propria, e non avrebbero potuto comunicare se non per mezzo di interpreti poliglotti. Peccato che nessuno sapesse cosa fossero. La nostra civiltà era millenaria ed evoluta. La popolazione canina aveva costruito città intere: complessi di cucce e di cunicoli, orinatoi comuni e privati, annusatoi dove poter annusare la roba degli altri, disinfestatoi per cani igienisti che detestavano le pulci, infestatoi per cani masochisti che amavano grattarsi, ma anche opere di utilità sociale: istituti di ricovero per cani disadattati, dormitori per stray bitch in heat for brothels, homes for older dogs. Not to mention the lines of communication, ie the slopes and trails that connected the city and carried through all the lands then known. Law and order was maintained by a dog mayor surrounded by a pack of police dogs. But many families dog, by ancient custom, they adopted a baby human being. Crescendo would serve as a human guard to oversee the kennels. The man to watch was a territorial animal and was taken to the chain because it could bite anyone who approaches. But there were also human beings and companion utility to humans, as dogs for the blind men, men from rescue to rescue dogs that drowned men hunting to procure the game in the country, pastors men to treat sheep and goats. Despite the human being was considered the best friend the dog, had been cases where some dogs had been attacked and bitten. This had made it mandatory to use a cage of leather that was mounted on the face of man. We called viseruola. Other essential accessories for those who raise a human being, or utility company would be, were the clothes. There were various styles. The important thing was to never forget to cover their own human being, especially when there was bad weather. Human beings, unlike dogs, they had no hair, except on the head and other restricted areas of the body. Suffered from the cold so piercing and were rather poor health, although some breeds, such as black, were the most resistant to physical effort and discomfort. It was a world where all things wonderful dogs we were masters of everything and every living thing was to our service. But it was with the man who had a special relationship. Suddenly all that changed, the world turned over and we were dogs we do dogs. Even the old stray know the reason for the distortion. There are those who assume human brain development resulting in a sudden realization. Some say the barbarism of the company instead canina, ormai giunta al culmine del suo sviluppo e destinata a scivolare giù in un inevitabile declino. Chi entrambe le cose insieme. Ci trovammo così alla mercé degli uomini. Ma su questo pianeta non c’è nulla che duri all’infinito. La civiltà degli uomini avrà il suo periodo di splendore che sfiorirà nel tempo del suo tramonto. E poi, chi lo sa, arriverà la civiltà degli insetti, oppure quella degli uccelli, oppure nulla, il vuoto dell’eternità che si mangerà le civiltà della Terra.
Il Paziente X andò avanti per un pezzo con profezie ed evocazioni nostalgiche. Venne mezzanotte ed erano ancora lì, il Paziente X che parlava e il dottor Djembé che ascoltava. Poi became the one, two, three. Patient X did not end more than tell the world that had Dr. Djembé the inside. And Dr. Djembé never stopped to listen to more wide-eyed doctor who forgets his profession.
The night surprised them so destructive. X The patient lay down on the bench and fell asleep. Dr. Djembé left the department. There was no one around. He passed the door of the clinic in white linen trousers and jacket chamber. The fog seeped silently into the lungs. When he was in the driveway
Dr. Djembé stopped, sharpened his lips and blew. It came a sound deep and prolonged. Then he looked up at the moon high in the sky. Smiled and began to bark.
