James Thrashwolf and the Iditarod Race
By: Red Tailed Hawk
James awoke with a start. His phone was ringing; it had woken him up. He remained in bed for a few minutes; the answering machine would get the phone. He had been having his favorite dream, the one in which he was a musher competing in the Iditarod race; he had been having the dream for months.
James' answering machine activated with a ‘click’. The recorded message started playing, and James heard his own voice saying “Hi. This is James Thrashwolf’s residence. I’m out right now; leave a message after the beep and I’ll call you back.” BEEP!
“Hi, James, this is Brian. I know that you’re home. I’m calling to tell you that I’m coming to your house. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. This is very important, so I highly suggest that you get ready.”
Hearing this, James scrambled out of bed and quickly showered, dressed, and got ready for Brian to arrive.
He finished his preparations none to soon. Brian rang the doorbell and James rushed to answer it. Brian was standing there, looking distressed. When Brian saw James, a look of relief crossed his face.
“Thank goodness!” Brian exclaimed, as James invited him inside. Brian sat down, while James got out a box of donuts for both of their breakfasts.
“So, what’s the big deal?” James asked Brian.
“You know how I’m participating in the Iditarod race?” Brian answered.
Yes, James thought, I know. I’ve been feeling jealous for 2 months.
“Well, my equipment manager quit this morning. Something happened, and he had to go and meet with his family.” Brian continued, “I need a new equipment manager, otherwise I get disqualified.”
“Really?!” James exclaimed. I may be jealous, but not mean. I wouldn’t want Brian to get disqualified, even though I am jealous. “Where will you find a manager now? You have to leave in three days, and the race begins only one week after that.”
“Well, that’s why I came over.” Brian said, “I was wondering if you’d like to be my equipment manager.”
Are you kidding? James thought. I’d love to!
“Well, what do you say?” Brian queried.
“Of course I’ll be your equipment manager.” James said, “But I’ll need to get equipment and clear my schedule.”
“Don’t worry about the equipment,” Brian said, “I already got equipment for my former manager, and you two wear the same size. Just clear your schedule and pack some clothes. I’ll get the rest.”
Three Days later, Brian pulled into James’ driveway in a large van. James shoved his stuff in and sat down in the passenger seat. He buckled in, and started talking with Brian about what they would do when they got to Anchorage, Alaska. They were halfway to the airport when James, who was staring out the window, saw a relatively large bird. It was smaller than an eagle, but bigger than a falcon. As James watched, the bird swooped down behind tall grass, and then fluttered away, carrying a mouse. James noticed just before the van turned that the bird’s tail feathers were the color of rust. Then the van turned a corner, and the bird was gone.
Ten minutes later, Brian maneuvered his van into an airport parking space. Brian and James got out, unloaded their bags, and went to the check-in counter. They checked in their bags, and headed to gate B-48.
After the flight landed in Anchorage, Brian and James disembarked from the plane. They claimed their baggage, and walked out to the large building that Brian had been living at for months while training his dogs. After James put his duffels in his room, he went with Brian to the storage area. As Brian turned on the light of the storage room, James’s eyes were bombarded with images of first-aid kits, parkas, a few different firearms, flashlights, and food.
“What is all of this clutter?” James asked.
“My equipment,” Brian replied.
“You can’t possibly expect to take all of this!” James exclaimed.
“I don’t,” Brian stated. “As equipment manager, your job is to decide what equipment I should bring. You should plan for me to have enough stuff for me to survive and deal with any accidents or emergencies, while trying to minimize the weight.”
“Alright, I’ll get right on it,” James stated.
Six days later, James thought he had it all figured out. He made a list of the stuff on the sled, and gave it to Brian. Then he got the equipment together, and helped Brian tie it to the sled.
“Well, I need to be up early tomorrow,” Brian said, and then yawned, “I’m going to hit the sack.”
“I think I’ll stay up for a little while,” James said.
“Suit yourself. See you in the morning,” Brian said, as he walked up the stairs.
James headed over to where the equipment that wasn’t being used was. He started stacking things up, to make more room. As he was putting away a medkit, he glanced over to the sled. Near the sled, he noticed a peg that was holding up the harness for Brian’s top sled dog, also known as the longshot.
I wonder what it would feel like to put the harness on, James mused. Why not find out? I’m the only person awake; no one else will see me.
James walked over to the brown leather harness and put it on. I really wish I could compete, James thought, But this is as close as I’ll get. As he clipped the last buckle, he felt something like an electric shock. He tried to remove the harness, but his fingers had shrunk and grown small pads on the palms. James watched as his nose pushed out into a muzzle. Then, James felt a tickling sensation as his body sprouted gray fur. He fell forward onto all fours, and he felt a long muscle growing out of his spine. His knees reversed direction, and James collapsed.
Later, James woke up. James realized he was now an exact copy of Brian’s longshot husky. He was just standing up as he heard Brian call out to the dogs to wake up and get ready for the race.
Will Brian win the Iditarod race?
Will James regain his normal form?
Does James want to regain his normal form?
Will Brian realize what has happened?
I will answer at least some of these questions in a sequel, which will be written if asked by Thrashwolf, or through demand. Send comments and reviews to the forum, my e-mail, or my Private Message box. Thanks!