The silent Detective

Arthur, the German shepherd dog, with extraordinary abilities and prowess, would often play with Jerry, his master. He was undeniably fond of his owner and would always follow him aroundthehouse. This canine would often wag its tail at the sight of his master in excitement and happiness and jump on his owner to say 'Good morning' when he wakes up in the morning and utter 'welcome home' when he returns from work. Jerry would carry his four-legged friend with a warm hug. Arthur would stick out his tongue and lick the face of Jerry.

On the other hand, Philip, brother to Jerry, maintained a lukewarm disposition to Arthur. He only cared less about Arthur. Arthur would try to get the attention of Philip by pawing him and mouthing him with his jaw, but Philip would resist him and push him away. And this has been happening repeatedly. So, Arthur stopped playing with Philip since Philip declined his offer of friendship. Arthur became distant with Philip and stuck to Jerry only.

A sudden knock on Jerry's door drew the attention of Arthur. 'Who could that be?' Arthur wondered, as he accomplished his master to get the door. The door was opened. Lo and behold, it was an old friend of Jerry whom he had lost touch with for over a decade.

Jerry screamed and said "Ralph". Ralph exclaimed- "Jerry." Where have you been all this while?" Jerry asked. "It's been pretty, pretty long," Ralph retorted. Jerry asked Ralph to come in, and he welcomed him in and offered him a seat. Just as Ralph was about walking in, Arthur quickly ran to Ralph and sniffed his crotch. But Jerry intercepted Arthur and pulled him back. Arthur resisted Jerry's pull and tried to lunge at Ralph but was quickly pushed away by Jerry before he even attempted. This got Jerry infuriated at Arthur. He called Arthur and commanded him to get out of his sight. Arthur turned to Ralph and began to bark at Ralph repeatedly, several times, then left the presence of Jerry. Meanwhile, Jerry felt embarrassed with Arthur's behaviour with his guest. So, he tried to apologise to Ralph on behalf of Arthur. "Please, kindly bear with me. You know how dogs react to people they've never seen before. "No issues. I understand, " retorted Ralph.

So, Jerry was excited to see and reunite with an old friend of his after such a very long time. But there was something unusual Jerry noticed about Ralph. Ralph had an unkempt appearance, which is suggetive of a neglect in personal care. Jerry paused the conversation and asked to be excused by Ralph. Jerry prepared a meal for his guest and served it to him with a glass of milk. Ralph responded to Jerry and said- " Thank you." Jerry replied and said- "You are welcome. "

"It's been fifteen years you and I last saw and last spoke to each other." Jerry exclaimed. Ralph responded and said to Jerry- "You are absolutely right." Jerry asked Ralph a second time- "Where have you been all this while?" Ralph responded and said- "I don't have a home. As a matter of fact, I am a destitute. I don't have where to turn to. That's actually why I've come to you for help. Jerry moved with compassion, then asked- "What actually happened?" Ralph responded and said,"I lost my job because the company in which I worked closed down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, I became bankrupt. " "Ah, it's such a pity," Jerry snapped. Ralph, interrupted and added- " To make matters worse, I got abducted and robbed of my belongings." "You mean here in Massachussetts?" Jerry asked. "No. This happened in Los Angeles. Life has been so cruel. So, I have been moving from pillar to post."

Jerry then asked- "How may I be of help to you?" Ralph replied and said , "I want to stay with you temporarily while I go in search of another job.

"So, how long do you intend to stay?" Jerry asked."Not beyond two months!" Ralph replied. "OK. Consider it done!" Jesrry said. "Thank you so much, buddy." Ralph replied. Jerry was delighted to welcome his old friend home and agreed to accommodate him, too.

Meanwhile, Ralph would rather keep to himself and remain all day in his room. When asked why he would not interact with anyone, he would always reply- "Nobody loves me. No one cares about me. Even the dog hates me. Life has been so cruel to me. So, I would rather keep to myself to feel less insecure ." Tglhis reply of his often arouses sympathy. Then, he would be left alone.

Jerry would turn on the television to CNN or any news channel, but Ralph would humbly request to tune to a comedy station or to the National Geo Wild channel. He would state that he needed something to make him laugh or keep him amused in order to relieve him of his emotional and psychological trauma. And he'll be given the liberty to watch the television channels of his choice.

Meanwhile, Arthur had been standoffish with Ralph but still remained cordial, faithful, and loyal to Jerry. Arthur would often and repeatedly bark and growl at Ralph to the amazement of Jerry and Philip, but no one paid attention to him.

Arthur would often sit in between Jerry's legs at the sight of Ralph and would stare at Ralph so intently and begin to growl at him. The suspicion and hostile disposition of Arthur towards Ralph lingered and intensified as each day went by. This made Ralph uncomfortable. He began to regret even coming to stay with Jerry in the first instance. So, he opted to finally leave Jerry's house.

At some point, Jerry was getting disturbed by Arthur's hostility to his guest and was considering rehoming Arthur and getting a new dog.

One morning, Ralph quietly packed his belongings and bid farewell to Jerry. "I hope it's not Arthur that drove you away and got you packing?" Jerry asked. "No. It's not. I just got to get out of my comfort zone and try to make ends meet. After all, for how long would I remain at a spot and not make progress. I gotta go, man. I just gotta go!" At this point, Jerry felt so sorry for his friend and gave some money to him to take along with him so he won't be stranded. After Ralph's departure, Arthur became very calm and relaxed. He no longer barks or growls anymore. He returned to the 'Arthur' Jerry, and Philip had always known. Moreover. Jerry is now at liberty to watch the television channels of his choice, especially now that Ralph is no longer around.

Jerry always loved to watch news channels, sports channels, and entertainment channels. He tuned to CNN. What did he see? He hurriedly walked to Philip's room and knocked at his door. "Philip, please, come out to the living room. It's very urgent!" Without hesitation, Philip quickly left the room and followed Jerry to the living room. They were both shocked at the news reports. CNN revealed that Ralph Jason is convict who escaped from prison and is nowhere to be found. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP); the law enforcement agencies, and the court system are jointly in search of him and all other escapees. Anyone who knows his whereabouts should quickly report to the nearest Police station around. Ralph Jason happens to be the same person Jerry accommodated in his house.

Thus, Jerry and Philip were still in shock and began to say to each other how they harboured a criminal without the slightest clue. Jerry and Philip later understood the reason behind Arthur's suspicion of and aggression towards Ralph. This is not all. Jerry began to recall how Ralph would always avoid news channels for fear of being exposed and would rather keep to himself than mix with others for the fear of being discovered or noticed. This is how Jerry and Philip would have gotten themselves into trouble and would have probably been spotted and arrested if Ralph had continued staying with them. All thanks to Arthur that was able to spot Ralph's intentions and send him packing.