Tom's Parallel World Pt. 09

Peter laughed to himself, making Tom look at him, wondering what he was thinking up. As they walked, the path returned around the headland, giving them a full view of the cove and village and this time fisherdogs had returned to stand guard outside the Captain's house.

As they walked closer, rather than the two just acknowledging Tom, they stepped onto the path in front of the pair.

"Hi, Peter, hi Tom... Tom, the captain wants to see you, he's inside..."

Peter moved to join him, but the fisherdog halted him.

"Sorry Peter, just Tom... What have you there, another one of your science experiments?"

Back home, for Tom, this would be a high school taunt, but here the question was clearly in admiration of Peter's academic prowess that the two canines appreciated.

"Yeah, Tom was helping me, thanks... I'll see you later Tom."

Peter lifted the sonar device for the two fisherdogs to see, but after a cursory glance, the one held his paw out to indicate that Tom was to go to Captain Brown's house. Peter walked on along the path, back to the village.

Tom thanked the two Fisherdogs and went through the front door into the house, where he glanced into the front room to see the Captain, with Becky and Thomas.

"Hi... Thanks for mobilising the fisherdogs, Edgar."

Captain Brown frowned at Tom, whilst Becky and Thomas smirked.

"It turns out; the four watchers are all wanted by the police, besides the other minor laws they've broken here. You did us a favour Tom, as I don't want those kinds of people around the village. They will be out of circulation for a long time."

"Well, hopefully, as we'll have to keep an eye open that no one else replaces them."

Edgar predicatively shook his head, whilst Thomas and Becky nodded in agreement.

"Tom, I want to show you something. Come with me."

Captain Brown stood up and walked past Tom, leaving the room. Tom followed, surprised that Edgar shut the door behind them, leaving Thomas and Becky in the front room. Edgar headed for the stairs, but went down rather than up.

"I didn't know you had a basement?"

"We don't..."

Tom then realised that previously, on every other visit to the house, the stairs had only gone up. As they stepped further downwards, lights came on, lighting their way. After taking two flights down, they entered a room with lounge chairs and an open fire that automatically lit as they entered.

"Wow, is this your bat lair?"

"No Tom... My private study. We have an appointment to keep. You seem to have taken on attributes of all the mammals you've had relations with?"

"Sorry?"

"You and Pisces have had intercourse. Now you can grow a merman's tail. I assume you can also do other things, having had sex with various felines and Becky?"

"Ahh, yes... I can see in the dark, not like a human, but like cats and dogs... Even in the dark, I could see Roxy lift the syringe to inject me and I can smell like canines. In fact, all my senses seem honed and fine-tuned"

"I'd like to see how much you've taken on... See the artist's signature on this painting?"

Edgar pointed to the bottom right-hand side of a large painting hanging above the enormous fireplace. The painting was of Edgar, Margaret, and Becky, standing in the lounge above. Tom could clearly see a scribbled signature and nodded to confirm.

Place your hand on it and let's see if you've picked up any other attributes. Tom stepped forward, looking at Edgar, questioning the odd request, as his hand reached up. It felt strange to stand there, his hand on the corner of the painting. He was about to pull his hand away when his hand tingled and the long wall of the room disappeared to open up to a larger room.

"Hmm, it seems Becky has passed on some of the family's heritage."

Edgar walked into the larger room, encouraging Tom to follow him. As Tom walked through into the larger adjoining room, his senses tingled, showing something strange was happening. This larger room had curtains draped over tall windows, with various dust sheet covered, paraphernalia littering the floor around the room and a large, ornate table with six equally ornate chairs.

Tom glanced back to the room they had just left, and it had gone. There was now a wall where they had walked through, with similar pictures of canine. Feline and human families, in the middle of which was an identical picture to the one hanging in Edgar's basement room, or wherever the room they had just left was.

Edgar hunted around the edge of the room to find some frames hidden under a dust sheet. After a little shuffle through the frames, he pulled out what was another large painting. He lifted it up onto a chair's seat for Tom to examine it. The painting was similar to the one over the fireplace that Tom had placed his hand on.

Although rather than the painting being of only Edgar's family in the front room, it was of his family, joined by Thomas, standing on the cliff path outside their house with the village behind them. Standing behind them was a figure, who was clearly Tom, being joined by the three kittens. Unlike real life, Kitty's Pub was clearly in the background, with Kitty and Sarah outside.

"A local man brushed this and other paintings at the time Dogwatch Cove changed its name. He had become a little deranged, being addicted to taking the seaweed pods. You can imagine my surprise when you arrived here, the human in the painting and how you would entwine yourself into the felines in the background."

Tom was still taking it in, as he realised the implication.

"So he painted this, long before you had Becky or Kitty had her pub?"

"Yes... You can imagine the discussions it created in my grandfather's time."

"He painted others?"

"Yes, but it's probably best not to show you those... Especially as we're unsure if they are the rambling images of a madman or predictions of clarity."

Before they could talk further, a door at the other side of the room opened and an older, grey-haired Alsatian like dog entered, moving to greet Edgar. He carried the same air of confidence as Edgar, but with a grin of familiarity across his face.

"Welcome, both of you. Edgar, it's lovely to see you."

"Bob."

The two shook hands and hugged.

"So you're the infamous traveller from the other world?"

Tom nodded.

"Welcome to Buckingham Palace."

The stranger spread his arms wide.

Tom's jaw dropped as he looked around and soaked in the opulence of the surroundings, with its high ceiling with ornate chandeliers, the cornices in the corners. He sped across to the nearest curtain and pulled it back. It took a few seconds to take in the view and realise he was seeing the Mall in London from a new perspective.

In front of the palace, on the public side of the high fencing, was an enormous statue similar to the one that stands in his world, but instead of the matriarch of Queen Victoria, a noble alsatian stood, wearing a crown.

Tom gasped, "Queen Victoria?"

"Yes, she's magnificent, isn't she?"

"Bloody hell, maybe our worlds are more parallel than I could ever imagine. But how did we get here?"

"I'm sorry Tom, I should have warned you when we walked down the stairs at my home. There is a teleporter that transported us to a secret hub located elsewhere in Cornwall, not in the basement. Then, as we crossed between the two rooms, another connection transported here. It allows us the opportunity to meet and discuss things in private."

Edgar stepped forward to introduce the stranger.

"Tom, this is King Robert the third, my brother Bob."

Before the king's hand reached to shake Tom's, Tom couldn't resist a giggle and threw any possible etiquette out of the window. He threw his hands in the air, waving triumphantly, shouting in a mock minion voice, "King Bob," and burst into a fit of giggles, causing him to double over.

King Robert stood stupefied, looking at Edgar, who was apoplectic with his eyes bulging in horror, shaking his head. He admonished Tom, "TOM, this is not a churlish matter. Bob is the King of all the British Isles."

King Bob and Edgar looked at each other, unsure of what to do next. Edgar had his own elevated level of etiquette, and his eyes bulged with anger. His lips quivered into a snarl, but looked back to his brother for guidance.

The severity of the situation dawned on Tom, as he realised that maybe this was a step too far. He and Edgar had always had a rocky relationship, despite him saving his life, and humour was not on his radar. Tom glanced at the king, whose stance and facial expressions were that of a poker player, not hinting at his disposition.

Tom gulped and the image of a pack of pitch fork wielding palace guards chasing him to the Tower of London and the gallows ran through his mind. He'd known the risk right from when he first met Sarah and now he had thrown it down the toilet, insulting the King.

King Bob glanced at Tom and then back to Edgar, who held his snarl, waiting for his brother's command. King Bob returned to look at Tom.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Tom couldn't believe his ears, he was being asked to repeat his insult to a King... His legs turned to jelly. He couldn't retract what he thought was a comedic ice breaker, nor could he pretend to have said something different.

"Er... King Bob?"

"No, you didn't quite say it like that, did you? You said it in a strange, squeaky voice and with a lot more gusto."

King Bob mimicked Tom, waving his arms in the air.

Tom wasn't sure, but he was positive he saw the corner of King Bob's mouth quiver and rise in the beginnings of a smile. He gulped and tried to shake the feeling of terror off. He waved his hands in the air once more whilst mimicking a minion and screamed, "King Bob!"

King Bob burst into laughter, doubling over himself, pointing at Edgar, leaving Tom unsure who was the target of his mirth.

"By good queen Bess, I thought you were going to burst a blood vessel Edgar."

"Bob, that is not funny. Don't encourage him."

No soon as Edgar finished his sentence, Bob threw his hands in the air to scream, "King Bob,"

And burst out laughing.

"It's quite emancipating, you should try it sometime Edgar."

"BOB."

"Maybe I should try starting my next big speech with that. Tell me all about King Bob in your world, Tom. He must be a humorous chap?"

"Er, no, it's an animation, for children really, but it appeals to adults too."

"About a King?"

"Well, sort of, it's really about an arch villain's small yellow minions, who get into all kinds of silly adventures and the one being accidentally being made King of England, hence King Bob..."

Edgar angrily interrupted Tom's explanation, "Tom, we are here on serious business."

King Bob coughed and even with thick grey fur on, Tom was sure he blushed.

"Er, yes, you are right. Maybe we should have that conversation another time. Maybe over a beer in Kitty's one day?"

"Bob, you've been saying that for years. You know Margaret would love to have you visit, but you won't leave your precious palace or London."

"Now you know that isn't true. I go to Windsor Castle too," Bob declared with a grin.

"Why do you always vex me, Bob?"

"Because I enjoy making my little brother squirm."

With a wide grin on his face, king Bob strode and shook Tom's hand. The king's paw gave a firm handshake, definitely not reflecting the grey fur on his body. He invited Tom and Edgar to sit at the table.

"Tom, Edgar's right. We have a lot to discuss, but first I have to thank you for saving Edgar, as despite my teasing, he is my greatest advisor."

As the three settled in adjacent chairs around the table, Tom couldn't help but feel that this could be the most important meeting of his life.

~~~

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To be continued. ~~~~~~~