Chapter 4

Grape moved quietly as she left Peanut’s room. As she closed the door, she turned to the others with a heavy sigh.

“Is he all right?” Fox asked.

Grape looked down to her feet and her ears folded back, her purple body leaning against the door. “Yeah, he’s asleep now.” She slid down to the floor and hugged her knees. “Oh god, what am I going to do? I can’t leave him like this, he’ll BREAK!”

The group stood awkwardly for a few moments before King decided to speak up.

“Um… C-Couldn’t you send him to a counselor or a shrink or something?” He suggested.

Fox looked down at the corgi. “Good idea hon. But I don’t think there is anybody in the area who’s a “pet psychologist”.

Maxwell looked away in confusion, quietly mouthing the word, “hon?”

King suddenly lit up and snapped his fingers, a confident smile formed across his face. “AH! Wait, I think there is somebody we can talk to about Peanut…”

---

A few days later, a visitor arrived in Babylon Gardens. He was a human with long blonde hair and fair skin. He wore a navy blue shirt with a rather large blue bow on it and he wore what seemed to be a lab coat over that, along with a set of black slacks. He also wore a pair of black glasses over his face. One would assume that he was plucked from another time or place and dropped here.

Alongside him was a border collie who wore a purple collar with a rather odd dog tag on it. The tag appeared to be the alchemic symbol for Platinum.

Grape stood outside her house alongside King and Taro, as the two newcomers approached them.

“Are you sure about this guy?” King whispered quietly to Tarot.

Tarot nodded. “Yes, he has magical powers like, but prefers to change worlds instead of running them.”

“Is he stronger than you?”

“Yes, his power greatly surpasses mine. But we are good friends, and his power is limited in worlds like this.”

“Great. And the dog?”

“Most likely a servant created to help in this situation.”

“Wonderful…”

The man approached Tarot and gave her a hug, laughing, before turning to Grape. His crimson eyes seemed powerful, like a raging fire. “Hallo.” He spoke in a slightly British accent. “You are the one with the hurt doggy, correct?”

Grape felt agitated at how insensitive the man sounded, but decided to give him a polite nod. The man shook her paw lightly. “Ah, then well meeting you.”

He said. “I am “S. Digredior”, a licensed pet therapist, and this is my companion, “Dreizehn”, he is a therapy dog.”

Dreizehn gave a polite bow, but Grape couldn’t read anything from his hollow orange eyes.

Digredior pointed to the door with great vigor. “Now, it’s time to get to work! TO THE PATIENT!”

Grape led Digredior and Dreizehn into the house, where the eccentric man gave Mr. and Mrs. Sandwich the same introduction word for word, before sitting down on the family couch.

“So tell me?” Digredior asked. “What happened to the poor doggy?”

Mr. Sandwich sighed before he responded. “Our dog, ‘Peanut’, was raped.”

“Aye, sorry. So how has… ‘Peanut’ been acting ever since?”

Mrs. Sandwich scratched the back of her head. “Well, he been quiet ever since, only speaking when needed to. He’s been losing sleep, he’s lost weight dramatically, almost ten pounds…” He paused to wipe her eyes before continuing. “He’s stopped drawing, he rarely smiles anymore. The list just goes on, and on.”

Digredior scribbled something into a red notepad that “mysteriously” appeared in his hand with a pen that he pulled out of his pocket. “I see.” He said quietly. The man handed the notepad to Dreizehn, who placed it in his collar. “May I see the doggy now?”


Peanut awoke to the sound of the door opening and slowly turned to see a man with long hair approaching him. The dog immediately jumped out of the bed and stood upright, his chest heaving, his eyes widened with shock.

Grape and the Sandwiches suddenly walked into the room and began to console the frightened dog, who merely cowered pathetically in the arms of Mrs. Sandwich. Digredior said nothing simply stood there. He observed Peanut carefully, while taking mental notes of any signs that might prove useful in the future.

---

Matted and filthy fur – Trauma has caused the victim to lose interest in personal hygiene. This might lead to sudden illness or death if not fixed.

Dark bags around eyes – Subject is neglecting sleep, most likely because the traumatic events are still imbedded in the victim’s subconscious. Hence, the victim suffers from nightmares and night terrors. May prove problematic in the future if not treated soon.

Visible ribcage and thin frame – Victim suffers from extreme malnutrition due to trauma. This WILL be fatal unless treated immediately.

Reactive mentality – Victim appeared to be highly alert when he was aware of my presence. Perhaps I remind him of the criminal. I will look into this.

Slight scars on wrists, arms and legs – Possible attempted suicide due to trauma? I will have to investigate, as the victim’s mortality might be compromised.

Possibility of victim suicide based on acquired data – 65%

Current victim mortality status based on acquired data – CRITICAL!

Current course of action – One-hour therapy session twice a week, until I can get a conclusion on victim’s current mentality. I will take the necessary precautions if they are needed, even if advanced medication, institutionalization, and euthanasia are offered.

---

Digredior and Dreizehn politely bowed as they prepared to leave the door. “I will be seeing the doggy two times a week until I can get a conformation on the status his mentality, correct?”

Mr. and Mrs. Sandwich nodded in agreement and shook his hand. “Until next time, Servus.” Digredior said as he walked out the door with Dreizehn following behind.
Grape looked out the upstairs window as the eccentric man and his dog walked into the cul-de-sac and out of Grape’s line of sight. She sighed and walked towards Peanut’s room.

“Hey Peanut, are you still upset?” He wasn’t there. Grape looked around the room before heading to the bathroom that Grape and Peanut shared. The door was closed, and locked.

“Peanut, don’t get scared. That man only wants to help. Don’t feel frightened.”

There was no response other than a sniff.

“Peanut?” Grape called out to her canine friend as she knocked on the door.

“G-Grape?” A quiet sad voice called out from behind the door.

“Yeah, Peanut?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t take it anymore. Everywhere I look, I see HIM. I can’t bear it any longer…” The voice spoke, followed by another sniffle.

“Peanut.” Grape said, her stomach suddenly felt uneasy. She eyed at the doorknob.

“What are you saying?"

She heard Mr. Sandwich’s voice from downstairs.

“Honey, have you seen my shaving razor?”

Suddenly a bell seemed to go off in Grape’s head as her paw suddenly reached over and tried to turn the knob, and she instantly knew why. It refused, so Grape began picking at the lock furiously with claws.

“PEANUT, OPEN THIS DOOR, NOW!”

“I’m sorry, Grape…”

“DON’T FUCK WITH ME! OPEN THE DOOR NOW, PEANUT!”

“I love you. Goodbye.”

Grape finally managed to pick the lock and open the door fast enough to watch in horror as Peanut slid the shaving razor quickly over his wrist, which was instantly dyed deep crimson.

“PEANUT!”