A crowded subway car was one of the most nerve wracking environments for Jamie. Surrounded by an abundance of strangers, with only intermittent moments where escape is possible. Jamie still had a level of nervousness whenever they walked out of the house and must once again enter the public space. Where it was once easy to go out with a cut and color that turned heads, finally living their truth made Jamie less comfortable.
Jamie was relieved to arrive at home. After flinging a backpack into the corner of the room, Jamie lay in bed, breathing deeply. The temptation to read the minds of those encountered during life was great. However, such power had to be wielded responsibly both for the sake of the public and Jamie’s mental health.
Finally, after four months, Jamie was finally gaining control over their power. The thoughts of random people did not invade Jamie’s mental space. Control granted them the ability to selectively listen or block out invasive thoughts. Jamie was also careful not to use the power to invade the privacy of others. It was a daily struggle to balance control, desire, sanity, and curiosity.
“Dishes?” Laura cried out from the living room.
“I literally just walked in. I was in a rush this morning. I’m sorry. I’ll get to the in a few minutes,” Jamie shouted back.
After another late day of spreadsheets and balances, Jamie trudged to the kitchen and got to work washing the dishes and to avoid being an inconvenience to the roommate.
“Well, at least now I can cook,” Jamie thought.
After a quick survey of the cabinets, fridge, and freezer Jamie realized it was a fruitless effort. After rifling through their wallet and finding a few spare bills, Jamie started out the door to find some food. Not quite feeling up to eating yet, Jamie stopped by a bench at the edge of Prospect Park, watching joggers and bikers circle on the perimeter roads.
Jamie noticed the occasional double take from a jogger directed toward them. With an exasperated sigh, Jamie leaned back on the bench resting an arm on the backing. Distracted by the sunset and squirrels running up and down the trunk of a nearby tree, Jamie was startled when a cold, wet nose brushed against their exposed heel.
Jamie turned around and saw a startled dog retreated into the foliage.
“I’m sorry, buddy. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Jamie held out a hand and the dog slowly re-emerged.
“Hey there. I know you didn’t mean to scare me. I’m just… on edge lately.”
The dog tilted its head to the left. Staring into Jamie’s eyes as they talked.
“Look at you. Are you lost out here in the park?”
This was met with a head tilt to the right.
“Aren’t you the sweetest? You just see me as me. No pretention. No judgement.”
The dog laid its right paw on Jamie’s shoe.
“Well, aren’t you a peculiar little fella? I’d almost think you understood me.”
The dog walked directly in front of Jamie and making direct eye contact, and let out a quiet “yip”.
Jamie stared down at the pup and bent down. His tail started to wag and Jamie reached for him. Jamie place the pup on their lap facing out towards the park. The dog instead turned around and looked at Jamie. He began to nuzzle and push Jamie’s left arm.
This struck Jamie as unusual. Jamie did not generally believe that animals were incredibly smart. After months of being able to read minds, they were not able to ever decipher a clear thought. But something felt different right now. With a newfound curiosity, Jamie opened their mind.
“Hey. Hi. Hello? No? I should have figured you would not be any different,” Jamie heard.
Jamie looked incredibly confused down at the fur ball in their lap.
“Wait. Are you...? Can you… Can you hear me?” the dog thought towards Jamie.
“No. No way,” Jamie said aloud. A few joggers’ heads turned, but immediately went back to their running.
“Wait. You can. You do hear me. NOOOOO WAAAAAYYYYY!” thought the dog. “This is insane. You have no idea. I mean, I can communicate with the other dogs, but they never really say much. And humans can never understand me. Rough language barrier.”
“Wow. This is incredible. I’ve never heard thoughts from any animal that wasn’t human. Even infants are difficult. How is this possible?”
“You tell me. Four months ago, I went from blissfully unaware and the unadulterated joy of dog life, then overnight I’m forming complex thoughts and have no one to express them to. Speaking of how it’s possible, I think it’s your turn to spill some beans. Also, I haven’t eaten yet today. Would you mind?”
“Ummm. Not at all. Come with me and I’ll grab us something to eat.” Jamie said. “It’s definitely not normal. Around the same time, four months ago, I started being able to hear other peoples’ thoughts. But just people. Well, until now.”
“Wow. You’re super special just like me. I’m glad I found you, friend.”
“Oh. Fun. Ummm… I don’t really have a name. After I started becoming aware of what a name was, I was just with my mother. And whenever I barked to try to communicate she just barked back at me. Kind of like an echo.”
“Well, I think that’s a good place to start. Mind if I call you Echo?”
“If I can get that food, call me whatever you want.”
“Park. It’s not great, but after I was weaned and my mom and the rest of my litter were caught, I’ve been riding solo. Just watching the people in the park.”
“Would you want to come home with me? My apartment allows small dogs. I just need to check with my roommate. There’s also some paperwork I’s sure, but we can figure that out. Now let’s get you something to eat and some water.”
Jamie pulled out a cell phone.
“Ummm… Laura. We need to talk. How would you feel about a dog?”
Jamie place Echo on the ground and started towards the super market. Echo’s tail wagging back and forth furiously while he runs beside Jamie.
