Free Sirius by Jonathan Crown Page A

of champagne to their table, with a card saying “Love Errol”.
    After dinner, they go to the Garden of Allah. The air is scented with magnolia, even though it’s only January.
    Rahel sees the illuminated swimming pool in the palm tree garden. Lovers are cuddling up to one another on Hollywood swings, sipping at cocktails and smooching. The moon is high in the night sky.
    “I want to go swimming!” cries Rahel.
    “Why not?” answers Carl, pressing into her hands the swimming costume he has bought for her as a surprise. To the waiter he says: “Please show the lady the changing rooms, then bring us two daiquiris.”
    Then he jumps into the water. In his suit and tie.
    Rahel is speechless. Is she dreaming?
    It isn’t long before a giggling couple are swimming in the pool, the man in evening attire, and the woman flings her bare arms around him and whispers: “Happy New Year!”
    *
    Sirius sees a truck driving past with a huge bone on it. The Revenge of the Dinosaurs is being filmed in Hall 7.
    Bones, he thinks. Perhaps there’s chicken in the canteen. He slinks off towards the kitchen exit. It won’t hurt to have a sniff around and see what’s on the menu today.
    Two men are walking towards him. They stop and point.
    “Look,” says one.
    “Yes, I see,” says the other.
    They step closer.
    “Not bad,” says one.
    “Yeah, very good,” says the other.
    Sirius stares at them wide-eyed. What do the men want?
    “Cook?” calls one through the kitchen window.
    Sirius suddenly feels uneasy. Is it possible that the men suddenly have an appetite for dog meat?
    “Cook!” calls the other. “Is this your dog?”
    The cook shakes his head. “No, he belong to John Clark, I think. Or his chauffeur.”
    “Thanks,” say the men, walking away again.
    A short while later, Carl Crown is summoned to Tyrone Chester’s office. The director is famous for films so sentimental that people need new tear ducts after watching them.
    “I hear you have a dog,” says Chester.
    “Yes,” answers Crown.
    “We’re looking for a dog at the moment,” says Chester. “A cute dog. Is your dog cute?”
    “I think so,” answers Crown.
    “The dog needs to melt hearts,” says Chester. “Does your dog melt hearts?”
    “He melts mine,” says Crown.
    “That’s not enough,” replies Chester. “He needs to melt the hearts of millions of viewers. Can he do that?”
    “I don’t know,” says Crown.
    “Okay, we’ll give it a go,” decides Chester. “From tomorrow. Fifty dollars for the week. What’s his name?”
    “Sirius,” says Crown.
    “Sirius,” repeats Chester. “Like the star? That’s a good sign.”
    *
    The movie is about an unscrupulous con artist who plans to marry and fleece a rich widow, but her boundless love for him softens his heart, and in a moving plot twist he ends up caring for her when she becomes terminally ill.
    “And the dog?” asks Crown.
    “He belongs to the rich widow,” explains Chester.
    “What does he need to do?” asks Crown.
    Chester waves his hand nonchalantly. “Not much. He’s just there. Widows with dogs are more likeable.”
    Fair enough.
    “Scene 1,” calls Chester. “Let’s give it a go.”
    In the living room set, dripping with wealth, is a seating area with numerous chairs. These emphasize the widow’s solitude at the very first glance. There are tracks laid on the floor so that the cameraman can glide effortlessly on his podium from the long shots to the close-ups.
    The widow takes her place on the couch, has a quick touch-up from the make-up artist and murmurs her lines to herself. Sirius is supposed to lie at her feet. No problem for him.
    The spotlights go on.
    “Action!” calls Chester.
    The cameraman rolls first towards wealth, then towards solitude.
    “What’s the point of all this money if I don’t have love?” sighs the widow.
    “Cut!” cries Chester. “When she says the word ‘love’, Sirius needs to sit up and look at her. Explain that to