The switch

Hi my name is Mark Sobolewski but my students call me Mr. Sobo. Im a teacher at Scarlett Middle School and I teach seventh grade. I also do plays sometimes at a place called the Second City. Im kind of a busy guy but one of the things I love the most is my dog, I always make time for him. His name is Auggie and he is a pitbull/great dane and he is very sweet. I take him to doggy day care almost every day so he doesn't  have to be at home for the day while i'm at work. life is pretty normal for me and Auggie until last week, thats when it all changed or should I say we changed.

Hi my name is Auggie and I love my life, my owner is great and my friends at daycare are nice but there is something missing from my life and I don’t know what. I feel like i'm missing out on something but I can’t wrap my tail around it. What I mean is well I have a lovely dog bed and my food always tastes great but I just feel like there is something missing, until last week thats when I got a real taste of what it feels like to be… well i’ll let you figure it out!

Early on a monday morning I woke up by my alarm. Then I walked to my kitchen to eat breakfast and feed Auggie. When I got to school I saw my friend that also teaches with me, I greeted her and we both walked to our classroom. I set down my stuff and wrote the schedule for the day, five minutes later the bell rang and my students walked or should I say ran slash piggy back ride in. For 10 minutes they have messed around and chased each other across the classroom and I yelled at them to settle down. There was probably only one or two other students that were sitting and waiting in their seats patiently. When the bell rang all of them ran to their seats and sat down.

‘’Ok class sit down I need to take attendance’’ I shouted.

When my owner left the daycare I started to play with my friends. We played together for a hour until my owner picked me up again and took me home. The next morning I woke in a different bed. What was going on? I thought. I always sleep on the floor or in my dog bed thats weird. I started to sit up when I noticed that I  was wearing some kind of cloth. Some kind of thing that my owner wears when he sleeps. Then I noticed that I  didn’t have paws any more. I held them up and turned them around to look at them more closely. I had long stick like things and they were bendy to. I didn’t understand what was going on. I started to get up out of bed but then I fell. My legs where long stick things to?!? How could this be happening? I got on the floor and started to sniff around. I was walking on my weird paw things but my back legs where way longer than my front legs so it seemed kind of strange to walk like a dog to the kitchen to get my dog food from my owner. But when I got to the kitchen I saw another dog laying on my bed sleeping. The thing that was weird though was the dog looked exactly like me and smelled like me to. When I got closer to the dog it started to shift and open its eyes. It yawned and stretched for a minute but it didn't notice me standing a few feet away from it untill a couple minutes later, it looked up and the first thing it said was, well it didn't say anything it just screamed like a human. I tilted my head because I was so confused I knew that I looked weird for some reason but the dog looked perfectly fine.

When I was done stretching I saw the strangest thing in my life, was I still dreaming? I saw myself doing the bear crawl or thats how some people call it. The second thing I noticed was I was laying in Auggies dog bed. Then I started to scream, why am I seeing myself doing the bear crawl? I was tilting my head and I look confused. So just to see if I was not dreaming, I sat up and said, who are you but it came out as a dog bark. I was so confused about everything and so many things were on my mind.

‘’Hello?’’ the copy of myself said.

‘’Um why do you look like me and why am I laying on my dogs bed and why….’’ I started.

‘’No why do you look like me?’’ my copy self demanded.

‘’No you look like me’’ I stood up and started to walk over to the mirror in my bedroom but then I fell. What is happening to me? It felt safer to walk the bear crawl instead. So I went to the mirror and looked in. I Saw Auggie standing there instead to me. I looked like my dog?

When the dog that looked like me walked into my owners bedroom I followed. I saw him  looking in the mirror. He was shocked for some reason. I walked over to him and said, why are you shocked?

‘’I look like my dog’’ he replied. So I walked over to the mirror and peered in. I look exactly like my owner!

Then my copy self walked over to the mirror.

‘’I look like my owner!’’ he exclaimed.

‘’And I look like my dog’’ I said. Light bulb! I just thought of the weirdest idea ever!

‘’What if me and you switched places’’I started. ‘’I mean think about it, you look exactly like me and I look exactly like you’’ I explained. Then my copy self or should I say me, walked/bear crawl over to me and said, maybe you're right! So I taught him a few things about what he needs to know about being a human and he taught me about being a dog. We agreed that I would go to doggy daycare and he would go to work. I'm pretty sure I told him everything.

So when I got dressed I stood up on my hind paws and started to practice walking like a human. when I got it down I walked to the kitchen and poured my cereal into a bowl and started to eat.

I practiced walking like a dog for a while then walked over to my dog bowl and looked at it. I was not really sure if it was going to taste good but I had to try it. So I started to eat. I found out that it tasted really good and I mean really good. I kind of figured than Auggie didn't know how to drive so I would have to help him. When we got in the car I told him to get in the passenger seat and I would drive . Even if I was a dog I can still drive only if the police don't see us. So when I managed to get my seatbelt on I put my paws on the weal. But all of a sudden I forgot, I forgot everything that my diving teacher taught me! Then I started to think. Maybe Auggie has all of my thoughts and I have all of his thoughts,  if he didn't know how to drive or do anything like that before we switched then I don't know how to drive. Then that means that Auggie knows how to drive!

‘’Auggie, I think you know how to drive, try it’’ so we both got out of the car and switched seats. When Auggie put his hands on the weal and put the car in gear he started to drive. I could not believe it! Auggie is driving! So when we got to doggy day care he took me inside and bent down and said to me…

‘’I really don't know what i'm doing but I think it will be easy’’ I mumbled.

‘’Oh no it won't teaching is a very hard job and….’’ my owner started.

‘’I will be fine ok?’’

‘’fine but be careful!’’ he called after me as I was walking out the door. I didn't really know what to expect when I walked into that school. But when I was driving I saw the school and I was a pretty good size. Then I saw a woman walking up to me.

‘’Hey Mark!’’ She greeted me. I think this was the woman that my owner was talking about. She is teaching with him.

‘’Oh hey!’’ I replied. I didnt know where the room was that we were teaching in so I just followed her.

When Auggie walked out the door I turned around and saw a few dogs standing in front of me. I started to back away because I didn't know if they wanted to hurt me or not. They walked closer though. I was getting nervous but their faces lightened up and started to go in the play position with their butt up in the air. So I started to walk over to them and do the same. It felt good to get a break from work but every other minute I think about Auggie suffering around all those kids messing with him.

When I got to the classroom I looked around, it was really interesting because I have never seen his classroom before.

‘’Um wheres my desk?’’ I asked.

‘’Uh really are you joking’’

‘’No not really’’ I exclaimed.

‘’You are acting weird today’’ she began. ‘’ But its over there’’ she pointed to a desk in the front of the room. So I went and set my bags down on my desk. Then I heard a ringing sound. That must be the bell for school to start, I thought.

‘’ You're going to write the schedule on the board right?’’

‘’Whats a schedule?’’ I questioned.

‘’Ugh I will just do it myself’’ she sighed. A few seconds later kids came running in the classroom on their stick legs. They started hopping around the room. I was guessing that they were playing so I ran over to them.

‘’Can I play to?’’ I crouched down and put my paws on my knees.

‘’Um what?’’ one of the kids replied. They were all looking at me. What did I do wrong?

‘’Mark! What are you doing?!?’’ the girl that was teaching with me hissed.

‘’I just want to play!’’ Was that the right thing to say? I wondered. The girl that was teaching with me waved her paw for me to come over to where she was standing.

‘’What’s up with you today?’’ she started, but she didn't get far. A little blonde girl came up to where we were standing. She held up a white thing that was thin.

‘’Um hi mr Sobo, I was wondering when you were going to collect our homework from yesterday’’ she smiled with a cute little smile. Hey I remember that word, HOMEWORK! She wants me to eat it! I quickly took the piece of homework with my mouth and ran out the classroom into the hall then ran back in happily. Was no one going to chase me? Then I noticed everyone was staring at me. Did I do something wrong again? I saw the little girl looking at me confused. Then I realized that humans don't act this way, so I quickly had to make up an excuse.

‘’Um….’’ I started ‘’I was.. um uh’’ oh no, I thought, this can't happening, not now!

‘’ I was um pretending to act like my dog to show you um’’ I stuttered ‘’ to show you what he acts like.. yeah!’’. By the time I was done talking the entire class was laughing their heads off.

I wonder if Auggie is ok, I thought. How did we switch anyways? I need to find something or someone that can help us. I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't hear my food dish get put on the ground. I cant do this anymore I need to get out of here. Just then I heard the mail truck pull up to the doggy day care and the host opened the gate to get it from the mailbox. Heres my chance! I thought. So I ran to the gate and bam! Im out! I heard the host running after me and yelling to come back but I felt the wind in my ears and it felt good. But I had to stay focused I need to go save my job and Auggie. Though I had my mind set on running to the school to save the day, I saw something with a bushy tail and tiny legs it was a… squirrel!

 

Do they not believe me? I thought. This can't be happening I cant get my owner fired! The girl that was teaching with me was walking over to me again.

‘’ Come on I know you're trying to be funny but we need to get back to teaching and start the day’’ She said calmly. ‘’I will start with my subjects first’’. Subjects? Does she mean classes? Of course she does, I thought wait what does she teach? So many questions where going through my mind. I needed to take it off of something and be a dog again, but how? Just then I felt a cool breeze coming from the window and thats when I saw it. SQUIRREL! I wasn't even thinking when I tried to jump out the window and worst thing was my classroom was on the second floor.  luckily the window was window was only half way open so I got stuck with the window clamping shut on my back. I heard laughing behind me.

‘’Don’t look down don't look down’’ I told myself, but like always I did. ‘’AHHHHHH GET ME OUT OF HERE?!?’’ I shouted. Then I felt someone pulling on my legs and another person opening the window more. I quickly pulled myself out of the window and fell on the floor.

By the time I chased the squirrel down the street and up a tree I gave up. How could I even do this. I got off track thats all, I told myself. When I was approaching the school I saw someone halfway out the window waving his arms around in the air. Then I noticed that it was Auggie. Oh no what kind of trouble has he got himself into. I quickly run up to the doors of the school. Darn it how am I going to get in. But it was only a few seconds before someone walked up and opened the door, but right before it shut I squeezed in. There was no one in the lobby so the quickly went up the stairs.  when I was running to the classroom I passed an open locker. Then I looked up at the clock, oh no the bell is about to ring this is bad, what if one of the students see me, then what am I going to do. But I got an idea. I ran back to that open locker. I hope this works, I thought. I went up on my hind legs and grabbed the top of the locker door to look like I was getting something out of the locker. Then the bell rang. The halls where swarming with kids. In my mind I was freaking out, this is never going to work how would anyone think i'm a kid. No one gave me a second look though. When the bell rang for passing time to be over, I quickly sprinted to the classroom but before I went in I had to think what I was going to do. Im just going to have to wing it, im out of ideas. So I ran in the classroom and started to bark out my lungs with everything that I had. I stood up nice and straight so I looked bigger. Some people were running out of the room but the others just stared in shock. Its not working! I ran over to the kids and lunged at them. I just nipped them so they would be scared. It worked, they ran out of the room into the hallway. I didn't care if the principal came I just needed to get Auggie out of here.

When I was still laying on the floor and everyone was shouting at me, I heard a dog bark over all of it. I looked. My owner! He ran at the students pretending to bite them and they were running! He went over to me.

‘’We have to go now’’ he rasped.

‘’ Err fine, but I was having fun!’’

‘’Auggie! Now is not the time!.’’

‘’Ok ok fine’’ I sighed. So I got up and started to run out the classroom to the hallway. People were now walking to the classroom wondering what all the commotion was about and the students from the classroom already fled, but we didn't stop. We ran all the way down stairs and out the school doors.

We ran all the way to the car. Auggie got in the drivers seat and turned on the car. When we got home I told Auggie to go to sleep. So I went to Auggies bed and he did mine.

The next morning I woke up without a tail and Auggie with.