"Congratulations, Mira and Ankur! You have been chosen to be one of those 10 families to test this Loyal Dog. You can name it as your family wants. It listens to every command and is happy by nature."
Mira stops reading the manual and looks at the brown dog, which is quite similar to a golden retriever if Mira isn't wrong. It wags its tail and sits with its tongue hanging. "Well, it looks happy!" Ankur says. Mira continues reading aloud. "It has every quality to become your family member. It has the Loyal Chip fitted in its neck, which is waterproof, and you can't remove it at any time. It will record everything you say and every little bit of sound in a 500 sq. ft. area." Mira looks at Ankur with a worried eye. Fear is clear in her eyes, but they know they can't do anything. "It's a way of checking your loyalty to your country. If the dog hears any terrorist activity in the house, it will automatically detect the problem and will punish according to the government rules against terrorism. Now enjoy your new company, Mira and Ankur. We wish you the happiest future possible. Issued by the government of India 12/05/2106." Mira folds the thin manual paper and looks at Ankur.
"Don't worry, Mira. We're not terrorists; we have nothing to fear," Ankur says.
"These are all bullsh*t," Mira yells.
"Shh! Rabi is sleeping. I know, Mira, this is a little terrifying, but we can't do anything!"
"It's a dog."
"No, it's not! It's a product of the government for their silly experiment. We did everything they said, but now they want a loyalty test? It's all drama; they just want to know who will vote for their opposition. Tell me another country that does these things. Russia, China, and the USA are thinking the same," Ankur says with a sigh.
Mira sighs heavily. "I'm not worried about us, Ankur. I'm worried about Rabi. He's little; he doesn't understand this stuff. I can't keep him away from this thing." Mira points at the dog. The dog tilts its head to the right in confusion and then barks a little.
"Shh! You monster!" Mira scolds the dog.
"Mira, we have to turn on the switch."
"What switch?"
"The recorder button in its neck. The authorities told me to do it as soon as we reach our home."
"Are we that unlucky, Ankur, that our name is on the list of ten?"
"I don't know, Mira. I'm turning on the switch, so no more negative talks anymore. Okay, Mira?" Ankur looks at Mira.
Mira exhales heavily, then says, "Okay, I'm ready." Ankur takes a step toward the dog, then pats it a little on its head. The dog closes its eyes in enjoyment. Ankur smiles and then turns the little red switch on its neck, and the machine emits a beep sound indicating the recorder is on.
"Ankur, stop patting it! I know you love dogs, but please, not this one."
"OH MY GOD, Mommy, it's here, the dog is here!" Rabi exclaims loudly, jumping here and there. "He was excited since yesterday when he first heard there's a dog coming," Mira says with a cold voice.
Rabi runs towards the dog and watches it with glittery eyes. The dog's attention is also on Rabi; they both stare at each other, and then Rabi touches the dog's nose with shaky hands. "DO NOT TOUCH IT, RABI," Mira suddenly yells. Ankur puts his hand on Mira's shoulder and gestures for her to calm down because the recorder can hear everything. Rabi seems clearly startled by his mom's yelling. "I mean, baby, it doesn't know you, right? You are a stranger to the dog, baby. It might bite you. But it won't, Mommy. Look how happy he is by seeing me." It's right; the dog seems excited, almost more excited than Rabi. It waggles its tail and jumps here and there, and then it spins a circle around Rabi as Rabi giggles hard and falls down. Then the dog licks Rabi's feet.
"Stop it, it tickles," Rabi says between giggles. Ankur smiles and pulls Mira into a hug. "Everything will be fine, just don't worry about it much. We're good people, Mira, nothing bad will happen to us," Ankur whispers in Mira's ear, thinking probably the dog can hear it too. Mira nods.
"JIMMY! Mommy, Daddy, I will call it Jimmy."
"Wow, Rabi, this name suits the dog! What do you say, Mira?"
"Yeah, I think so, too." The dog barks once again.
"Mommy, I will write it down in my diary. Our friendship starts from today!"
"That will be great, Rabi," Ankur says. Now the dog licks Rabi's cheek, and Rabi giggles.
"Jimmy, I will share all my toys with you. I have so many toys."
"I think Rabi and Jimmy are friends now. We have to accept him too, Mira," Ankur whispers.
"I don't know, I need time, Ankur."
"Okay," Ankur nods. This time, the doorbell rings. "Let me see," Ankur leaves the room.
Rabi now gets the toy box out and then shows Jimmy every toy. "Look, Jimmy, it's a robot toy." Jimmy looks at it very curiously and sniffs a little.
"Who's that, Ankur?"
"It's the mailman, Mira," comes Ankur's voice.
Mira stares at Jimmy and Rabi, who are in their own world, playing and laughing.
"Look, Rabi, don't trouble Jimmy too much, okay?" but Rabi doesn't hear a single word.
The phone rings, and then Mira also leaves the room, leaving Jimmy and Rabi alone in the room. Mira picks up the phone at the last ring.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Hello, madam, I'm calling from the office of security, government of India. Am I talking to Mira Gupta?"
"Yes."
"Madam, the Loyal Dog which is given to you..."
"Yeah?"
Then comes the loud scream of Rabi. The phone falls from Mira's hand as she runs toward the room. The scene that Mira sees in front of her is enough to weaken her knees. Mira's eyes are wide open. She can't believe her eyes; she falls down.
"What happened?" Ankur screams.
They both see Rabi lying on the floor, covered in red blood flowing from his neck like a fountain. There's a deep hole in Rabi's throat, and his lifeless eyes stare up at his parents. The seven-year-old little kid who had so much life in him is lying lifeless, cold, with blood covering him like a death sea, and in his hand, he grasps a toy bomb. A few feet apart stands Jimmy with glittering eyes, tongue hanging, tail wagging, and from his mouth, blood is pouring. His gaze is almost asking for acknowledgment because he has punished the criminal.
In the other room, a voice comes floating, "Hello, madam, are you there? I repeat, the Loyal Dog is defective. It's sensitive to some words like explosion, bomb, and terror. It can be harmful to you; it has attacked our workers. Hello, madam, are you there?"