"Get in!"

My Guide's voice lashed out, sending us both scurrying into the door of the cabin on the battered boat - or "transport." Inside the cabin it was positively dingy (I could almost not resist saying 'dinghy', but by a feat of almost superhuman self-control, I've managed it) and - I sniffed around - everything smelt of fish.

"Okay Daz, First Class," said my Guide, almost tiredly.

In an instant everything around us changed. Gone was the tiny, dingy, smelling-of-fish cabin. In its place was an opulent stateroom. Big comfortable armchairs lay about and the floor had a pile carpet deep enough for an unwary lap dog to get lost in. But since there weren't any unwary lap dogs around, unless Bowser wanted to turn himself into one, which I couldn't see him doing as he seemed to be rather fond of his business-suit-and-Panama-hat get-up, I didn't worry about it. An ornate table stood at the centre of the room, holding a bowl of what seemed to be apples, oranges, grapes and mangoes. Off to one side stood a massive mahogany (or a very clever imitation) desk, complete with a sinfully comfortable CEO chair (or HOD chair, if you are from one of the Indian Universities) behind it. The entire room was lit by concealed lights - at least I couldn't make out where they were. An enormous chandelier adorned the centre of the ceiling, which now seemed to be, quite inexplicably, about fifteen feet high.

"That's more like it," said Bowser, carefully sitting in one of the armchairs.

Wonderful though the change from dingy to opulent was, I was still reeling from the fact that the Giant was in fact my Labrador. The same Labrador that I had, against his will and despite his protests, dragged out for many a 'walk' just because the pretty girl who lived opposite us was out walking her dog. And here he was, smiling and good-naturedly enjoying his comfortable armchair.

I sank into another armchair beside him, and asked him what he was doing here, how he happened to know my Guide and who he really was. Of course, in my state of shock, this was articulated as, "Bowser! What… How… Who… ?"

He seemed to understand my confusion. "Well, sit back and prepare for a long story. It's long, but I promise you you won't find it boring."

With that he turned to my Guide, who was trying to do something with her head against the far wall. She seemed to be standing with her head against the wall, but when I looked again, I could see that her head was actually halfway through the wall. She was evidently talking to someone (or something) on the other side of the wall. She turned around looking quite pleased with herself.

"I'm about to tell him a story. Do you want to join us?" Bowser asked my Guide.

"If it's the long version, forget it. The journey will not be long enough. If it's the shorter version, I'd like to be there - not because I like hearing it, but just to make sure that what you're telling him does not vary very greatly from what really happened." She had a sparkle in her eyes as she said this. She must have gotten a really good deal for the journey from the poor sod who was running the "transportation." Nothing else would have made her so pleased.

"Oh… kay…" said Bowser, "Will you join us? We are about to begin."

"Okay," said my Guide, dropping into another armchair and putting up her feet on the centre-table, which had elongated itself in her direction so that she could put her feet up.

"To start with," began Bowser, "let me tell you what I'm doing here. That should be the easiest thing to start with. Then we'll go on to the more complex questions of how I know her (indicating my Guide) and who I am. We are going on a journey - you could call it an adventure - where a lot of danger is involved. Your job is to get out of the whole adventure alive, and my job is to see that that happens."

"So what's she doing here?" The question escaped me even before I could think about it.

"She… uh… I guess she's going along to make sure we both do our jobs properly.

"Good guess. And that should do for now. Why don't you tell him about yourself - I'm sure he'll find that fascinating," said my Guide.

Without missing a beat, Bowser launched into his tale, and I listened like I've never listened to anyone before.

And through it all sat my Guide listening carefully, yet never interrupting. I guessed any editing she was doing to his narrative was at another level, out of my range of perception.

"In one sentence, I am responsible for all that's wrong with the world today. Your world, the world where I'm your dog Bowser. Now that that's out of the way. Let me tell you the good stuff.

"I myself am a cross-dimensional entity. Not pan dimensional. There are no pan dimensional entities. There cannot be. The number of dimensions I exist in makes me immensely powerful, and in a world like yours it is easy to be swayed by the feeling of Power. And that is what happened to me.

"When I first appeared on Earth, the people there were so easily led. They still are. So I took human form and roamed the world. For a few thousand years the world was my playground. I seldom left it except to accomplish some fantastic feat or other. I lived in all the ancient civilizations, helped them accomplish great feats, but always left them as a God. In different places, I was worshipped in different forms. Every form of God you see today, every image, every conception of God you see in your world today is but a manifestation of what I did.

"And in doing so, I paved the way for all the troubles of the world today. By the time things came to a head, she and her Master came along and took away the world from me. And being your dog is a kind of punishment I guess - from being the God of all things, I'm now a dog, powerless to do anything about whatever I see happening, though I know that all of it is because of something or the other I did at one time or the other. It is the inability to act that is the biggest punishment.

"In a nutshell, that's what I am. If you want me to tell you about my adventures on Earth, this journey, or even a thousand like these will not suffice. This adventure is going to be a long and arduous one. And I'm sure there will be times when we will need a good story to take us through a dull evening. So I'll save my stories for then and ask her what she has in store for us on this adventure."

My Guide looked at both of us. She didn't seem very pleased to have to brief us, but there must not have been any way around it. She sat back in her armchair and connected with us mentally. It is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. At once I knew I was in her mind, but I also knew that she was in mine and was holding me by hand, directing mew to look at certain things. Bowser was also there. In spirit I guess, for I could not see him. But his presence was palpable.

Within my Guide's mind, I was surrounded by all sensations. It was like virtual reality taken to its ultimate end. I was in the midst of action, yet was untouched and unnoticed by it. It was like being in one of those dreams where you are not part of the dream. You are everywhere, see everything, hear everything, smell everything, taste everything, feel everything.

I could see men mounting horses. They were dressed in ceremonial grandeur, and were led by a tall, spare, immaculately dressed man. I knew his name was Fali - Fali Gumari, Captain of the Imperial Bodyguard. I also knew that the Bodyguard was leaving the Emperor - for the first time in its almost thousand-year history. This was in the grounds of a great and grand palace. And the Bodyguard began its march from the palace.

By the gates of the palace stood three men, also in full dress uniform. Great and terrible warriors each one of them. The three Marshals of the Palace Guard. As the Bodyguard approached. Each of them shouted an order for the gates to be opened. The Bodyguard rode past them in silence, each man not looking right or left, but straight ahead. When the last of the Imperial Bodyguard had left the Palace Grounds, the Marshals did not order the gates closed. Instead, they waited.

Within five minutes, a soldier ran up to them from one of the watchtowers. "Lord Gaiba is approaching. He has with him at least a hundred men. They are riding hard towards us," he said, leaving the "What do we do?" unspoken.

Ainura, the leader of the three, waved the soldier away. "We wait," he said, as much to himself as to the other two.

Lord Gaiba and his men were not long in coming. The Lord rode ahead, and reached them the three Marshals well before his men. He leapt out of the saddle even before hius steed had come to a halt.

"Marshals! Do exactly as I say. Any delay could mean we lose the Emperor. When my men reach the gates now, let them pass and do not interfere with what they do. They have their orders and know exactly what to do." With that, he mounted once again and rode hard for the palace doors.