“Hey, where did the young fella go?”

“Nowhere.”

“Okay,” I reply. I just want one big, fat, juicy bite out of this dog. One bite without any weirdness. I have no further questions. My lips approach the hot dog, my jaws start to open and I prepare to bite down.

Just as my tongue begins to flatten, the hot dog flies from my grip and across the sidewalk. It splats like an egg in the midsummer heat. I can’t believe it. I cannot believe it.

Ittura snaps his fingers around my arm. His teeth are bared, but not in a smile. His eyes are almost shut as he grabs my elbow and lifts me off the table with all his strength.

“Run! Ajujuq!” I start to run across the blues bar parking lot. It’s loaded with bikers and everyone is smoking weed. I feel like my surreal world has fallen into a rabbit hole. This can’t be real. All I can do is keep running. I trust that Ittura will find me.

I lean up against a fence in front of a house. This street is quiet, and the shade of the big trees covers me up in a cool blanket. I am finding my breath. I am panting so hard I feel tears start to well up in my eyes. I want to go home.

“Hi!” I glance up and there is Ittura sitting on a tree branch. His feet swinging back and forth like a child’s. He starts to whistle.

“You creep! You took my hot dog away!”

“I saved your fucking life, preacher!” Ittura snarls and jumps from the branch like a cat. This guy has nine lives.

“What the heck? What was all that?”

“Must be hard to be a priest and not be able to swear. Is it hard?” Ittura asks his question in earnestness.

“You want me to swear? Okay, I will! You dumb fuck! You stole the only food I wanted to eat today!”

“I didn’t steal it. I had to get your attention. You don’t understand.”

“I understand nothing! Nothing about this entire day! Not one silly second of it!”

“Father Peter, you were sitting with Nananuak. She is the Evil Spirit. The worst one.”

“But I didn’t talk to her. I didn’t do one thing! I wanted to eat my hot dog!” I am whining like a four-year-old child. I don’t care.

“Was there a man there before her?”

“Yes, but what does that matter?”