Chapter 5
He sat in the warm, well-lit studio of his small house, leaning forward over his work desk, contemplating the specimen on the board. He carefully placed the eyes in the head, turning them this way and then that. Finally, he sat back, satisfied. It was perfect. Fischer Supplies made the best eyes. It was the eyes that made them perfect. If you didn’t get them just right, then the specimen just looked "wrong."
He sat back, contemplating where this one would go. It was quite large, as if some bear had inhabited the dog, pushing the bones of the head out to accommodate the larger ursine brain. He had sent a tooth to the lab, along with his usual fee. Their discretion came at a high price, but their work was impeccable. It was a dog, not a bear. A mix of Bernese Mountain Dog and hunting dog, mostly likely coonhound. As usual, the head had been intact if messily removed from the rest of the animal.
Yes, it was perfect. The eyes turned slightly to one side, as if hearing a beloved voice in another room. The mouth slightly open. The tongue had been difficult, but weren’t they all? Some taxidermists used jaw sets, but that was cheating. Molding and shaping the tongue just right was an art. And using silica gel to create the suggestion of saliva was imperative for dogs.
Now he had to decide where to mount it. He couldn’t just leave it sitting, even though mounting it would be displeasing to the eye until . . . how long would it take him to find another animal to fit between this large head and that perfectly matched pair of Malinois? Perhaps a fox? Yes, that would do. He would ask for a fox.
He carefully set the completed head on the back of his workbench. He then cleaned the bench thoroughly, waxing the wood until it shone. He lined up all his tools, smallest to largest, using a straightedge to make sure the tips were all perfectly aligned. Good work requires good work habits. Mother always told him that.