Earlier this year I was exchanging notes with a woman by the name of Shannon. Shannon kept writing in, telling us about these weird experiences that she was having. As some of you might recall, at the height of the drama, she was sending in emails from the front desk of the hotel where she worked as a truck full of drug dealers circled outside, waiting for an opportunity to kill her. Well, at some point during this drama she let it slip that she had a pet dog named Paco.
The more we heard about Paco, the more compelling a character he became. According to Shannon, she had found him one winter, in a cemetery. There was snow on the ground and she heard an animal whining in the distance. She followed the sound to a tombstone and there he was, huddled up against it, a small brown Chihuahua, wearing an argyle sweater Oh, and he had no lower jaw.
Anyway, the story of Paco captivated us here at MM.com and we kept thinking about him and the events that brought him to that cold night, jawless and in argyle, his tiny little knees knocking against one another. Shannon told us that shed send in photos as soon as she could and we waited.
While we were waiting, several of us decided to draw photos of what we expected Paco would look like. If I remember correctly, I even offered a prize for the person whos drawing came the closest.
We kept waiting and, with the passing of time, I began to doubt Shannon. I began to think that maybe my leg was being pulled. It was all jus too good. The story was too perfect, especially when taken together with all of the other insanity she wrote in about.
So, I decided to put it all behind me and I prayed that no one would ever take advantage of my trust that way again. That was the better part of a year ago now Then, this last Sunday, I agreed to meet with an MM.com reader, a man that had offered to help Linette and me move stuff to our gallery space (more on this soon, I promise) with his truck. As the fellow was nice, and didnt appear to be at all dangerous, I offered to take him to lunch. It was over that lunch that he mentioned that hed not only seen Paco, but that he had photographic proof.
For his safety, that is all Im prepared to say at this moment
I, of course, scoffed at the idea, not wanting to be reminded of the fact that I swallowed the preposterous story hook line and sinker, but he was adamant. He told me that hed send a scan of a Polaroid.
Well, without further adieu, here is what he just sent in. This, my invisible friends, is Paco, the Loch Ness Monster of MarkMaynard.com. Behold!
I am not a scientist, but I must tell you that to me this does look like a dog with no lower jaw.
Real or not? Let the debate begin.
