Gerald could scarcely imagine what Jenny could do to help him in his childhood quest to own all the things. He could however admit that there was something a bit extra normal with her.

She could talk, but apart from that, and the more interesting thing in his opinion, was how her leash just seemed long enough. It never stretched or went excessively slack, even when she crossed a road to chase a very surprised squirrel. It was also extremely comfortable to hold. It seemed like the ideal leash, short enough when needing direction and yet long enough that the dog could explore at will.

In that case, he decided he was going to acquire some shoes. He'd always heard that the first thing you get after you win the lottery is find the most comfortable shoes you can. That way even if you lost everything you had your shoes to remind you of when you flew high. He'd need a little help though.

"Jenny!"

Gerald was shocked to find Jenny right next to him. At this point, it was a pleasant shock, as he'd come to believe that she was here for him and only for him.

"How do I go about owning something, and having you magic it into perfection. Is there a special ritual.

"I haven't even asked if there's something you'd like in return."

"Don't worry about me Gerald. All you have to do is find something you'd like, and I will do the rest."

There was coincidentally a shoe store right down the street that he'd always viewed with a grudging sort of envy. Today was his day, hopefully.

He walked into the appointed store with some trepidation, especially when he saw the no dogs sign at the entrance. Predictably, the man started, gesturing for him to look at the sign before Jenny harrumphed.

"I'm Jenny, and I'm his dog"

The man reared back in shock, and opened his mouth in a silent yell before his eyes glazed over and he seemed to register what she'd said.

"Hi, I'm Rajab, you are, of course, welcome."

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He looked at Gerald.

"Are you in the market for a new pair of shoes?"

Gerald frantically swapped between looking at the storekeep, Rajab and Jenny, waiting for some sort of explosion of shock and noise, to no avail.

He'd just shed his last doubts as to whether he was having a mental break. Rajab had clearly seen the Dog, and Jenny had washed away any trepidation with whatever she'd done.

He walked carefully to the counter and laid eyes on a pair of boots he'd consistently admired. Not too expensive, not cheap but he'd never had enough spare to treat himself.

"I've been admiring these for so long Jenny, can I have them?"

"Try them on Gerald" Gerald gestured at Rajab, in an approximation of what he'd seen when he'd worked at a shoe shop a few months back.

Dutifully, Rajab went to the back and returned with a pair in an unopened box.

Gerald wasted no time in putting them on, but was disappointed to find that they were just a normal pair of boots, especially now that they were new. They needed breaking in.

"Are these your shoes Gerald?"

"No, I'm just trying them on, but … I thought they'd be… like you, and everything"

"Like me?"

"Perfect…"

"Ah! But they're not yours, are they? If you want them to fit you perfectly, they have to be yours"

Gerald sighed, "how much are these?'

"79.99, sir"

"I don't have that kind of money Jenny, isn't there anything you can do?"

"Who said anything about money? You want them to be your shoes, but are they yours?"

Gerald felt something twist deeply inside him, it felt something like what he'd imagine going cross eyed would feel. He needed to own this thing, it needed to be his.

And finally he understood, these were his shoes now.

Rajab, who had almost been visibly waiting for him, frowned in confusion, and walked back to the backroom. Return with another pair of boots.

"Sorry sir, I must have brought you an empty box"

Gerald shared a look with Jenny, who smiled knowingly. He could feel the shoes as exactly what he'd hoped they could be.

Somewhat gingerly, he excused himself from the store and apologized for wasting Rajab's time. It was wonderful, he didn't have to buy anything, he just had to believe it was his.

On a whim, he decided he owned a passing SUV. It immediately gained an extra real glow, and screeched to a halt beside him.

To his horror, a family of four jumped out of the car in panic, the mother screaming at the driving father.

"Oh my god, what do you do? Did you steal a car? What's the matter with you?"

The father had left the driver's side in a blank confused haze, staring at his keys. The children started crying in fear.

Gerald himself jumped back into the bushes cursing his impulsivity. He'd immediately felt more strained as if he'd stretched a muscle too far.

A crowd was gathering in interest.

He had no idea of how to handle the situation and tried to untwist, as it were, reality to go back to its place.

There was no response. He looked to Jenny for guidance.

"It's yours now, unless somebody else took it and made it theirs. It's always going to be your car"

Gerald was immediately struck by the permanence of it all. He wondered what the family would do. He hoped they'd be fine.

Vowing to be more careful, he chose to remove himself from the situation, and headed home. Jenny followed, amused.