By Lewis Murphy, Y11
As they left, his tail swung wildly; his owner was up! He sat patiently by the door as his human companion put on a large blue coat and black shoes, tentatively watching every movement in joyous anticipation.
Finally they walked to the door, and bent down to pet his head as the excitement became almost palpable. The brief exchange felt like an eternity of bliss for him, but was swiftly followed by a crushing realization. He followed the movements with his eyes as his owner opened the door, revealing the radiant light of the outside world, just to immediately close it back on him, placing a barrier between him and his best friend. He realized now that he would be alone.
Despite this, his tail still wagged furiously from side to side. His owner would be back soon, he thought. He would soon be able to experience the love of his friend again in just a moment!
Minutes passed, and yet he hadn't returned...
He sat, tongue falling lazily out of his long snout with his head tilted slightly to the side. 'Waiting is fine', he said to himself, 'I'll be a good boy and sit here. He'll be back soon!', and so there he sat. Obscured through layers of frosted glass built into the lower half of the door, he could see the immense garden in which he loved to explore; the flowers he would often dash through and trample, much to his owners dismay; and the long winding path he knew so well – the one that took him to his walks.
Eventually the energy in his tail began to abate, swinging slower and slower, and instead he became restless. His owner hadn't come back! It'd been so long and yet here he was, still alone!
With the act of sitting in wait becoming increasingly more upsetting, he stood up and began to snake his way across the house, his nose pressed against the floor. He wandered first through the kitchen, lifting his head up only to sniff the furniture and walls. After sniffing every inch of the room, he quickly moved on to the living room, slowly taking in the sweet scent of the freshly cleaned fibres that made up the floor. Every smell was catalogued in his head, and every one took an important place; any one of them could help find his friend.
Thinking that perhaps his owner could still be here, hidden somewhere in the vast expanse of house, he continued his search. He looked for the familiar scent of his friend, his ears perking up every time he caught the sense, which also fuelled the wagging of his tail.
Eventually, he had covered every square inch of the house. Every fibre he could possibly have sniffed he had done so to. He left no stone, or more accurately cushion, unturned, and had even considered digging into the floor to try find him below, but gave up after the carpet had refused to yield to his claws.
Over and over he checked the house, thinking he could have missed something important. He had returned twice to the spot of carpet for a rematch, both times being defeated by its unrelenting strength. Eventually, he decided his owner couldn't possibly be here, instead resorting to waiting again. This time, he hopped up onto the smooth leather sofa and curled into a ball.
He remembered in that moment that, when his owner looked restless, he would often look up at the big circle on the wall and watch as the sticks inside moved around to point at different squiggles around the circumference of the circle. This, possibly, would make his owner less stressed, he thought to himself, and so decided to do the same. Sitting, mesmerized by the movement of the sticks, he felt as though an eternity had passed, however his loneliness was unchanging. He continued to sit, alone, as his tail began to stop swaying...
Suddenly, a sound was emitted from the door. His ears instantly perked up and his tail almost became a propeller as he sprinted into the kitchen to the door. There, stood tall above him, was his owner. His best friend.
Joy flooded his entire body like a drug. He was back!
Upon seeing his dog so excited to see him, the owner bent down and commenced a minute of petting, giving the dog incomprehensible amounts of love.
“Did you miss me, buddy? Half an hour must feel like forever to you.” Spoke the owner in a cheerful tone.
To the dog, the words meant nothing, and yet the sound made him ecstatic. Finally, his friend had returned! His isolation was over, and now he would once again feel the loving touch of his friend.
'This was worth the wait' He thought happily.
We hope this dog tale made you smile. It came second in our Positive Words Writing Competition. Check back tomorrow for the winning piece.
Photos by James Barker, Lucrezia Carnelos and Ryan Stone on Unsplash