The door was wide open to the calm rain that fell outside. I watched from my dry spot in the hallway, observing the old man as he wandered in and out with boxes. I didn’t know what he was up to, but he seemed to be enjoying himself so I let him be.
As for me, I was just as happy hanging out and watching the rain fall softly outside. I really like days like this because everything is so calm. There’s no rushing around trying to do things like chasing off the birds.
I was cozy in my spot, just watching things and thinking things. Mostly I was thinking about finding that hidden treasure out at the park. Izzy told me about it last week, and the ground should be getting nice and soft with all this rain. It wouldn’t be too hard to dig it up and have all those treats to myself. Yup. Good thoughts.
But I was feeling a tingling in my belly and it wasn’t because I was hungry. Nope. All that rain had given me the urge and I needed to take care of it. Hopefully I wouldn’t get too wet. Maybe I can find a spot alongside the house where things were a little drier.
So I headed out the door, passing the old man as he looted a box on the porch. The rain wasn’t exactly drenching, but it was annoying enough that no dog in his right mind would just stand in it. I know because I’ve seen Izzy stand in it before and he’s always out of his mind.
Around the corner was indeed dry enough to allow me to take care of business comfortably. Regardless, I did what I needed to do, sniffed around a little bit and then headed back inside. The rain was starting to fall a little harder, and I didn’t want to be all soaked to the bones.
But when I got back to the porch, lo and behold, the door was shut. The old man was no where to be found and I was stuck outside, all alone. I barked out to the old man to let me inside, but there was no answer.
I scratched at the door and waited. The rain was getting wetter and so was I. There was still no answer though. In the distance, I could hear the birds mocking me, chirping lightly in the shade of the trees, probably drier than I currently was.
It wasn’t long before I started shivering. Why had the old man locked me out? Had he forgotten about me? Where was he? Why didn’t he answer me? What’s for dinner?
The old man was calling me from somewhere inside the house. I could hear his voice through the door, but he wasn’t close. I don’t think he knows where I am. So I called out to him. His voice got a little closer and called me again. I called back. The next time he called out though, he was further away.
“Over here!” I cried out, shivering in the rain.
We must have called out to one another like fifty-thousand-hundred times or something. That’s a legitimate count as well, so don’t go second-guessing my calculations. But eventually, the door swung open and I rushed in past the old man, rubbing myself on the warm carpet and getting the water out of my ears.
“Where were you?” I cried out to my buddy.
He just scratched his head and looked outside. Then at me, then back outside. While I waited for him to answer me, he grabbed a towel out of the hallway closet and stared down at me.
“I’m waiting…” I ruffed and shook myself off again.
Then the towel landed on me and was wrestled and wrapped up like a little doggy in a blanket. The rest of the afternoon was spent snuggled in a warm dry towel while the old man sat in his favorite chair, just a rocking back and forth as he read me a story.
Author:
Jason Duron is a short story writer and author of several fiction stories. Curious and lovable as dogs can be, the Adventures of Rocky, Nixi and Dante give you a chance to see daily life from a “dog’s eye view” and share in their thoughts. Please enjoy, and we hope that you’ll feel free to comment and give us insight into your dog’s very own adventures.
