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and has an intelligent face. He’s a fit looking dog with black fur with some white in it. His eyes look at the man expectantly and his ears are standing up; the dog is alert and ready for action. The man pats him and rubs behind his ears. In reply the dog licks the man’s hands and sits comfortably on his haunches.
There is no name tag on the dog who isn’t at all concerned about being alone with a stranger. They sit together in amiable silence looking at the fire, serene and at peace.
‘‘Nae thing like a guid fire to warm your fur’ the dog says.
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The dog sits up and his tongue is hanging out. He looks at the man as if expecting an answer. The man stares down at the dog and realises that this is an important moment in their relationship. Will they be friends or is it a strictly man-dog power relationship? He thinks back to other dogs he has known over the last few years. Quite a few when you add them all up. His golden rule with dogs is ‘be prepared to be friends with dogs who are intelligent.’ He does not want to waste any more time with the numpties.
The man is still surprised by his ability to talk with dogs. It’s not natural. It came about over fifteen years ago when he had a near death experience. He was on holiday in Papua New Guinea and was swimming in a river when he was dragged under by a strong current. He remembers it clearly and he knew his time had come. As he began to lose consciousness a man appeared. He had decorative scars on his face. His hair was matted with paint and there were sticks and feathers in it. The apparition poured a drink into the man’s open mouth. Immediately his heart beat so hard it felt as if it was pushing itself out of his throat. His body roared with fire. He blacked out. The next thing he knew he was lying in a grass roofed hut.
Later that day the local shaman came through the door. It was the same man he had seen in his apparition. The shaman told him that he had only been saved through drinking powerful medicine; Iaawaska and he said he was there to complete the miracle. The man had to accompany the shaman to the spirit world. That’s when the man met his spiritual animal… a dog, the first dog he had ever spoken to; the first of many. |
Sunset Dog Beach 2 |
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All work within this periodical is copyrighted by the authors and Big Pond Rumour, January 2008. No part is to be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the authors and Big Pond Rumour Press. |