Tags
basketball, cockapoo, dog, Edgar, fiction, friends, friendship, German Shepherd, humor, Humphrey, investigation, man, Mr. Bailey, mystery, narrative, Nature, orange boy, photography, photos, play, quest, search, secrets, Shakespeare, trust, visit, wind in my face, woman, woods
Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.
-Shakespeare, Coriolanus via litquotes.com
After spending a quiet week getting back to my daily routine, I accompanied Man and Woman on a visit to Mr. Bailey and Woman’s parents. I was excited at the prospect of a romp with my friend, but was also eager to check Mr. Bailey’s property for additional clues about my brother. I was uncertain whether it was safe to tell Mr. Bailey some of what Edgar had told me–of enemies, danger, warnings, and secrets.
We played a rousing game of basketball upon my arrival, Mr. Bailey and I.
After we had played for a time, I remembered my other motives for calling, and my face took on a serious expression.
“What is it?” Mr. Bailey asked, kindly. I was reluctant to to begin.
“My brother is alive,” I told him.
Mr. Bailey stared at me, aghast. “Alive? How do you know? After all this time?”
“Yes,” I told him. “I will tell you more, but not here. He told me to be careful.” We walked together into the woods on the property and pretended to sniff at something, in order to put any watchers “off the scent,” as it were. There, amongst the trees and dead leaves, our speech covered partially by the quiet sounds of the nearby stream, I told him all that Edgar had told me. Mr. Bailey listened gravely.
When I had finished my tale, Mr. Bailey said to me, “I don’t know how I can help, but if there is anything I can do, please call upon me.”
I thanked him for his steadfast friendship and we searched the woods for scents, for Edgar, for anything that might be a further clue in this mystery. We found nothing. Yet, I felt more hopeful having found someone to share the burden of my knowledge with. My heart felt lighter and I felt more hopeful.
I ran, and jumped, and and felt the wind in my face–and joy. It seemed like an unearthly, gentle light suffused the yard and all my surroundings, and when I looked up, the light filled my eyes and seemed to overwhelm my senses.
When our circuit of the property was complete, we went inside the house with our humans. I looked at Bailey thoughtfully, and for a moment, felt a smidgeon of doubt…should I have kept Edgar’s secrets to myself? Was I wrong to trust, especially when I did not fully understand the danger? Did Mr. Bailey have any secrets of his own?