8 | Alaska

"Gimme a kiss" Emma says to Alaska, her dog, while Alaska licks Emma's face. "Honey, it's literally one night" James, her husband, comments from the side while packing the last things in the car. Emma: "One night, 5 hours away". James: "Same thing". Emma and James get into the car. "Think she'll be fine?". "Honey, seriously". "I know, I know. I just love that squishy face". They leave. Alaska barks in the hope of calling them back. Hours later, Alaska is drinking water from her bowl. A dog next door barks. She jumps up and flips over the entire bowl of water. After investigating again, she returns, sadly finding the water bowl turned over. Moaning, she scratches at the overturned bowl, as if flipping it over will fill it with water again. In the car, James watches awkwardly as Emma breaks off singing to Abba's Dancing Queen on the radio. The clouds above Emma and James are turning dark. At home, Alaska lies on her pillow as the rain slowly starts dripping. She is safely out of the rain, under a patio roof. Alaska falls asleep with the soft rain beating the roof. Her bowl of dog pellets slowly starts getting filled with rain. Emma and James are sitting at a campfire at night. "You think she's fine?". "Honey, she's a dog. Of course she's fine". "What is that supposed to mean?!". "Dogs don't care, they're used to living in the wild". "Oh please James. Humans are cavemen, so how about you go and live in a cold cave then!?". James laughs it off: "Honey, she's fine". Alaska shoots up from her pillow as a lighting strike cracks through the sky. The rain has now become serious, beating hard on the zinc roof above. The wind has picked up as well. Every now and then a gust of wind carries water under the patio. Alaska's bowl of dog food has become a soup of mushy brown pellets. Alaska backs up against the corner of the patio to get out of the rain. The floor is very wet, a good amount of water is lying everywhere. Another lighting strike lights up the area. Alaska braces herself and moans out of fear. The lighting strike hits! A loud bomb in the sky. Alaska pushes her body into the corner wall, with her nose points right into the corner. She backs up after the lighting strike and scratches at the glass door as if Emma might open up any second. Alaska barks harder and harder, hoping that Emma is maybe just not hearing her. The rain beats into the patio area with the wind. A pot plant to the side gets blown over and smashes onto the floor. Alaska jumps out of the way just in time. She slides on the wet floor and slips off the patio, landing face first into the mud. Alaska stands up slowly, clearly hurt, she tries to jump back onto the patio but notices her back leg is hurt. She tries climbing up the patio slowly, but she keeps sliding off. Another blue light fills the sky, ready to explode. Alaska quickly finds cover. She runs into the bushes to the side. Thickly grown, thorny branched bushes. She crawls her way into it. Using her nose to dig, with her eyes closed. The lighting strikes. She falls down and clenches her eyes. The loud thunder rumbles slowly through the skies. Alaska hopelessly lies there in the mud and old leaves. Luckily the rain isn't beating down on her anymore since the bush is at least catching the hard droplets. She is still getting drenched in water though. Alaska crawls into a ball. Cold and sad, she shivers into the dark night. The next morning the sunlight wakes Alaska through the bushes. She slowly crawls out of the bush, limps into the sun, lies down and starts licking herself, pulling out the thorns in her feet. Later that day Emma and James arrive back home. Alaska is completely dry. Her pillow has dried in the sun. There is no trace of the night's struggle. "Alaska! How's my little girl doing!". Alaska can't control her happiness. James: "See, told you she'd be fine".