Don't Blink!

Next Whistle

(A  story about a dog named Seesaw)

Spring. All that Seesaw could remember was a very white place and oh! there were flowers. Purple little flowers. And someone was calling him, "Here doggy!" accompanied by a whistle that made his ears fly. "Here boy!"

Seesaw jumps around and wags his tail while some big hands grab him on his tummy. Those hands were raising him to an even whiter place. It was soft and bouncy as another pair of hands, smaller ones, grabbed him tight. Tighter as the voice said, "He's so cuuuteeee!" He didn't know what those words meant but he liked it. If he could smile he would, but he only licked her cheek many times. Lick! Lick! Lick! She giggled and it made Seesaw want to lick her face even more. But she put him down and he whimpered.

Then she said something, "He sounds like a seesaw when he cries. That's it! I'm gonna name him, Seesaw!"

Seesaw tried to listen but could only recognize her tone. It was melodic almost like a song. He knew she was a good person. So that day, Seesaw decided that this was his person and he would love her all his life. As much as he can, as long as he can.

Summer. This place has many colors and many toys to chew with Seesaw's growing teeth. He loves those treats his owner gives him just after the whistle. He would even lick her fingers. Jane, that's her name. "I am Jane and you're Seesaw, we're going to be friends forever!" She said that summer afternoon. By that time Seesaw can recognize many words. Like, "Sit!" And he sits, "Stand!" and he stands Wait! and he waits. Every time he did as he was told, he was given a treat. So that's how it works, he thought.

Seesaw really loved running. More than a rub on his head or his tummy —he liked that a lot more too. But there was nothing more he loved than the sound of Jane's whistle.

Seesaw tilts his head at the sound of it. There's no incentive given to him and there's no physical pleasure from it. He just knows Jane is calling to him and that was enough to make him the happiest dog.

A big man — Jane calls him Dad — made Seesaw a house. Dad doesn't want to play, he only wants Seesaw to behave. One night, Jane stirs awake. Seesaw heard her and  then she started groaning and screaming. He knows he has to do something but he doesn't know what. He could smell something in her, inside her head. Something bad and he barked at it to go away but it didn't. The door opened

and Dad came to the rescue. He took Jane and left Seesaw in her room. Seesaw clawed at the big wooden barrier, and whimpered, "Why can't he go where she's going?" He could only guess that she was going back to the white place.

Autumn. Seesaw was a lot bigger now. He could barely fit inside the house Dad built. It was a long time since he and Jane played and a long time since he last heard her whistle. But at last, when they saw each other again, they were back in the white place. Jane was so happy to see him and so was Seesaw. He jumped around and barked. He couldn't lick her face because he's too big to get on the bed. But Jane put her face near Seesaw's and rubbed his head. "You be a good boy," she said. Again he didn't understand what those words were but Good Boy was somewhat familiar to him. He was only smart enough to know that this time, it was a goodbye.

 The door opened and white people with covers on their faces came in. He growled and barked at them as they started doing something to her! He saw something pointy and he knew it would harm Jane. They said something inaudible, Why is there a dog here? But Seesaw didn't understand that. He couldn't see what was happening up there. He thrashed and barked but he was held away by Dad and left him again inside the room. He pawed at the door. Whimpering and barking. The traces of Jane's scent were with them as they wheeled the bed out of the room. If he could speak, he would ask, Where are they taking her? Where!

Winter. Dad came home without any sign of Jane. We're going somewhere, he said with a somber face. and they got in the car. Afterward, they stopped in a place where there were a lot of crows and big piles of rocks. They walked for a while and when they stopped at a spot of dirt, Seesaw's nose itched. He can smell her down there. She's there! Seesaw started digging but he was stopped by Dad and he had to pull Seesaw away until they got in the car again. When they got home, Dad put a leash on Seesaw's neck. Snow started crippling, and Seesaw whimpers, his whimpers resembled a creaking seesaw. He lays his head on the ground, waiting for a treat, for Jane, and for her next whistle.