"Charlie! Come here, boy!"
I tilt my head. The man looks at me. He kneels on the grass, his arms outstretched. He holds my rope. It's not attached to me anymore. I can go anywhere I want. I stare at the mouse in the bush. I want to chase the mouse. I want to bat the mouse. I want to watch the mouse. The man pats his knees.
"Charlie!"
He whistles. My ears perk. He smiles. I stand up. I hear the mouse in the bush and I hear the man. I must go to the man. I want to watch the mouse. I limp toward the man. I pace. I sit. I stare at the rattling leaves. I hear the squeaks that the man can't. The man whistles. I run.
"Good boy! What a good dog!" The man pats me and strokes my fur. I wag my tail and lick his face. He tastes like meat. It's still fresh from before. I taste something sharp too. Something harsh. It's coming from his mouth. I lick his ear and he laughs, almost falling over. The bush rustles and the mouse squeaks. I ignore them.
**********
The ground is hard under my paws. I feel pebbles and rocks and sticks. No grass. I smell shoes and dirt and people. I smell houses. I smell animals. Cats. Birds. Fish. The ground is hard on my weak paw. I must walk. I must make it stronger. I walk beside the man. He's holding my rope. It's attached to me. He tugs it gently when I wander. I wander a lot. I must sniff. I must inspect.
There are humans. People. The man moves around them and I follow. There are other dogs. The man pulls me away from the bigger ones but lets me near the smaller ones. The smaller ones walk behind me and sniff. I walk behind them and sniff. They're all older than me. Some live with cats. Some are female. Some claim everything as theirs as they walk. I don't anymore. Some growl at me. I don't growl. I just want to sniff. They're all on ropes. We're all on ropes. We're all tugged away. We're all attached to a human. Some are attached to two humans.
There are human things on the ground. Some smell like smoke. I'm used to it. Some smell like food and some smell like everything. I want to inspect but the man pulls me away. "I don't want ya' eatin' rubbish. Ya' don't know what people have thrown on the ground."
We turn corners. We stop and wait for the honking animals to pass. There's ringing and we wait for that. We walk and walk and walk and I realize the world is much bigger than I thought. Mum used to be my world. Now she's one part of it. The man is part of it too. That makes my tail wag.
All the sights and sounds and smells are exciting. I'm excited! Where are we going next? Here? Here? How about here?
The man takes me back to the house and lets me run around the grass without the rope. I must run off my energy. I'm excited! I must run! I must yip! I must jump! I must chase! My tail wags in the wind and I leap and bound! My paw doesn't feel weak at all! It feels strong! I am the wind! I am the sun!
**********
My eyes close. I rest my head on the man's legs. He sits on the couch and I join him. I sigh. I'm tired. I'm sleepy. No more running. The man and I are going to have a rest. I can smell the smoke and I can feel the wind from the open window. The man holds the thin smoke stick with one hand and keeps it away from me. He pets me with his other hand. I feel his body relax. I hear him sigh. I join him.
