STORIES

the lonely sheepdog
walked towards the empty barn
it was twilight now
and the house would be growing quiet
but there would be no peace within this dog's little heart
he crossed the path leading to the porch that wrapped
the back of the house
and entered the barn
heading straight for the darkest corner
he didn't want to be in the light right now
he listened in silence for some time
remembering how noisy the place once was
he remembered the chickens
and their loud squawks as they argued and complained
about their food
he thought of the pigs
and the snorts and scuffle they often made
he thought of the sheep
and the sweet cries of the little ones
now all was calm
all was silent
the barn
was empty
the sheep dog
remembered
the night before
and the piercing, glaring eyes of the wolves
he began to shudder and shiver
though it was quite warm
"why did no one lead the animals inside or defend them
from the predators?"
he pondered the question
over and over
until he fell into a restless sleep
he dreamed that he had just begun to hear the distant
of the prowling creatures
skulking closer to the small, old farm
and that the sheep were still grazing ignorantly
beneath the moonlight
what was he to do?
he walked toward the house and crawled quickly
under the porch
danger would not find him here
he closed his eyes and forgot the wolves, frightened animals
and all that was farm life
he imagined he was a heroic guide dog
helping a young boy who had lost his sight from illness
he imagined he was a search and rescue dog
tracking the trail of a helpless hiker
he imagined he was a firefighter's dog
rushing into a burning building and saving an infant . . .
he even imagined he was a police dog
stopping a bank burglary
after a time
he grew stiff and tired
but he dared not leave
his cramped hiding place
the howling was louder now and the night sounds
were growing restless
suddenly
he saw 2 bright eyes looking in on him
through the porch beams . .
A WOLF!!
he started to whimper and hoped
for the other animals to come to his aid
why were they ignoring his pleas?
didn't they care?
only as much
as he had for them


eight