the little dog

she felt happy at first as all the families and their pets passed by her yard on their way out for holiday leave. she wagged her tail, grinned and yapped sharply as each over-loaded car paraded slowly by. there was jax and his family, mouse-mouse meow-ling from the confinement of her crate (stupid cat), those three mean fat kids from near the playground and their long-suffering giant lab all smashed into the backseat of a family sedan. daisy had somehow managed to push her panting head out the 1/2 open window and barked back at the little terrier. more back and forth barking ensued and soon corporal levi was screaming from the driver's seat, SHUT UP!. it didn't matter to the little dog, he wasn't hers and she didn't have to listen to him. she doubled up her piercing, high-pitched yapping as poor daisy's mellow 'roofs' fell silent. the afternoon passed that way until the little dog had barked the last of the soldiers families off and away. she sat still for the first time that day as the dusk gathered around her. she looked toward the house. the lights were shining golden and warm from the windows. usually, she'd have been herded inside by now, but she could see her people were gesturing, barking and following each other from room to room. her woman repeatedly covered her face with her hands. the little dog watched for a long while and soon all the excitement of the day had been replaced with worry. the street was empty and now the dark had brought in wind with a cold bite. the little dog walked to the front door and scratched to be let in. the door opened immediately and the little dog scooted in as the man thundered out with a heavy bag. the woman closed the door and went into her bedroom where she crawled into her bed and cried. the little dog felt as though the earth itself was pressing her to the ground. she had never heard the woman make these sounds and the pure sadness of the sounds emptied all the happiness from the little dog until she was no more than a flat black hole on the hardwood floor.