Anagha Baheti

“Come, now. We must leave at once.”

She stood up, dusted the mud off her dress, and walked away from the meadows. I followed her, paying no attention to where she was headed.

When we reached home, it was dark. Marie opened the gate to let me in. Grandma stood by the door with her hands on her hips and a pout on her face. This would not be good for us. I ran to her and put my paws on her apron, but she brushed me away like always.

“Marie! What is the meaning of arriving home at this hour?”

“I apologise, Grandmother. The sunset was quite mesmerising today. I lost track of time.”

“Hmm… It seems your supper lost track of you, young lady. You may proceed to your bedchambers after you have fed the leftovers to your mutt.”

With slumped shoulders, Marie went to the kitchen and collected some bones to feed me. My mouth salivated at the smell. I followed her into the yard, where she put down my dinner. I dug in. She sat down next to me and scratched my back. It felt good when she did that.

Her stomach growled, so I picked up one of the meatier pieces and put it next to her hand. She looked at me, smiled, and scratched my ear.

“I can’t eat that, Alexander, but thank you for showing me kindness. You are a blessing from the heavens above.”

A smile stayed on her lips, and her eyes stayed on me as I devoured my supper. Now and again, her stomach grumbled, but she said nothing. After I was done, she led me to her bedroom. She wiped her face with a rag and fell into the bed. I took my place by the foot of the bed.

“Alexander!” She called out, and I jumped into the bed beside her. She laughed and scratched my ear as I settled on the blanket. I nuzzled her, and she laughed even more. Her laughter lingered in the air long after she fell asleep.

I woke up to the wailing of a baby. I opened my eyes and found myself enveloped in Marie’s hands. A sliver of moonlight entered the room through the slit in the curtains and fell on her face. She was so much older now, so much bigger. Snug under the thick woollen blanket, she slept soundly. Her hair looked dishevelled, and her eyes looked sunk in. New scars had appeared on her face and hands.

I slipped out from her arms and leapt off the bed. My feet hurt as I landed on the cold stone floor. Following the sound, I reached the baby in the adjacent room. He smelled so much like Marie! On seeing me, he calmed down. I shoved my snout through his crib and licked his cheek. He grabbed my fur and ran his chubby little hands all over my face.

I heard Marie’s feet land on the cold stone. A few seconds later, she entered the room and picked Henry from the crib.

“Look at that, Alexander. Henry loves to play with you. I don’t know what I would have done without your support.” I let out a soft growl and followed her to the other room. As she nursed Henry, I slept by her feet.

I opened my eyes and found Henry’s eyes on me. On seeing me awake, the young boy gave me a toothy smile and scratched the back of my neck. One of his front teeth was missing.

“Come, Alexander,” he held out his other hand to reveal a cube of cheese. “If you want it, you will have to play with me. Come on, now, boy.”

“Leave him alone, Henry. He is too ill to play with you.”

“But Mother, he wants to play. Alexander, stand up, boy.” He held the cube close to my nose and pulled away. Instinct made me get up to my feet, but the pain in my joints slowed my movements. A grunt escaped my mouth as I got to my feet.

“Henry, no. Go play outside.” She snatched the cube from his hand and gave it to me. I grunted in satisfaction. Henry ran out of the house and left Marie kneeling next to me. She scratched my head. “Oh, you poor old boy! It pains me to see life slowly drain out of you. You have helped me all my life, stuck by my side through all the hardships we have endured, and I feel so helpless as you lie here waiting for death. I wish there were something I could do to make it better.”

Her tears fell on my snout. I wanted to lick her face like I used to, but my bones hurt too much to move.

“Rest, Alexander.”

She took my head in her lap and ran her fingers through my hair. I let sleep take me.