narratorAUSTRALIA Volume One

  *** Editor’s Pick ***

  Dog

  Theo Craci

  Ashwood, Victoria

  On a very hot afternoon, the soft grey of the path crunched softly under the steady steps of the young man. The dog, scarce more than a pup, trotted eagerly and silently beside him, the noise of her heavy panting long blended in with all the rest. The young man was vaguely aware of the sea of patched green around him. It swirled and warped, revealing sparse trees and some kind of water body amongst the grass, but all of these things seemed to be everywhere in the dream, and nowhere. He could only truly see his feet, walking just above but not quite on the ground, and the dog beside him. There was clarity in all the world of the dream, and only in that world. He looked at her for reassurance. His dog stared back, her tongue hanging out at the side, her eyes meeting his with unquestioning faith as the background blurred on. He would remember that.