Read Online A Dog’s Journey by W. Bruce Cameron - Free Book Online
Authors: W. Bruce Cameron
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was so excited I kept waking up and licking her face. She would bat my nose away, but there was no heat in the gesture. Finally she was content to just let me gnaw gently on her fingers when I felt the need, and that’s how we spent the night.
The next day it rained and we played inside, only going out for me to do my business in the wet grass. “Molly! Come here!” CJ called to me at one point. I trotted down the hall, Gloria’s smells getting stronger and stronger. CJ was grinning and nodding at me, and I watched her curiously. She pushed open a door and Gloria’s overpowering odors flooded out.
“See the dog in the mirror?” CJ asked.
I heard the word “dog” and figured she wanted me to go through the door. I walked in and immediately stopped dead: there was a dog in there! It looked like Rocky. I bounded forward, then pulled back in surprise as it jumped aggressively at me. It was not Rocky—in fact, it didn’t smell like any dog at all. I wagged my tail and it wagged. I bowed down and it bowed down at the same time.
It was so strange, I barked. It looked like it was barking, too, but it didn’t make a noise.
“Say hi, Molly! Get the dog!” CJ said.
I barked some more, then approached, sniffing. There was no dog, just something that looked like a dog. It was very strange.
“You see the dog, Molly? See the dog?”
Whatever was going on, it wasn’t very interesting. I turned away, smelling under the bed, where there were dusty shoes.
“Good dog, Molly!” CJ said. I liked being praised, but I was glad when we left the room. There was something a bit disquieting about the dog-thing with no smell.
The morning after that, everything was moist and deliciously fragrant and I sniffed at several worms but didn’t eat any because after you’ve done that a few times you learn they’re never going to taste any better than they smell.
We had just gotten home when the doorbell rang. I ran to the front door and barked. I could see a shadow on the other side of the glass in the door.
“Look out, Molly. Stay back,” Clarity said. She opened the door a crack.
“Are you Clarity Mahoney?” the woman on the other side of the door asked. I pushed my face to the crack and tried to squeeze out, but Clarity kept me inside. I wagged my tail so the person would know I wasn’t serious about all the barking; I was just doing my job.
“I go by ‘CJ,’” Clarity said.
“CJ. I’m Officer Llewellyn. I’m a truant officer. Why aren’t you in school today?”
“I’m sick.” CJ turned her head and coughed. The woman outside looked down at me and I wagged harder. Why didn’t we all go outdoors and play?
“Where’s your mother?”
“She’s out shopping. For my prescription,” CJ said.
They just stood there for a long moment. I yawned.
“We’ve left several messages for her and she hasn’t called back,” the woman said.
“She’s very busy. She sells real estate.”
“Well, okay. I want you to give her this, okay?” The woman handed Clarity a piece of paper. “You’ve missed a lot of school, CJ. People are worried about you.”
“I’ve been sick a lot, I guess.”
“Give that to your mother. I’ll be expecting her call. Tell her she can call anytime, leave me a message if I’m not there. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good-bye, CJ.”
Clarity closed the door. She seemed afraid and angry. She went into the kitchen and put some things on the table. “Molly, we need ice-cream bars,” she told me. She put a cold, deliciously sweet treat in a bowl for me.
Clarity sat at the table and ate and ate. I sat, too, staring at her intently, but she didn’t give me any more treats. When she was done she put some papers in a tub under the sink and I could smell the same sweet smell on them and couldn’t understand why she didn’t set them down to lick. People are like that; they discard the most delicious things.
A little while later Clarity went into her bathroom and stood on a small,
The next day it rained and we played inside, only going out for me to do my business in the wet grass. “Molly! Come here!” CJ called to me at one point. I trotted down the hall, Gloria’s smells getting stronger and stronger. CJ was grinning and nodding at me, and I watched her curiously. She pushed open a door and Gloria’s overpowering odors flooded out.
“See the dog in the mirror?” CJ asked.
I heard the word “dog” and figured she wanted me to go through the door. I walked in and immediately stopped dead: there was a dog in there! It looked like Rocky. I bounded forward, then pulled back in surprise as it jumped aggressively at me. It was not Rocky—in fact, it didn’t smell like any dog at all. I wagged my tail and it wagged. I bowed down and it bowed down at the same time.
It was so strange, I barked. It looked like it was barking, too, but it didn’t make a noise.
“Say hi, Molly! Get the dog!” CJ said.
I barked some more, then approached, sniffing. There was no dog, just something that looked like a dog. It was very strange.
“You see the dog, Molly? See the dog?”
Whatever was going on, it wasn’t very interesting. I turned away, smelling under the bed, where there were dusty shoes.
“Good dog, Molly!” CJ said. I liked being praised, but I was glad when we left the room. There was something a bit disquieting about the dog-thing with no smell.
The morning after that, everything was moist and deliciously fragrant and I sniffed at several worms but didn’t eat any because after you’ve done that a few times you learn they’re never going to taste any better than they smell.
We had just gotten home when the doorbell rang. I ran to the front door and barked. I could see a shadow on the other side of the glass in the door.
“Look out, Molly. Stay back,” Clarity said. She opened the door a crack.
“Are you Clarity Mahoney?” the woman on the other side of the door asked. I pushed my face to the crack and tried to squeeze out, but Clarity kept me inside. I wagged my tail so the person would know I wasn’t serious about all the barking; I was just doing my job.
“I go by ‘CJ,’” Clarity said.
“CJ. I’m Officer Llewellyn. I’m a truant officer. Why aren’t you in school today?”
“I’m sick.” CJ turned her head and coughed. The woman outside looked down at me and I wagged harder. Why didn’t we all go outdoors and play?
“Where’s your mother?”
“She’s out shopping. For my prescription,” CJ said.
They just stood there for a long moment. I yawned.
“We’ve left several messages for her and she hasn’t called back,” the woman said.
“She’s very busy. She sells real estate.”
“Well, okay. I want you to give her this, okay?” The woman handed Clarity a piece of paper. “You’ve missed a lot of school, CJ. People are worried about you.”
“I’ve been sick a lot, I guess.”
“Give that to your mother. I’ll be expecting her call. Tell her she can call anytime, leave me a message if I’m not there. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good-bye, CJ.”
Clarity closed the door. She seemed afraid and angry. She went into the kitchen and put some things on the table. “Molly, we need ice-cream bars,” she told me. She put a cold, deliciously sweet treat in a bowl for me.
Clarity sat at the table and ate and ate. I sat, too, staring at her intently, but she didn’t give me any more treats. When she was done she put some papers in a tub under the sink and I could smell the same sweet smell on them and couldn’t understand why she didn’t set them down to lick. People are like that; they discard the most delicious things.
A little while later Clarity went into her bathroom and stood on a small,
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