Read Online Finding Elizabeth by Louise Forster - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Louise Forster
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home.”
“Sure, I’ll be here for a while. Great bunch of people, but I’m not getting anywhere,” Jack laughed. “I’m hearing lots of stories though. Someone should take them down so they won’t be lost forever.”
“You’re right, someone should.” Katherine waved and took off.
Parking was easy at the animal shelter—the barking and howling, disturbing. Katherine locked her car and walked in. She asked the young woman at the reception desk if she could see Bubbles. Katherine waited for a volunteer to lead her to the dog enclosures. As they walked past cages the barking and howling intensified. She assumed they were caged like this because space was scarce and they needed to keep them inside during the winter months. Still, it was horrible, and Peggy’s sweet little Bubbles was in here too.
The volunteer pointed to a large, damp concrete cell, caged at the front, then left. Katherine read the nametag on the door.
Bubbles
. She peered inside trying to see something through the gloom. A bulky bundle lay in the back corner. The poor thing must be cold and hiding under a pile of blankets. Was this even the right dog? There was only one way to find out.
“Bubbles?” An ear pricked up, but nothing else moved. “Bubbles.” The tip of her tail gave a little wriggle.
Katherine looked around for help or encouragement, but apart from the relentless yapping there was no one around. She was on her own. She opened the cage, crept in and sat down; no point in rushing this. She pulled out her iPhone and, while talking in quiet, soothing tones she passed the time playing Sonic The Hedgehog. “Oh dear,” she said softly, “lost again. Never mind, Bubbles, I’ll be here for a while and I’m bound to win once, aren’t I? Sure, Bubbles, sweet girl.”
Twenty minutes later the pile of blankets tentatively moved towards her.
“Holy shit!” Katherine whispered.
Bubbles heard, and dropped to her belly.
There were
no
woolly blankets; all of it was dog and nothing like the cute picture in Peggy’s room. Bubbles whined; It seemed like a cautious whine. Her head stayed between her paws on the floor. Katherine’s heart was breaking for this gentle sweet dog. No wonder Peggy was so distraught. Bubbles was loved and nurtured and didn’t have a clue why she was here or where Peggy was. Not making eye contact, Katherine started talking soothingly again, saying her name, repeating that she was a good girl … waiting for Bubbles to make another move closer. She didn’t care that her bum was becoming a block of ice.
Half an hour later, Bubbles crept forward. Nervous shivers wracked her body as she edged closer on her belly. It broke Katherine’s heart to see Peggy’s dog in such misery. Bubbles crept ever closer, and finally laid her enormous head in Katherine’s lap, surprising Katherine with her trust.
“The privilege is all mine,” Katherine murmured. Overcome with love and understanding, she let her tears fall and slowly placed a hand on Bubbles’ soft head. “You wouldn’t leave anyone, would you? No, you’d never do that, but that cold heartless piece of shit left you—the bastard. I know what that feels like. Not Peggy, of course.”
Hearing Peggy’s name, Bubbles lifted her head and peered out past the cage. Waiting for Peggy to appear, her expressive eyebrows made little points that moved as she looked this way and that.
“I can’t leave you here,” Katherine sighed. “I just can’t.”
Twenty minutes and half a bag of dry dog food later, they were out the door, headed for her car. Katherine opened the back door, and Bubbles jumped in complete with lumps of snow she’d picked up on her paws.
Okay. Need a doggy upholstery protector
. She probably needed a truckload of things she didn’t even know about yet. She slid behind the wheel and peeked at Bubbles in the rear view mirror. She was cute, but good lord, now she had a dog—not a little dog, but a huge Newfoundlander that took up most of
“Sure, I’ll be here for a while. Great bunch of people, but I’m not getting anywhere,” Jack laughed. “I’m hearing lots of stories though. Someone should take them down so they won’t be lost forever.”
“You’re right, someone should.” Katherine waved and took off.
Parking was easy at the animal shelter—the barking and howling, disturbing. Katherine locked her car and walked in. She asked the young woman at the reception desk if she could see Bubbles. Katherine waited for a volunteer to lead her to the dog enclosures. As they walked past cages the barking and howling intensified. She assumed they were caged like this because space was scarce and they needed to keep them inside during the winter months. Still, it was horrible, and Peggy’s sweet little Bubbles was in here too.
The volunteer pointed to a large, damp concrete cell, caged at the front, then left. Katherine read the nametag on the door.
Bubbles
. She peered inside trying to see something through the gloom. A bulky bundle lay in the back corner. The poor thing must be cold and hiding under a pile of blankets. Was this even the right dog? There was only one way to find out.
“Bubbles?” An ear pricked up, but nothing else moved. “Bubbles.” The tip of her tail gave a little wriggle.
Katherine looked around for help or encouragement, but apart from the relentless yapping there was no one around. She was on her own. She opened the cage, crept in and sat down; no point in rushing this. She pulled out her iPhone and, while talking in quiet, soothing tones she passed the time playing Sonic The Hedgehog. “Oh dear,” she said softly, “lost again. Never mind, Bubbles, I’ll be here for a while and I’m bound to win once, aren’t I? Sure, Bubbles, sweet girl.”
Twenty minutes later the pile of blankets tentatively moved towards her.
“Holy shit!” Katherine whispered.
Bubbles heard, and dropped to her belly.
There were
no
woolly blankets; all of it was dog and nothing like the cute picture in Peggy’s room. Bubbles whined; It seemed like a cautious whine. Her head stayed between her paws on the floor. Katherine’s heart was breaking for this gentle sweet dog. No wonder Peggy was so distraught. Bubbles was loved and nurtured and didn’t have a clue why she was here or where Peggy was. Not making eye contact, Katherine started talking soothingly again, saying her name, repeating that she was a good girl … waiting for Bubbles to make another move closer. She didn’t care that her bum was becoming a block of ice.
Half an hour later, Bubbles crept forward. Nervous shivers wracked her body as she edged closer on her belly. It broke Katherine’s heart to see Peggy’s dog in such misery. Bubbles crept ever closer, and finally laid her enormous head in Katherine’s lap, surprising Katherine with her trust.
“The privilege is all mine,” Katherine murmured. Overcome with love and understanding, she let her tears fall and slowly placed a hand on Bubbles’ soft head. “You wouldn’t leave anyone, would you? No, you’d never do that, but that cold heartless piece of shit left you—the bastard. I know what that feels like. Not Peggy, of course.”
Hearing Peggy’s name, Bubbles lifted her head and peered out past the cage. Waiting for Peggy to appear, her expressive eyebrows made little points that moved as she looked this way and that.
“I can’t leave you here,” Katherine sighed. “I just can’t.”
Twenty minutes and half a bag of dry dog food later, they were out the door, headed for her car. Katherine opened the back door, and Bubbles jumped in complete with lumps of snow she’d picked up on her paws.
Okay. Need a doggy upholstery protector
. She probably needed a truckload of things she didn’t even know about yet. She slid behind the wheel and peeked at Bubbles in the rear view mirror. She was cute, but good lord, now she had a dog—not a little dog, but a huge Newfoundlander that took up most of
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