for him. Don’t want him being more terrified of unexpected cattle
than Germans when he goes on a reconnaissance mission, do we? Permission
granted.’
Nathan couldn’t help grinning.
‘Thank you, sir.’
Of course Grey might refuse to jump out
of a plane, Nathan told himself, as he headed back to the kennels with Grey, and
that would be the end of that. He didn’t let himself think that he himself
might be the one who refused to jump.
Chapter 8
Grey’s tail went from wagging to
hanging down low when they passed through the doors of Potters Bar train
station.
‘It’s all right,’
Nathan said as he stroked the big dog’s head.
Grey had learnt so much in the short
time they’d been together. Nathan was very proud of him.
‘Fine-looking dog,’ a man
commented as he went past.
No one would call Grey skinny any more,
but he was still lean, and very fit.
‘There’s
something almost regal about him,’ said one woman with a pheasant feather in
her hat.
Nathan looked down at Grey and thought
that he did look almost regal, and then realized that the dog now had both ears
standing straight up. He didn’t know if it was the daily ear-massaging or the
regular good food he’d been eating, but Grey’s ears were both doing what
they were supposed to. Now he looked like an adult German Shepherd. Although Nathan
did miss his quirky one-ear-up-and-one-ear-down look a little.
‘This way,’ Nathan said to
Grey when their train arrived. Grey went with him but baulked at the carriage steps.
Nathan bent down to help him, but to Nathan’s surprise Grey jumped up them
instead.
He shook as the whistle blew and the
train set off, but soon after that he settled and sat on the floor at Nathan’s
feet and leant against him.
Nathan noticed that no
one wanted to sit near them; he knew many people were frightened of dogs, especially
big dogs, and especially Alsatians, as they called them. Nathan stroked Grey’s
head. In his experience the little dogs were often more of a problem than the big
dogs were.
‘You wouldn’t hurt a fly,
would you?’ he said.
Penny came running and waving along the
platform as soon as she saw Nathan and Grey coming down the carriage steps.
’We’ve been waiting and
waiting for you,’ she said as she threw her arms around Grey, who wagged his
tail. He was glad to be finally standing on ground that wasn’t moving.
‘We got here early,’
Nathan’s grandfather said as he hugged Nathan and patted his back.
‘
One of us
–’ he nodded at Penny –
‘kept looking
at the clock and worrying about your arrival so much that it was easier just to come
to the station.’
‘I was so
excited I could hardly sleep,’ Penny said as she swapped places to hug Nathan
while her grandfather said hello to Grey.
‘Good-looking dog,’ their
grandfather said as Grey nuzzled his head into him.
‘Best-looking dog in the whole
world,’ said Penny.
‘He’s going to be a
parachute dog,’ Nathan told them.
‘A parachute dog!’ Penny
gasped. ‘But dogs can’t do that.’
‘Yes, they can,’ Nathan told
her. ‘A dog was the first animal to do a parachute jump back in the
1700s.’
‘But he doesn’t have any
hands,’ Penny said, practically. ‘How’s he going to get the
parachute off? He can’t run around for the rest of the war with a parachute
billowing out behind him.’ She crouched down and cuddled Grey’s furry
head.
‘No, I’ll be parachute
jumping too, so I canrelease the parachute for him,’ Nathan
informed them.
‘But Nathan,’ his
grandfather frowned. ‘Do you really think that’s
wise … ?’
‘How are you going to jump out of
a plane when you’re too scared even to climb to the top of the tree at the
back of the house?’ Penny asked him.
Nathan gritted his teeth.
‘I’ll manage,’ he said. Although he certainly wasn’t looking
forward to it one bit.
‘Many men have to do things in war
they’d never normally dream of doing in peacetime,’
than Germans when he goes on a reconnaissance mission, do we? Permission
granted.’
Nathan couldn’t help grinning.
‘Thank you, sir.’
Of course Grey might refuse to jump out
of a plane, Nathan told himself, as he headed back to the kennels with Grey, and
that would be the end of that. He didn’t let himself think that he himself
might be the one who refused to jump.
Chapter 8
Grey’s tail went from wagging to
hanging down low when they passed through the doors of Potters Bar train
station.
‘It’s all right,’
Nathan said as he stroked the big dog’s head.
Grey had learnt so much in the short
time they’d been together. Nathan was very proud of him.
‘Fine-looking dog,’ a man
commented as he went past.
No one would call Grey skinny any more,
but he was still lean, and very fit.
‘There’s
something almost regal about him,’ said one woman with a pheasant feather in
her hat.
Nathan looked down at Grey and thought
that he did look almost regal, and then realized that the dog now had both ears
standing straight up. He didn’t know if it was the daily ear-massaging or the
regular good food he’d been eating, but Grey’s ears were both doing what
they were supposed to. Now he looked like an adult German Shepherd. Although Nathan
did miss his quirky one-ear-up-and-one-ear-down look a little.
‘This way,’ Nathan said to
Grey when their train arrived. Grey went with him but baulked at the carriage steps.
Nathan bent down to help him, but to Nathan’s surprise Grey jumped up them
instead.
He shook as the whistle blew and the
train set off, but soon after that he settled and sat on the floor at Nathan’s
feet and leant against him.
Nathan noticed that no
one wanted to sit near them; he knew many people were frightened of dogs, especially
big dogs, and especially Alsatians, as they called them. Nathan stroked Grey’s
head. In his experience the little dogs were often more of a problem than the big
dogs were.
‘You wouldn’t hurt a fly,
would you?’ he said.
Penny came running and waving along the
platform as soon as she saw Nathan and Grey coming down the carriage steps.
’We’ve been waiting and
waiting for you,’ she said as she threw her arms around Grey, who wagged his
tail. He was glad to be finally standing on ground that wasn’t moving.
‘We got here early,’
Nathan’s grandfather said as he hugged Nathan and patted his back.
‘
One of us
–’ he nodded at Penny –
‘kept looking
at the clock and worrying about your arrival so much that it was easier just to come
to the station.’
‘I was so
excited I could hardly sleep,’ Penny said as she swapped places to hug Nathan
while her grandfather said hello to Grey.
‘Good-looking dog,’ their
grandfather said as Grey nuzzled his head into him.
‘Best-looking dog in the whole
world,’ said Penny.
‘He’s going to be a
parachute dog,’ Nathan told them.
‘A parachute dog!’ Penny
gasped. ‘But dogs can’t do that.’
‘Yes, they can,’ Nathan told
her. ‘A dog was the first animal to do a parachute jump back in the
1700s.’
‘But he doesn’t have any
hands,’ Penny said, practically. ‘How’s he going to get the
parachute off? He can’t run around for the rest of the war with a parachute
billowing out behind him.’ She crouched down and cuddled Grey’s furry
head.
‘No, I’ll be parachute
jumping too, so I canrelease the parachute for him,’ Nathan
informed them.
‘But Nathan,’ his
grandfather frowned. ‘Do you really think that’s
wise … ?’
‘How are you going to jump out of
a plane when you’re too scared even to climb to the top of the tree at the
back of the house?’ Penny asked him.
Nathan gritted his teeth.
‘I’ll manage,’ he said. Although he certainly wasn’t looking
forward to it one bit.
‘Many men have to do things in war
they’d never normally dream of doing in peacetime,’
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