At last! Another touching dog story on the Drabblecast! This week we bring you an original by H. Robert Barland. Enjoy!
H. Robert Barland is a teacher, Viking re-enactor and black belt martial artist. A former climber, film extra, and resident of the UK, he has now returned to Newcastle, Australia where he lives with his wife and two boys. His work has been published in Etherea and Nightmare Fuel magazines and also in the Wicked Flashes of Fantasy and Written into the Wind anthologies. He considers himself well adapted for life on land and can be followed on X ( @hrobertbarland) and Instagram (@h.robertbarland).”
Episode Art: Ben Mueller
Good Boy
by H. Robert Barland
Boy, oh boy. I can smell their scent. My tail wagged so much it knocked over the hall table. It is Him and Her. They have come home again. I have been in the apartment so long by myself. It has not been fun. Now they are back, and it will be fun. I did not pull out the long paper on the roll from the tiny room. I did not shred the paper even though it is fun to do. They will be happy, and they will see that I am a Good Boy. They will pat my head and say that I am a Good Boy because I am a Good Boy.
Today in the park I chased a rabbit. It was fun. Him called to me but I did not hear Him. I was busy chasing the rabbit. Him was upset at me. Him said that I was not a Good Boy. I am sad. I want to be a Good Boy but it is fun to chase the rabbit.
Him has a new toy. He calls it a cell phone. It is like the phone on the wall except he can carry it away. It does not sound like phone on wall. When it made a strange noise and buzzed on the table and nearly fall from table. I barked at it and Him shushed me. Him press its glowing face and I could hear Her voice inside. There was a picture of Her on the phone. Her cannot be inside the phone. I did not understand. I tilted my head this way and that trying to find. Him laughed at me. Him was happy. He rubbed my head. I must have been a Good Boy.
I have a new toy. It looks like a duck. When I bite it and it squeaks. It is fun. In the park I run with it and other dogs chase me too. We are having fun. I am happy. Him and Her are happy. They are holding hands and are laughing. When Him did call me, I ran back to im even though I was having fun with the duck and the other dogs. I am a Good Boy.
Him and Her were not happy. They were shouting loudly at each other. I hid under bed. I think I must have not been a Good Boy. I do not understand. I hide until the shouting stops.
I went to the park again today. Him was talking to a woman who is not Her. They were sitting on the bench together. Him did laugh. Not-Her did laugh. Him did throw a stick for me, but only sometimes. He was busy leaning in close to Not-Her. I like it when Him throw the stick lots. I was sad.
Today I found a rabbit. It was dead. I rolled in it. I like dead-rabbit smell. Him call to me and we wrestle. Rabbit smell go on Him too. Him not like dead-rabbit smell. Him was angry. I was not a Good Boy. Him and Her give me bath. I did not like the bath. Dead-rabbit smell gone. I was sad. My sad face made Her laugh. Her flicked bubbles at Him but Him did not laugh.
Him and Her shout again. I was sad but now I am happy. Her did slam the bedroom door. I did hide under table. Now Him is sleeping on sofa with me. It is nice. I must have been a Good Boy.
Him is home but Her is not at home. His cell phone makes the noise. I see a picture of Her on the toy. He looks at cell phone but does not talk to it. He flicks the screen and the cell phone stops making the noise. It makes the noise some more times, but Him does not talk to it.
Her is sad. I do not understand. I did not roll in rabbit smell today. Him and Her did shout again and Him did leave. He took two bags with him. I did try to make her happy. I did lick her face. Salty water had leaked from her eyes. I like salty. Her did hug me and tell me I am a Good Boy. Her made the salty water again.
The TV was on. Many people on the TV. Some were yelling, some were fighting. One man bit another. The bitten man yelled a lot then lay still. He must have been Playing Dead as he got up again and also tried to bite another man. They should not do that. They are not Good Boys. Her held a hand to her mouth and rocked. She presses the buttons on the phone and holds part of it against her ear. She waited but did not talk to it. There were loud sirens outside. They hurt my ears. I did not like them. I started to howl but Her shushed me. She held her hands over my ears. It does not hurt so much with her hands there. I like Her.
I brought my lead to Her today. Her did shake her head. I must have not been a Good Boy. She petted my head, but I was still sad. Her has been watching the TV all day. The man on the TV brings his fingers to his lip. There are sirens and loud bangs outside, but they are far away. The man on the TV does not need to not tell Her to be quiet. Her already quiet. TV making no noise. I am making no noise. I am a Good Boy.
It is dark outside. I could smell smoke and another smell. There is something wrong with the smell. It was like the dead rabbit smell but is also not like the dead rabbit smell. I do not like this smell. Her was looking out the window. Her looked worried. When Her stepped away from window, she was shaking. I looked out the window. Outside there were men biting each other. Her pulled me away from the window and closed the curtains. She presses the buttons on the phone again. She holds it to her ear but still does not talk to it. Her do it again and again but does not talk. Her sat on the floor with the phone. Her makes the salty water come from her eyes again. I licked Her salty water. Her ruffled my ears but did not smile.
The not-dead-rabbit smell at door today. I growled at door but Her shushed me. Her looked through the tiny hole in door. She leapt back from door and then ran to bedroom. I ran too. It is fun. She closed the door and sat on the bed. I stopped. Good Boys do not sit on bed but she pat bed. I jumped on bed. She hugged me but the hug is too tight. I do not like it. The like-dead-rabbit smell did go away from door but we stayed on bed for a long time.
Her has been watching TV. It is not fun. Before the pictures did move, now they do not. Some are black. Her is sitting on floor below the phone. Her play with cord on wall toy but does not pick it up. It is not as good a toy as the duck toy. She is sad. I bring the duck toy to Her and show her how fun it is when you bite it. Her shushes me and take duck toy away. I am not a Good Boy.
I do not understand. I tell Her I needed to go. I scratched at the door, but Her has put a cushion in front of it. Door now not make noise when I scratch it with my claws. Her pushed me into bathroom. There was paper on the floor. Her closed the door. I could not get out. I needed to go. Good Boys do not go in the house, but I needed to go. I went on the papers. I was ashamed, but Her petted me and said I was a Good Boy. Her put mess in bag. She not put in outdoor bin. I do not understand. Am I a Good Boy?
Her get up this morning and was looking at the wall phone. Her picked it up and pressed the buttons again. There is a noise outside the door. It is Him’s phone! I ran to the door. I missed Him. We could play again. Maybe he would take ME to the park and play the Stick Game. Her looked through the tiny door hole. Her did smile. She opened door for Him.
Something was wrong. The not-dead-rabbit smell was strong. It was all around Him. It was Him but it was also not Him. Her screamed. It did hurt my ears. Him reached for Her. Him bared his teeth. He was not a Good Boy. I jumped at Him-not-Him. We fight but not for fun. Him-not-Him tasted bad, like-dead-rabbit smell is bad. He fell down the stairs. His neck was at a not good angle. He was not a Good Boy but now he had stopped moving.
I limped back to Her and we go inside. I am a Good Boy, but she is making salty water again.
I do not understand. It is almost night-time. Her kissed me on the head, then pushed me out the door. Her closed the door. I am outside but I do not need to go. My leg is sore. Him-not-Him did bite my leg in fight. It smells like-dead-rabbit smell.
I can hear Her crying on other side of door. I scratch at the door. Whining is not a nice noise, but I want to go in. Please let me in. I will lick the salty water from your face. My leg is starting to throb. It feels like my heart is slowing. I want to be inside with Her. I do not understand why I am outside.
My whine is changing, it sounds like a growl, but that is not right. Good Boys do not growl at Her. I am a Good Boy.
I am a Good … Boy.
THE END
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