Ruby barked, her white pelt flying in the wind, her brown spots dancing on top of it. She tugged on her lead, dragging me roughly towards the beach. I could barely hold on! I felt my hands weaken on the leash and clutched at it helplessly. It slipped out, me struggling to catch up to her already as she ran off. “Ruby! Come here!” I yelled.
She ignored me and raced towards the waters edge, urging it to chase her. The wind slapped my face with invisible hands and the tangy taste of salt caught on my tongue. The beach was deserted, it being winter and all, and I wasn’t in the mood for getting wet. “Ruby!” I yelled again, exasperated. Her ears perked up, listening then she started sulkily stomping back. Suddenly a small flash of black caught my eye, and Rubie’s too, as she stopped walking towards me, and raced off after the small dog that had raced into the waters edge.
He seemed almost to be saying “Come on Ruby, I dare you to go in deeper.”
I looked up at the angry clouds above me, and had second thoughts about coming out here. I glanced up at the dogs, afraid of what I might see.
What I did see was the sand turning up, the water going as black as night. Ruby was a rocket I couldn’t stop. Not now anyway. I saw her going in deeper, her legs lifting off the ground. A wave formed on the horizon and I gasped, sensing a storm arising. It came closer, and Ruby gave a small yelp of fear as she was pulled out with the current, towards the growing wave. I saw her little legs spin helplessy underneath the surface and I sat down on a log, watching my poor dog be washed away. After a while, she met the wave, and it came down on top of her with a CRASH! I watched her being jumbled around like a piece of plastic and then washed closer to ground, then pulled away again, a cat playing with a mouse. I shivered, the cold getting to my bones. I pulled my jacket over my shoulders and watched my small dog being tossed around. Then I remembered the other dog, the black one. I ran up to it, and pleaded with it, stupidly. “Oh, please dog! Save my little Ruby!”
It cocked it’s head, then started trotting away, off the beach. The small glimmer of hope in my heart died down as Ruby floated away, out of sight. I put my head in my hands and cried, ashamed that I didn’t save her, that now she would die, and it was all my fault.
No comments:
Post a Comment