The little dog is running around enjoying his freedom. It is autumn. The leaves are dying on the trees and they are drifting down to make a carpet on the ground.
He dives at the floating leaves, snapping at them, going after this leaf, leaping at that one then running back to the man he loves, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Fred watches his dog with joy that almost matches Rusty’s joy.
For a while Rusty is content to walk beside Fred until he spots another leaf descending to the ground. The wind has dropped so the leaf floats slowly, just out of reach of the jumping dog. A little breeze catches the leaf and a game of tag between leaf and dog starts up. Rusty rushes at the just out of reach leaf and snaps his jowls in an ineffectual attempt to catch the leaf. The breeze gently lays the leaf on the ground. Rusty dives at it, worries it a bit and is then distracted by the next leaf descending. At last Rusty discovers a leaf that will be a fitting gift for his god. He plays with it for a few moments and then trots up to Fred and drops the leaf at his feet. He watches Fred for a moment and when there is no reaction he walks back a few steps then rises onto to his back legs and pretend pounces at Fred. His backside lifts to the air, tail wagging, waiting in excited anticipation for Fred to cooperate.
Fred laughs and says “I can’t throw that! We need to look for a small branch or something.”
The dog watches expectantly as Fred’s eyes roam around the ground. He sees a perfect stick and starts to move towards it. Rusty has been watching Fred and spots the stick before Fred gets to it. It is now a race for the prize. Fred scoops it up almost as Rusty’s open mouth reaches for it. The game is on!
© Vera Alexander
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