A Girl And
Her Dog
Written and illustrated by Zali bartholomew
Dedicated to Earnest the Great Dane Love Zali
A girl and her dog, wonderful friends from the start. And though he was destined to be large, the dog fitted perfectly into the girls heart.
The dog, what with his large size, often felt too big to fit into peoples lives. He felt like his girl was the only one in the world that could make him feel small enough to hold in her arms and comfort and cradle, with a love that would forever be strong.
Oh the fun they did have, at the park and the beach. Running so free as if their feet had wings. Chasing and playing until their hearts beat wildly, chasing birds that flew off with a sigh.
Every morning the girl would wake up just after the sun, to the sound of a yawn from the great mouth of her dog, whose feet could be heard scratching the floor from the earliest hours of the morning.
Down they would both run to the backyard, where they would arrive with a shovel and plastic bag in hand. She would moan and groan as she held her nose tight, wandering around picking up bits of waste, it really was a horrible sight.
Thinking of each other through day and night, wondering if the other would remember the wonderful things they had done that day. The fun would last forever as they kicked the ball from place to place, smiling broadly from face to face.
The girl remembered when her dog came up to her shins, and the dog, realised that he now came up to her chin. A friendship that had been strong from the day she could pick him up to cuddle him. A time when she had seemed tall and he had felt so small.
Their hearts grew heavy as they realised, what was only bound to come sooner or later was in fact very near. It was at the gate of their white picket fenced house, lifting the latch and letting through the harsh wind that could sweep them apart with only the slightest puff.
Deep in her heart the girl could feel a small pain. She wanted her dog to be as happy as can be, she wanted him to have space and to be free. Though his life was pretty great, he couldn’t be there forever. The girl had to move and so did the dog. For he was growing too large for his yard.
The beach was now where the girl called home. With tears in her eyes she wandered down the short path to the water and fell in the sand. She lay in the warm sun and remembered a time when if she had been laying there, a large tongue would have licked her face. She felt sad, but then she smiled. She smiled a deep smile, a smile which not even the saddest thought can take away.
The farm was now where the dog called home. We was now free, running wild. He remembered how his girl was the only one that could hold him in her arms oh so tight. His big mouth drooped low as he remembered her face, then he smiled, a big doggy smile that would last forever in his heart. As he galloped back to the smiling faces which cuddled and kissed his own loving face.
A girl and her dog, best friends from the start. To a time when they are now apart. Apart in a way that they can not touch, but together, with a ribbon joining their hearts. For both are living their dreams, one of sea and sand and the other, to be free. And both are content though living apart, that there is a ribbon joining them tight that can never be cut, no, not even at night.
The End
A girl and her dog, wonderful friends from the start. To a time when they are now apart. But joined by a ribbon holding their hearts.
ŠZali Bartholomew 2013