2

I had been following the elusive black dog for quite some time. Most of the time I only caught glimpses of it here and there, disappearing around corners or sitting in the road and dashing out of sight when I came near. At one point I thought that the dog had deserted me all together, but just when I was about to give up hope of ever seeing it again, I heard the telltale jingle come up behind me. I turned to find the pup running straight at me, but at the last minute it veered off to one side passing me and leaving me in the dust. I wished I knew the dog’s name and hoped I’d be able to get a look at its tags, but until then I decided to come up with a nickname. The hot pink collar the dog wore lead me to make the assumption that it was a female. It’s small stature and dainty features also made a very girly impression. I tried a couple different names Puppy, Baby: but I started calling her Girlfriend. It seemed to fit the best.
At one point during my travels I passed a convenience store. Contemporary easy-listening music played over the speaker near the gas pumps where a few more cars were parked. One of the cars still had a nozzle stuck in its open tank. The barren city streets were eerie and I started getting an uneasy feeling again. It was a combination of fear and loneliness. Having the dog to focus on kept my mind from wandering to dark places, but I hadn’t seen the little lab for awhile. Luckily, just when I was starting to feel forlorn, I heard the familiar jingle and my fuzzy friend appeared out of no where, to give me direction.
The dog lead me through the city until we were heading towards the out-skirts of town. The streets were becoming more residential and I started to feel more at easy with my surrounding: they seemed familiar. I was hoping that I might begin to recall things about myself, but I was getting inpatient and bored with all the endless walking. I just wanted to be home wherever that maybe, hopefully there would be people there, loved ones who could tell me who I was and what had happened. I began tearing up. I would have gotten swept up into a full-blow crying fit but from the distance I heard voices. I couldn’t make out what the voices were saying, they were too far away. I stood in the middle of an abandoned intersection slowly turning in circles trying to determine where they were coming from.
I saw a green house with white shutters and even from a distance I could see the curtains fluttering in the open windows.
That must be it, I thought.
I set off toward the house but was startled when the relative silence was broken by a high pitched, Arf….Arf. I turned back to find my girlfriend looking at me anxiously. I wasn’t going the way she wanted me to.
“It’s okay, Girlfriend.” I told her. The dog whined and tucked in her tail, she wasn’t convinced but I ran off down the road towards the house anyway.
Once I reached the front porch of the house it was confirmed that the voices were coming from inside. She knocked on the front door. There was no answer, in fact the voice continued uninterrupted. I cautiously crept up to one of the open windows and brushed the billowing curtain aside. I peered into the living room of the modest home where there was a talk show playing on the television but there were no people in sight. With a sigh and a heavy heart I turned back toward the street. On the side walk I found the dog waiting for me wagging her tail. Something told me that she was thinking, “I told you so.”
“What now?” I asked her.
Like a cannon of excited energy, the little black dog sprang to her feet and ran up the street in the direction she had been trying to take me.
“What’s the rush,, Girlfriend.” I shouted.
In the distance the dog sat on the ridge of a hill and waited for me. I trudged along noticing that the homes were starting to thin out and become farther apart. The road ahead was lined with trees and the sound of birds filled the air again.. My little girlfriend had run off again down the far side of the hill. At the top of the hill the cool shade of the trees was refreshing. I found myself looking down over a lush green football field and track. On the far side stood a large brick building. I was thrilled because I finally knew where I was, Northland High. I ran down the hill, as best I could in heels, towards the main entrance of the school building.
I burst though the front door into the lobby. Inside it was dark the only light was the sun shining through the exterior windows, glass doors, and sky lights. Even though the building appeared to be empty I could hear the muffled thump, thump beat of dance music. Pep rallies and dances were held in the gymnasium at the other end of the school, so that was where the sound must be coming from. My heels click-itty-clacked down the long hall way as I made my way to the gym. Outside the doorway to the gymnasium the music was louder, but I still could not make out what song was playing through heavy double doors. I pushed the door open and stepped into the dimly lit and empty gym. A crepe paper streamer fluttered down from the rafters, landing gently next to a single balloon at center court. The music continued to play, but it was still muffled as though it was far away. I was suddenly overcome with disappointment. I had hoped that one memory would open the flood gate and the rest would come rushing back to me. I all I remembered was that I had once been a student at this school but I didn’t have any memories of going to classes or roaming the halls with friends. I was just as confused as I was when I found myself at the hospital.
Full of uncertainty, I was at a loss as to what to do next. A scratching sound was coming from the
exterior gymnasium door. I took a few step toward the door and saw the little black dog’s head pop up in the window. She stood on her hind legs with her wet nose against the glass. I couldn’t help smiling.
When I stepped out of the dark gymnasium, into the light of the golden sunset, I wasn‘t on the school grounds anymore. I was standing in the middle of a country road. I could hear the loud clack of the door latching behind me, but when I turned to look the doorway and the entire school building was gone. I didn’t recognize the country side but, I recognized the white farm house in the distance. I could see the dog bounding through the tall grass towards it. In these beautiful surroundings I finally felt safe.
I turned off the paved road on to a dirt drive that led to the house. During the long walk the crickets began to sing and the sky changed from bright gold to a dusky orange. As I neared the house I saw the little dog sitting on the porch watching me, wagging her tail. And then I noticed that she wasn’t alone. There was a young man close to my age sitting in a rocking chair next to her. He wasn’t paying any attention to me, he was gazing out at the fading sunset. I was thrilled to see another person but I was also apprehensive. When I tentatively walked up onto the porch the young man lead forward and whispered something the little dog‘s ear, who then scampered off the opposite side of the porch and disappeared around the corner
“Howdy, Clair.” the young man said, acknowledging me without looking way from the sunset.
“You know me?” I asked. I was stunned.
“I sure do,” he smiled, “but ‘ur all grown up and lookin’ mighty fine, if I may say so.” he winked. A sudden little flutter in my stomach took me by surprise.
“I’m sorry but I don’t remember who you are. I can’t remember much about myself to be total honest.” I confessed.
“My proper name is Jacob but you can call me Jake.” he sighed compassionately, “ Don’t worry ‘urself none darlin,” he tapped his temple with his forefinger, “it’ll come back to you.”
His words were reassuring and his country drawl was disarming. I was relieved to have met some one who appeared to know me and I was anxious to learn more. I pulled up a stool and sat across from him.
“Not remembering is the least of my problems.” I said, his kind eyes made me comfortable with confiding in him. “Some really strange stuff has been happening.”
“Well that,” he chuckled, “that’ll only get worse.”
My jaw dropped and my brow furrowed. I wondered how he could be so cavalier.
“I don’t think you understand.” I said earnestly. “The things that have happened to me today aren’t possible.”
Jake leaned forward and put his hand over mine and with a sympathetic smile he said, “ I do understand. I reckon I understand more than most folks but there’s something you need to understand.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Darlin, your dead.”