The Boy & The Dog

All of his big brothers and sisters whined and cried at the rising heat of summer. They no longer sprinted through the gardens and courtyards, now sitting agitated and uncomfortable in the shade of the alcoves. So uncomfortable were some that they sat in silence fidgeting with well-worn toys, snapping at any daring sibling who dare approach them in this forsaken heat.

But not him. He waited, sweating and burning beneath the sun, for his best friend to come back.

It was the fourth day he had waited patiently on the steps bordering his father's estate, bare feet kicking in the dried grass and his brow drawn in a rather pensive expression for a four-year old. His brothers and sisters never wanted to play with him, no matter the weather, saying he was too young or too small or too dumb to play their games. He wasn't dumb! And he was almost four and a half! Not that young at all! He did have to concede though, he was rather on the small side; his tiny legs made it difficult to keep up with his siblings in their running games, but they'd grow eventually!

He heaved a sigh, tucking his head into his chest to shield his face from the unbearable sunlight, when he heard the graceful taps of his mother's approach.

"Sôthis will come today, levénti mou," she reassured, her voice smooth and warm like a spring day, not like this harsh and hot summer day. Her himation fluttered as she took a seat beside him on the steps.

The heat was making him frustrated, "You don't know that."

His mother clicked her tongue, "Ah, but I do! Today is the day the Dog Star returns to the sky!"

He peaked his head out from his chest, meeting his mother's grin.

"What does that mean?"

His mother's gaze turned away, staring across the roads and fields, her smile softening.

"When I was your age, every year when the Dog Star returned to the sky and the kynádes hēmérai began, is when Sôthis would appear. I remember the first time I saw him, I was smaller than you!"

The young boy snapped his head up, "Smaller than me?!"

"Smaller than you!" She giggled, "I remember the first time I saw him: He had the pointiest nose, the pointiest ears, and the pointiest tail!" Her description painted a interesting, but accurate, image in his head.

"He is a pointy dog," he stated.

"He really is. He's a handsome dog, too, with that shiny gray coat of his," she mused, resting her head on her hand thoughtfully. The memories of those blistering days were foggy, but they were fun and they were remembered all the same.

"I like his white belly, and how it turns into a star on his neck!"

"That's why I call him Sôthis! Pắppos was mad when I named him, said he was bad luck and would bring sickness to the house, but I played with him anyways."

"Sôthis can't be bad luck, he's too much fun," he huffed. He turned his eyes to the roads and fields as well, even more eager for the arrival of his friend. He was the only good thing to look forward to during these awful summers.

"That's what I said, too. He even saved me once, from a mad dog. His bark was as loud as thunder and he moved as fast as lightning! The other dog didn't stand a chance and I never saw it again, but I still didn't go outside unless Sôthis was with me."

His eyes grew wide as his mother recounted the story, even more in awe of his best friend's feats.

"All the other dogs were afraid of him too, even our shepherd's hunter. He was strong, and he knew it! He held his head and his tail up high no matter where we were. He is the proudest dog I ever met to this day!"

"What else?" He asked excitedly, shuffling closer to his mother on the hot steps in front of the estate.

"What else? Hmmm, let's see..." She tapped a finger on her chin, "Oh! You might not expect this, but he was also the laziest dog I ever met."

"Really?" He said, his face scrunching in disbelief.

"It's true! He is so lazy, I swear he killed a patch of grass because he slept on it for so long. He even slept through a rainstorm once!" She laughed, "When he finally laid down for the day he wouldn't move for anything, except for food, of course!"

He laughed with her, "He's gonna get fat!"

"I know! But he does make for a great pillow. On cooler days, we used to take naps together in the garden. Best sleep I've ever had. was during those summers with him."

He yawned big and slow, "I wanna take a nap with Sôthis..."

His mother giggled softly again, "You will, levénti mou, you will." A clever but motherly smile pulled at her lips, "Maybe if you take a nap now, he'll be here when you wake up."

He rubbed at his eyes, "But I wanna be here when he comes..."

"I know, but Sôthis will want to play when he finally does come. And you must get some sleep now if you want play with him later," she said, gathering her son into her arms.

"Okay..." he drawled as his heavy eyelids fell shut. He couldn't argue with that logic, especially not when he was so sleepy from the afternoon heat.

A content sigh left her lips as her son went limp in her arms, breathing slowly. She rocked him gently, enjoying the familiar, bittersweet heat of summer as the sun began its descent to the next horizon. In the distance, she could see dark gray clouds beginning to form as the summer bugs buzzed and chirped in the dry grass.

She stood and turned to go back into the cool shade of the estate, when a bark like thunder rung in the hot air of the kynádes hēmérai.