Summer Bark

One midsummer afternoon, the sun is at its peak looking down from the sky. It seemed to be mocking all living things as it brought down its wrath. The greasy pedestrians are scurrying off to their jobs. The asphalt road is blazing from the exhaust of the usual busy traffic.

A humble home with a wide garden stood beside this road catastrophe. The garden is laden with carpets of green grass. In the middle of the garden is a small, yellow inflatable pool with a cartoon character pattern.

Loony was closing his eyes as he listened to the splashing of water and laughter of children. Next to him is his empty water bowl. He laid down on the grass as the sun showered him with its light. His golden fur shone brighter than ever before, like it was touch by the hands of Midas. 

Loony was about to fall asleep when he was splashed with water. He slowly opened his bleary eyes to see his little humans.

The children beckoned Loony. “Come here, boy!”  

Loony was suddenly filled with energy as he listened to his little humans’ call. He stood up and ran towards the pool to join them. He splashed and jumped inside the pool, resulting to the giggles of the two little boys. The water created small puddles like oases in a narrow desert.

The smaller boy picked up a rubber duck and threw it far away. “Go fetch, Loony!” He exclaimed excitedly.

The taller boy clapped his hand in support, ”Go Loony! Go boy!”

Loony executed his command immediately. He was showered with praises as he returned the duck to his tiny owners.

The boys patted and caressed him, “Good boy! Good boy!”

Yes, Loony is a good boy. Running under this sweltering weather, however, caused him to pant heavily. His tongue stuck out as he was gasping for air. He rolled over the wet dirt to cool off, staining his yellow coat.

Loony is happy. While the sun is out and glaring at the world, his little humans will play with him. He hated the sun that made him sleepy, but he loves his humans.

Loony barked and wiggled his tail, amusing his little humans. Barking and laughter rang out from the backyard like silver bells seeming to signal the upcoming spring.

Suddenly, Loony’s ears perked up.

It’s mom!

Time for dinner!

One dog and two boys happily dragged their dirty and tired bodies. Upon arriving at the door, Mom gave them towels and brought them to the bathroom. Seeing the bathtub, the boys thought of continuing their water game.

One dog and two boys... and one rubber duck, squeezed into one bathtub.

The boys emptied a bottle of liquid soap to create bubbles. They rubbed it in their hair and pretended to be sharks. Loony was not forgotten as the boys turned him into a porcupine.

Only at this time of the year, the boys get to spend the whole day playing with Loony. No classes to attend and no homework to do. They get to play with water without getting scolded and they can stay up late. Most of all, they can play fetch with Loony.

The boys hoped that summer vacation lasts forever. There are still a lot of things they wanted to do with Loony. They wanted to go to the beach or go to the mall… and maybe, eat a tub of ice cream as well.

Loony is 8 years old this year. He gets tired easily and likes to sleep longer on summer days. The boys thought of what Mom said about dog days. When the dogstar appears up in the sky, the heat increases and the dogs sleep more. Mom also said that dogs like Loony only have 10 summers The dogstar might take him away and his sleep will never end. The boys look forward to summers, but also keep track of them.

After dinner, Mom tucked the boys and Loony in bed. Mom read them a book about the stars in the sky. The stars create different shapes and patterns. The boys’ favorite is the dogstar. It is also Loony’s favorite.

Mom finished her story with kisses on the boys’ foreheads and a pat on Loony’s for being a good boy as always. Neon stars glowed when Mom turned off the lights and closed the door.

“Good night, boys.” She softly muttered.

When Mom left, the boys abruptly opened their eyes and tiptoed towards the window. This is their nightly routine. They looked for the dogstar like the one in the book on the hands. They scanned every star in the sky with their clear and innocent eyes.

When they found the dogstar, they would close their eyes. They clasped their hands and wished. “Mr. Dogstar, don’t take Loony yet. He does not want to go with you to sleep yet. He still want to play with us. Next summer, I hope he is still here.”

Loony heard his name and tilted his head in confusion. He laid beside his humans’ feet and observed them. Loony looked excited again as he swayed his tail back and forth. He wished for tomorrow to come quick, so he can play with his humans again. He wondered what game they would play tomorrow.

This is Loony’s eight summer. He gets tired more and his limbs were not as nimble as before. He, however, still has more summers to spend with his little humans.

There are more summer days to come.

There are more summer laughs to come.

And even more summer barks to come.

Each with their own wishes, one dog and two boys fell asleep side by side. They are inseparable even in their sleep.

One dog and two boys dreamt that night. They dreamt of their adventures among the stars. They would float in the sky wearing a red cape and gripping their golden swords. They dominated every star as they searched for the dogstar.

One dog and two boys vowed to defeat the dogstar that night.

The end.