Lauren--Part Twenty-Five

Splog # 82

Twenty-Five

   It took a moment for him to come into view but, in a short time, Austin came bounding over the grass, on the same side of the tracks as Lauren.

   "Austin! I'm so happy to see you! Where have you been? Do you know where we're going?"

   It wasn't easy getting her questions out, as Austin was bouncing all over and trying to lick her face. Lauren was practically jumping with joy herself, slowly spinning around as the weight of Austin's exuberance collided with her relief at no longer being a solitary pilgrim.

   Finally, they both calmed down and Lauren crouched in front of Austin as he faced her with his tongue lolling from his mouth and his tail wagging briskly.

   "Now, Austin. You better listen to me for a minute, 'cause I think this is pretty important."

   Austin reeled in his tongue, closed his mouth, brought his tail to a halt and then moved back to sit on his haunches, giving her all of his attention.

   "Splog expects me to do something here but I don't know what it is. He said something about an inn and then going up somewhere but I guess the inn is first and he said you'd go there with me but I don't know where it is so I'm hoping that you do and that you can take me there."

   She paused for a moment, wondering how to make herself understood to the dog and, while she was quiet, Austin lowered his head and nuzzled one of her hands, which she had rested on her knees. Then, he rose and walked a few steps away from her. Lauren stood up also and Austin returned and put his head under her hand and then headed off in the same direction.

   "Is that it? Is that the way to the inn?"

   Austin let out one short bark and Lauren walked to him. When she reached him, he turned and they both started walking across the field of grass in the opposite direction from the Fe-San. There was no trail or path to follow. They just walked through the grass, which wasn't tall but wasn't extremely short either. It came about to the top of Lauren's sneakers although here and there were patches where it was halfway up her calf.

   It was pleasant walking with Austin. He stayed close by her and would sometimes nudge a hand with his head or his wagging tail would brush one of her legs. It was warm, but not hot and the air was pleasant enough, though a little dry. She could feel, as they walked, that they were going ever so slightly uphill, even though it wasn't readily apparent to her eyes.

   After a few minutes, Lauren started humming little tuneless ditties and she'd stroke Austin's head and back as her arms swung to the rhythm of her stride.

   "Y'know Austin, this is a strange thing to be going to some inn that I don't know only with a dog to take me there and then to be doing whatever it is we're supposed to do. Splog - he's a funny guy, isn't he? He was playing his fiddle and we walked down the Fe-San and he was gonna tell me what it was but the train came and Mason was telling me about a boy in a tower and I must have fallen asleep and there was a volcano and a tree on fire and everybody disappeared while we had breakfast. Even you. Where did you go?"

   Austin gave another one-note bark and Lauren wondered if that was an answer to her question but decided it probably wasn't because Austin probably didn't understand human talk except things like Sit or Go.

   "Well, wherever you went, I'm just glad you came back because I would never have figured out where this inn is and besides I was a little scared having to do whatever it is I have to do without anyone to do it with so I'm glad you're here Austin."

   She looked back to the Fe-San to see how far they had come. It surprised her to see that it was much bigger and smaller than she had expected. Smaller because they had moved quite far away from it in the short time they'd been walking. And yet she hadn't realized how big the Fe-San was. It filled her field of vision in the distance across the train tracks. It was both higher and wider than it had seemed when she was in its immediate vicinity.

   "Look, Austin. Look how high it is. I started way up there on the top." She pointed with a finger. "And we walked all the way down and then got on the train and rode all the way around." She looked back at Austin to stress her point.