Footprints

I wrote this shortly after my dog (whom I had had since I was three) died. I haven't even looked at this in a while, but I figured I'd put it up. The names have been changed, and this is a mix of nonfiction and fiction.

            The snow began to build around the outlines of the footprints, forming an unstable wall around them. The wind blew gently, knocking the freezing parapets over and erasing the footprints from time. The sun dwindled in the sky for a couple hours longer before it retired behind a distant strip of houses. The final rays of sunlight filtered through the swaying trees, diffused and highlighting a boy and his dog on their return from a walk. The trail they left behind them dissipated underneath the expected snow.

            She trotted by his side, her legs moving in an upbeat synergy, mouth open in an amazed grin, eyes focused on nothing but the wonders around her. The boy pulled his hands out of his thick coat’s pockets to breathe on them, wiping away the cold from his flesh. He dipped down, his legs remaining in motion, and patted her on the head before shoving his hands back into the depths of his pockets. She lifted her head up in a spastic snap, nibbling at the air over her head, peering through her shaggy hair up at him. The boy looked back to her and smiled, saying nothing, enjoying the warm silence.

            The dribbling crick, the ground on both its sides frozen, forced its way downward, making a slight noise amongst the crunching of the snow under foot and paw. In a melancholy tone, an undesired but required force, the birds sang. When the boy and his dog had first departed the sun was high in the sky and the atmosphere was bright, brimming with hope and limitless possibilities. What felt like only minutes, time had sped by in its accustomed, unjust manner.

            Now darkness was prowling behind the corner, the enveloping cold right behind it. The boy stopped by a fallen log, another piece of evidence to the futile reaches of time. He bent down, brushing a fresh coat of snow from the warped wood, and slowly sat down, acclimating to the cold of the log that seeped through his jeans. Sadie stopped in front of him, positioning herself by his feet, waiting to be pet. The boy smiled and scratched her side with the top of his boot. He stared at the trail of footprints left behind, watching them vanish as the daylight ebbed away, acquiescing to the impending claws of night.

            Sadie shook violently, throwing snow from her fur and distracting the boy from the thoughts he just couldn’t ignore. She rubbed her head against his leg, scratching her face on the rugged material of his pants. The boy looked away briefly, took a deep breath of the chilled air, and stood up. He turned his back to the night, hoping she would do the same… if she could. He walked toward the house, toward the warm fireplace, toward vivacity. He could sense the pale glow of the moon and the stars on his back, could feel the bony fingers of the night snake around the forest floor, see them clenching around Sadie’s ankles. He closed his eyes, taking another deep, calming breath, and continued forward, quickening his pace.

            The house lay within 200 yards, the smoke billowing from its chimney, a signal in the air, beckoned the boy and Sadie along. He smiled and began to jog. Looking to his right, his smile withered and legs slowed. The boy spun around and ran back along his footprints, looking for Sadie’s. He was now in the shadow of the moon, the sun finally gone from the sky. The ground appeared purple, shining with a silver gloss underneath the silky light of the stars and the planets. Bending over, he noticed small imprints in the freezing snow. His eyes followed them a brief distance toward the torn trunk of an old tree.

            Sadie lay on her side against the trunk; her legs sprawled across the snow. The whites of her eyes shone brightly, but what were once rich brown irises were now pale and frozen over casings of a wilting life. The boy ran to her, dropping to his knees. He picked up her lolling head, trying to keep her awake. Her lungs grasped at the air around them, but it was futile. The air was cold and empty. Flickering, the failing light in her eyes departed. The boy didn’t let go, he didn’t squeeze harder, he didn’t scream, any tears that would have rolled down his cheeks froze before seeping out, he just kneeled by her side, staring into nothing.

            Not long had passed, just long enough for the snow to recede. The boy opened the door to his house and walked toward the woods. He stepped into a ditch that led to the main trail. He followed it out into the belly of the forest, his eyes staring forward. The trees around him were cluttered around, yet distant. Tangible and recognizable, yet ultimately they were physical obstructions, just aesthetic adornments of the forest.

            The boy stopped. He looked to his left and walked off the path a few feet, stopping in front of an old tree. Its branches hung in a crooked fashion, casting a haunted shadow upon the leaf-scattered floor. But the reflection that shone in his eyes was different. He squatted down, balancing himself on the balls of his feet, and he leaned forward, hand outstretched. He ran the tips of his fingers down the rough bark of the tree trunk. In a sharp jab, a piece of bark tore a cut into the tip of his index finger. He pulled back, looking at it. A bead of blood remained on the bark, the sun glinting off its soft, red surface. The blood formed a sticky surface on his skin as he rubbed it between two fingers. Permeated with a despondent and joyful dichotomy, he closed his stinging eyes, walking away, leaving the forest behind in physicality.

 

Author's Note

What genre would this be? Lol.

Reviews

[Salvatore Buttaci]

Congratulations for winning the animals contest!

[Flame DM]

I don't know what genre this would be, but this made me cry! I totally dont agree with the first review, leave this as is. You could touch the hearts of millions and millions of pet lovers with this!

[Flame DM]

I don't know what genre this would be, but this made me cry! I totally dont agree with the first review, leave this as is. You could touch the hearts of millions and millions of pet lovers with this!

[James Watts]

I disagree with the previous reviewer. I found nothing clunky about it. The imagery felt just right to me, not overdone. Nice work.

[ilurvekinilaw]

I don't know what genre it would be but you have captured the sense of loss and numbness one would feel in such a situation. And I thought I had it bad when my mutt died. One thing though: the story seems to be weighed down by description. Trim it down because there were times that the story felt clunky. Also, like in the fourth paragraph: "Sadie stopped in front of him, positioning herself by his feet, waiting to be PET."

Apart from that, the story was beautiful because you shone the spotlight on a not so common event. :)