“Reason”
I can’t for the life of me figure how to build a dog house or understand how any human could. I guess my master can’t either, but I think they’re supposed to be able to reason, whatever that means. I can’t figure this, because I can’t figure, cause I’m a dog. But I have eyes and ears, I can see and hear. I don’t get cold much, but on this day, I was. I wish I had a dog house. I don’t know why it feels so good when my master pets and strokes my head, but it does. I needed that so much today. I had never been so cold in all my life, and I can’t figure why. I had been laying here in my front yard for three days. My eyes were getting dim and I could barely hear. Once I had smelled a faint scent of bacon early one morning, but I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t know why, I am always hungry. Another time I heard the sweet sound of a mandolin. My master loved playing, sometimes I would howl, but now I didn’t feel like it and I don’t know why, cause as I said, I can’t reason, whatever that is. Other times my master would come outside and glance at me and go on about his chores.
I can’t reason but I have always known my Big Master in Heaven. Where was he when I needed Him the most. My master, my Big Master had given me to, could not seem to figure what was wrong with me. I have always trusted and never questioned where my food came from, I just knew. But now there was no one to figure for me, no one to pet me and speak sweet words to me. Please Big Master, send someone to come. I always had someone to walk beside me, but not now. I wish I could figure.
I was getting colder and colder. The grass around and under me was dead and brown. I couldn’t figure why, it was all green everywhere else. Oh, would someone come and just pet me. I knew I could get up and run if someone would just come.
I heard one of those big car things coming that my master went places in. I used to love chasing them but not now. The sound got louder and closer. It came into my yard. I turned my eyes by the hardest and saw a man get out of the car. I saw my master come out, they sat down at the picnic table and began to talk. They talked for a long time, I could barely make out what they were saying. As I listened, I heard them begin to talk about my Big Master. I tried to wiggle around so I could hear better, but I couldn’t. As the man talked, every now and then he would glance at me and say something to my master. Oh, please come over here beside me, I just know I could get up. I had always had someone to walk beside me, but not now.
Suddenly, I heard these words from the visitor, he looked sternly at my master and said, “What is wrong with your Dog”? My master said he didn’t know. The man then said, “How long has he been lying there” My master said, “Three days”. The man then said, “Have you prayed for him?” My master seemed to snicker and laugh and said no. Then something strange happened, the man looked similar to my Big Master as he said” I will pray for your dog.” He stood up gazing at me with a stern but gentle look. Everything in me wanted to get up and run to him, but I couldn’t. He was coming to me, I could hardly believe it! He was coming up to me. I tried to wag my tail but couldn’t. The man drew near and kneeled beside me. He then put his hand on my head and seemed to pet me. He spoke some words to something else, I didn’t know who or what, go figure. He said, “I rebuke the spirit of death that would take this dog’s life before his time” and commanded it to leave. I didn’t see who he was talking to, but I sure felt it leave. Suddenly, it was like I was a ball of energy. I jumped to my feet and raced around the yard. I jumped higher and ran faster than I had ever done before in my life. I ran up to the man wagging my tail with a smile that was about to break my face. He petted me some more and I took off again.
As I ran and jumped, I looked back and saw the man looking down at a perfect outline of my body in the grass, it was dead and brown. He just smiled with that stern gentle smile. I had never seen my masters face look so confused. I guess he was trying to figure this all out. I am glad I can’t reason. I just accept it the way the Big Master made it. I like it this way.
P.S. This is a true story that really happened In Bon Secour, Alabama. It’s just told from the dogs’ perspective. Some say that I have a vivid imagination, go figure.
David McClary
avoicefromthemountain.com
