As the hostel bell rang early in the morning, I woke up and
hurried for my Art class. While on my way to the Campus, I found a little puppy
sitting and whimpering on the footpath on the outskirts of a garden. Fighting
my urge to take him with myself back to the hostel, I tried walking on but
couldn’t. I gave him my lunch which he, to my surprise, devoured quickly and I
resolved to take him into my lodgings. Too occupied as I was to notice that he
had a leash on and could be someone’s pet, we walked on like childhood buddies
with the same stance. His little white furred body trotted beside me to catch
up with my pace and made him look so little a treasure that I felt impulsively
protective of him.
I hid him in my bag as I entered the gates of my hostel
since animals were not allowed inside the rooms. Tired as I was from this long
walk, I lay on my bed and could see his head jump up a second after another
accompanied by a singing bark from his throat as he tried to jump up on the bed
beside me but couldn’t because of his small size.
I did not realize that I’d fallen asleep until there was a
knock on the door which woke me up and I noticed the little pup streak across
the floor, tossing up the rugs as he slid, and not stopping until he crashed
into the door with a loud thud. He then hopped up on his hind legs, yelping
wildly. This is when I realized that this little creature was not a delicate
angel but a vigorous, slightly crazed devil that was yet somehow joyous in its
eyes. I knew that calming him down would be of no use and I opened the door
with a slight queasiness to see a hostel member asking me to take the dog out.
I did not know what to do with him but surely I did not and
would not let him be on his own all alone and not looked after. Nevertheless, I
decided to take him to the same place where I’d found him in the hope that his
owner might come around finding him. When we reached the place, I sat on a
bench in the garden adjacent to the place and tried to keep the little urchin
entertained and wagged a stick in front of his face. He stared at it as a
starving man would stare at a loaf of bread. “Go get it!” I shouted, and hurled
the stick as far out in the garden as I could. He jumped up the low concrete
barrier in one spectacular leap and galloped down the steep in the garden out
into a grove of plants. He came charging back up onto the bench with his prize
in his teeth. “Bring it here!” I yelled, slapping my hands together. He pranced
over, his whole body wagging with excitement, and promptly shook the leaves and
mud all over me! And I thought to myself, this is what overexcited energized
bunch of animals were born to do.
 | |
| The little devil |
It was like I was living with a wild horse and was assured
that this little creature can teach me about living each day with unbridled
exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He could
teach me to appreciate the simple things- a walk in the garden, a fresh
energetic evening and to miss classes for an enjoyable nap.
I wondered if it was possible for a dog- any dog, but
especially a nutty, wildly uncontrollable one like him- to point humans to the
things that really mattered in life; and looking at him I believed it was!
And this is the reason why I did not name him because then
it would have hurt me more to let him go than it would hurt me now when I’d not
named him. Be it whatsoever, I found it amazing and unbelievable that how
attached I grew to him in matter of just a few hours. However, interrupting my
sad brooding, I heard the little devil’s bark that filled my heart with all the
love for him and I continued playing our game with him, not knowing and caring
of the future.
