“That dog can not go very far!” Selling for the day was just beginning. There were still a lot of sticks of fish balls, squid balls, and quekiam to sell.
The dog was easy to spot, he knew no one would even bother to take him but then if he just let Polly roam around, the man that was looking for him previously might come back and find him on his own. “That’s easy thousand or two down the drain.”
The vendor stuck two pieces of fishballs in a stick and dipped it in sweet sauce. He squatted facing Polly who still had not taken notice of him. The vendor waited until Polly was just an arms-length away. He was waving the stick towards Polly, luring the little dog towards him.
Polly saw the vendor alright but how many times had he been mistaken about things like that. Polly looked behind him. The vendor could be waving at somebody else but when he looked forward again, the vendor was still looki
Polly’s left leg moved like a wiper on a windshield as he tried to cut the straw around his neck with his nails. Seeing Jake coming closer and closer was enough reason to move even faster. He did it, finally! He felt the straw break loose. He was free!The vendor was busy cooking he didn’t notice that Polly had gotten loose. Polly walked backwards. He felt his heart beating fast. Many times, he was just an invisible dog to many and how he wished that he could not be seen that moment. Then he heard - “Hey, glad you came!” the fishball vendor greeted Jake without looking. He stirred the mix of fishballs and quekiam that were cooking in boiling oil. He took a strainer and placed the cooked pieces in it. .“You found it?” Jake ending his question with a naughty smile.“Just a moment.” the vendor replied. He took the squid bits that he had soaked in a mixture of starch, water, salt, and
“Stop it, Bruno!” Martin shouted.Bruno stepped closer to Polly still growling, teeth showing, salivating.“I said stop it!”Bruno growled some more.“Stop it I said!”Bruno growled one more time then faced Martin. “I can’t believe you brought in another one, Martin! It’s getting pretty crowded here.”“I don’t see why it’s a problem, Bruno. He takes very little space.”“Now, there’s another one to take care of…again! I’m getting pretty tired doing that.”“You don’t have to take care of him! He will look for his own food just like the others!”“I heard the pack had to step in to save that dog! And I did hear about you taking the blows again! I can’t understand why you had to do that,
“I wish I can prove Saucy wrong but I am so far away from finding a human. I am farther away from that now than before!”Saucy and Polly headed back to the headquarters after a few hours. Most of the pack were there already taking a nap.“Take a rest, Polly. We’ll head to the main street later to eat.” Saucy said as she took her place on the couch.“You mean back there with all the food carts and mobile stores?”“Yes, Polly. Look, I know you don’t want to be back there but we’re here, okay? Go sleep and let’s figure it out later.”Polly nodded. This time he took a place under the couch that Saucy was sleeping on.“I could just stay here with Martin, Saucy, Bruno, and the rest of the pack. Maybe I should stop thinking about finding a human to love, because that part is easy. My mother said that I love with all my heart, with a
Martin did not think anymore. He ran as fast as he could and shielded Polly with his body. Both of them were waiting for the heavy wood and roofing to hit them they both closed their eyes. They were saved, however, by the tall cabinet on their far right when it caught a portion of the wooden brace holding the whole roofing.Martin had not done it before but he carried Polly by his scruff after noticing that he had frozen still again. Martin could hear some of his pack crying for help. Those were the ones that hid inside the structure. He knew some of them had managed to escape but there were some that got pinned by the large debris falling from the surprise demolition that morning.Martin was heading for the exit but the demolition team had blocked all possible entrances and exits. He did not know if some of his pack got out. He was too stunned to realize what was happening. He was on autopilot. He was running on mere adrenaline or instincts, whichever was presen
Polly had made up his mind he would separate from the pack believing that he was responsible for bringing bad luck upon them. A plan emerged in his head. He would wait for Saucy to fall deep in sleep then he would get away for as far as he could. There was just one problem, well a few problems. His wounds had not healed from the thorn that pricked his side and from being dragged by the fishball vendor. He still could not walk very fast. Saucy would catch up with him easily if he was not careful. Another was that, Saucy has got a powerful sense of smell. All dogs did, him included, but multiply it by four or five times and that was how strong her nose was. Her hearing, too, was pretty good. Better than the average dog so maybe if he moved, it would easily wake her up and his plan would go kaput. Polly was actually afraid to leave the pack. Although he still did not feel like he belonged there, at least he knew there was at least three dogs looking out for him
It took days before Martin and Bruno found Saucy, Polly, and about five more dogs that belonged to their pack. Each one’s ability to smell their way towards one another was muddled by hunger and shorter hours of sleep and rest. All of them were too far away from the main street that had nourished them all in the last few years and far from the quarters that sheltered them for too long.It was evident that Martin and Bruno had been engaged in various fights. They had probably been bullied by other packs of dogs in different places. That was understandable. That’s how dogs were. Dogs protect their territory.If it were up to Bruno, he would establish any place as territory. He was not afraid fighting everyday it that was what it took to claim the place. That was what he tried to do when he found the main street. Bruno was young, muscular, strong and smart, too. He had been alone long enough it would seem like he was no longer afraid of anything.
It’s been days and Martin’s pack, which was considerably decimated, had not found a place to settle in. Food had been scarce. Whatever piece they found was divided among the eight of them and that usually wasn’t a lot. Everyone was not only tired and hungry, they were desperate.Everyone was looking out to him for comfort and assurance but even him was doubting whether he had enough of those for everyone.One night, the pack gathered around, as they usually did, around a whole pack of bread they got from the trash of a small grocery store. It was already expired as stated on the packaging but there wasn’t any molds yet.Martin urged everyone to get a piece each, and as always, he was the last to get a share.Everyone ate quietly this time. There wasn’t that usual chattering and teasing. The mood was dreadful.“I don’t think we’ll be able to last long if we stay together.” Martin said, h
“So Polly, what do you think?” Saucy said as she watched the jeepney driver carry a box with a crying kitten inside. “Huh?” Polly was tilting his head puzzled. “I’ve been watching that jeepney driver. For two days now, he’s been bringing in stray cats in his house! I think he’s the human for you.” “Oh, I don’t know. He seems nice and all but maybe he’s a cat person.” “Cat person? Can’t you see he’s got dogs, too! Plus it looks like his kids like animals, too.” “Yes, his kids like cats, too.” “What are you talking about? I think this family likes both cats and dogs.” “Ahmm, Saucy? Maybe you should go find your own place now and I can go find my human on my own.” A change of atmosphere was triggered by Polly’s suggestion. “What made you bring that up?” “You’ve done so much for me. I mean, you could’ve stayed with Bruno and Martin
It was tiring hopping from one situation to another. Polly missed the certainty that his mother and brothers brought to his life. It was truly a roller coaster ride for him since he was left alone.“Polly! Polly!” Polly heard voices calling his name in nothing short of a whisper. He looked around but saw no one.“Polly! Polly!” the voices called again. He stood up on all fours inside the closed crate. Polly looked at Tagpi and Bantay. It seemed like they were hearing the voices, too but preferred to just ignore it. Popo seemed to be doing the same.“Over here,Polly!” slowly he two heads started to appear from the left side of the front gate.“Martin? Bruno?…Am I dreaming?”The two dogs did not respond. They walked away.“Who’s Martin? Who’s Bruno? Popo asked.Polly sat before answering. “They are my friends.
Polly always looked forward to mornings and afternoons just like Popo, Bantay, and Tagpi. At dawn, the three large dogs would assemble by the gate looking at the path where Terry would walk with a basket of food.Polly wanted to join them there. He was excited, too, but he was afraid he might rock the hierarchy. He felt then that it was only Popo who had truly accepted him. So he just content himself watching the three dogs welcome Terry. They jumped, they spinned at the mere sight of their human.“I do not know whether they had been trained but at least when it comes to patience and control at meal time, the three certainly displayed them to a T.”They just stayed in their open crates as Terry divided the food.“One, two, three bowls.” Polly counted. The bowl that Polly was using in the last few days was that thin microwavable plastic that always got ruined. Much like the temporary food bowls that Cornelio used f
“I can’t understand why Terry has to get another dog. There’s so many of us already!”Tagpi posed the question while the three of them were in their crates during school hours.Since there were only three crates, Polly had to join Popo in his. He was the only one nice enough to share the space with him.Polly pretended to be asleep. He wanted to find out what these dogs think about him.“We should get used to it. That’s how Terry is.”Bantay replied.“Popo, I can’t believe you are taking another responsibility. Remember the time you got separated with Cattlily? I knew how difficult that time was for you. It was hard to start a friendship with someone and then having it abruptly end.” Tagpi said.“What are you implying? That I should get mad at Terry for taking Cattlily away?” Popo whispered. He did not want to wake Polly up.
Polly was looking around from inside the box. It was not too tall for him not to see the surroundings. Once in a while, he would glance at Terry. He couldn’t believe that she could do this to him. “I mean, she saved me from the storm, she kept me warm, she fed and even gave me a bath only to throw me away? That just does not make any sense.” Polly was busy with his thoughts that before he knew it, they were hailed in a three-wheeled vehicle, a tricycle, as they called it. The box where he was in was not on the floor. It was on her lap. Sometimes, he would feel her hand on his body when the ride would go over rough parts of the road. “Where could she be taking me?” Furry Friends Grooming Services and Pet Supplies. The tricycle stopped right in front of it. The shop looked really nice and clean and there were lots of pictures of purebred dogs and cats. It was much like Patty’s Pet Shop and Pet Supplies but a little sma
“So I am not dead!That’s one cause for a celebration.“And my human finally noticed me!”“Your human? I don’t think that’s right!”it was the white dog with brown patches that spoke, the leader of the three, the one that stayed in the middle crate.“Yeah, it’s premature for you to say that!”agreed the black one.Polly was about to say something when he felt his legs depart from the ground. When he looked behind him, he saw that his human was carrying him with her bare hands. He could feel all ten fingers, her palm supporting his whole body.He had never experienced being held like that by a human. He was so high from the ground. If he fell, he could really break more bones. But he looked at her face. She did not look like she was about to do that.She then held Polly with just one hand and opened the crates of the three larg
Heavy rains continued to pour. So heavy that it felt like nails pricking every part of Polly’s body. There were no more children and adults passing that alley. It was just Polly stuck on one side of it. He sat there just trembling. His brain was commanding his body to move but his muscles refused to follow.He closed his eyes praying for the rain to stop and even the rain refused to do so. Instead, it went on in the same intensity for hours. It felt like the rain was pressing him further down onto the ground.“This is it. This is how I am going to die.” with no one in sight to rescue him, he was certain that he would not last for a few more hours under that heavy downpour.“But no! I can’t die like this! All I have to do is hold on a little longer. Just like what I’ve been doing time and again. I don’t have my mother and brothers to cheer me on, no Pilita or Lupita to share the agony with, no Martin and Brun
Polly hid behind the bushes right when the human he was waiting for was passing by.“I can’t believe you did that!” Dory said placing her left wing on her forehead.Polly spoke from where he was hiding. “What?”“Oh, come on out here. You just blew your chance to be noticed.”“I’m too scared. I haven’t recovered from what happened to Saucy. I don’t think I can take another heartbreak.”“You are just going to see if she will notice you! And if what those three dogs have told me were true, then I don’t think you will have your heart broken.”“I’m sorry but I don’t believe you can talk with those three big dogs. It’s just not possible.”“Okay, watch me.” Dory flew first to the branch of a narra tree in front of the crates.The teacher, Poll
The sun was already up when Polly woke up. The Christmas lights were off. Those melodies that lulled him to sleep could no longer be heard. He fell asleep in full view of all the people passing by. He could have died just by being stepped on. He was so tired that all his guards were off when he fell asleep.He could feel his tummy rumbling. He had not eaten in the last few days. He had not groomed, too. He licked his paws and rubbed them off his face. He could taste the dust that were stuck thick onto his fur. It was awful! It was disgusting. “No wonder those cats and dogs were looking at me with disgust!”He continued to lick the parts of his body that he could reach. The wound that he had from the thorn of the bougainvillea plant and the cuts that he got from being dragged by the fishball vendor were healing but he had lost considerable amounts of fur on his body.Polly looked back at his tail, wagged him left and right. “W
Polly did not know how long he had walked. All he knew was that he must get as far away from that place as he could. But no matter how far he had gone, he was still being tormented by that moment that the man killed his friend. The scene was playing on repeat in his head. He couldn’t take it off. He willed his mind to think of happy thoughts. He willed his mind to sing that song that he used to sing with his mother, or that song that he used to sing with Pilita, or Lupita. None of them worked. He thought he had seen it all but nothing could ever be as terrifying as that moment. He wished that the last moment Saucy would bring with her was that moment when she felt she was needed and loved. He wished that it was that moment with the humans she used to have, or the ones with her puppies, or the ones with Martin, Bruno and her whole pack, or maybe the beautiful moments they had together. Thinking about those moments, he realized most of their moments were diffic