Polly hid and sulked behind a plant, his body folded for as small as he could. His eyes were closed, his mind awake, ears open - eavesdropping for every possible sound that’s Reggie-related. Stuck in that position for hours, Polly realized that aside from his nose, his ears have got some great power as well, like he knew who had been coming and going within the vicinity just by the sound of their walks and their voices. Reggie barely lifted his feet when he walked. The friction of his slippers or shoes against the floor produced a much louder sound than someone who walked on a heel-toe, heel-toe motion. The daughter of Reggie’s landlord and landlady  walked like that. Her walk had a certain beat to it especially when she wore those stilleto shoes that made her look even taller than she already was. “And I know Reggie’s voice very well.” His voice got a deep timbre that one would think it was coming from a tall bulky man.  Reggie was neither

Despite the inconsistencies in the way Bridgette dealt with Polly, he still gravitated towards her. It was like she had a magnetic wave that kept pulling Polly near her. Polly couldn’t understand it but it was like he didn’t have a choice. He still felt sad when she was away and would excitedly wait for her by the door for her arrival at night. Early morning on a weekday in Bridgette’s household was a bit chaotic. The floor area of the house was only 50 square feet with three adults - Bridgette, her mother, and her first born, Rachel - and four children - Bridgette’s Roxanne, 16 years old, and Ivan 13, and Rachel’s Willy, 10, and Winonah, 8. Every day, they would all compete as to who got to use the bathroom first. Bridgette always won. It was a feast watching them move. It was much like the people Polly used see in the streets weeks ago. It was as if they did not know one another. They were all in a hurry they were just passing each other by.   

It had been raining non-stop for days due to the monsoon. Bridgette’s laundry had been in and out of the house as she tried to catch even just a little bit of sunlight but she had been unsuccessful trying to get them to dry. She said their clothes all smelled like molds because they were not drying properly. Brigida had been praying for the rain to stop. She said the water had found all the holes on their roof it felt like it was raining inside the house, too. They had placed all sorts of things to catch the droplets - pots, dipper, pails, and laundry tubs. They could all be seen scattered all over the house. All the members of the family, except for Brigida, Willy and Winonah took turns emptying them, and they did it quite a lot in the last few days. And what about Pilita? She did not have a place to go. Her dog house had been wet for three days straight. She couldn’t get a decent sleep because everything was wet. Her fur was wet, too, she smelled like dog even more

Polly drifted farther and farther away from where Pilita was. He felt tired. He felt like he had consumed all his energy from all the barking that he had done as he watched Pilita sink helplessly into the dark flood water. But if there was any consolation it was that he knew Pilita got saved all because he barked. Polly was not really a barker. He thought it ran in their family. His mother and brothers never really barked for no reason. In his heart of hearts, when he was very young, he knew he wanted to try it. He was curious what his voice would sound like. One afternoon, in one of his strolls with his mom, Lily, and brothers, Basil, Bitok, and Wacky, they went on top of a not-so-high hill. Their mother suggested that they practice barking there. She said the wind would carry their voices all across the fields right at the foot of the hill and no one would know it was them. His mother and brothers barked and bayed effortlessly. Before long, it was as if they were s

Polly felt like his crate was being lifted again. He was sliding and bumping on all four sides of the box he was in. He was not concerned with getting bruised anymore, he was more concerned about what was about to happen to him in that room. It happened so fast. Before he knew it, he felt some kind of plastic on his body. They were gloves - rubber gloves. Then he heard - “Oh my! This one’s pretty serious. His stomach is big. He’s losing fur and there’s something wrong with his leg.” “Tell me something I don’t know.” were words forming in Polly’s head hearing the lady say that. Then again, without warning, warm water hit his body. “Oh, look at that! Not even a whimper.” the lady said. And even with the mask on her face, Polly could tell she was smiling. “What a good doggie you are, huh!” as she continued to pour warm water all over him. “Oh, but you are trembling. Are you scared, little doggie?… You don’t have to be scar