"Who Wants to Go for a Walk?" by Wayne Bow

Lexie and I started out

The sun was rising just above the jagged tree line

The pink and orange sky looked like explosions frozen in the sky

We walked on the cracked and icy path into the woods

The snow of the previous night made everything look like it was covered in powdered sugar

The something came over Lexie and she laid down in the snow and refused to get up

“Why now?” “Why me?”

A gale of wind chilled my bones

I begged and I pleaded, I pushed and I pulled

I felt cold, really cold. The full essence of the word. Nothing in my body felt over 32 degrees

Out of the blue, a stick cracked in the void of the woods

Lexie’s legs slowly began to extend

Her ears perked up and her eyes zeroed in on the noise like a submarine hunting a warship

Crack, crunch, crack, crunch, crack, crunch, crack, crunch

I knew what was about to happen

I dropped the leash

Whoosh

I watched her charge forward

For a second I forgot we were walking and that she was my dog. I was just watching the pure instinct

The beauty of nature and how she worked

Snap.

I came back to my senses and I walked forward to Lexie starring up a tree

Picking up the wet snowy leash in my near forst bitten hands made them begin to smart and burn

We were off again

I led her through the dormant trees and the pure white surrounding us get me a feeling that I was in heaven or a higher place

Everywhere it was all white

I felt like Dumbledore was going to appear

Wuouououuo

Another gust of wind ripped through the trees

Tears dripped down my eyes and froze on my jacket

Seemingly oblivious Lexie walked with her head high

Nothing nature could throw at her would defeat her spirit

I saw the light at the end of the woods

Finally the end

I picked up my pace

Step.

Step.

Step.

Slip!

Thud!

Ow!

All the air rushed out of my lungs

I couldn’t breath

Tears rushed from my eyes

Pain erupted on my bottom

Everything was leaving me

Just then I felt something cold and wet on my cheek

I blinked the saturation from my eyes and saw a black nose and a golden face staring at me

I lifted off the ground

The next 5 minutes felt like a blur

Lexie led me down the hill past the suburban houses covered in snow

The sun bounced off the snow into my eyes

A yellow tint filled my eyes

All of the sudden I found myself grabbing the door handle

The heat overcame me with a feeling that I have never felt since

I looked at Lexie and I knew that I would have to go back out there