A Dog Story

Category C: Highly Commended (2024) Monash Short Story Writing Competition
Author: Paul O'Meara

I knew what I was after, and there it was.

Perfect family. 1 boy, 1 girl, 1 father, 1 mother – perfect family.

All standing not far from the goal square.

I went over.

• Can I ask you a favour? I just want to have a run without the dog tripping me over. Can I ask you to hold her for just a couple of minutes? I’ll sprint to the other side and then jog back.

• Yea, sure. No probs.

They were in their early 30’s, had a small dog of their own, which had probably been washed this morning for their trip to the oval.

• Thanks.

I was right. I started off fast with style. My feet hardly touched the ground, knees high. I made it to the other side, slipped under the railing and jumped into my car parked on the street.

I had left a note under her collar.

The note said

Thank you for taking my dog into your family

I drove home.