WE GOT HIM with the other animals when we bought the farm. Not that we wanted the black, shaggy mongrel. We had our hearts set on a collie—a pup we could train for the farm as a companion for five-year-old Tim. But when the former owners failed to return for their dog, we resigned ourselves to keeping him. Temporarily, we thought.
“If we ignore him, maybe he’ll go away,” I said to Carl, my schoolteacher's husband. He didn’t. In fact, the big beast apparently considered the farm his responsibility. Each morning, he inspected the animals and the farm buildings. Then he made a complete circuit of the entire 61 acres. That finished, he bounded across the sloping fields to slip beneath the fence for a visit to old Mr Jolliff, who lived near a creek at the farm’s edge.
The big dog—we learnt from Mr Jolliff that his name was Inky—was pensive and aloof those first weeks. Grieving for his former master, Inky asked no affection, and we offered none. Except Tim, who sat by the hour on the back steps, talking softly to the unresponsive animal. Then, one morning, Inky crept close and laid his head in the boy’s lap. And before we knew it, he had become Tim’s shadow.
All that summer the boy and dog romped through fields and roamed the bush. Each day, they brought back treasure. “Mum, we’re home!” Tim would shout, holding the screen door wide for Inky. “Come and see what we’ve got!” He’d dig deep in his jeans and spread the contents on the kitchen table: a feather; wilted buttercups with petals like wet paint; stones from the creek that magically regained their colours when he licked them.
All too soon it was time for Carl and Tim to go back to school, and lonely days for Inky and me. Previously, I’d paid little attention to the dog. Now he went with me to the letterbox, to the chicken coop and down the lane when I visited Mr Jolliff.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2020-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2020-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Have Child, Will Travel
Bringing my kid on my around-the-world adventures helped me see her in new and unexpected ways
As Gods Among Us
A photographer explores the gamut of India’s ritual performers who embody deities as a form of worship
My stutter, Myself
If others don't notice my stutter, can I really call myself a stutterer?
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Modification
A Queensland mechanic customizes bikes so veterans can get riding again
I Tried It...Exercises to Relieve Tech Neck
I STARE AT MY phone for five hours a day.
The Upside of Getting Lost
I was in the woods with my family and we'd lost our way. My phone was dead. It was getting dark. How could this possibly be a good thing?
A MOTHER'S CONVICTION
AFTER ALL FOUR OF KATHLEEN FOLBIGG'S CHILDREN DIED IN INFANCY, A COURT FOUND HER GUILTY OF MURDER. TWENTY YEARS LATER, SCIENCE FINALLY UNCOVERED THE TRUTH
KITT THE COURAGEOUS K-9
Officer Bill Cushing needed a partner. His dog needed a purpose. Together, they rescued each other
Lite, Unplugged
Could you get through seven days without looking at a device? I tried—here’s what happened
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.