The Dog

I saw the small dog from quite a long way off. He was waiting on the side of the road, standing still all too timidly. I sensed he was trying to cross the road. Traffic however was a lot, and was reasonably fast.

There were at least 4 cars in front of me that separated me from him.When my car finally reached him, I knew that I had to slow down and stop. I flashed my headlights, wondering whether the dog would understand my intention.

He saw me. And understood.

A second or two passed before the little fellow plucked enough courage to start walking. He walked slowly. I flashed my headlights again to warn the oncoming car from the other lane to be aware of him.

The car from the opposite lane surprisingly complied, but I felt that the driver must would have thought that I was half mad to let the little dog through. Behind me, and behind the car in the opposite lane, traffic built up.

I laughed and relished the moment, watching our little traveller cross the road carefully and cautiously. He was such a well behaved dog. To the credit of everyone present, nobody was sounding their horns. It was as if the world had just stopped turning, and was silent for a moment – giving the right of way to one of its hapless creatures.

Once the dog was clear off the road, traffic returned to normal once again. I smiled, my heart as light as a feather : we had just witnessed something special.

I continued homeward, and said a little prayer. I hoped that the dog would be alright, and that people would be kind and considerate.

After all, we are all God’s creatures.