Ark by Elisabeth Sharp McKetta

Author:Elisabeth Sharp McKetta
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Paul Dry Books
Published: 2023-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

“Zora”

In the morning, I feel better.

Mom volunteers to do the breakfast dishes so that Martin and I can take Cody for a walk. “Thanks,” I say, and give her a hug.

Sometimes I get stressed walking with Martin because he’s not as careful around streets as I am, but I make sure to tell him that he is our crossing guard and must tell us when it’s safe to cross.

“Safe,” he says, jerking his head back and forth at each street.

It’s an easy job today, because there is not a single car. Not even on Warm Springs Avenue, which is usually backed up and has people honking during rush hour, and gets a million trick-or-treat-ers on Halloween. All the houses stand like quiet sleeping faces, with their doors and windows looking like closed mouths and eyes. Nobody is outside. Nobody! We can stand all day in the middle of the road if we want.

Martin has the idea to go to the school playground and let Cody try to climb up and slide down the slide. I am doubtful about this, but we walk over there anyway. But when we get to the gate, there is a sign saying CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. And I feel relief that I don’t have to tell Martin no. The sign is in charge. Virustime has its own rules that are bigger than mine and cannot be argued with. It feels like a big responsibility to be in charge of ourselves. I can tell Martin feels it, too, because he walks right by my side, not being at all silly.

On our walk home, we see a large elegant-looking gray poodle on our street who I don’t recognize. She is walking loose without people or a leash. She comes right up to us and I check her tag. It says Zora, and the address says #109 at the St. Francis apartments.

“Here girl,” I say. I pat my hip. She and Cody rub noses, but then Zora gives a low growl. Just for a moment. Then she is calm again.

We walk Zora over to the apartments but the lights are off in #109. There is a big window looking into the whole living room and kitchen. Even though it is an apartment, it is bigger than our Ark, but it looks a lot shabbier. There are a bunch of boxes and junk around, and it looks dusty and uncared for. I knock, but there is no answer.

I see Dad walking down our driveway and I wave him over. He spies Zora and throws up his arms. “What!” he says. “Another one?”

Then Mom comes out looking like she wants to argue, but I explain that if a dog is lost or abandoned, the right thing to do is give it a home, even just for a while. First I argue, and then she argues, and then I argue some more. Finally, she loses interest, for arguing isn’t really her thing the way it is mine. I can always out-argue my mother.

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