Cooper's Story by W. Bruce Cameron

Author:W. Bruce Cameron
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

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A few days later, Grandma drove Grant and Burke to a wide-open area where heat bounced off the cement. She parked, and we walked up a long ramp, and then we were in a fenced-in yard. The fence was very high around the sides of the yard, which had no grass, only cement. A sagging fence in the middle was low enough for me to jump over if I wanted.

“The school doesn’t have the money to fix it up, I guess,” Grant noted, “so there’s never anybody here. We’ve got the whole thing to ourselves.”

Burke had me do Sit and Stay in a place where a tall tree spread a cool shade.

“I’ll be back in a little more than an hour,” Grandma called with a wave. I watched her drive away. It made perfect sense to me that I would remain behind with my boy.

Grant pulled out a brightly colored ball and bounced it a few times. I stared at it. He held a club with a wide, flat end and a narrow, hand-size end. Burke held one, too.

“I feel like an idiot,” Burke said.

“You’re always so good at feeling like yourself,” Grant replied. “Okay, you ready?”

“Sure,” Burke grunted.

Grant moved the club back and struck the ball, and it sailed over the low fence right at Burke, who raised his own club. “Yaaa!” Burke said. The ball hit his club and veered off. I watched it roll away.

Grant was laughing. “The good news is you can’t do any worse than that.”

“Say, that is good news.”

“Try again.” Grant bounced another ball, and it went over the fence, and Burke waved his club at the air without hitting it.

“One more,” Grant called.

This one Burke hit and it rolled right past my nose! I didn’t move, though. I was a good dog who knew how to do Stay.

“Okay, Cooper! Bring the balls!” Burke called.

I heard, “Okay,” and joyously broke from Stay and chased down the nearest ball, which was still rolling a little. I loved balls! “Hey, Come!” Burke told me, so I trotted over to him, still chewing the ball. When he held out his hand, I let him take it from me. “Okay!” he said again.

He wasn’t throwing the ball he held in his lap, so after a moment, I turned and ran after the first ball. I picked it up and trotted in happy circles.

“You teach him that?” Grant asked.

“Not really,” Burke replied. “But he’s getting better and better at figuring out exactly what I want.”

“Smart dog.”

Soon, I had rounded up all the balls, and Burke had them in his lap. I watched eagerly as he picked one up, holding the club in the other.

“Just hit it over. Don’t try to ace it,” Grant suggested.

Burke swung his club, and the ball dropped to the cement. I scooped it up and took it back to him.

“I’m sort of a natural at this,” Burke told his brother.

“Just hit it over.”

The next ball made solid contact with the club and soared up and over the big fence.

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