Holding Up the Sky by Rebecca Alasdair

Author:Rebecca Alasdair [Alasdair, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Southscript Press
Published: 2022-07-14T14:00:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

Shadow whined and licked my hand as I bathed her. I lathered her up in smooth, methodical strokes, one body part at a time, and when her midnight-hued coat was dripping with suds, I rinsed her off in the shelter's purpose-built bath. She sat there placidly and allowed my ministrations, those occasional whimpers her only complaint.

The pup had been with us for close to three months now. She'd grown like a weed with the necessary care and attention, and she was really coming out of her shell. I loved little more than to watch her run about, her gait so crooked and lumbering she often toppled right over.

I barely even noticed her disfigured features anymore.

But Megs had given me some bittersweet news this morning: she'd found Shadow a home.

Good, I told myself. Shadow would make a wonderful pet. She was curious and friendly and so very gentle, and she'd thrive under the care of a loving, doting family.

I heaved a sigh. "You're a good girl, aren't you?"

Shadow shook, spraying water everywhere.

"Hey!" Droplets spattered my waterproof smock, and her tongue lolled out in a wolfish grin. "Bad dog! I take back every nice thing I ever said about you!"

A lie—not that she knew that.

It was going to kill me when Shadow left. The thought of never seeing her again—of never again rubbing her ears until her tail thumped on the ground or seeing that sweet, misshapen face light up when I brought her food—hurt more than I could bear.

But I wanted the best for her, and she deserved better than what the shelter could offer. She deserved better than what I could offer. It wasn't her fault I'd broken the rules and become attached or that I secretly longed to take her home myself.

Mum would never allow it.

My left arm gave an unpleasant throb.

I peered down at my sleeve as if I could see through it to the bandage beneath. I'd had to wrap it tight to stop the bleeding, but it had, eventually, stopped.

The shame hadn't come until later.

It took a concerted effort to shove the memory aside and focus on something else. Like the fact I actually felt better today. A little reckless, perhaps. A little less in control. But more myself. The frightful numbness that had seized my body was torn away and faded more with each aching pulse of my hidden wound.

I scratched Shadow behind one floppy ear. "What do you think?" I asked. "Is it time to get you out of here?"

The water roiled as she wagged her tail.

Getting Shadow dried off and groomed and back into her kennel was more of a struggle than washing her. She always went a bit crazy after bath time. She wanted to play, wanted to snatch up anything I brought near her head, and the whole routine took ten times longer than it did for any of the older dogs.

Exhaustion nipped at my heels by the time I wrangled the door shut behind her. It was mid-afternoon, and I'd been washing and brushing all day; the reek of wet dog clung to me like a second skin.

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