Roam_3 by Alan Lazar

Author:Alan Lazar
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books

19

Lucy managed to hang on to life in the days after the coyote attacked her. Nelson’s warmth kept her alive at night, and he would drop pieces of food nearby her in the days following the attack, when she found it difficult to move. She had summoned the strength to limp back to their sleeping place near the heating air vents the morning after the attack, leaving a trail of drops of blood. But that night, as Nelson stood guard while Lucy slept, he smelled the coyote close by, and heard its growls through the fog. He woke Lucy and herded her around the back of the restaurant near the garbage cans. It seemed safer there, more confined, although Nelson still stayed awake most of the night, anxious.

The following day they moved to a small mini-mall some blocks away, where Nelson found the air-expulsion ducts of a laundromat provided some warmth in a quiet back alley. Although the place seemed more secure, Nelson was still awakened constantly by the coyote’s odor, whether real or illusory. Sometimes Lucy would smell the coyote, too, and her body would shake with anxiety. Nelson would sit quietly, scanning the landscape around them with his nose, his eyes, and his ears, while quietly licking Lucy to reassure her. In truth, the coyote had not forgotten the taste of Lucy’s blood and craved more.

Lucy was dependent on Nelson for her food. He would make several trips back and forth from the trash area near the restaurant, making a new game out of getting her to eat. He would drop a piece of half-eaten chicken or steak a foot or so away from her and growl quietly, pretending he was protecting it, teasing her to try and take it away. He’d put up little defense when she responded and grabbed it from him.

Nelson’s thoughts were comprised of smells and emotions strung together in a unique language in his canine brain. So, he never articulated, as a human might, the sense of loss he felt at the change in Lucy. But as the memory of the coyote attack lingered, he was left with a different companion. Their play was less intense, the energy and feistiness of the other dog just a remnant of what it had previously been. Her sadness affected Nelson. He felt haunted by a quiet unease.

Often at night, he would experience intense dreams of Katey. Rich in the smells of her and her house and her piano, he would experience a sort of ecstasy in his sleeping life sometimes, as if his Great Love had summoned him. He would play endless games with her and his ugly toy rat, her distinct fragrance rich in his senses. He could see her face right in front of him, her brown eyes sparkling, her smile vivid. But the toy rat would become a real rat writhing in his mouth. He was unable to hold it firmly in his small jaws. When it was free, it would bite Katey. Nelson would lurch forward to protect her, but suddenly his limbs would become paralyzed.

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