The Dog Who Could Fly by Damien Lewis

Author:Damien Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books

Thirteen

Robert trained Antis never to cross the runway or approach one of their Wellington bombers when the engines were running—crucial for a dog on duty.

Having watched his master disappear up the front steps leading into the belly of the Wellington, Antis stood trembling on the edge of the dispersal area, his eyes glued to the warplane. He tracked the heavily laden aircraft as it taxied toward the end of the runway. One by one the bombers took off, but Antis seemed to know exactly which was the one that contained his master. As C for Cecilia turned ponderously, accelerated, and became airborne, clawing into the dark sky, his mournful gaze remained fixed on the warplane.

He couldn’t pull his eyes away until the last speck of the Wellington had disappeared into the southern skies. Even then, as the ground crew gathered up their tools in preparation for returning to their tent, Antis’s focus remained on the dark horizon, his ears pricked forward to catch the last vestiges of sound. Finally, with a drooping tail, he turned from the runway and joined Adamek and the others as they headed for their tent.

But Antis stopped short. He found a place at the side of the dispersal area, sank onto his haunches, and made it clear to all that that was where he was going to stay. No amount of entreaties could persuade the dog to join them in the shelter, and so the warmhearted Adamek opted to remain with Antis, at least for the first hour or so. Adamek was a natural-born optimist, and while he knew from sad experience how often crews failed to return from missions, he never once allowed himself to think that C for Cecilia might suffer such a fate.

There would be no end of volunteers at 311 Squadron to take the dog, were Robert to be captured or killed. At the front of the line would be Adamek himself, Squadron Leader Pickard, Wing Commander Ocelka, and of course Uncle Vlasta and Ludva. That wasn’t the worry. The worry was whether a dog who was so intimately bonded with his master could ever recover from losing him. Adamek didn’t allow his mind to dwell on such thoughts. There was enough darkness in this war without worrying about grief and loss that would perhaps never happen.

After a good hour with the dog, Adamek went to get a hot meal. He returned to find Antis stretched out with his head resting on his forepaws, sound asleep. He had brought Antis some food, but when the dog awakened he absolutely refused to eat. This would become his unbreakable habit: whenever his master was away flying, not a morsel of food would pass his lips.

As the first faint skeins of a duck-egg blue shot through the sky to the east, presaging dawn, Adamek sensed the dog’s growing excitement. It was almost as if he knew that this was the time when the warplanes would return, and when all those waiting would know for sure if one had been lost.

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