The vacant boat dock stretched on with only a few seagulls dropping into inspect the planks of wood. The boats bumped against the dock as the blue ocean crashed against them. The tiny puppy sat in the center of the dock looking up at a for sale sign attached to one of the boats. The sign creaked and moaned as the strong water spray pushed against it from behind.
The small puppy shivered and breathed in the cold sea air. He walked in a slow stride as he thought about his master. It had been days since he had last seen him. They had been on the beach playing fetch. The puppy remembered the other dogs there like the English Bulldog and the German Shepard. He had tried to stay out of their way by chasing a blue backed beetle.
Now he was alone on the empty dock a few hundred feet away from the beach. His master had disappeared with all the busy people as the storm clouds had rolled in with thunder and lighting. The puppy had ran and hid under a picnic table. When he had ventured back out, the rain had died down and no one was there.
The little dog took a few more steps on the dock and a seagull fluttered its wings in protest. The seagull screamed his odd caw sound and went back up into the air. The puppy sighed and flopped back on his rear. The seagull rocked back and forth on the invisible wind before disappearing behind a large white boat.
The puppy heard a noise a few boats down. The noise was a deep voice that bellowed curse words into the air. The little dog moved toward the noise as it was the first human he had heard in days. The voice got louder and the sound of glass shattering filled the air.
The puppy stopped shy of the boat where the voice came from and peeked around the boat’s rear end. There a big oversize man in overalls with a white, long beard stood. The big man hands waved madly in the air and his face was red with anger. The big man headed toward the little dog.
The puppy could smell cigars in the air and lowered his head in fear. The large man stomped his way over to the puppy but didn’t see him there. His big black boot rose in the air and stopped midflight. The man tried to move with a side step but lost his balance. His large frame toppled over and a loud thud rang in the puppy’s ears.
The puppy whined and whimpered as the big man’s eyes stared at him. The big man cursed a few words than lifted himself back upright. Brushing himself off, the big man looked down at the puppy on the dock. The man’s head swung from side to side.
The man bent over and petted the puppy. The matted fur was rough and sticky. The man looked at his hand and wiped it on his overalls. The big man shoved a pair of gloves on and in one large swoop the puppy was airborne shoved next to the man’s chest.
‘Can’ t leave ya here and I ain’t seen no one all day looking for ya. Damn, I ain’t got much but you welcome to it.’ The big man said.
The puppy didn’t know what the big man said but felt the heat off his body. The puppy felt the big man rub his head and give him a soft squeeze. It felt good and the puppy was glad to have a friend.