Auntie Tara found a call for short stories for a great cause at
My short story was inspired by one of my favorite childhood shows,
I wanted to be the littlest hobo when I was a kid.
Sure, he was a dog, but he was a hero and had an adventurous life.
Here's my story:
The air was ripe with the new smells of spring. Some people sneezed and blew their noses, unable to concentrate solely on the search for the missing toddler. The German Shepard kept his focus and sniffed at the ground. His nose blew out the tang of pollen and found the warm scent of the boy.
No one led him by a leash. No collar jingled around his neck. The dog looked for the child because he was needed. He never questioned his instincts or shied away from danger. He was needed and that was all that mattered.
He wove through the trees, crawled under low hanging pines, and ignored the needles that pricked his paws. The child had went this way and hurt his bare feet. A hint of the coppery smell of blood urged the dog into a trot. A helicopter flew over head and somewhere a woman was crying. The compelling sound let him know time was running out.
Splashing through a series of mud puddles, he almost lost the child's scent. This was a baby, a pup. He couldn't have gone far, and all directions except one led up rocky hills. The boy would take the path of least resistance. The dog loped down into a sinkhole and skidded to a stop.
He cocked his head to the side and twitched his ears.
The faintest sound of a creature sleeping. The dog stuck his head into a hollow log and nudged the child with his warm wet nose. The boy whimpered and curled up.
The German Shepard pulled his head out, not wanting to frighten the poor thing, and called to the other searchers. His barks echoed through the woods. Three men came running, and he showed them where to find the boy.
There were cheers and tears and much celebrating. The boy would be fine.
Before anyone had a chance to thank the dog, he was gone. Something was pulling him on to the next town. His tail wagged behind him.
