Blinded

From behind a frosted pane of glass, I watched the peaceful dance of heavy flurries on the wind, twist and turn in a forlorn drift. It was as if the day was mourning the fact that Lucas and I would be unable to go out for the day. Our walks were limited, with the storm. From the looks of things, we would be spending most of our time within the confining walls of the apartment the next day as well. If not for the storm I would be back to work. The whole city was practically shut down with the heavy snow fall.

“Lucas stop nuzzling it,” I said pulling my hand away, “it still hurts.” I reached my other hand around and patted the top of his head. My fingers played in the long fur for a moment before continuing to scratch behind his ears. Meanwhile my eyes lingered to the world of white outside the window. “Sometimes I hate the snow,” I whispered. “I hope spring comes soon.” I don’t know how long I stayed there before my stomach growled. “What do you want to eat tonight? I was thinking chicken.” I moved to the fridge to find the leftovers. Lucas stayed by the patio door and the chair I had been sitting in. The television droned on in the background, more information about the storm, the areas being affected with power outages, and other local news.

“If it is clear by the weekend I’d like to go to the lake outside of town. It’s usually really beautiful down there, especially at sun set. It might be a difficult trek with the snow piled up like it is. It is probably more of a spring or summer thing except the scenery is gorgeous in the winter too.” As I finished preparing my meal I poured a cup of tea and made a place setting at the table. “You know it would be nice if you could talk to me. I kind of wish I spoke dog or you could talk. I hope the old man in the park is okay. This is quite the weather to have to handle when you are homeless.” Lucas walked over to me and brushed his side against my leg. In his own odd way I believed he was comforting me. Could he be telling me not to concern myself? I brushed away the thought and patted his head. “Maybe we could go to visit him. Bring him something warm to drink and eat.”

The storm wouldn’t die down much in the next coming days. The snow continued to accumulate and the city was unable to keep up with the precipitation. Come Monday morning it was bright and beautifully clear, as if the chaos of the week hadn’t happened in the least. The weather had warmed and some of the snow had melted. The sidewalks were plowed and most of the streets. I was at long last able to make it to the park without a struggle and Lucas had a bounce in his step.

“I woke up extra early so you can spend a bit more time out today to make up for the last week,” I explained carefully as I unclipped the leash. “Okay, have at it.”

Before my eyes appeared a beast of speed. Were all dogs as fast as Lucas? I never paid much attention. I didn’t have any reason to in the past. I watched as Lucas rushed towards the line of trees in the distance. He made his own path rather than following the trail made by other park goers. Just as he reached the wooded line he looped around in a wide u shape and came barreling towards me. As he got closer I feared what would happen if he didn’t slow down. His size alone would be enough to knock me over. At the last second he ran a wide circle around me and continued back to the tree line. Clearly he needed this run. He had cooped up too much energy lately.

I smiled at the scene. Lucas had come a long way since our first time to the park. He had miles to go but I was happy at the progress. If only I could get him to do dog tricks. He would sit when I asked, if he wanted to. Ask him to roll over or fetch and all you got was a stare of death. I trusted he would come back to me. If he had come back before he would surely make his way home again. Still, as his large frame got smaller and smaller an ache in my heart grew. There would always be doubts because he was clearly unlike most dogs.

“Did you lose your dog?” I turned to find the speaker was a man jogging in spot in the typical grey sweat pants and sweater.

“What?”

“Sorry, I guess I assumed with the leash you’re carrying and your look that you might have lost your dog.”

“Ah... no, he’s just taking a run.” I brushed a lock of hair from my face and looked over my shoulder. Lucas was nowhere in sight. I took a subtle deep breath and turned back to the man. I was in the middle of the path, clearly I was in his way and I took a step to the side. “I’m fine, thanks,” I added.

“Do you need someone to talk to? We could go get a coffee. I know of a place just on the other side of the...”

A familiar low, protective growl reached my ears. Before I could look down I was knocked off balance as a weight pushed against the front of my legs. Forcefully I took a couple of steps back to correct my posture and prevent myself from falling. Lucas took the chance to position himself fully in front of me. “Thanks for the offer but I best decline. Have a nice day.” Without another word, and a slight look of horror, the man turned and continued on jogging. Lucas stared him down until he was out of sight. I sighed as I shook my head. “Did you have to do that? He didn’t seem that bad... I little forward but he was kind enough to stop to make sure everything was okay.” Lucas snorted and I smiled. I imagined if he could talk he was telling me I was being a foolish woman; or something to that effect.

I wanted nothing more than to leisurely walk the park trails. My alarm on my cell sounded reminding me we needed to head back and I had to prepare for work. I leaned down to clip the leash onto Lucas’s collar and was surprised to feel something wet against my cheek. I stared at the amber eyes as I tried to comprehend what had happened. Lucas whirled around and began to pull me into the direction of the house. The dog, who rarely acted as such, had licked my cheek. I smiled, probably foolishly, all the way home. I knew being patient was the best method to dealing with a stubborn animal.

The temperature was to drop overnight to well below freezing. I could tell there were not going to be any more bearable cold days. It would be frigid from this point forward. The old man living in the park concerned me. I couldn’t help the image of him huddling in the cold snapping into my head. On my way home I stopped at a grocery store and picked up a thermos along with a few hardy edible items. At home I made a pot of tea, praying the old man would prefer that over coffee or that he would at least appreciate it. I wrapped up a couple sandwiches and a bowl of soup all in disposable containers and placed them in a bag. I fetched a plastic spoon and cut up a bit of cheese. I tried to think of other high fat content items to help put some weight on the man. I stashed a couple pouches of mix nuts along with some cereal bars. Rummaging through my cupboards I stumbled across a chocolate bar. I had a thing about chocolate. I hardly touched it anymore. I shoved that into the bag too. Satisfied with the treasure box, or bag, I had created I headed to the door. Lucas had been staring at me as I worked in the kitchen. I didn’t usually linger in the apartment for long after dinner. He either didn’t like the looks of the bag or he was upset his walk was postponed. Either way he gave a growl that sounded to me more of a grumble when I didn’t put the bag down as I moved to his location in the living room. I hooked his leash to his collar and patted him on the head.

“We’re going for a short excursion today,” I explained. Lucas glared and I sighed. “Humor me.” Lucas continued to sit without showing a sign or intention to move from his position on the couch. On any other night he was pressing for me to move faster. Fetching his leash for me and standing by the door. “Fine, I will just go without you.”

Suddenly he was at the door and I shook my head. I walked over and picked up the leash he was dragging behind. We took our usual way to the park. I had to adjust the bag many times, finally pushing it to my shoulder as my hand was still a little tender to carry anything heavy. In no time I was facing the wall of trees. The snow was going to make the trek a little trickier. I took a deep breath and unhooked Lucas. I figure he would bolt and run for a while in freedom. Instead he clung to my side as if I hadn’t even removed the leash. After a short while my breathing became more labored. Lucas tugged at my coat. I wished I wore the lighter black one. The work out was making me warmer than I thought.

“No, we are not going back,” I urged and pushed forward.

Without noticing, Lucas took the lead and we made it back to the small clearing. It hadn’t changed by much. In fact it was surprisingly similar. Where there had been grass there was snow. The hard compressed dirt circle was clear and I furrowed my brows. Did the old man shovel it? For what purpose would that serve? I looked to the center of the circle and saw that once again the old man was sitting cross legged in the direct middle. He didn’t open an eye until I was a couple feet away. As I stepped into the circle I noticed it was warmer here. I looked around again, ignoring the man looking at me in what I guess was amusement. There was no snow in the center because it was too warm for there to be snow. I peeled off a glove and bent down to touch the dirt. It was warm. Not hot but warm enough to melt snow for sure. I forgot about the man as I pondered the possibilities. I could only think there was a natural hot spring underground that warmed the area. It explained why the grass didn’t grow here and showed how smart the man was. It did leave me to wonder, if the man was smart enough to seek out a hot spring to make his homeless base why he didn’t use his brilliance towards finding a job and making a proper home.

“Uh... sorry,” I mumbled as I clued into the man’s presence, “this is quite the set up you have here.” He didn’t say anything and looked over to Lucas instead. My giant companion was sitting a few feet from me staring right back at the man. I looked between them for a second and took a step closer to the old man. “I hope you don’t mind. I got a little worried about you being out here in the cold by yourself. I have a couple things for you. Not a lot, but it should hold you off for a little while.” When the man didn’t answer I looked at Lucas. He was completely entranced with the old man. Lucas didn’t take an interest in other people. It was a little odd to see him absorbed in the old man. Perhaps it was true that dogs could sense the true nature of humans. “I hope you like tea,” I said as I turned back to the old man. He was facing me and his eyes staring at me with such intensity I couldn’t help shifting my weight. “I don’t own a coffee maker. I guess I could have bought pre-made stuff... or hot chocolate...”

“Thank you miss; not many would give a thought to an old man living in the woods. As you can tell I am far from being at Mother Nature’s mercy. Perhaps you could stay a moment and warm yourself. We could share that lovely tea you brought and, if you wouldn’t mind an old man’s rambling, I could tell you a story.”

Lucas did his version of a grumble. I was going to associate it as a gripe as it was something between a growl and a whine. I pushed the bag off to the side and dug out the soup and spoon to place in front of the old man and then fetched the tea. I furrowed my brows when I remembered there was only the cup on the thermos and I hadn’t brought a spare when the old man reached behind him and pulled out two cups. I stared at them a moment and pondered why he would keep random tea cups behind him. Had they been there this whole time? I had never looked behind him or wandered in that direction so I couldn’t say for sure. I took the cups and poured the warm hug into each cup. Without delay the old man reached over and took up the cup. He sipped from the cup as I placed myself in a crossed leg position to match the old man and purged myself of my coat. The area really was like sitting in front of a toasty fire. For a few moments he sipped the tea and I mimicked him, waiting for him to begin the story he said he had. Maybe he would tell me how he came to live in the park. He closed his eyes and still I waited. When he opened them and looked at me it was like he remembered something.

“Ah, the story, yes.”

I was beginning to think there really was something wrong with him mentally. I could almost see him sitting in his spot all day and forgetting until the sun set that he hadn’t moved from the spot. Even though he did move his arms and hands to drink the rest of his body was so still I was beginning to think he was rooted to the ground. I had an odd vision of a tree. Yet to go as far as to compare him to a tree was a little foolish was it not? I whisked away my thoughts and focused instead on the man clearing his throat.

“This story is as much for our canine friend here as it is for you. Our story begins many years ago, yes even before I was born, when Earth was still young. The planet flourished wonderfully, until a series of events began to take a hold on the planet. Mother earth was ill and many different spirits tried to strengthen her. They all failed. After that most gave up on her. They resigned themselves to her demise and carried on with their lives as if nothing would change fate. There was one woman though, a powerful, intelligent and beautiful woman who was married to a great and powerful immortal. This woman would do anything to save mother earth and so she gave her life to strengthen the soul. With the strength and power of this woman, mother earth prospered and has been able to sustain us for generations. The immortal never forgot his wife’s sacrifice, nor did their son, though both coped differently. Her husband sought to help the planet, while her son, a stubborn canine spirit, blindly attempted to destroy what he believed to be wrong with the planet. You could say the wolf spirits still watch over us, after all... dog spelled backwards is god.”

I pondered the old man’s story. It sounded like there was more. I kind of wanted to hear more. “What was the name of the husband and son?”

“That is a story for another day,” he answered as he sipped his tea.

“What did the son see as wrong with the planet?”

“What would you say is wrong?”

“War,” I mumbled.

The old man made no comment. I didn’t elaborate. There were too many things wrong and it would take more than a single person to make things better. Why bother concerning myself over the issue. Still, there had to be a reason for the man’s story. Then again I had already convinced myself there was something wrong with his mind. A little research may show if there was anything to the old man’s tale. I looked up at the sky. I had completely forgotten we were outside because of how warm I was. I could see dark setting in. We had spent too long at the park today. It was time to go home.

“Thanks for the story. I shall ponder it some more at another time. We should really head back home.” I gathered my coat and was going to pick up my teacup so I could at least rinse it but found it was gone.

“Take care on your way home.”

I smiled...more than a little curious if the cup was hiding behind his back again and how he had moved so I hadn’t noticed. “Thanks. I shall return sometime soon. Have a good night.”

Lucas guided us back. He was a smart dog and I trusted he would get us out the quickest route. I was relieved when we left the woods. For some reason I was tense and felt like I was watched. I hadn’t noticed the strained atmosphere the last time I had ventured into the woods. I blamed the dark; it made even innocent things creepy. Once out of the woods I put Lucas back on his leash and headed home, feeling I had accomplished a great deed that night. I had a right to splurge tonight and spend a good hour in a warm bath.