Hunter's Great Escape - Essay Example

Hunters Great Escape The first signs of spring had made a crack in winters wall as the last remnants of dirty slush surrendered to a freezing drizzle. Jason stood with his dog by the warmth of a glittering afternoon fire stroking his best friends back. Hunter was a big puppy whose lummox size belied his adolescent age. He had the loyalty of a dog, the mass of a cow, and the curiosity of a cat. Jason could tell by Hunters nervous dance that it was time for him to brave the weather and take to the yard to do his business. "Only for a minute" Jason said as Hunter hurried down the steps and onto the sidewalk. Jason stared out his home office window to check on Hunters progress and make sure the puppy hadnt strayed too far from home. He almost choked in disbelief as Hunter looked back at Jason with puppy dog eyes towering over an ear to ear grin. Jason hollered at his wife, "Melissa, get in here an look at what your darn dog has got himself in to". Hunter was covered from ear to elbow and all points below with a slithering goop composed of red clay and stale melted snow. It dripped from his tail and a steady stream ran from his forehead and down his face tracing out the track of a muddy tear. Jason had never seen any dog quite this dirty in his lifetime. Since Hunter was mostly an indoor dog of limited years, he certainly had never seen Hunter in this condition. "Get in here Melissa. Look at this." Melissa squinted as she peered through the tops of her bifocals to get a better look at what Jason had affectionately called mans only friend. She spun in disbelief and stomped out of the room pausing just long enough to say, "Its your dog and your dog needs a bath. It wasnt I that wanted a dog to keep me company in my retirement years." Melissas footsteps echoed down the hallway and faded behind the slamming bedroom door, but her muffled yelling continued to pierce Jasons ears. "Be sure to take off that good shirt and pants. I dont want you ruining those too." Jason carried the tub of warm water down the steps as the steam fogged his horn rimmed glasses. He set it squarely at the foot of the porch and crossed the lawn to retrieve the garden hose. Jason topped off the soapy tub with just enough cool water to reduce it to an inviting temperature. He could see Hunter just across the lawn, digging in a mud puddle. Jason noticed that the Georgia red clay made a beautiful rust color that stained everything that it came in contact with. And it had certainly contacted Hunter. "Here Hunter. Come her little guy" Hunter instinctively ran toward Jason, stopped short and ran a half circle across the yard. He paused about 15 feet away and gave Jason a come-and-get-me stare. Jason walked slowly towards the young dog with his freezing fingers beckoning to the empty February air. "Come here little buddy. Come on over here. Daddys got a nice surprise for his little Hunter". Hunter ran across the yard, stopped and shot a glance that frosted Jasons glasses. "Now you get yourself over here right now Hunter. Im in no mood for playing and youre getting a bath TODAY! Ive just about had it with chasing you around the yard like a mongoose after a cobra." Jason walked briskly at the pup and the pup lit out like a hired hand on a Saturday night. Mud flew as Hunter skimmed the puddle that he had dug only moments ago, the glowing red now turning to a filthy brown. "Hunter come here now". Jasons lungs cracked from the years of smoking, smog, and atrophy. I slid the curtains back on my bedroom window to see what had awaken me from a serene winters nap. My next door neighbor and good friend Jason was chasing his gangly new puppy around the yard and yelling in a state of frenzy. The dog was squared off on all fours against Jason slightly bent as if two Sumo wrestlers were taking the Olympic center stage. Suddenly the dog darted and Jason slipped as he failed to grasp the fleeting animal. I could hear Jason uncharacteristically utter words that were seldom used out of doors in this neighborhood. My chuckling reverberated off the closed window as I shook my head. Suddenly the teenage puppy exited from behind the house and startled Jason as he ran at him from behind. By the time the old man seen the dog he was ten feet past him and gaining speed. Jason ran after him with desperation flying from his face and mud flying from his feet. I heard the dog give a few short yips and Jason yell, "Im going to get you if it’s the last thing I do on this earth." Jason cornered the dog between the garage and the back fence just long enough for Hunter to make other plans. The dog lowered his chassis for added aerodynamics, put his head down, and leapt past his owner in fear and mischief. Jason followed in hot pursuit past the drive and under the porch awning. He was running at full tilt and was close enough to Hunter to catch the smell of a stagnant wet dog and the musty odor of topsoil. He could see that the tan boots of the dog had been dyed a muddy chocolate brown that would rival an exotic Asian silk. The dog was at his fingertips as he headed to the porch where the tub and hose waited idly. A final push by Jason put his hands just around the puppys body as his foot caught on the garden hose. Hunter was gone and Jason was in midair. He landed face first with a major league slide that would make Ricky Henderson blush with envy. He came to a stop in the puddle that Hunter had so carefully crafted. Jason could hear me laughing at him as I closed the bedroom curtains. He got up and went into the house only to be met by his less than enthusiastic wife. Jason had faced Hunter with desperation, but with Melissa it would be frustration. "I told you to take those good clothes off. Now look. Youve ruined them". Read More