1
Dana Harrows was thirty now. She had graduated college about five years ago and was now working as an accountant for an important firm. It paid good money, but she was miserable there. All day working with numbers, deferring to stupid bosses who didn’t give a rat’s ass about her, having to put up with stupid coworkers who insisted on telling an offensive joke and then had the audacity to scowl at her when she didn’t laugh. Yes, it paid good money, but at what cost?
Dana hated her job, but was trapped in it by a society that required her to keep earning money to keep a decent living, so she stayed and didn’t look for another job. As long as she made enough money, she wouldn’t quit, and she’d just have to deal with everything else by herself.
Not really by herself, though. At least she had Artie, her collie, who always greeted her with yaps and bounds when she came into the house after a long day of work. He was always excited to see her, and she was always thrilled to see him too, not only because he was her dog, but also because he provided her with escapism, with a way to escape reality after a disheartening day in the real—and very boring—world.
Literally. She didn’t know how, but he had a strange ability she had discovered a couple of months after she adopted him. Artie would sometimes disappear for hours on end and she wouldn’t be able to find him anywhere. She’d panic and run to the streets to look for him, yelling his name like a maniac all around the neighborhood. After she’d spent the better part of an hour searching, she’d arrive back home, disheveled and panting, only to find Artie’s inquisitive eyes regarding her closely as soon as she entered the house. This happened five times, until she decided to keep an eye on him at all times and keep him close.
That day, she allowed Artie to climb into the couch and snuggle with her while she read, she took him to the bathroom with her and let him sit in a dining room chair to eat with her. She even gave him half of her steak, just to make sure he didn’t leave her and disappear. After a bath (with Artie by her side), she lay in bed and read some more, all while stroking Artie’s soft hair. After five minutes of reading, when she was beginning to nod off, that the most ridiculous thing happened. She felt a tug in her belly and jerked awake suddenly, saying, “Wha—wha? I’m awake!”
Dana looked around, but she was no longer in her bedroom. She was sitting on the ground, inside a cave full of rainbow stalactites and diamonds. Artie was no longer resting on her legs. He was about five feet tall and salivating all over her face.
“Woah!” she exclaimed when she saw him. “Woah, big guy! When did you get so big? Jesus Christ, I must be dreaming.” Artie barked his agreement, then turned and ran. She decided to follow him, just to make sure he didn’t run away and get lost forever. If this was a dream, then she was going to get the most out of it by chasing her dog.
She followed Artie to the mouth of the cave and stopped dead in her tracks. She was staring at a breathtaking gorge filled with crystals that reflected the sunlight in thousands of colors. The sun shone bright in the sky and a soft breeze caressed her hair. It was warm, but pleasantly so. She felt like she could run a mile. The soft grass seemed to be beckoning her and inviting her to remove her shoes and prance barefoot on it. Trees were scattered around the place, their boughs seemed to be organized so someone could climb them easily. Butterflies fluttered here and there, and the air buzzed with nature and all the energy contained in it. In the middle of it all, dividing the gorge in two, a river flowed placidly reflecting whatever happened above it.
Dana remembered Artie and her trance was immediately broken. She saw his behind in the horizon, sauntering toward the sun. She ran after him as fast as she could, and after ten minutes she caught up with him. He was no longer running, just strolling down towards what looked like a beach with turquoise water and about a dozen pigs basking in the sun. She walked next to Artie, panting a little, but totally invigorated.
“Hey, big guy,” she told him as they walked down the sand. It was funny how his new size made it easy to call him that; it just rolled off her tongue. “What is this place?” Artie barked in response, but she heard his reply in her head.
Dnalcigam
,
it’s
a
special
place
I
visit
when
I’m
nervous
or
stressed
.
“Huh, how long have you been able to come here?”
Since I was a pup. I just close my eyes and will my way into this place.
“Why hadn’t you taken me with you before?”
I
didn’t
know
I
could
.
It
turns
out
that
you
can
come
with
me
if
you’re
touching
me
,
I
think
.
“Can you take me with you from now on if I’m home? It’d be a great help.”
Sure
.
They walked in silence for a while. When they arrived at the beach, Artie lay down on the ground and let Dana lie in his fur. They spent the rest of the afternoon there, resting under the sun and playing with the pigs in the water.
It had become her daily routine after work every day. Nobody knew about it, and she intended to keep it that way. She loved Dnalcigam, it was her safe haven, the one place only she knew, along with Artie, who was her best friend.
She walked home reminiscing about her previous visits to the place and thinking about what she would do today. Maybe she’d play with the pigs at the sea. Maybe she’d swim in the river, or simply frolic around the grass and then lie on it contentedly, not a worry in her mind, her work, her bosses, her coworkers, and her worries far away where they didn’t matter, where they couldn’t hurt them. So, yes, she didn’t get through it all alone, she had Artie’s help, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Every day was brighter because of him.
