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Some days dawned in London dark and depressing, with no sense of hope, no real reason to get out of bed. Some days were thick with fear and hate, with anger and pain. Some days the world made no sense, none at all.
But unlike much of the human population, Icarus greeted every new day with hope and excitement and an empty belly that was going to give him the greatest pleasure to fill! He loved mornings! Mornings were when things started to happen again! The rising of the sun meant it was only a matter of time because Stephie would get up and play with him! Joy joy joy joy joy!
He slept in the laundry with Angel and Kashmir who were his two favourite dogs in the whole entire world. He had his basket and his George Bush chewtoy - the squeak of which had been drowned in saliva a long time ago - and the big bowl of water and the dog door that swung out into the back yard which was locked at night in case humans tried to climb in through it. Icarus often wished more people would come in through the dog door. Stephie did sometimes when she'd forgotten her key and it was the most exciting thing in the world to see how much he could lick her face before she yelled at him to back off.
Morning morning morning morning morning! Icarus was wide awake and wagging his tail so hard his whole body was wiggling in a way Angel and Kashmir - in all their dignity - rarely did. He whined a little too as he heard footsteps coming closer and bounced and ran straight at Stephie as she opened the laundry door and then opened the dog door but he didn't need to go out yet he wanted to say a proper good morning to Stephie and sometimes if he went out too soon she would have had breakfast by the time he'd finished re-exploring the back yard and then he wouldn't get any! So Angel and Kashmir went outside but he wiggled and wagged and bounded in front of Stephie as she (slowly slowly slowly!) made her way to the kitchen! Kitchen kitchen kitchen!
"Uuuugh," said Stephie, still more than half asleep. "What're you so happy about?"
What wasn't there to be happy about?!
He sat at her heels perfectly still as she opened the fridge. He sat gazing up at her lovingly for a whole moment before he tried to poke his nose into the fridge and Stephie pushed him back with her leg before he could find anything good but then she was going to the pantry which was just as exciting and she got out a box which could be dog biscuits! Only it wasn't. But that was okay! He followed her into the living room and sat down beside her on the floor in front of the couch, and banged his tail against the carpet as she turned on the morning cartoons and ate cereal by the handful right out of the box.
Thump thump thump thump thump, went his tail. Stephie looked at him. "Are you that desperate?"
Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump.
Stephie fed him a handful of cereal. He loved her. He really really really loved her. She wiped her hand on the big shirt she wore to bed which smelled more like her than ever all sweaty and he loved that too, and tried to push his head as far as it wuold go into her armpit. "Iccy," she groaned, but put her arms around him anyway. Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump.
He liked when he talked to her. There was a time when she didn't do it lots, but then she'd gone away, and she'd been away for a long time, and afterward she was different and smaller and didn't go running or even leave the house for ages and ages and ages, but she did talk to him outloud more. Those were the days when he tried to wag his tail enough for the both of them but spent most of his time lying on the floor in the pools of sunlight beside her, or lying on her legs in bed, or on the couch. Though she could leave the house now and took him for long runs every day she hadn't abandoned the habit of talking to him like a person which he was forever grateful for.
Toilet toilet toilet time! As Stephie stood up to put the box of cereal back out of reach he raced out the door to do his business and make sure that Angel and Kashmir were okay in the back yard without him. Angel was chasing a butterfly! A butterfly! Icarus ran so fast toward he barreled into Angel and the two of them rolled around snapping at each other till Stephie was calling them in for their breakfast and then he ran so fast toward her that his nails scrabbled against the lino and he couldn't stop himself in time and bumped into the cupboard by the food bowls.
Breakfast was delicious! It was always delicious! He was the luckiest dog in the world to always have such a delicious breakfast!
Stephie disappeared for a while and when she came back her hair was wet, and pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head, and she was wearing clothes that didn't smell of her as much which Icarus thought was a pity. Especially because when she wore those clothes it meant she was going away and she wouldn't be back for hours and hours and hours. She chased him and Angel and Kashmir around and around the back yard for a while before she left, though. He even let her catch him, just to show her how much he loved her.
After Stephie was gone, it was time to play one of his favourite games in the whole wide world. It involved danger! And great skill! And luck! It was called Waking Up Josie and it was not for the faint of heart!
Unlike Stephie, Josie slept at the top of the biggest flight of stairs ever! Stephie's room was perfectly accessable and he could run in and out of it all day but Josie's room was hard to get to. He had to take on stairs. Stairs were complicated. He had to think about all his feet at once. But it was worth it! So worth it! Sometimes she even left her bedroom door ajar, enough so he could get his nose in and burst wiggling into her dark room.
Today he was in luck! The door was open! Josie was a lump in the bed, shadows all around because her heavy curtains kept out the sun. Josie always slept longer into the day than Stephie even when Stephie didn't have to go to work. Sometimes Josie even slept till the sun went down again! Icarus couldn't understand the waste of a whole glorious beautiful exciting brand new day!
He jumped straight up onto the bed and was greated with a loud shout and then an angry exclamation of "FUCK!" He jumped back off the bed and sat down beside it, wagging his tail and grinning at her with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He saw a quick flash of her arm and a pillow came flying toward his head and this was one of the best parts of the game! He grabbed it in his teeth and shook it as hard as he could, then jumped back up on the bed to give it back to her. She yanked it out of his mouth and hit him with it and he wiggled his body harder than ever.
"You're a retard dog," she muttered. But it worked because she got up! Sometimes when Josie got up she had breakfast and sometimes she would give him some too but mostly she didn't eat till later in the day. But he had human company again and that was better than food most of the time anyway. Unless he was hungry. Then food was better. He trotted along at her heels as she walked down the hall, and then he sat, at the top of the stairs, and looked down then, and whined.
Stairs were so much harder to go down than up.
He looked imploringly at Josie as she started to walk down them and whined harder.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," said Josie, and he stood up and wiggled in happiness. She came back up the stairs and picked him up, and, muttering to herself, carried him back down to the ground floor. This was the absolute best part of the game! Best best best best!
Later, Icarus was sad. Josie was going out and taking Angel and Kashmir with her, but not him. She'd done this before last week and it had made him sad then, too. They came back smelling funny. Like cars and cleaning products and Jude. He remembered Jude. He liked Jude. She was pointy like Angel and Kashmir.
Then he was alone in the house for a while. He located another butterfly and chased it and fell in the pool and swam back and forth snapping at nothing and then he slept in the sun for a while and barked at any dog who walked with their person past the front gate and slept in a big golden ball on Stephie's bed till she got home and collapsed on the bed with him. He crawled on his belly and lay his head on her stomach and thumped his tail in delight as she ruffled the fur on the back of his neck and played with his ears.
He jumped in surprise when something buzzed in her pocket which was against his throat and sat up, watching her as she read the message on her phone. "That's my Tasha," she told him, and he wagged his tail. He liked Tasha, and liked hearing her name because Stephie always said it with lots of happiness in her voice and he liked hearing her be happy because it meant she was more likely to be fun. Stephie grinned at him as he tail-wagged and she rubbed his side with her foot. "Yeah, you like her too, don't you, you great lump." Icarus responded even more positively just because she was talking to him. "Wanna know a secret, hm? It's not just sex," she sighed as she pressed buttons on her phone, sitting up now. "It's really not just sex... you're so lucky," she said, leaning forward to butt her head against his. "Nothing's all complicated up there in your head." She ruffled the loose skin on the back of his neck again. "Don't tell anyone, hey? Let's go for a run."
Run! He knew that word backward and inside out and he barked once, in joy, before leaping off the bed and sprinting toward the front door where she hung his lead.
Run run run run run! Everything was wonderful, and full of simple joys. he was going for a run with the person he loved most in the world! It was another wonderful beautiful glorious day in London!
But unlike much of the human population, Icarus greeted every new day with hope and excitement and an empty belly that was going to give him the greatest pleasure to fill! He loved mornings! Mornings were when things started to happen again! The rising of the sun meant it was only a matter of time because Stephie would get up and play with him! Joy joy joy joy joy!
He slept in the laundry with Angel and Kashmir who were his two favourite dogs in the whole entire world. He had his basket and his George Bush chewtoy - the squeak of which had been drowned in saliva a long time ago - and the big bowl of water and the dog door that swung out into the back yard which was locked at night in case humans tried to climb in through it. Icarus often wished more people would come in through the dog door. Stephie did sometimes when she'd forgotten her key and it was the most exciting thing in the world to see how much he could lick her face before she yelled at him to back off.
Morning morning morning morning morning! Icarus was wide awake and wagging his tail so hard his whole body was wiggling in a way Angel and Kashmir - in all their dignity - rarely did. He whined a little too as he heard footsteps coming closer and bounced and ran straight at Stephie as she opened the laundry door and then opened the dog door but he didn't need to go out yet he wanted to say a proper good morning to Stephie and sometimes if he went out too soon she would have had breakfast by the time he'd finished re-exploring the back yard and then he wouldn't get any! So Angel and Kashmir went outside but he wiggled and wagged and bounded in front of Stephie as she (slowly slowly slowly!) made her way to the kitchen! Kitchen kitchen kitchen!
"Uuuugh," said Stephie, still more than half asleep. "What're you so happy about?"
What wasn't there to be happy about?!
He sat at her heels perfectly still as she opened the fridge. He sat gazing up at her lovingly for a whole moment before he tried to poke his nose into the fridge and Stephie pushed him back with her leg before he could find anything good but then she was going to the pantry which was just as exciting and she got out a box which could be dog biscuits! Only it wasn't. But that was okay! He followed her into the living room and sat down beside her on the floor in front of the couch, and banged his tail against the carpet as she turned on the morning cartoons and ate cereal by the handful right out of the box.
Thump thump thump thump thump, went his tail. Stephie looked at him. "Are you that desperate?"
Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump.
Stephie fed him a handful of cereal. He loved her. He really really really loved her. She wiped her hand on the big shirt she wore to bed which smelled more like her than ever all sweaty and he loved that too, and tried to push his head as far as it wuold go into her armpit. "Iccy," she groaned, but put her arms around him anyway. Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump.
He liked when he talked to her. There was a time when she didn't do it lots, but then she'd gone away, and she'd been away for a long time, and afterward she was different and smaller and didn't go running or even leave the house for ages and ages and ages, but she did talk to him outloud more. Those were the days when he tried to wag his tail enough for the both of them but spent most of his time lying on the floor in the pools of sunlight beside her, or lying on her legs in bed, or on the couch. Though she could leave the house now and took him for long runs every day she hadn't abandoned the habit of talking to him like a person which he was forever grateful for.
Toilet toilet toilet time! As Stephie stood up to put the box of cereal back out of reach he raced out the door to do his business and make sure that Angel and Kashmir were okay in the back yard without him. Angel was chasing a butterfly! A butterfly! Icarus ran so fast toward he barreled into Angel and the two of them rolled around snapping at each other till Stephie was calling them in for their breakfast and then he ran so fast toward her that his nails scrabbled against the lino and he couldn't stop himself in time and bumped into the cupboard by the food bowls.
Breakfast was delicious! It was always delicious! He was the luckiest dog in the world to always have such a delicious breakfast!
Stephie disappeared for a while and when she came back her hair was wet, and pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head, and she was wearing clothes that didn't smell of her as much which Icarus thought was a pity. Especially because when she wore those clothes it meant she was going away and she wouldn't be back for hours and hours and hours. She chased him and Angel and Kashmir around and around the back yard for a while before she left, though. He even let her catch him, just to show her how much he loved her.
After Stephie was gone, it was time to play one of his favourite games in the whole wide world. It involved danger! And great skill! And luck! It was called Waking Up Josie and it was not for the faint of heart!
Unlike Stephie, Josie slept at the top of the biggest flight of stairs ever! Stephie's room was perfectly accessable and he could run in and out of it all day but Josie's room was hard to get to. He had to take on stairs. Stairs were complicated. He had to think about all his feet at once. But it was worth it! So worth it! Sometimes she even left her bedroom door ajar, enough so he could get his nose in and burst wiggling into her dark room.
Today he was in luck! The door was open! Josie was a lump in the bed, shadows all around because her heavy curtains kept out the sun. Josie always slept longer into the day than Stephie even when Stephie didn't have to go to work. Sometimes Josie even slept till the sun went down again! Icarus couldn't understand the waste of a whole glorious beautiful exciting brand new day!
He jumped straight up onto the bed and was greated with a loud shout and then an angry exclamation of "FUCK!" He jumped back off the bed and sat down beside it, wagging his tail and grinning at her with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He saw a quick flash of her arm and a pillow came flying toward his head and this was one of the best parts of the game! He grabbed it in his teeth and shook it as hard as he could, then jumped back up on the bed to give it back to her. She yanked it out of his mouth and hit him with it and he wiggled his body harder than ever.
"You're a retard dog," she muttered. But it worked because she got up! Sometimes when Josie got up she had breakfast and sometimes she would give him some too but mostly she didn't eat till later in the day. But he had human company again and that was better than food most of the time anyway. Unless he was hungry. Then food was better. He trotted along at her heels as she walked down the hall, and then he sat, at the top of the stairs, and looked down then, and whined.
Stairs were so much harder to go down than up.
He looked imploringly at Josie as she started to walk down them and whined harder.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," said Josie, and he stood up and wiggled in happiness. She came back up the stairs and picked him up, and, muttering to herself, carried him back down to the ground floor. This was the absolute best part of the game! Best best best best!
Later, Icarus was sad. Josie was going out and taking Angel and Kashmir with her, but not him. She'd done this before last week and it had made him sad then, too. They came back smelling funny. Like cars and cleaning products and Jude. He remembered Jude. He liked Jude. She was pointy like Angel and Kashmir.
Then he was alone in the house for a while. He located another butterfly and chased it and fell in the pool and swam back and forth snapping at nothing and then he slept in the sun for a while and barked at any dog who walked with their person past the front gate and slept in a big golden ball on Stephie's bed till she got home and collapsed on the bed with him. He crawled on his belly and lay his head on her stomach and thumped his tail in delight as she ruffled the fur on the back of his neck and played with his ears.
He jumped in surprise when something buzzed in her pocket which was against his throat and sat up, watching her as she read the message on her phone. "That's my Tasha," she told him, and he wagged his tail. He liked Tasha, and liked hearing her name because Stephie always said it with lots of happiness in her voice and he liked hearing her be happy because it meant she was more likely to be fun. Stephie grinned at him as he tail-wagged and she rubbed his side with her foot. "Yeah, you like her too, don't you, you great lump." Icarus responded even more positively just because she was talking to him. "Wanna know a secret, hm? It's not just sex," she sighed as she pressed buttons on her phone, sitting up now. "It's really not just sex... you're so lucky," she said, leaning forward to butt her head against his. "Nothing's all complicated up there in your head." She ruffled the loose skin on the back of his neck again. "Don't tell anyone, hey? Let's go for a run."
Run! He knew that word backward and inside out and he barked once, in joy, before leaping off the bed and sprinting toward the front door where she hung his lead.
Run run run run run! Everything was wonderful, and full of simple joys. he was going for a run with the person he loved most in the world! It was another wonderful beautiful glorious day in London!
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