It was in late-August,
the day my sister and I
returned home from summer camp
and our dog Pepper was not
at the door to greet us.
***
We called her name,
“Pepper!”
and we searched around the house,
but Pepper was nowhere
to be found.
***.
That evening,
our father told us
that while we were at camp,
he had sent Pepper
to live on a farm upstate.
***
He explained that the city was no
place for an old dog like Pepper.
Besides he said,
leaning in close,
this was no ordinary farm,
but a magical one,
specifically for very old dogs!
***
He left it to us to fill in the details of
what a magical farm would look like,
but, we were still sad,
… if not a little intrigued.
***
But as yet, we had no reason to doubt his words
***
And then, a few days later,
our father came home from work
with a surprise —-
a puppy we named,
Pepper 2.
***
And time went on …
***
Then, late one night,
almost a year to the day,
we got a phone call.
I answered.
It was Pepper.
***
She barked & whimpered
into the phone.
“Pepper is that you?” I asked.
“Are you ok, gurl?”
***
Suddenly,
I heard a human voice say,
“Get that receiver away from Pepper!”
And then the line went dead.
***
It was then I knew our father had lied.
online at: https://trefology.com/
