Nocturne #2 – Crossing the Red

This beautiful Husky approached our door with a leisurely waddle and lay down right there, against the backdrop of the cool afternoon breeze. As if it knew I wouldn’t let this moment slip by, that I’d grab my camera to capture this scene, it began to pose enviably…

This dog’s eyes stirred all the sadness and melancholy within me. It knew exactly where to come and sit, to remind me how cruel we humans are when we cast out our most selfless and uncompromising friend onto the streets. There, it is torn from the love most precious to it and unwillingly becomes a victim of its new, challenge-filled nature. It must endure hunger, thirst, the biting winter nights. They become denizens of the city streets where they, better than humans themselves, can learn the concept of the traffic lights designed by those very humans, learning to cross on the green light to avoid becoming victims of car wheels. But all this is nothing compared to how lonely and abandoned they feel.

I often think, and sometimes I imagine myself in their place:

Those first minutes, when you jump with the same joy and playfulness as you did just two minutes before, thinking you’re part of some fun game. You chase the car with all your might, unable to catch it. For a few seconds, you keep pace, but your speed isn’t enough, and the car gradually recedes from view… it gets smaller, shrinks, becomes a dot, and finally disappears.

Those first hours, when you’re already tired, exhausted, thirsty, and hungry. You imagine the taste of your favorite Pedigree and look towards the highway’s horizon, waiting for your “family’s” white pickup to appear… And there it is! Finally! You stand in front of the pickup. It approaches, doesn’t slow down, nearly hits you, and continues on as if it were a continuation of the previous game. And you, with gleaming eyes, filled with new energy and happiness, chase after it, chase and spare no effort — Hey! I’m here! — you scream, you scream desperately. The car pulls away again, becomes a dot. You scream with entreaty, but it doesn’t stop. You’re confused; something incomprehensible has happened to you. The white pickup appeared again, a second time, a third, a fourth, a fifth time… And you gradually realize that you shouldn’t be looking for the pickup, but rather, you should start observing those inside it. This is now your self-development.

And the next time, already experienced, you filter the vehicles with an observant gaze. However, despite losing interest in white cars, you still angrily and tirelessly chase every familiar set of wheels.

The first days, the first months…

Then one day, as you’re chasing another white pickup with your now customary aggressive barking, you catch a glimpse in the back window of the most important child in your life, your most beloved friend, for whom you would even give your life. You remember those happy moments you spent with them. Every moment that made you the happiest creature flashes before your eyes… You can’t even believe how much time has passed… You look at the child, who will never be forgotten in your heart, and who will be the cause of your sad, watery eyes for the rest of your life. The frame slows down. You look at the little boy, hoping he’ll look back at you… Don’t worry, there’s time… the frame is slowed down, isn’t it? You can wait for an eternity, delight in watching him, and look for as long as you want. And then, that moment! He looked at you! Eye to eye! Now everything will fall into place! Your friend will take you home, and everything will be as it was.

But… your thin, dirty body, your matted fur, your skin torn from a thousand fights, say nothing of your happy past. Your friend didn’t even recognize you! This wasn’t the gaze you had waited so long for, the one you stayed alive for, fought for survival for. Yes, your friend simply looked at you and didn’t even recognize you. Your friend ignored your existence. Your friend was never a true friend! Because true friendship never ends!

You slow your pace, realizing that everything is over, and with a leisurely waddle, you cross the street on a red light…