by Blake Morgan
Something shifted in Mrs Kelly’s face. “A Detection Dog?” She leaned to one side so that she could get a better look at me as I hid behind Noah. She quirked her eyebrows. “This dog?” There was a tone of disbelief in her voice and I tried hard not to feel offended. She came out from behind her desk and looked me up and down. “A Labrador, yes, I suppose that makes sense. They learn quickly.” She spoke quietly, as though she was thinking out loud.
“Oh yes, they do!” Noah burst out, catching her words. “Buddy knows exactly what to do when I’m feeling faint. I’m anaemic, you see.” I gave his hand a comforting lick.
Mrs Kelly hesitated, then pulled up the sleeve of her green tracksuit and showed us a bracelet. I recognized the small red symbol immediately – it was the sign for people who had epilepsy. I knew that inside the bracelet would be instructions in case she had a seizure and passed out. Just like Noah could pass out.
He gasped, his eyes lighting up. “You too?”
The woman smiled. “You never can tell, can you? I had a Detection Dog with me all through school and university.” She folded her arms and leaned back against her desk. “Now, what’s all this about rumours?”
Lily and Noah filled her in as quickly as they could. About the incident on the beach, and the story that Jake had told about how I’d run off and they’d had to follow me out to the caves. How Noah couldn’t remember because he’d passed out.
“The rest is on here,” Lily said, tapping her finger against the phone. “If you put the photos up on the screen, everyone will be able to see the truth for themselves, and then maybe…”
Mrs Kelly smiled. “Maybe people will believe in Buddy again.” She came around the desk and chucked me under the chin. “As though they wouldn’t believe in you!” She straightened up. “I know that these dogs get the best training ever. Buddy would never have been allowed to come home with you otherwise.”
Noah slammed his hand into a fist and I jumped a little bit. “I knew it!”
Mrs Kelly went back to her desk and leaned down towards a microphone, pressing a red button on its base. There was a crackling sound and her voice echoed around the arena on loudspeakers. Noah, Amelia and Lily stared at each other, their eyes growing wide. This was really happening!
“Attention, everyone! Attention, please!” She gave us a wink before continuing. “There will be a short video display before the games commence.”
Then she slipped the cable into the side of her laptop and began scrolling through. “Go outside and watch,” she whispered to us. “I’ll take it from here.”
“Thank you!” Noah cried, before rushing over and spontaneously kissing Mrs Kelly on the cheek. Her face flushed pink right up to the tips of her ears! Amelia flung open the office door and we didn’t waste any time – we had to see this along with everyone else!
The three of us ran to stand in front of the screen, and the rest of the school, including the parents, clustered round to watch behind us. Now we’d all see the truth. I could only hope that the truth was enough to keep Noah and me together and that I wouldn’t need to go back for more training.
Jake arrived beside Lily. “What’s happening?” he asked, tossing a ball from hand to hand.
“You’ll see,” Lily told him without taking her gaze from the screen.
We watched as the screen popped into life. At first, all we saw was the desktop of Mrs Kelly’s laptop, but then the images Amelia had taken that day on the beach appeared. She had arrived to stand beside Lily and slipped her hand into her older sister’s.
And as I watched, a story emerged, frozen in time. A story I was all too familiar with. There was a picture of two boys striding out into the sea. A dog following – a very handsome dog! Hold on, it looked like… I gazed down at the glossy fur on my chest, then back up at the screen. It was me! I was following them. I hadn’t abandoned Noah at all.
Of course, I already knew that – but here was proof, up in a giant version, for everyone else to see. I felt a shiver travel down my body as I glanced back over my shoulder at all the Humans watching. Their eyes were wide as they drank it all in. I turned back to the screen, just in time to see another photo of a boy collapsing between the waves – Noah!
My heartbeat began to speed up, as though it was happening all over again and I needed to remind myself that my friend was standing safely beside me. As we watched, his hand rested in my fur and I could feel his palm turn damp with sweat. It was difficult for him too, reliving the whole episode.
Then came a photo of frothy waves as a dog swam towards the boy, muzzle gaping for air, paws splashing through the water. It was me, swimming to rescue Noah! Then, finally, there was a photo of another boy standing uselessly on the rocks, watching. That was Jake.
“I was taking photos of the seagulls,” Amelia explained now, “but then I noticed Jake and Noah wandering off towards the caves, and Buddy following them. I crept out of bed and showed Lily last night.”
I remembered now that she’d been trying to tell us something back at the beach and no one would let her speak. Poor Amelia! But finally, we were all listening to her now.
Three figures pushed through the crowd of children, who were all clapping and cheering. “Let us through! He’s our hero too!” It was Noah’s mum and dad, along with his sister, Lucy.
They came to stand in front of me and his mum fell to her knees. She peppered my face with kisses and whispered the same word over and over again in my ear. “Sorry, sorry, sorry…”
I pulled back and gave her face a big, wet lick. Didn’t she know Labradors were the most forgiving dogs in the world? It’s all right, I tried to tell her. You were only protecting Noah, same as me.
Noah came to stand beside his sister. His mum reached up to kiss him, and his dad put an arm round his shoulders. They had a family hug and then Noah scooped up my lead and began to pull me away. “Let’s get you home,” he said, as he shouldered his way through the crowd.
“Hold on!” called a voice. We turned round – it was Lily.
What now? I thought. I can’t remember any other heroic moments I’ve had. She wasn’t going to show a photo of me eating my school dinner, was she? I didn’t think that was very interesting – not unless I’d been given a second portion.
“Emily has glandular fever,” she said breathlessly.
“Who’s Emily?” Noah’s dad asked, folding his arms.
Noah rolled his eyes. “She’s a girl on our rounders team. She’s the second best, after Lily.”
“Third best!” Lily interrupted. “After Noah.” She looked from his mum to his dad and back again. The look on her face said, You know what I’m going to ask next. Noah looked from face to face too, smiling hopefully.
Noah’s dad began to shake his head. “No, Noah,” he said. “You know what we agreed.”
“No more sport? That’s what you agreed,” Noah said. “I never said yes.” He smiled even wider. “Please?”
Lily stepped in front of him, holding her hands together in front of her chest. “PLEASE!”
A figure in green emerged from the crowd. Mrs Kelly. She was smiling broadly and tossing something in her cupped hand. It was a white shiny leather globe – a rounders ball. She threw it through the air towards Noah and he dropped my lead in order to catch it.
My heartbeat quickened and suddenly the crowd seemed to melt away. There was just me, a boy and a ball – the way it was always meant to be. I watched Noah’s dad to see what he’d do next. After what felt like a million dog years, the frown melted from his face and I felt my tail begin to wag.
“Let Noah play,” Lucy said. “Where’s the harm?”
There was a moment of silence, then: “All right,” his dad said. Noah’s mum had her arm linked through his and the two of them were grinning. “Just make sure Buddy stays close.”
Lucy winked at us.
“Yes! Let’s go and play rounders!” Noah cried, and we ran on to the pitch, with Lily jogging alongside. The game of our lives was on!
As we took our positions, a figure slunk away towards the changing room, pulling off his purple bib and dropping it on the ground – Jake.
“Let him go,” Lily said. “We’ll play without him.” She grabbed his bib and handed it to Noah. After hesitating for a moment, he pulled it on, his hair all mussed up. He looked so cute!
“But we’re still one person short,” he said, pushing the hair out of his eyes.
Lily shrugged. “We’ll just have to do our best.” She strode over to the bowling position. Noah went to stand at one of the corners of the pitch, and bent low, resting his hands on his thighs, ready to catch the ball. He had a hard game ahead of him but I knew he could do it.
I paced the grass, just beyond the line of the pitch, being sure to stay close by. I raised my muzzle in the air and sniffed – all I could smell was adrenalin, sweat and the leather of the ball. Noah was good to go!
The ball swung through the air smoothly – a perfect throw from Lily! But the batter from the other team was good too, and he swung the wooden bat round confidently, sending the ball arcing through the air towards the far fence.
“Mine!” Noah cried, as he raced after the ball. I kept close to the side of the pitch, watching him carefully for any signs of faintness, but his face was flushed with energy. He leaped into the air but the ball flew over him, landing in the grass beside the fence. He didn’t hesitate, racing to scoop it up, his face red from the exertion. Then he ran back and touched the ball against a post, just before the batter completed a full circuit. Out! The crowd roared and I spotted Noah’s mum and dad on their feet.
Lily kept throwing and Noah and the others kept catching. They were doing really well, though being a person short meant that Noah hardly had a chance to stop running. I continued to keep a careful eye on him, but he seemed fine. In fact, he seemed more than fine – he seemed happy.
After a while, the other team had no batters left and it was time for the teams to swap sides. Several of Noah’s teammates took their turn batting, but they were struggling to get round the pitch before being knocked out.
Finally, it was Noah’s turn to try to hit the ball. He was the last one batting. I’ll admit, I hadn’t been able to completely keep up with the game, but from the tension I could smell in the air, I knew that if Noah didn’t get round, the team would lose the game.
“Wish me luck, Buddy,” he whispered, before taking a slug of water from a bottle. He placed the bottle down on a bench and took up the truncheon-shaped bat, swinging it through the air.
Mrs Kelly was watching from the side, the whistle pursed between her lips. She blew hard and announced, “Final innings!”
A girl in a yellow bib took a run up and launched the ball towards Noah. I found myself holding my breath as I watched. One, two, three… Thwack! Noah hit the ball hard and fast and it sliced through the air. It took all my self-control not to race after it!
He shot off immediately, being careful to run outside the posts. The other team were spread across the field, shouting to each other. They’d lost sight of the ball! Noah was going to score a rounder! But as he raced towards the fourth post, I noticed him stagger slightly and slow down. Instantly, my nostrils flared as I caught a familiar scent and I noticed that Noah’s face was pale too. He was going to faint!
I pushed past Mrs Kelly, not caring as she shouted after me. I had to get to Noah. He was still trying to run towards the next post and the rest of the team were too focused on the game to notice his body weaving across the grass. I ran up to him and touched my wet nose against his calf, which felt alive with heat. He was way too hot! Stop running, I urged him with every cell in my body. You’re going to faint! He glanced down at me and attempted a brave smile.
“I’m all right,” he tried to say, his breath coming out in short gasps. But then he started to slow his pace. I glanced over at his parents, who were watching hard from the side of the pitch. Noah’s mum broke free from the crowd and began to stride across.
Noah slowed to a walk and rested his hands on his knees, bending over, his face suddenly cast in shadow. A droplet of sweat fell from his brow on to my nose. He reached out to pat my head as he took some deep, calming breaths. “Thanks, Buddy. You’re right.”
I’m always right, I wanted to tell him.
As his mum arrived by his side, he straightened up.
“Noah! Are you OK?” she asked anxiously.
He glanced over his shoulder. A boy was running back towards the pitch, a small white globe clutched in his hand. The other team had found the ball and any moment now, they’d be able to call Noah out.
His lips set in a firm line. “I am now. Just let me do this.”
“Noah, I’m not sure—” his mum started to say but he was already jogging towards the fourth post. I ran alongside him – I wasn’t going to let him out of my sight! As he reached out a hand to grasp it, the ball arced towards it. The ball bounced off the post, but it was too late. Noah had completed the circuit and got his rounder! More than that, he’d won the entire game for his team! Students flooded the field, calling out his name.
“Well done!” Lily cried, waving madly. She ran over to him and gave him a high five. “I know what you just did out there,” she said quietly. “Now, go and rest!”
This time, Noah didn’t argue. As he wandered over towards the bench, people crowded round. One girl even asked to take a selfie with him – Noah was a sporting superstar! Mrs Kelly watched from the back of the crowd, smiling broadly. She was holding something glittery in her hand.
“A team trophy!” Noah whispered, as he spotted it.
His dad patted his shoulder. “Well done. I’m proud of you.” His glance fell on me. “And I’m sorry we didn’t trust you, Buddy. We should have known better.”
I wanted to tell him it was all right, but knew he wouldn’t understand my barks, so I pushed my muzzle into his hand instead.
Suddenly, the crowd fell silent and I pulled my nose out to see what was happening. A figure had pushed his way through from the back of the crowd and now he was standing in front of Noah.
It was Jake. He must have been watching from the benches all this time. He was trembling! I found myself walking over to stand by his side. I don’t like to see any Human upset, not even Humans who have lied to my best friend.
Noah glanced down at me and then up at Jake’s face. I could see what he was thinking. If Buddy can forgive him, maybe I can too. “What is it?” Noah asked.
Jake swallowed. “I wanted to say … I’m sorry.” He kicked a toe through the dirt. “I just… I panicked. I didn’t know what to do when you fainted in the sea and I felt useless. I knew it was my fault we were out there in the first place, but I couldn’t…” His face turned red. “The truth was too hard to admit. So I blamed Buddy instead.”
This time, I knew Jake was telling the truth and I leaned my flank against his leg to show Noah I trusted him.
Of course, Noah is clever and he noticed straight away.
“That’s all right,” he said. “We all panic sometimes.” There was nothing in his voice – no anger, or resentment, no judgement – not even kindness. It was just a fact. Noah was right. We did all panic. I remembered how I had panicked in the sea, not even sure if I could help Noah. It would only have taken one wrong decision for it all to turn into a disaster. That’s all Jake had done – made one wrong decision.
“Come on, everyone!” Mrs Kelly called out. “It’s the long jump next!” Kids cried out with delight and ran over to the oblong of sand, where a boy with long legs was warming up on the track and people were calling out encouragement.
Soon enough, we were alone. Even Noah’s parents had drifted back to the bench, where they were packing up their picnic things.
Jake glanced over to where Lily was standing on a podium, holding Mrs Kelly’s trophy above her head. She was laughing with delight as she passed the trophy around the rest of the team.
Jake sighed. “When you and Buddy arrived in school, Li
ly made a big fuss of you.” He scuffed a foot through the grass, not looking at either of us. “At first I was jealous. But then when you offered to pretend your gift to Lily was from both of us, I thought you and I could be friends. That’s why I took you to the caves – well, that and the fact that I wanted to give Lily a present from myself.” He shook his head and gave a shaky laugh. “Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
At the sound of his laugh, my heart melted. I mean – we Labradors are not known for holding a grudge. I padded across to Jake and dug my nose beneath his palm, urging him to stroke me. For once, he didn’t pull away. It was strange. Now that I was up this close to Jake, I could smell his aromas and … they were good. A sweet combination of hope and energy and … was that chicken? A dog could always live in hope of a treat. I looked at his pockets but I couldn’t see anything hidden there. Oh well.
Noah smiled shyly. “I’m sure we can all be friends,” he said.
Jake raised his eyebrows. “We could play in the park next weekend?”
“Sure thing!” Noah was grinning broadly now. “Maybe get Amelia to take some action photos of us.”
Jake’s face coloured. “I promise I’ll never do anything like that again – leading us into danger.”
“Don’t worry. Buddy here won’t let you.” I gave a small yip of agreement. I think I’d proved that no one hurt my owner! Noah was safe with me.
Jake glanced down at me. It was like he was seeing me properly for the first time and he ruffled my fur. The rest of the team gathered round, passing the trophy from person to person. Amelia appeared with her phone and started taking some more photos – she certainly liked snapping away with that thing!
Then someone came to kneel before me and lifted my paw to the trophy as though I was holding it.
Jake laughed. “First prize to Buddy – the Dog Who Dared!” I liked the sound of that.
