Super Dog

A scrap of bright red silk was caught on a low shrub near the footpath, fluttering in the morning breeze. I worked it free with my teeth and gently smoothed it across my back, letting the ends drape over my shoulders like a heroic cape. Trotting up the winding incline of the grassy knoll, every step felt unusually light and sure, as though the bright cloth granted me the quiet strength to overlook the whole neighborhood. At the top, I stood tall on a flat stone, watching the wind ripple through the tall grass below and feeling remarkably brave.