A Boy and His Dog

Inspired by a sticker of a firemen carrying a child

                “You are such a good girl, Nyla,” Aiden says to me as he drifts into sleep. We lay together on his bed in pure bliss. Golden sunlight illuminates the room along with Aiden’s young, tender, crooked smile. I snuggle up against his face. We’d just finished a long game of fetch, and I was exhausted. It was time for Aiden’s naptime. It is part of our ritual for me to come and guard him as he slept. It gave him a sense of security as he slept. So, together we lay, his deep, sleepy breaths barely audible.

                Then I smell it, a dark, smoky smell. Something is wrong. I lift my golden, chestnut head and take a deep breath. Hints of smoke are in the air. I hop off the bed and trot over to the cracked open door. Right as I get there, a loud piercing sound awakens Aiden. I begin barking hysterically and rush to comfort Aiden.

                “Nyla! What’s happening?” Aiden asks through tears. I try to nudge him out the door until I realize there are billows of smoke coming in through it. I bark at Aiden and he seems to understand to stay put. His small body crouches in the corner of the room, clutching onto his planes, trains, and automobiles bed sheet.

                I scamper out the door trying to locate the origin of the smoke. Aiden’s room is at the end of a hallway with three bedrooms. However, I can hardly pick out the other two doorways through the dark clouds of smoke that fill the room. I try dragging the door as closed to shut as I can get it. I don’t want the smoke filling Aiden’s room. I crawl through the smoky hallway and to the staircase. I see tall orange flames at the base of the stairs that are already beginning to devour the bottom steps. I try and locate the parents. Anyone. I begin to bark but smoke fills my lungs, silencing me.

                Then I see her, the angel of life, protector of the family, and maker of delicious foods: Aiden’s mommy. I whine to try and catch her attention. I see her lift her head from below. “Nyla! Get Aiden out the window! The firemen are on their way!” she cries through tears. Am I the only one with a level head in this situation? I follow her orders and head back to Aiden’s room.

                Although I’ve tried to keep it free of smoke, the air in the room is getting harder and harder to breathe. “Nyla! You’re back!” Aiden whimpers. His face is red and puffy from crying; his tear stained cheeks are a shade of rosy pink that is surely a mixture of the heat and his sobs. I hop onto Aiden’s bed and then onto the dresser that is right under his window. I begin banging on the window, attempting to break it.

                “Nyla! No! Stop! Don’t break! Mommy doesn’t like when you break things!” Aiden commands. I bark at him to get back, and with one final pound of my head, the window shatters. I claw at the screen and the smoke begins to escape from the room. I hear the sound of distant sirens, the sound of hope.

                Quickly, I hop onto the ground and begin to drag Aiden towards the window. There is more and more smoke leaking into the room, making it harder and harder to see and breathe. There is a loud crash from the stairwell and I hear a deep voice.

                “The woman said they’d be in the very last room.” I bark loudly, beckoning the firefighters into Aiden’s room. “I hear the dog!” one voice shouts.

                Two large men in large suits come bursting through the door. They hustle over towards Aiden and me. “The window. The window is open. One peaks out the window. Andrew is ready outside.

                The next minutes seem long and agonizing as the firefighters work to get a sobbing Aiden out of his room and into the firefighter’s hands outside. I can feel my breaths weakening as I fight for air. I vaguely see Aiden being lifted out the window and into someone else’s hands. “The dog! Get the dog!” I hear, but I know it’s too late.

                I’m being lifted out the window, and I take my last breaths of fresh air, but there is already too much smoke in my lungs. At least the boy is safe. I have done all I could…