This was posted from afar and in a hurry, taking advantage of the dubious wifi in the lobby of a Mexican beach resort on an evening where my husband put Sebastian to bed. Non-writers will probably wonder why I’d use me-time on the prompt; writers will hopefully understand! The photo comes from Dawn Q Landau.
Faith
Perhaps you think I might just as well follow an invisible God or my morning horoscopes. Rusty’s paths veer between stubbornly predictable and desperately irrational with a flick of his tail or a twitch of his nose; we can be following an abandoned railway one minute, pushing through a hedgerow the next.
But I have followed men, I’ve followed their Gods and their traditions, their mores and their whims, and men have rewarded my trust with lies and fickle hearts. Now, though I sometimes walk in front, I follow a dog and he follows his nose, and our mutual faith is unshakeable.
elmowrites 
I understand!
Bravo 🙂
Dear Jennifer,
I agree. The dog’s a better companion and much better at unconditional love than men. No expectations other than food, a warm bed and affection. Very well done from afar.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks Rochelle. I think we are sometimes inclined to expect too much from those we follow, whether romantically or otherwise. With animals we seem to know both the wonders and the limits much more intuitively.
Dear Jennifer,
To find the golden thread with which you wove such a fine story takes keen eyes, imagination and a fine focus on details. Beautiful work from wherever you are.
Aloha,
Doug
Golden thread, Doug? Just a little imagination and a real knowledge of the unconditional adoration that can exist between human and pet. I’m a cat person myself, but the love is similar if not the practicalities!
But still, Jennifer, weaving the story requires skills aplenty. You have them in spades.
Aloha, D.
This might just be one of your finest — such a straightforward, clear, and honest observation. I know you push yourself to write only the best, as I do, and sometimes it comes across as such hard work. This felt like effortless beauty. Wonderful.
It’s a surprise and a delight to read that, Helena. I worried this was slightly rushed off and would come across as such. I’m glad that wasn’t the case for you
This is a beautiful ode to the innocent honesty of our pet friends.
Thank you!
A cat is just not the same! Beautiful.
In my eyes, a cat is better, but yes, not the same!
Love of an animal can be so special and you showed that through lovely words, Jen.
janet
I meant to say “love of and for an animal.”
Thanks, Janet, i agree wholeheartedly (although I’m not quite so cynical about men as this character!)
Beautiful.
As Peter Shelley sang, love me love my dog….
I’m a cat person myself (dogs have owners, cats have staff) as you can see in my picture, but this brought a tear to my eye.
Aww, mjl, i’m glad it moved you. I’m a cat person too, but for this character I didn’t have to imagine too hard!
Lovely story about a human’s best friend, Jen. Glad you were able to write and post even from the road. Godspeed.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Thank you, MG! Home now in the frigid north, but at least that means I’m back with my cats – my best non-human friends
it looks like they are a team. what a true expression of unconditional love. i enjoyed reading it.
🙂 I think they are indeed
Jennifer,
Wonderful story of faith!
Kudos to you,
Jan
Loved it – and from the options presented, I’d follow the dog too.
Cheers
KT
LOL, sometimes it’s probably easier.
If one’s faith is rewarded by lies and fickle heart…Very well written. Loved it.
I really enjoyed this one. Agree with all said above!
A fascinating topic you chose and I would have been happy with a few more 100 words. I hope you’re doing OK?
Sometimes I think I could go a bit longer too, Michael, but I ejoy the challenge of keeping it short and sweet (or bitter!).
That voice, so cynical and so faithful! Excellent story, as always, but yeah… that voice.
Hurrah! I’m glad the bitterness came out for you; yes this is a love story in a sense, but one born from pain and anguish. I’m pleased you picked up on that.
Beautifully done manifesto out of that prompt. Great voice.
A beautifully written story. She’s definitely made the right choice. 🙂
Jen this is an incredible piece. Very powerful and moving… it reads like an epic tale of heroes and a life lived fully. The voice is so compelling and haunting! Really wonderful.
Hope your time in Mexico is sunny and fine!
I’m an optimist at heart but I could feel your character’s hopeless outlook clearly. A dog’s life is so simple in comparison.
Her dog won’t let her down. Lovely tone here, and an engaging main character.
What a lovely twist on the prompt. Very thoughtful.
The tone and theme, memoir styled, is wonderful.
A dog’s intuition can be as good, if not better, than ours or in our faith in a a god’s intuition and leading.
Randy