All That Is Left Behind

I took my dog in my arms, and I made my way to the boy. I was no older than four of five, and there was absolute distress written all over his face.

I made sure to have a good grip on my dog as he could get exited easily, and I knew a lot of people, including children, are easily intimidated by dogs, especially the overly expressive ones.

“Hey there,” I said.

The boy didn’t even look at me.

“Are you lost?” I asked him.

He didn’t turn around, but I knew he heard and understood me as he pointedly put his back to mine. There were silent tears in his eyes, but contrary to most children I’ve encountered, he wasn’t expressing his sadness very openly, which I found quite strange.

“You see,” I began. “My dog is named Miki, and he kept asking me to come around here. I really don’t know why. Do you? Maybe there’s a tennis ball hidden here somewhere. Would you help me look?”

He finally turned around, but his eyes were automatically drawn to Miki.

Miki gave him a doggy grin and waved his tail so hard, his little booty went side to side in my arms.

The boy had brown hair and gorgeous large brown eyes. He was wearing good clean clothes too that fit him perfectly. And he looked at the dog, hypnotized.

“Do you want to pet him?” I asked.

He said nothing, but I knew he heard me. He didn’t look at me, still glued to Miki.

“Here, let me show you how.” Then I spent the next minute showing the boy how to pet a dog.

“Do you want to try?” I asked him.

and he returned his gaze automatically to Miki. It gave me the strange vibe you get with autistic children. He had problems looking in my eyes, but clearly none in looking in a

Miki in between us, keeping my hand on him to make sure he would not get too close to the kid and spook him, whom eventually caved and gave the first pet. It was short and just one finger on the forehead for maybe two seconds, then he pressed his hands together on

I repeated the exercise a few times, and he

wanted to question him more about his parents or why he was alone, but I wasn’t even sure he talked, and given how he ignored me when I started with this line of questioning, I decided not to push on too quickly as I feared he’d stopped communicating

rudimentary, but at least it was one.

and more with the dog, his expression slowly melted into

your name?”

His smiled disappeared as he

live with Miki not far from here. Miki loves parks very

that if I shared information first it could make me sound more trustworthy, but I wasn’t sure if this technique worked

I dug into my bag, and next to my drawing pad, I found a

away what was going on, and suddenly ignore the kid and turned to

a treat out slowly,

and sat, shaking his weight from his left paw

it twice until, his desire for the biscuit

The child looked at this scene in pure fascination.

try it?”

nodded.

an internal ‘yoop’ as I managed to make the kid say something. Silently, but

paws going in circles and then sitting, but going back up and putting his paws on my legs to tell me he was still down for more treats.

to finally make the kid talk. I guessed that if he was more interested in the dog than me that he might be more willing

done, but he worked it

five treats

I had heard the boy say at least four words now, and they were not as hard to get out of him than they had been at first.

gone,

what Miki loves?” I asked him.