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.

autistic children. He had problems looking in my eyes, but clearly none in looking in a dog’s eyes, so I used this to try to open a

would not get too close to the kid and spook him, whom eventually

few times, and he did

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

pretty rudimentary, but at least it was

and as minutes went by and he interacted more and

your name?” I asked him.

as he looked briefly at

with Miki not far from here. Miki loves parks very much, so we came here for a

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

to my drawing pad, I found a little bag.

away what was going on, and

out slowly, making him sit.

sat, shaking his weight from his

I had to say it twice until, his desire for the

at this scene in pure

you want to try it?” I asked.

He nodded.

I managed to make the kid say something. Silently, but

have to tell him to sit though,” I said as Miki was now back on his paws going in circles and then sitting, but going back up and putting his paws on my legs to tell me he was

talk. I guessed that if he was more interested in the dog than me that he might be more willing to talk to him rather than

It took a few minutes for him to get the gist of what had to be done, but he worked it

feeding five treats in a

feeding, but it was working really well, and I had heard the boy say at least four words now, and they were not as hard to get out of him than they

Once the treats were all gone, he looked

“Do you know what Miki loves?” I asked him.