Long live the Friday Fictioneers~
Copyright Renee Homan Heath
The Caribbean sun warmed the salt-scrubbed planks of the boardwalk as Frankie trotted to the beach, tail wagging. Just before the sand, he stopped and scanned the beach, looking for his master. Seeing no one, he lay down in the shade of the tall palm and waited.
* * *
“There’s Frankie, out under his palm again. 7:30, just like clockwork.”
“He’s faithful, is he?”
“Seven years running; ever since Jim left to circumnavigate the world. His boat disappeared in a storm and everyone gave him up for dead.”
“I guess no one told Frankie.”
“He wouldn’t listen if they did. He believes.”
The Green-Walled Tower 
January 24th, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Aaahh the power of faith.
January 24th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
🙂
January 24th, 2013 at 2:26 pm
My cousin had a dog like that…But Mac out lived the dog. Would follow him every where and if he couldn’t follow he would find him. That’s a good dog. Nice job.
Tom
January 24th, 2013 at 2:57 pm
Dogs, especially, seem to have that strong attachment to their owner. Cats might have that, but they’re usually too cool to show it.
January 24th, 2013 at 3:02 pm
Dogs are suckers like men…cats could give a……
January 24th, 2013 at 2:32 pm
beautiful. when i read the title i thought you were about to tell a ghost story, sad and sweet surprise. hope he is right!
January 25th, 2013 at 9:58 am
well, maybe his master comes back as a ghost. 🙂 I’ll let you write that one.
January 24th, 2013 at 5:04 pm
Ah that’s a lovely story, I always find it so sad when dogs can’t seem to move on. Well done.
January 24th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
Thanks, Sandra.
Maybe Jim will come back eventually, like in the movie Castaway.
January 24th, 2013 at 6:08 pm
Awww.. Poor Frankie.. Such a heart-warming and sad story.
January 25th, 2013 at 9:58 am
Thank you. I had a couple of different ideas of where to go this week, but decided on the more poignant story.
January 24th, 2013 at 7:43 pm
a dog’s loyalty is touching…this was so good
January 24th, 2013 at 11:04 pm
Thank you. I’m not really a pet person, but if I was, I’d have a dog. They’re good friends.
January 24th, 2013 at 10:56 pm
Beautifully told and you left us with the open end–will Jim come back or is he dead? I’ve seen pictures and read stories about dogs who wait faithfully for their masters or by their graves. Good stuff.
janet
January 24th, 2013 at 11:01 pm
I like to think he’ll eventually come back, but then again, I’m a hopeless optimist. I think it’s better if the reader comes up with their own conclusion.
January 24th, 2013 at 11:01 pm
I think he’ll come back too and for the same reason.
January 25th, 2013 at 2:00 am
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It is the undying devotion and love a dog has to its master that will not allow it to give up hope that his master will return to him. Very well done. I am a dog owner and love animals of all kinds, so I am a sucker for a good dog story.
January 25th, 2013 at 9:56 am
I’m very glad you liked it. As much as I like animals, I’ve never owned a dog, but it’s very interesting to see the emotional bonds that people form with them and how it is reciprocal. I had a cockatiel when I was young and as much as I loved him, I’m pretty sure he didn’t care much about us.
January 25th, 2013 at 10:42 am
🙂 Maybe birds do not attach themselves as well to their owners.
January 25th, 2013 at 2:18 am
aww. a doy and his bog. i mean a boy and his dog never separated emotionally. well done.
January 25th, 2013 at 2:21 am
did you struggle at all with the word choice of “circumnavigate”? it’s literally exact, but it also sounds very technical, whereas this is more of an emotional piece. i wonder if “circle” or “explore” might sound/feel better. they certainly won’t hold better meaning. either way you can’t lose, but i’m wondering if you wavered on choices or knew exactly what you wanted.
sometimes i think about not just *which* words someone chose but also *why* they chose those words.
January 25th, 2013 at 9:49 am
I did think about that word choice. Part of it was that “circumnavigate” seemed more of a nautical term, and I wanted to show he was sailing and not just traveling. It’s the sort of word usually used in connection to breaking records, as in “the first man to circumnavigate the earth”. I thought about “go around” but it seemed more banal and also, I was trying to keep the word count down. 🙂
January 25th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
makes sense. thanks for answering.
January 25th, 2013 at 2:42 am
That’s a dog for you. Loyal till the end.
January 25th, 2013 at 3:02 am
Nothing like man’s best friend.
January 25th, 2013 at 9:45 am
Yep. You wouldn’t get that from a goldfish, to be sure.
January 25th, 2013 at 3:30 am
Nothing so faithful as man’s best friend, but I wonder why he didn’t take him.
January 25th, 2013 at 4:00 am
As always…excellent.
January 25th, 2013 at 9:45 am
🙂 Thank you, my friend.
January 25th, 2013 at 4:47 am
Beautiful!
Reminded me of the story of a Japanese dog Hachiko: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D
We were shown a movie in Japan, starring Richard Gere and based on the true story, called ‘Hachi – A dogs tale’ and i cried buckets 🙂
January 25th, 2013 at 9:44 am
Yeah, it’s that idea. I haven’t seen that movie but I know the basic story and I heard it was a real tearjerker. I’ve heard stories of dogs staying by their masters’ graves until they die.
January 25th, 2013 at 4:58 am
Faith and loyalty. While, from a more scientific point, dogs don’t possess such sentience, it is so peculiar and heartwarming to see them behave as such. A perfect way to represent this, I hope to have a pet as loyal when I come to own one.
January 25th, 2013 at 9:41 am
Dogs are amazing that way. If other animals are that loyal, they don’t show it the same way.
January 25th, 2013 at 5:33 am
This is such a sweet story…makes me tear up a little! That bond between dogs and their owners gets me every time…
January 25th, 2013 at 8:01 am
Sweet – poor Frankie!
January 25th, 2013 at 9:36 am
I know, right? But from his perspective, it’s the only thing to do.
January 25th, 2013 at 8:08 am
Good dog, faithful dog.
A tale of hope. Uplifting.
January 25th, 2013 at 9:42 am
Thank you.
January 25th, 2013 at 10:32 am
Damn good story, David.
January 25th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Many things rush to my mind. But I’d rather savour the sorrow and joy of your beautiful tale.
January 25th, 2013 at 12:59 pm
awwww… such a sweet story of love and loyalty
January 25th, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Sweet, sad story, and not far from the truth. I read a book to my kids a couple years ago about a dog – I think in Japan – who waited at the train for his master daily for years after his master’s death. (I may have the details mixed up, but it was a true story and they put up a monument to the dog even). Anyhow, nicely done!
January 25th, 2013 at 5:19 pm
This is well-written, Dave. Dogs and their owners have a subtly sweet bond. It’s very evident when one of the party is absent for long.
I’m happy I found your blog.
January 25th, 2013 at 8:18 pm
I know some people for whom their dogs are really like their children.
Thanks for the comment and the follow~
January 25th, 2013 at 6:48 pm
Dear David,
once more you’ve brought me to tears. Thanks.
Shalom,
Rochelle
January 25th, 2013 at 11:09 pm
A beautiful story there…
January 25th, 2013 at 11:24 pm
Thank you~
January 26th, 2013 at 12:57 am
It’s funny how they always know. Those four legged friends of ours are more intelligent than we give them credit for.
January 26th, 2013 at 1:55 am
You can always count on a dog. They are faithful to the very end. What i want to know is why Frankie was not aboard. I would take my dog with me.
January 26th, 2013 at 10:17 am
I could think of some rationale, but in any case, it was clearly a mistake on Jim’s part not to have brought him. I agree, he’d be a good companion. Thanks for the comment~
January 26th, 2013 at 4:42 am
Hi David,
A salty dog story. There’s some real truth behind it. After my grandpa died, his dog stayed by his grave for months. Ron
January 26th, 2013 at 10:29 am
Now, that’s faith.
January 26th, 2013 at 11:45 am
I really liked this. If only people were as faithful as dogs!
January 26th, 2013 at 1:53 pm
That’s true. They have a lot more simple loyalty than people do. I think it’s one of the things people admire about them.
January 26th, 2013 at 2:29 pm
Nice, David. I’ve heard of animals doing this. I read this story once where this dog visited his owners grave. I guess he didn’t want his owner to be dead either. Sweet story.
January 26th, 2013 at 3:59 pm
There is a bittersweet innocence about animals that do that. They have the kind of constancy we admire.
January 27th, 2013 at 5:36 am
oh, this is so sweet and so true about dogs and their human friends.
January 27th, 2013 at 11:22 am
Our Dogson would be the same way. He’s a golden retriever and he has a special connection with my hubby. Great post.
January 27th, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Thank you~ I don’t have a dog myself, but I like to hear all the dog lovers heartily agreeing with this. 🙂
January 27th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Poor dog. They’re so loyal. I love dogs.
January 27th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
I do too. They seem to go to the extremes with their feelings. If they’re happy, they’re very happy; if they’re loyal, they’re very loyal.