Excerpt from The Erik Story

The Rescue (from Chapter Two) Suddenly, a sound at the main kennel door! The wolf-dog leaped to the front of the cage and saw a woman come through the door. She looked and dressed differently than the pound people.“Could it be her?” he wondered.

His body began to tremble with anticipation.

The woman walked down the aisle between the rows of cages where dogs barked and pleaded with her for freedom. The dog noticed she didn’t slow her pace or look into their eyes. His wolf-dog instincts were pretty good and he knew she couldn’t bear making eye contact with the other animals. If a dog could smile, he would have. He knew instantly why she avoided their eyes, and he liked her good heart.

The lady, whose name was Andrea, peered into his cage. He knew her immediately without a word being spoken.

“She’s the one! Yes, she’s the one! And she’s finally here!” With uncontrolled excitement he began to twirl around in the small space making yipping sounds. Happy paws drummed on the hard floor to the music of the dog’s own special song. Andrea opened the door and looked straight into his eyes. No hesitation. There was an understanding without words. Andrea had come to save him.

Quickly she said to him: “I’ll be right back.” As she walked away, her footsteps deliberate, he could hear her calling to the pound workers: “I want him! I’ll take him with me now.”

The wolf-dog listened as the verbal exchange between Andrea and the workers took place. He thought, “It’s finally happening for me! She’s here, this special person for whom I’ve been waiting so long.” He vowed to become Andrea’s best friend and companion, not even realizing at that moment that his commitment would last for all of time. He sealed the bond by giving her his sweetest howl, as if to say, “I’ve been waiting for you! Thank you for saving me!”

Andrea quickly cleared the paperwork process and turned around to see one of the workers walking up with her new dog. A rough jute rope had been tied around his neck for a leash. The wolf-dog was straining against the rope, coughing and gasping for air, but that didn’t matter. He was ready to join Andrea and be free of this place.

As Andrea collected the makeshift leash in her hands and started for the door, a man in a white coat stopped them long enough to jam a needle into the dog’s hip. The dog let out a blood curdling cry that pierced the ears of everyone within range. Andrea knew they were giving him required vaccinations but she winced at his pain. Hurriedly, she pulled him towards the exit to remove them both from this terrible place.

Andrea had come to save this wolf-dog; also compelled by some unexplainable purpose. She was so determined to rescue the poor soul that she didn’t even question his mangy wolf-like appearance or the horrid smell of matted fur. Andrea sensed that he had a loving spirit and strong determination which drew her to him. What she didn’t know was that this smelly creature with dirty fur hanging like dreadlocks from his skinny body would become her lifelong teacher and her very best friend. She also didn’t know the meeting was one of providence, rather than chance. This too had been arranged.

Becoming a Teacher (from Chapter 12) Erik was fully aware of what he had done, and the tactic worked—at least he thought so at first. Andrea quickly hung up the phone and shouted at Erik: “Bad dog! What a bad, bad boy!” Andrea got the cleaning supplies out and furiously scrubbed to clean the yellow stain from the sofa. Then, she stopped and thought about what had happened and realized what Erik was doing. “You sure have a funny—and frustrating—way of getting my attention.”

Erik was working very hard, but he still made mistakes. Both Erik and Andrea were learning.

Erik hoped White Wolf would come to him on the night of the sofa incident. He had begun to think of this presence as his teacher, because each brief communication gave him so much knowledge. Tonight, he had many questions. He got his wish, and White Wolf appeared.

“White Wolf, does Andrea get messages like I do from you?”

“Yes. But usually she can’t sense them.”

“Why?”

“She forgot how.”

“That seems silly,” Erik thought. Then he said: “It’s so easy for me. It’s just like my other instincts. Powerful and certain.”

White Wolf replied: “Andrea forgot how to sense her intuition and true feelings when she was a little girl growing up. Many children do. It’s our job—your job—to help her remember how to listen.”

“That sounds like important work,” Erik said.

“It is,” White Wolf responded. “That’s enough for you to take in now, Erik. I’ll be back again and we will continue this.”

“White Wolf, can I please ask you just one more question?”

“Go ahead Erik.”

“Sometimes I know Andrea needs something and I can’t figure out what to do to help her. What should I do at those times?”

“Just love her with all your heart.” And White Wolf disappeared.

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