He told me it’d be a few hours, and handed me a snack. Yeah, alright, Dave. I reached for my wrist to check the time. No, it’s still too dark to tell anything in here. Was that a bag or a body I just grabbed at? Dave’s been into some strange hobbies lately.

The whir of an engine nearly deafened out the sound of my own thoughts. I caught myself howling my own inner dialogue on occasion. If I could increase my own volume, I’d believe that I’m saying. A guy like me can learn a lot from watching TV.

*I slapped the wall with a certain satisfaction and pride at the thought*

“Whe eh ehr oo Iggo,” an all but wind-shredded voice fights back against the wind.

Oh good, he can hear me! Well, it oughtn’t be too long until we’re done. Still, it’s awfully cramped in here. Who designed such a low ceiling? I’m sure Dave has it worse up there, with all the wind and no blanket.

What a guy. He was so stressed that we get in the air as soon as possible and leave home. I can’t blame him. People always in and out, most of whom we have never met! All we can do is sit back and let them pour over us.

But Dave has never let me down. One time, he even gave me all the night’s dinner and went straight to sleep! I knew he’d be hungry still, so I left a bite of the leftover quiche.

The darkness shook me, and I’m back in the box, with Dave at command. I inched myself back, and stretched my neck out, bumping my rear against the bag of bricks, and my nose against something lumpy. How could I forget! The precious cargo! Dave told me I needed to protect its contents, even if I was scared. Crumpled, I scrambled in the dark, positioning my face to the door. Nobody’s taking this from us without a fight!

And he never lets me fight! I’ve been wanting to scratch my gums for so long! They’re always the meanest people, but Dave always chooses peace. It’s my turn to protect him too.

Before I can even smile, the plane jerks and swerves.

“Who’s there?!” I demand.

My pilot companion laughs, “It’s okay, Dingo! It’s okay, we’re here.”

The scent of moss, rocks, and flowing water, among many I haven’t known… an assault to the senses, and a barrage of questions, but all can wait until I see him face-to-face.

We slow down, but stop with the grace of a drunk.

“Hey, what gives?” I whine.

“Sorry, sorry, that’s my bad. I haven’t flown in a while. But we’re here now…” He clambers to the side of the plane, and opens the hatch.”… and there’s our most important cargo!”

I try to keep a straight face, but the enthusiasm spills out of me like a Monday’s cup of coffee. “Yeah! Kept it safe and sound! Not a scratch, nor a burglar, Dav–“

I’m muffled by his jacket as he puts his arms around me.

“Yeah, yeah, you know I’m talking about you, don’t you? It’s great to be out of that chair, but…”

He kisses my cheeks and forehead.

“Look, I’m sorry I had to put you in there. It must have been so loud! From now on, no more running, okay? We’re living by our rules. I’ll give you the life you deserve, Dingo, you hear me?”

Dave. I’ve never seen him like this. He’s smiling, not from relief, or even that tired smile he always gets when he looks at me. I don’t know what it is, but I think… I think I love it.

“I already fenced the gold to some guys I know. Don’t worry, I did it slowly. I’m never letting that happen to us again, alright? You learn what people are capable of when you show them more money than a man can make in three years. Go ahead, check the bag.”

He unzips the bag, letting me push aside the top. Inside, there are shovels, towels, clothes, blankets, ropes… and kitchen utensils. Behind me, bags of dry concrete.

I look up at Dave, and start to cry. “Are we really doing it? Dave, is this really happening?”

“Yeah, I know, it’ll be a lot of work. But we’ve sat still long enough. Are you ready, Dingo?”

I’d say this is the most happy day of my life, but as I jumped into his arms, I knew it was the first day of our life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The First Afterword

Another work out of a writing exercise on flash fiction, this one had four requirements.

• 750 words
• Settings include a plane
• Objects include gold
• Characters include a dog

After the work I put in, I’m more than pleased with the result. If anything, I just wish I could write a little more out of the prompt. That said, I may still do that! Keep an eye out for the developments!