Enar's Vacation - Open Beta

Chapter 19

5626 Words

This is a beta version of Enar's Vacation. Changes can - and probably will - be made as a result of reader feedback. I hope you'll enjoy it and I hope you'll take the time to give me some feedback. It will help me make this story the best it can be.

+++

Enar's belly growled.

"Oh, right. Food! Bolvar. Let's eat."

The dog rose and came and sat by his feet, looking at him expectantly. Its tail flipped over - once - almost a little bit like it had been about to wag. Enar rummaged through the rucksack and produced two linen bags and the cup. The larger bag contained his bread roll sandwiches and the smaller Bolvar's slab of meat.

He unwrapped the meat and placed it, on top of the bag, on the bench beside him. Bolvar picked it up in his big jaws and carried it off to eat at his chosen spot. The tall grass nearly hid the beast, but did nothing to block out the noise of it eating. Enar listened for a bit to the growling and chomping of the dog tearing into its meal.

It hadn't been so bad after all. Sure, Bolvar was as big as a house, but he kept his distance - mostly. They'd had their disagreements, but they really did understand each other now. Enar stayed on the path and didn't take any pictures, and Bolvar kept his distance and left him alone.

He'd quite like a dog like that, except maybe not that big, and perhaps not so willful. A dog like Pride would have been perfect actually. He could take her for walks in the park back home. It would be a great way to meet girls.

Did Jolene like dogs? She probably did. People out here were hardy and tough. They didn't hold with this nonsense of being afraid of dogs. Of course she would like them.

Enar unwrapped his sandwiches and ate. Freshly baked bread with ham and cheese. He chewed in silence. Too bad Bolvar didn't like him taking pictures. He'd really like a photo of the view from here to show the guys back at the office. They'd be impressed he'd climbed all that way on his own. Fat little Enar, they'd say, you wouldn't think it to look at him, not with those short legs.

It should be possible to see the orchard and the burrow back in Hyardum from here. The hill and the tree were clearly visible from the front porch so it made sense he'd be able to see back the same way. Then again, the big tree had been a mere dot in the distance. He wouldn't be able to make out the orchard even if he knew where to look - which he didn't; somewhere to the north, the direction he already faced, was all he know. No way he'd be able to spot it. The hills all looked the same, round and covered in trees in various shades of green. He couldn't even make out which one was Lookout Hill, where he'd been yesterday, and that one had been higher than any of the hills near it.

It didn't really matter. He was here now and he'd seen the world and felt the presence of the tree and that was quite enough in itself. His thoughts drifted away, like thoughts sometimes do, to nowhere in particular. He let them wander where they willed: work and life back home; his mother, and his future without her; the hills, with Jolene, and the dogs; the forests and all the trees; wandering the lands, and drinking water from the streams; riding the roads on the back of Hasse's old cart; the orchard and its apples and the old pump with the sylph in it; wind sprites.

Enar shook himself and listened. He had no idea how much time had passed - surely not much. He'd lost track for a little bit was all - just a few minutes, probably. He turned and looked up into the tree, trying to catch a sign of movement. Much as he'd enjoyed seeing the wind sprites yesterday he didn't fancy being attacked again. There was only so much excitement he could handle.

But the tree didn't move, and no hidden giggles reached him from among the leaves. He heard something else though - Bolvar snored.

The big dog had finished his meat and now slept, stretched out like a big furry log some lumberjack had felled. Maybe the beast wasn't so tough after all. Enar didn't know much about dogs, but if Bolvar was even half as old as Rufus had claimed, he'd be far older than any other dog Enar had ever heard of. No wonder he'd be tired then. The secrets of the hills or not, old dogs and old people still got tired.