When Darkness Falls

Accusations make a crappy morning

“Ugh.”

I slowly open my eyes and the only thing I can register is that It is light, so I close my eyes again. I decide to lay down for a extra two minutes, if only to gather my thoughts. Unlike most people’s morning thoughts which consist of breakfast, the dream they had moments ago, and (more often than not) going back to sleep, mine are not; no, my mind is incredibly blank. What did happen last night?

I slide my hands up to my face, rolling myself over so that I am facing the ceiling. I feel my hands rub against my morning scruff and I gently scratch my chin, momentarily satisfied with how freaking good it feels, and let me tell you it feels so good.

“Ok Mark, think. What the hell happened last night?” I stare at the ceiling, trying to recall the past events, but struggling to get a hold on anything solid. I know something happened last night, I just don’t know what that something is. I know I woke up to something loud, and knocking my hand against the window…

Suddenly I feel an odd sense of fear come over me, and the strangest part is that it feels…familiar. But why would it be familiar? It’s not like I was scared anytime soon. What is there to be afraid of… Suddenly I am confronted by weird images in my mind, something of a weird lady, some kids, the screaming…

“Oh God!” I fling myself upright, looking around for that weird lady. Is she here? Where is she? I look out the window to be met with the rising sun, causing me to close my eyes and my free hand to cover my eyes… Squinting I look around the bright room that is now splashed with all different shades of yellow. No, not here, but where is Zeus?

“Zeus!” I call out, and I hear a bark from the kitchen. “Zeus, C’mon buddy get your ass out of the kitchen and let me see you. I want to make sure your ok.” I hear the familiar thud of his paws hitting the ground and sure enough he comes out of the kitchen as happy as ever, trotting to the couch as if he owned the place. Sometimes I joke to myself that maybe if he was human I would make him pay the rent. I look at him as he approaches me and sure enough there is a flowering colony of food on his upper lip, hanging there like it belonged.

“Saving some for lunch buddy?” I ask him, and he responds by lapping his tongue over that specific spot and takes the chunk of food with it. I look him over, his sparkling eyes never leaving mine as they roam across his stature, and I decide to ask, “Do you feel ok Zeus?” He responds by barking, and I chuckle as I rub my ear, “That’s what I thought bud, now come here and give me some loving.” He lifts his front paws onto the couch and begins to furiously lick my face as if he hadn’t done it in years, when in fact he had done it just yesterday morning.

Laughing hard, I barely manage to get out, “Ok, ok! Enough! That is enough loving for one grown man.” He manages to get in one more lick before he backs away, and it hits me in the eye. I rub my face and say “Smartass.” He does his goofy smile with his tongue hanging out on the side, and I ask him, “Are you making fun of me?” He responds by tilting his head, his tongue still hanging out and now drooping even closer to the ground.

“We’ll see who is laughing when I get you!” I launch myself up off the couch and grab the arm of it to balance myself. Meanwhile, Zeus decides to run off into the kitchen, peering out the edge of the pathway and still having that stupid face on. “Yeah keep that face on! In about two seconds I’m going to come over there and tickle the crap out of you and then we will see who is smiling!” At that he barks, jumping out in front of the pathway and bending his upper body close to the ground and his fore legs spread out in front of him. He is seriouslyasking for it!

“Alright buddy here I come! Three…two…one…” I screech, running at him with my hands waving wildly over my head. He jumps up and barks and begins to run at me, meeting me in the middle of the living room. I bend over, jumping from side to side and he retaliates by jumping on me as I playfully fall to the ground so I reach my hands up to his chest and tickle him, making him bark and put his paws on my arms to hold me down. He begins to lick my face again, going after my nose and mouth. Coughing and spitting I growl, “Ok ok! Enough! You win!”