Marina stared at the clock, listening to the tick, tick, tick. Ten more minutes until they could go and waiting was driving her insane. Tock! Another minute passed. Nine more minutes until she could go boating with her father. They did it every Saturday but it was her favorite thing ever, and it helped that she was with her father. Her mother had died in a fire at her work when she only three so she had never really met her. But her father had done a pretty good job raising her. She remembered him teaching how to swim, braiding her hair everyday, and watching all the Disney princess movies with her, especially The Little Mermaid.
"Dad, you almost ready?!" Marina yelled up the stairs.
"Yes!" came the reply. Abraham Trotsky came came running down the stairs, almost falling in one place one managed to make it down in one piece.
"Slow down, one of these days you're going to break your ankle!"
"Who says I haven't already?" Her father said with a smug smile, "Well, cut the chit-chat, the longer we stand here the shorter the time we have!"
"Whatever you say Dad," Marina said rolling her eyes.
They had just made their way out of the cottage when a scrawny kid ran by screaming at the top of his lungs "HELP, HELP THERE'S A DOG CHASING ME AND HE'S BIG AND VICIOUS AND HE GONNA KILL ME!!!!"
My dad caught the boy as he barreled into him. "Woah son, slow down! You're gonna run into something! What are you running from?"
"A MASSIVE DOG THAT'S GOING TO KILL ME!!!!! I NEED TO GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!"
"Kid, I don't know what you're talking about. The most aggressive animal I've seen in the neighborhood is Mrs. Finch's crazy cat. I'm serious, that thing'll claw your eyeballs out if it has the chance."
"NO IT'S A DOG AND HE'S HORRIBLE AND HE PROBABLY HAS THREE HEADS OR SOMETHING!!" A bark sounded from behind a neighbor's house, "AND HE'S COMING RIGHT NOW!"
Marina was prepared to run away from the scene as fast as her legs could carry her. She waited in anticipation, holding her breath. In a few seconds a massive boar hound, or something much worse, was going to appear from behind that house and she would be ready.
Another bark sounded, the padding of paws on pavement and out came... a Jack Russell Terrier? What? This is what the boy was afraid of? A tiny dog? The dog came up to her and she reached down to pet it. He had a little brown collar that said Dart on in it. "Is that your name, Dart? I guess that's what we'll you."
"Ugh, look at the horrendous face, the jowls dripping saliva, the matted fur!" The boy exclaimed.
"He doesn't have any of those things, and he's adorable!"
"Aw yeah, well how do we know he doesn't have rabies, huh?"
"Does he look like he has rabies too you?"
"Well, you never know".
"What's your name by the way? Mine's Marina Trotsky".
"My name's Miles. Miles from Tomorrowland".
"No, seriously".
"I'm dead Sirius".
"What's your last name? You're getting on my nerves"
"Fine," He sighed, "It's Miles Pierson"
"Thank you".
"You're welcome".
