Luci was somewhere in the backyard when I opened the gate and slipped out in hot pursuit of a butterfly. There was a myna foraging in the lush grass that had sprung as if overnight after a week of rain. Then there were the coat buttons, cute flowers to which I am partial and not just because they are favored by butterflies.

As soon as she heard the gate being opened, Luci came bounding. She takes the business of guarding the premises seriously. The teeny-weeniest of sounds the gate makes has her rushing posthaste to investigate. It is another matter that I sometimes use this to my advantage, not that I enjoy teasing her, well a little bit may be, but if everything is fair in love and war, why can it not be so when it comes to photo-opportunities? All I have to do is wait and get her in action as she sprints to the gate.

That day was not such a day. Like I said I was after butterflies, the pretty little thingamabobs. When Luci reached the gate, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Mommeee was on the other side. A pause, when her doggie brain processed the fact and then she let loose a volley of barks. Dad, dad, dad! Mommmee’s gone out the gate. Omg. Omg Omg! Dad, come quick. Dad, dad, dad! Mommeee’s escaped! gone. Dad, dad, DAD!!!!!!!!!

Dad, who is not conversant in doggese (dog-language) and whose ears could only decipher incessant barking, was plenty annoyed with the dog for the noise pollution she was creating. He gave her a piece of his mind from where he was sitting in his room,

“Luci! Stop it!” Naah. It was more like “LUCI! STOP IT!”

But, would she? No siree, no. So they carried on, Luci going DAD!!!!! and Dad going LUCI!!!!! Outside the gate, Mommeee ignored the hullabaloo and went about her mission of capturing the wee butterflies with extreme diligence. Dad, who wasn’t aware what was happening had to reluctantly put his newspaper aside and walk out to find just why Luci was making a racket. On seeing him, Luci renewed her efforts. Here was help at last in capturing Mommeee and getting her back inside the gate.

“Luci! What’s the matter with you?! Keep quiet!” said the irritated Dad, covering his ears for so loud was Luci’s shouts now that she had seen Dad.

She ran around him in circles, trying to convey to him the urgency of the matter.

Dad, listen. DAD LISTEN!!!! MOMMEEE’S  ALL ALONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GATE. What if someone kidnaps her? What if? WHAT IF?!!! DO SOMETHING, DAD! OMG, OMG, OMG!

Then Dad noticed Mommeee squatting beside the lush growing grass near the road (No, no, no, no. It is not what you think!), camera slung around her neck, lens trained on a Common Fourring resting on a blade of grass. He rolled his eyes. Duh!

LOOK, DAD! WHAT DID I TELL YA? shouted Luci.

“You were outside,” said Dad, stating the obvious, which he does a lot by the way. “That’s why she had been barking!”

Of course. But then you have to know doggese to have got that right away, dontcha know!

DAD, DO SOMETHING! SHE MIGHT RUN AWAY AND WE’LL BE ALL ALONE. Luci was not about to give up on Mission Get Mommeee Back Into The House.

“You and your Mommeee get this sorted out between yourselves,” said Dad doing a disappearing act.

Luci was crestfallen. Dad had let her down. She looked at Mommeee pleadingly. Please, come back, her eyes begged. So Mommee opened the gate and walked in, to a rousing welcome from her darling Luchi muchi. Besides there were no more butterflies flitting around. So it was time to go in anyway. 😉

©Shail Mohan 2016

Daily Prompt: Mountain