There are many in this world who don’t understand the importance of the bond between human and animal. They look at these four legged friends, these winged beasts – they look at the creatures that slither, scamper, and slide – and they scoff, they shy away.
But there are others, a vast majority, who understand that there is more.
Animals are of a greater importance than anyone could understand. From the start to the end, they have been at our side…and they have watched out for us.
The year is 1922 and the White House is operating at a smooth pace. President Warren G. Harding is in his second year as Commander In Chief, and the world is still buzzing over the Versailles Treaty. Reporters frequently can be seen gathering in the streets outside of the White House, vying for a glimpse of the family that live inside.
We are not, however, following the President, nor his wife. We are following a different member of his family; a smaller member, but one that is no less brave, and no less important.
Laddie Boy, the Airedale Terrier, is a force to be reckoned with. He walks through the halls with his head up and his tail high, ears perked forward at all times to try and catch wind of his next job – or even better, his next adventure.
Today, he has slipped away from both his caretaker and Florence Harding. Nails click clack against the tile as he walks. Laddie Boy passes by a few nameless workers, with positions that he neither knows nor cares about. He slips through the halls and various rooms, until coming across a place at the very back of the White House.
There’s a stone vase sitting next to the open door. Laddie Boy nudges the side of the vase. His wet nose leaves a dark smear over the pale stone. Then he trots into the seldom used sitting room. One wall is devoted entirely to a book shelf, piled up with novels and tomes that haven’t been opened in many years.
Several large, plush chairs have been pushed against the opposing wall. Laddie Boy trots over to the chairs. He jumps up onto the one on the left, turns around in a circle, and then hops back down.
A dog bed sits in the corner of the room. It’s not as plush as the chairs but still of the best quality. Laddie Boy trots over to it, nudging the edge with his nose. “Come on! Can’t you all tell that I’m in here? I need to speak with someone!”
There’s no answer.
It’s like this sometimes. Even when Laddie Boy thinks that he should be able to visit the Room the door simply will not open. For a moment, Laddie Boy is certain that’s going to be the case today.
Just as he’s about to give up and leave, the air starts to spark and buzz. It makes Laddie Boy’s heart beat a little faster. Borderline gleeful, Laddie Boy’s head snaps up. He spins around just in time to see a doggie door appear in the wall under the window. The sleek silver is ringed by a pale blue light. The same light appears around the golden collar that Laddie Boy wears.
“Yes,” he cheers. “They heard me! Let’s get today moving along.”
Katelynn E Koontz – Author
