Millie And The Backyard Pond

Millie’s paws pattered across the patio as soon as Nora opened the back door.

“Millie, wait!” Nora called.

But Millie had already spotted the pond. Sunlight danced on its round, green water. Lily pads rested near the edge, and tiny ripples tickled the stones. The pond smelled wet and fresh, with a muddy scent underneath.

Millie’s tail waved like a little flag. She lowered her head, wiggled her whole body, and raced across the grass.

Nora hurried after her. “I know you love your pond time.”

Millie reached the water and jumped.

Splash!

Cold drops flew over the stones. Brown water dotted Millie’s white nose and speckled her ears. She paddled in a happy circle, making bigger and bigger waves.

Nora stopped at the pond’s edge. She had hoped this time might be different. She had placed a soft towel on the patio. She had even brought a small rubber ball for a calmer game.

Millie came trotting out of the pond with the ball in her mouth. Mud clung to her paws. A dark streak ran across her chest.

Nora smiled, though she could already see the mess growing. “You found the ball.”

Millie dropped it at Nora’s feet.

Nora bent to pick it up. “Good girl. Now let’s try walking back slowly.”

Millie looked at the ball. Then she looked at the pond.

Her ears lifted.

“No,” Nora said gently. “Not another jump yet.”

Millie took one quick step toward the water.

Nora held up her hand. “Wait, Millie.”

Millie stopped. Her paws pressed into the soft ground. She looked at Nora, then at the shining pond. A small drop of water slid from her chin.

Nora took a slow breath. Millie watched her chest rise and fall.

“That’s it,” Nora whispered. “We can be calm together.”

Millie’s tail gave one soft thump against the grass.

Nora rolled the rubber ball away from the pond. It bumped over the patio and stopped beside a flowerpot.

Millie dashed after it.

Her muddy paws made little prints across the stones. She grabbed the ball and turned around too fast. Her back feet slipped in the wet dirt, and a fan of brown water sprayed across the patio.

Splish. Splish. Splish.

Three muddy spots landed on Nora’s sandals.

Nora looked down. Millie froze with the ball in her mouth.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Nora laughed softly. “That was a very small walk.”

Millie lowered her head.

“It’s okay,” Nora said. She knelt and held out her hand. “Come here. We’ll clean your paws.”

Millie stepped toward her, but the pond water made her feet slippery. She shook one paw. A drop flew onto Nora’s sleeve.

Nora blinked at it.

Millie’s eyes grew wide.

“You’re still safe,” Nora said. “And I’m still here.”

Millie leaned against Nora’s knee.

Nora rubbed behind her ears. Millie’s fur felt cool and clumpy beneath her fingers. The pond had left mud between her toes and along the soft fur on her legs.

Nora reached for the towel. “Let’s use this one paw at a time.”

She lifted Millie’s front paw and wrapped it in the warm, fluffy cloth.

Millie pulled back.

“I know,” Nora said. “The towel feels strange. We can go slowly.”

Millie sniffed the towel. It smelled like soap and sunshine. She placed her paw on it again.

Nora wiped away the mud. Brown streaks appeared on the white towel.

“There we go,” Nora said. “One paw is ready.”

Millie glanced toward the pond.

Nora followed her gaze. “You still want to go back.”

Millie gave a tiny bark.

“I understand,” Nora said. “The water is fun. But the mud comes with it.”

Millie turned her head and looked at her dirty legs.

Nora wiped the second paw. “Maybe we need a gentler pond game.”

Millie shifted her weight. Her wet tail brushed the towel, sending a soft puff of damp air around them.

Nora glanced at the patio. Muddy splashes covered the stones. One brown spot dotted the leg of a chair. Another streak marked the bottom of the back door.

She had thought the mess would stay near the pond.

It had not.

Nora stood and looked from the pond to the patio. The water had splashed farther than she expected. Millie had carried the mud with her, too, in every pawprint.

Nora crouched again. “The pond is not only at the edge, is it?”

Millie placed one muddy paw on Nora’s clean knee.

Nora smiled. “No, it follows you.”

Millie’s nose twitched. She gave the patio a careful sniff.

Nora took the ball and held it near her chest. “Let’s try one more thing. We’ll stay close to the water, and I’ll roll the ball softly. No racing.”

Millie sat.

Nora’s eyebrows rose. “Are you ready to wait?”

Millie’s ears stood tall.

Nora rolled the ball a short distance along the grass. It stopped before the muddy edge.

Millie waited.

Nora counted quietly. “One… two…”

Millie’s paws trembled with excitement.

“Three.”

Millie trotted to the ball. She did not jump into the pond. She picked it up and came back with small, careful steps.

Nora clapped. “Wonderful!”

Millie dropped the ball beside her.

The game went well for two turns. On the third turn, the ball rolled just a little too close to the water.

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