CHAPTER I
It was a cold winter night in the city of Nome, Alaska; and in the streets of that city, isolated from the rest of the world, few people were walking.
Not far from the city, near an ancient boat, Balto and Jenna were talking.
«How long have you been having these dreams?» Jenna asked.
«Dreams? What I have are nightmares!» replied Balto.
«And what happens in your... "nightmares"?» she inquired.
«Maybe it's better if I don't tell you.» he answered. Jenna perceived in Balto's sentence a tinge of melancholy, but at the same time a tinge of fear.
«Come on, Balto» She said. «You can tell me.»
«All right. I'll tell you. It all started two nights ago; I was sleeping, when suddenly I had a vision. I can't tell you if it was real or not. In the vision there were me and Aleu. She was on the edge of a precipice and she cried out for my help, but I couldn't move; even if I was trying to move just one muscle, it was all in vain. I remained motionless.»
«What happens next?»
«I don't know. The dream ends before I can see it.»
There was a moment of silence between the two animals, but their face spoke more than a thousand people. Balto's gaze suggested that he was afraid, afraid that the dream could become reality; while Jenna's was a worried look, but she tried not to let him notice it.
«Listen to me, Balto» she said. «You must be calm. Dreams are just dreams, not the future. We are the ones who decide our future and how to live it.»
«Yes, maybe you are right. Maybe I should stop worrying about a simple dream.»
«Come on, let's go to sleep.» She said in a loving tone. And they went to sleep; or at least Jenna, because Balto couldn't sleep.
The next day Jenna woke up in a good mood, but she didn't see Balto at her side. She understood then what had happened. She went to the bow of the ship, and saw Balto.
«Did you still have that nightmare?» She asked.
«Yup.» He answered. «I continue to have that vision.» Jenna slowly walked over to Balto and, when she was close enough, looked him in the eye: they expressed sadness and fear at the same time.
«Don't worry, darling.» she said. «Soon everything will be back as before, and you won't have those dreams anymore. trust me.» At that precise moment, in Balto's eyes, Jenna perceived tranquility.
«How could I live without you?» said Balto.
«You couldn't.» said Jenna with a nice tone. «But now we have to go to see Kodi, remember?»
«yes, you're right» replied Balto. «I must try to think as little as possible about my dreams and concentrate more on what is real. Let's go, Jenna»
Both dogs headed for the house where lived Kodi and his girlfriend Dusty, who was in sweet waiting.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER II
Kodi and Dusty had first met when they were still just teenagers. And they both still remember the moment they met.
Kodi had just joined the sleigh to sort the mail of the citizens of Nome, while Dusty had been a part of it for a month and so she knew what to do. As the days passed, Dusty taught Kodi how to behave when they were delivering the mail, what to do and what to never do; and from the very first glance Kodi began to feel something for her, but he didn't want to point it out as he would be teased by his dog friends. But one day Dusty accidentally dropped a package that read "fragile" on it and all dogs, including Kodi, were near her. The noise of the object breaking was heard throughout the warehouse. When the musher entered the room and saw the disaster he became furious.
«Damn!» he screamed. «Who did it? Who among you dropped the package?» Total silence. Dusty was ready to step forward when suddenly, under everyone's amazed eyes, Kodi stepped forward.
«You should have been more cautious, Kodi.» Said the musher. «No dinner for you tonight; and now go immediately to your kennel!» Kodi walked slowly towards the kennel with a sad face, but at the same time he was happy that Dusty had not been punished.
During their dinner, the dogs happily ate, except for one: Dusty. She felt guilty about what had happened, so she decided to go talk to Kodi. Once she arrived in front of his kennel she asked him:
«Why did you take the blame for me? I am the one who dropped the package, not you.» Kodi looked at her with a look; the look that a person, or in this case a dog, makes when he is ashamed to say what he is about to say.
«I did it because I didn't want the animal I care about most in the world be punished.» This sentence left Dusty speechless, but then she said something she had long meant:
«I also care about you Kodi»
_______________________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER III
When Balto and Jenna went where Kodi and Dusty lived, they found their son in front of the door.
«Hi, Kodi!» Balto said.
«Hi, dad» he said.
«So how do you feel?» Jenna asked.
«Well...» Kodi answered. «Dusty is fine, and I'm fine, too.»
«I'm going to talk with Dusty.» Jenna said to Balto. «So you men can talk about what you want.» And she headed to the back of the house, where she found Dusty inside her kennel. Meanwhile, Balto and Kodi had stood side by side to talk. Suddenly Kodi asked a question Balto never expected:
«So why don't you sleep, dad?» Balto didn't know what to say so he just answered the question with another question.
«How do you know it?» For a moment Kodi laughed.
«Come on, dad» He said. «It is evident: under your eyes there are dark circles, and your eyes are red.»
«I didn't think it was so obvious.» He said. «Sorry, Kodi; but lately I've been having strange dreams.»
«Do you want to tell me about it?» Balto was about to say no, but then he thought that after all it was just a dream and therefore it would make no difference.
«I always dream of being on the edge of a precipice with Aleu, who is about to fall under and screams my name ... but I can't move.» silence.
«Do you think it can mean anything?» Kodi asked.
«I do not know.» said Balto. «But once the same thing happened. That time, Aleu ran away and I went to look for her; and once I found her, we had to help a pack of wolves reach the caribou, who had escaped.But once the same thing happened. That time, Aleu ran away and I went to look for her; and once we found it, we had to help a pack of wolves reach the caribou, who had escaped. And in my dreams I saw the caribou and the pack of wolves.» In his eyes you could see fear. « I am afraid that the dream I am having will come true.» But before Kodi could say anything, Boris arrived along with Muk and Luk. Balto and his son noticed that their looks were worried, but at the same time terrified.
«Balto!» yelled Boris in his typical Russian accent. «You have to come quickly!» What he said next left Balto and Kodi speechless. «Duke had been attacked!»
«From who?» asked Kodi and his father at the same time.
«Nobody knows.» Luk said. « But is in serious condition. Run to the hospital!»
Balto and Kodi ran as fast as they could to the hospital, but when they got there they saw a lot of people asking the doctor a lot of questions. Of all the questions that people asked, Balto managed to distinguish one:
«Doctor, be honest with me.» A woman said. «How is my son?» Balto, Kodi and all the people waited for the answer; an answer they never wanted to know.
«I'm very sorry, ma'am.» said the doctor. «Your son's injuries were very serious and caused him a bleed that led to his death.» Upon hearing those words, all the people were speechless; and the woman scream in pain.
«No.» Kodi said. «It can not be true. He can not!» Balto looked at him and saw that his face was wet with tears. Kodi, unable to stay in front of the hospital, ran to his house; and Balto followed him. Once they arrived, they found Boris, Muk and Like, Jenna and Dusty waiting for them in front of the house. All their faces were serious.
«So? How's Duke?» Boris asked. Kodi said nothing, but just looked at his uncle with a face full of sadness; and at that point everyone understood what had happened.
«Could you leave us alone for a moment?» Balto asked.
«Sure.» Jenna answered. And then everyone went into the house, except Balto and Kodi.
«I still can not believe it.» Kodi said. « Who could have done it?»
«I don't know, Kodi.» Balto answered.
«If I find who has reduced him like this, I will have no mercy.» Balto couldn't believe what his son had just said.
«Why do you say that?» he asked.
«Why?» Kodi answered. «Dad, I just heard that Duke is dead! How am I supposed to feel?» Balto tried to reason with him, but this angered Kodi, who ran away; but Balto followed him. After running for two minutes, they stopped because something impossible was happening around them: around them a thick cloud of fog was generating. The two dogs did not
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 | Next page |