Welcome to the Advent Calendar Story Train, where you can read through 24 stories under this year’s theme, Lost.

Thank you to Ari Meghan for inviting me to participate. https://arimeghlen.co.uk/

My story this year is another dog tale, (as was last years!) inspired by a little fellow I saw in Tavira, Portugal.

Dafydd The Dog

I walked down the hill, and an unfamiliar dog rushed ahead. It scampered back towards me, greeting me with a huge smile and a friendly “woof.” It was a small white terrier with black markings.

“Hello! Where are you off to, little doggie?”

With its tail wagging, the dog gazed at me, its head cocked endearingly.
Down the hill, we passed by guard dogs barking, in showy villas with their large cacti, tropical flowers and wrought-iron gates.

Reaching the major road, my companion ran off, heading left towards the garden centre. Darting across the road, avoiding vehicles as if he didn’t have a care.
Car horns tooted while drivers waved angrily.

Watching the dog’s progress with trepidation, I stopped in my tracks. Praying it would make it wherever it was going safely. Having lost sight of the dog, I carried on with my plans. Nevertheless, the little dog remained on my mind all day long. When I returned home later in the afternoon, I was astonished to see the little fellow heading down the hill towards me with a young couple.

“Hi, Bom Dia. Lovely day. I’d seen this little dog before. Is he yours?”

“No, I wish he were. He’s cute, but he doesn’t belong to us. We’ve never seen him, even though many dogs live in this neighbourhood. He trotted behind us down the hill. Such a friendly fellow.” The man bent to pat him.

Image via Pexels, Cottonbro studio.

To our surprise, the dog dashed off before we saw any identification, a chip or a collar.

“Oh dear, I wonder where he’s going! I hope no one’s lost him!” I continued to gaze in his direction.

“If he’s lost, don’t worry too much. He seems happy, well fed and not neglected,” the man’s girlfriend said.

“True. The other day he rushed up behind me, jumping onto my legs. Gave me quite a surprise. The cheeky rascal!” We all laughed. I said goodbye.

Hoping to catch up and see where the dog went, I watched his progress with bated breath, following him from a distance. As before, he darted across the major road, causing a great commotion. Several vehicles swerved, and angry shouts erupted.
His devil-may-care attitude hinted at a grand adventure. No one was going to stop him!

I observed his crazy antics, sniffing and pausing, until he reached the garden centre, while continuing to follow him at a safe distance. Various people greeted the dog. They gave him a pat and something to eat, and he stopped by a bowl of water to drink from. Soon after, he left the garden centre, making his way to an area
of woodland as if this daily jaunt was a frequent escapade. Becoming more animated, he chased his tail around, barking several times as if to get my undivided attention.

Of course, I obliged.

Following him, we made our way towards a mound of earth. Continuing to bark, he dug. How curious! The mound, which appeared uneven and disturbed, suggested he’d done this before. To my surprise, he no longer barked. The task at hand consumed his undivided attention. Since I could no longer contain my curiosity, I moved closer. I saw he’d unearthed an object, which was now gripped in his teeth. Leaning forward, I tried to grab it, but he growled.

“Come on! You brought me here to find this, and now you won’t let me see it?” With my voice rising, I showed my frustration.

As he released his grip, he whimpered, his brown eyes locked on mine.
It was a muddy dog collar. Mysteriously, there was no name or address.
Whoever finds this, the collar stated, must be the dog’s rightful owner. Name him and take him home. For a long time, he’s been searching for you.

Beside the collar was another note. Please accept him as your writing muse. I know you miss your old muse, Shadow, the mysterious black cat. With the help of your new muse, you should be able to find the missing element that you’ve been looking for.

Regards,
Kit, fellow author and previous owner of the dog.

P.S. Authors sometimes get into an almighty pickle. We need new muses to ease our writer’s block.
P.S. Here I go again! I love writing notes. If you dig deeper, much deeper, you’ll find further clues. Good luck.

Returning to the garden centre, I purchased a trowel. We did as the note suggested. At the same spot, we found a letter embellished with a Welsh dragon motif and another note that read: You’re on the right track. One of your new characters – the dragon timepiece creature – is looking for a new master. Let me see… In the dragon’s case, he’s looking for a kinder master. One who’ll set his spirit free.

Image courtesy of John C. Taylor, OBE: http://johnctaylor.com

Don’t forget to name them and your dog something fancy!

I looked down at my little dog. “What shall I call you?” With a wag of his tail, he let me decide. “You’re daft and eccentric, but in a good way. So, given my recent visit to Wales, I’m going to call you, Dafydd.”

Dafydd showed his approval by barking and chasing his tail.

I’d already named the dragon (he isn’t Welsh. He has an oriental connection and a pearl on his tongue!) So, I’ll call him Zhezhou.

“This story’s kicking off, Dafydd,” I enthused.

Dafydd jumped onto my leg, barking in agreement.

“Come on, let’s dig deeper and see if we can find yet another clue!”
A little further in, we found one that read:
There’ll be a talking dog with a monocle in your story. Name him too.
“What shall I call the talking dog, Dafydd?”
Dafydd stood on his hind legs, making himself seem bigger.
“I’ve got it! I’ll call him Moredog. He’ll be the King of Darkness’s dog who walks upright and talks too! Let’s go home, Dafydd. We’ve got a new story to write in my fantasy series, The Curse of Time. You’ll help me write it, won’t you?”
Dafydd, stating the obvious, barked unequivocally a resounding, “Yes.”

Dafydd The Dog ©M J Mallon

Thank you for reading today’s story. The next story will be available to read sometime on the 4th December, titled “Midwinter Wish“. This link will be active tomorrow when the post goes live.

If you missed yesterday’s you can go and read it here.

I hope you enjoyed! Dafydd The Dog was a little tale for fun, some names may be changed when the new book comes out. Currently, working on it, around 40k, making progress!

In the meantime, if you’d like to read YA Fantasy (older people enjoy it too!,) my book 1, Bloodstone, and book 2, Golden Healer :

Universal book Link Bloodstone, book 1, The Curse of Time:

https://books2read.com/u/bOyrgW

Universal book Link Golden Healer, book 2, The Curse of Time: https://books2read.com/u/mgjY67

If you’d like to read last years advent story, about Chalkie the dog, here it is:https://mjmallon.com/2024/12/03/advent-calendar-story-train/