Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

I heard her, five minutes before the alarm was due to drag me from my bed. It is the first night in ages that I have woken there… I await a new mattress, having given in to the pressure of necessity and elderly springs. Most of the time, I end up on the sofa. Last night, however, I was tired. Having spent the whole day walking around the zoo and pushing the wheelchair in the rain, I went out like the proverbial light and stayed that way.

The small dog took advantage of the situation. I heard the clippity clop of her claws on the wooden flooring as she approached the door… the sniff to see if I was awake… then the unmistakable sound of a strategic retreat. She reverses by moonwalking.

The ball had been placed in front of the bedroom door where I could not fail to notice…