Coming Home-A Story

One of my hobbies is writing stories about my collies, as you all know. :)  Here is a story I wrote about when I come home,
everyday! Some of the faces have changed, but it remains about the same.... :)

The Greeting

As the man drove his car into the driveway he smiled for he knew what
was coming. He pulled up in front of the garage and opened the door.
The first bugle bark echoed, followed by a rising crescendo of
barking as the others began to join in. He opened the door and went
back to the car to get in. In the window a black and tan face
appeared barking a welcome. He smiled and waved at the face as it
went silent, wiggling back and forth from the force of its tail
wagging. As he sat back into the car, he heard the face break into a
series of turmpet like barks. He could hear the barks inside of the
car as he drove it into the garage. Getting out he saw the face turn
from the window and knew the collie was running for the door. It was
the same everyday, The Welcome, as he called it.

Through the years, the welcome had changed slightly, but basically
remained the same. First it had been Mac, trumpeting through the
house when he came home. Then it had been Niamh of the Misty Meadow,
with her thunderous bark echoeing through the house and outside like
thunder. She had always met him at the door barking so loud it hurt
everyone's ears. Then she would jump into his arms as he cradled her
like a baby calling her his "Butterball Baby" as she would groan her
love, bat her eyes at him and cling to him with joy for he was home!
Teddy would jump around barking like crazy as he held her and Old
Sadie would bark like a nut as she stood there welcoming him her
bright eyes glowing. But, Niamh was now gone and the welcome had
once again changed, yet remained the same.

As the Man walked past the front of the house he heard the running
collies crossing through the house with their trumpeting barks
telling him where they were. Passing the picture window he saw
sitting in the window Hallie, as near a spittin image of Niamh as any
collie could be. She sat in the wing backed chair looking over its
back grinning at him with her eyes gleefully looking into his. "hi
Hallie-gal" he said and her body shook as her tail wagged gleefully.

Coming to the door he could hear the ruckus behind the door. Paws
clicking on the hard wood floor, trumpet barks, several collies
brushing up against the door. Then, as he grabbed the knob, it went
silent. He slowly turned the knob and the silence ended when the
door opened.

Thunderous barks erupted, gleeful howls of delight. There stood
Trevor, looking up with happy eyes and the man hugged the old collie
speaking to him "Hi Trevor Forever, my Great Collie!" Trevor groaned
with happiness as he was hugged as Hallie swept in, pushing Trevor
aside for her hug. She clung to the Man, and he picked her up
holding her like he did his Old Niamh. She looked up with love,
groaned in happiness with loving eyes. As he set her down the
crescendo of barking rose and leaping through the air was Branwen.
She hugged him half barking, half groaning, half whining, talking to
him telling him about her day. Then, a huge bark echoed and flying
through the air into the man with full force was Lad. His bright
eyes dancing with joy as he grabbed the man's arm with his jaws. He
did so lightly, never hurting. Then as the man stroked his wiggling
sides, Laddie would grab his sleeve nibbling on it with the devil in
his eyes. Barking loudly and then boldly stepping forward was the
big blue merle, Smoke. He rubbed against the man barking loudly as
he was stroked and told he was a good boy. The mobbing collies
closed in all of them barking, pushing against the man who was
somehow able to keep standing after almost falling over from the
weight and momentum of the surging collies. Looking over them the
man saw Teddy on the couch barking and looking at him sadly. He
received a big hug and happily wagged his tail barking loudly that he
too had been recognized. Then, laying on the floor just outside the
circle of surging, wildly barking, nuttily bouncing collies lay the
old, graying, feeble Sadie. She looked up into the air, yelping (she
rarely had the strength to bark now) rapidly, waiting for her
recognition. The man bent down and petted her on her head as her old
dim eyes brightened like the days of old when her black eyes glowed
brightly all the time. The collies now surrounded him barking
crazily as he looked at them all praising them. The crescendo grew
and finally the man grinned and said loudly "Enough! I love all of
you!" as he waved his arm over all of them.

Most of them stopped and looked up lovingly at him. Brandy ran off
barking crazily as Lad jumped on Teddy attacking him to start a
wrestling match as they screamed a whining warning at each other
faking fierce bites at each other. Smoke looked on, then barked and
joined in as Brandy came back still barking wildly and leaping
through the air crashed into the wrestling boys creating a melee of
crazy collies bouncing around wildly wrestling happily trying to
voice to each other and prove through physical prowness whom
their "dad" loved the best. Sadie laid down with a groan going back
to sleep. Trevor and Hallie silently with much happiness followed
the man to where he took off his shoes. As he bent down they both
pushed in front of him looking up with deep love wanting some love in
return. He hugged them, telling them how much he loved them and
hugging them one more time. Then Hallie sauntered over to her chair
sitting down happily panting while Trevor laid down next to the man
looking up lovingly at the human he had adopted.

The Welcome was now over and the man smiled to himself. Yeah, they
are a bunch of nuts he thought, but they are my lovable bunch of
nuts and it sure is nice to feel loved. Looking at the picture of
Niamh he felt that the Welcome was, as much of a highlight as it was
each day, still missing something. It was missing her. He wondered,
if Terhune had felt the same as he did when he came home. Ah, if
what Terhune had written about being met by a mass of swirling
collies after one passed on it would indeed shake the gates of heaven
with all that barking!!! The best thing about it all would be it
would be led by one special lil collie, the one he missed most of all.
His Niamh of the Misty Meadow.

Copyright 2007 Chuck

 

Here is Niamh of the Misty Meadow and Sadie. Both are gone now, as well as Anya, Hallie and MacKenzie,  but still as loved

as ever.  We named our collie family after Niamh. She was my best friend and I miss her

everyday.