The opening of the sewalidoor, its uneven bottom dragging noisily against the bamboo flooring, aroused the mother dog.
MORNINGINNAGREBCAN
It was early in the morning in Nagrebcan. Before long the sun would top the katayaghan hills, but as yet no people were around. Nana Elang was preparing her family's breakfast. Her oldest so saw the puppies and started to play with them when his younger brother, Ambo, woke up.
In the early morning the puppies lay curled up together between their mother's paws under the ladder of the house.
Ambo, his 7-yrs old brother, awoke crying. Nana Elang could be heard patiently calling him to the kitchen. Later, he came down with a ripe banana in his hand. He ate the banana without peeling it.
Four puppies were all white like the mother. The skin between their toes and on the inside of their large, limp ears was pink.
The mother dog disappeared beyond the house of a neighbour. The puppies sat back on their rumps, whining. After a little while they lay down and went back to sleep . The black-spotted puppy on top.
Baldo stood straight on his bony legs and descended the ladder. He sat on the lowest step of the ladder and reached between his legs for the black-spotted puppy.
MY PUPPY!MY PUPPY!
YOU'RE A FOOLISH PUPPY!FOOLISH.FOOLISH.FOOLISH.
The puppy licked his ears, his cheeks, and when it licked his mouth.
AARF!AARFF!2X
Baldo run to the narrow foot bridge of woven split bamboo spanning the roadside ditch. He sat on the bridge, digging his bare feet into the sand, feeling the cool particles escaping between his toes.
YOU FOOLISH BOY! REMOVE THE SKIN! THE SKIN IS TART. IT TASTES BAD! YOU ARE NOT EATING THAT!
The whistle excited the puppies, they run to baldo as fast as their unsteady legs could carry them barking choppy little barks.