The Best of Friedns, a Short Story

Lying there in the dark, Terra Sanders remembered her dog Shaman, seemed to know it was coming, even if it was 'the night before'. He had nervously paced the floor for hours, running around crying, as if a ghost was after him.

She thought, they say, dogs have great instincts and with a name like Shaman, I should've guessed what was going through his mind.

The walls and roof of her home came tumbling down on her. She needed to preserve her strength and called out for help occasionally, but no one came or heard, because she remained buried beneath it all. She tried not to breathe too deep because the thin, fuliginous air might be dangerous for her lungs.

Terra thought, if I had only listened to him I wouldn't be in this fix. She hoped her dog was still alive, if so he'd be trying to help her. At least, believing this kept her hopes alive. It was difficult not to panic, as her mind kept asking how long have I been here?

She listened to the creaking of the wood around her, alarm engulfing her every moment. Could the house move even more and crush her in her tiny prison? Then she heard it, a dog barking in the distance.

"Shaman," she screamed at the top of her voice. There was nothing but silence.

"Shaman," she cried out again. "Is that you baby? Mama's here! I need your help!"

It remained deathly quiet all around her; she could not even hear the creaking of the house now.

Small sobs came from deep within her throat and tears slowly flowed from her eyes. Trying to calm her fears, she spoke to herself.

"That was Shaman! He knows I'm here and he'll get hel; he has to!"

However, in a space so small she couldn't even move her arms, her thoughts and encouragement weren't helping much.

"Damn! Damn! Damn!" She whispered, trying to wiggle free.

She found herself firmly pinned to the bed she was sleeping in when the rumbling shook her awake. By the time her eyes focused, it was too late. The earthquake had taken her house. She pulled and jerked her body, but it wouldn't move not even one quarter of an inch. The beams and roof supports had fallen imprisoning her.

"I have to keep my head. They'll find me; they just have to. I can't die like this at twenty-two years of age. I've got my whole life ahead of me." She tried to be brave.

"If..." she paused."No... when I get out of here I'm moving back to Texas. We may have tornadoes, but at least there are warnings. Why in God's name did I move to California in the first place? The money might have been better, but the cost of living is higher. It serves me right for chasing the almighty dollar.

She gritted her teeth, squinted her eyes, and screamed once more.
"H E L P, Someone please help me!"

No one answered.

"Oh please, God, let them hear me. I'm buried alive in here. Can't anyone hear me?" Her mind drifted into another place.

"You dumb blonde. This was a terrible mistake." She muttered, "Yeah! Earthquakes didn't scare me, because I'd never experienced one. Since I've been here, I've suffered nothing but nightmares. Mudslides, electrical shortages with blackouts, not to mention the damn traffic,"

She snorted, "Los Angeles traffic is unreal. My whole dream adventure is unreal, almost surrealistic. Maybe I am dreaming! Hopefully, I'll wake up in a few minutes."

The corners of her mouth crept up into a small smile. "Hey, that's it! I'll close my eyes and when I open them again, it will be a bad dream.

She thought at least that's something to hold on to keep my sanity. Terra remained still in the dusty ruins, trying to keep calm. Her breathing space seemed closing in on her more all the time. Exposure and shock began to set in as tears rolled down her dirty face like rivers of mud.

"Oh God! I need your help; please send me someone. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold on."

A block away, Shaman ran from one rescue worker to another trying to get their attention.

"That's a pretty dog there, Frank, but he seems to be almost frantic. Maybe he has lost his home in this mess. Let's see if we can find out where he belongs."

"Sorry, Joe! Don't have time to follow a dog around. Take him home with you when we quit. I'm sure he would appreciate that. I have two dogs of my own, so I can't do it." Frank dug into the debris looking for more survivors. "Give me a hand here, I think I hear something or someone moving beneath this bunch of rubble."

Joe stepped up and together they pulled at a pile of wood that was once an A-frame house. Underneath it they found a mother cat and three live kittens. "I think this is all there is here."

He stared at the dog again and said, "That dog is a golden retriever, you know. Sure wish we had a trained dog to help us. That's what we really need."

Shaman's ears perked up. He ran over and grabbed Joe's pant legs and pulled at it. Joe was puzzled but decided to let the dog lead him. Maybe the dog knew something.

Shaman went to another section of the house, barked and began to dig. Frank and Joe followed him to the area and looked down. A small hand stuck out waving form beneath the debris where Shaman tried to move the boards.

"Look, that dog found someone and they're still alive!"
Beneath the wood they discovered and removed a thirteen year old girl. She was bruised and bleeding but still breathing. Joe carried the little girl to an emergency vehicle and then returned to work.

Joe patted the dog on the head praising him, "Good dog!"

Joe had been at it the site of the destruction since 11PM Saturday night and now it was 8:30 PM Sunday. The light was fading and he felt near exhaustion. He knew he had to get some rest.

Replacement rescuers took Frank and Joe's place. Joe grabbed Shaman by the collar and placed the dog in his van. The dog wasn't happy about that and howled all the way to Joe's house. When they stopped and the door opened Shaman jumped out and ran away. Joe's was disappointed but too exhausted to go after him.

At daybreak, Joe returned to the disaster area where they'd been working the night before. An hour later Shaman showed up again trying to get them to follow them. They let him show the way and sure enough, they found an old man half buried under another next door to the one where they saved the child.

"That is one hell of a good rescue dog, Joe," Frank said. "I thought you said he ran away."

"He did, but I guess he's dedicated to helping." Joe grinned.

The dog went from one house to the next, seemingly knowing where the people could be found. He found them, even the dead ones. The rescuers learned to trust his instincts but from time to time he'd run off down the block. He always returned more upset and wanting them to follow.

Terra was giving up hope. There had been no sounds, not even creaking wood for hours. She thought, Maybe its only been a few hours not days? She wasn't sure anymore, but it seemed an eternity. Her mind wandered to her mom and how much it would hurt her if her only daughter died here so far from home.

My Dad's a pillar of strength but he'll take it hard too, she thought.

Occasionally she heard a dog barking, or was it her imagination? The sound would disappear as fast as it came. She tried hard to hang on, but her mouth dry and she felt her life seeping out of her. Tears wouldn't even flow anymore; the moisture to make them was gone. She slept a time or two, but wasn't sure if it was for a few minutes or hours. Time didn't exist for her in this personal hell.

It was going on six PM Monday when Shaman decided he waited as long as he could. He grabbed Joe by the hand and tugged on him. Joe knew by this time to follow. They went to the next block and Shaman stood barking. He kept it up until Terra heard him.

She cried out weakly, "Shaman is that you?" Then fell back into an unconsciousness.

Shaman continued to bark and dig trying to get to her. Joe hollered for Frank's help and together they discovered Terra beneath the rubble. Other rescuers came to help remove the beams covering her, she was buried so deep it took the "jaws of life" to remove the final portion of the beams that trapped her. They had found her just in time.

Joe kept Shaman during her hospital stay and visited often. He told her, "That is one hell of a dog you have there!"

"I know! He is very special."

The authorities let her parents know how she was and where. Her father drove out to California to bring them back to Denton, Texas. They stopped by Joe's place to pick up Shaman.

"Thanks for caring for Shaman for me, Joe. I do appreciate all you've done. If you ever come to Texas, come visit us."

As they drove off Joe thought, I'll miss that fellow. Maybe I'll buy myself a Golden Retriever of my own. He could see Shaman sitting on the back seat of the car, head hanging out the window, anxious, and ready to enjoy the long ride home.

Shamen had not given up hope and now together they could go home where they belonged.