Man's Best Friend

A deafening bark caused Ravyn Knight to stir.

Her bloodshot eyes fluttered opened as she stirred from her drunken stupor. Empty bottles of tequila, vodka, and white rum littered the floor. A newspaper sat on the nightstand, opened on the announcements page.

Holding her head, Ravyn swung her legs out of bed, her bare feet feeling cool against the wooden floorboards.

Rubbing her eyes, she yawned, scowling as she caught a whiff of her breath. “I should lay off the mixed spirits,” she muttered to herself, rubbing her temples. Her head was pounding.

Her eyes focused on a big, black Labrador sitting beside the bed.

“Shadow?”

The dog titled his head, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth.

Ravyn rubbed her eyes. She blinked rapidly. Shadow was still there, his dark eyes staring into her soul.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, desperately trying to swallow. Her tongue felt dry as though her entire mouth had been stuffed with cotton.

Shadow tilted his head again. He stood up, his tail wagging. He took the sleeve of her pyjama top into his mouth and gave it a tug, pulling her to her feet. He circled her, nudging her forward with his nose.

“Shadow,” she protested, swatting his nose away from her hip. “What has gotten into you?”

Shadow jumped in front of her, lowering himself into a playful pounce position. He barked again.

Ravyn slammed her hands over her ears. His bark was unusually loud today.

Shadow took three steps forward, turning his head to stare at her as if to say Are you coming?

Following her beloved pooch, Ravyn stumbled down the hall, bouncing off the walls, as the room swayed.

She entered the kitchen, shielding her eyes from the blistering light.

“Geez! Who turned on the sun?”

Shadow rolled his eyes.

Ravyn flashed him a look. “I saw that eye roll, Mister,” she joked, pulling open the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water. She swished it around in her mouth before spitting into the sink.

Shadow sat near the back door; his eyes still trained on her. His stare was unnerving. 

Ravyn shook her head in a failed attempt to shake the fogginess from her mind. “You know what we need?” she asked, shoving the water back into the fridge. “Breakfast. And with my hangover, I don’t feel like cooking.”

She closed the fridge and pulled out her phone. She ordered two bacon, cheese, and egg sub sandwich smothered in barbecue sauce. She also ordered a large lemonade, her go-to drink when she was feeling like her head would explode.

Ten minutes later, her food had arrived.

Ripping into the bag, Ravyn devoured one sub in a matter of minutes. Shadow’s eyes never left her. He stretched out on the floor in front of her, his front paws crossed, his nose twitching.

After polishing off the second sub, Ravyn licked the remnants of the barbecue sauce off her fingers. Shadow’s whimpers caught her attention. Ravyn glanced up. “Oh, I’m sorry, boy,” she said. “Would you like something to eat?”

Shadow stood up, his tail wagging ferociously.

Ravyn made her way to the kitchen and hunted around in the pantry for dog food.

“That’s odd,” she mused. “I swear I had something here for you.”

Shadow waited patiently, sitting behind her, his paws sliding on the floor.

Ravyn turned around, defeat on her face. “I’m sorry, Shadow. I guess I’ll have to go shopping for you.”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed. He stood up, shaking.  

Ravyn felt terrible. How could she be so irresponsible? She always made sure Shadow came first. That was probably why her marriage failed.

She flopped onto the couch, tucking her feet beneath her. Her mind began to wander back to the announcement page in the newspaper. Her ex-husband had married again, his wedding was a page six high-society affair.  

She had met Anton on her book tour for Sunset, her story about a wife murdering her husband on a Caribbean cruise. He had been articulate and charming, taking her out for drinks after her reading. On the first anniversary of their meeting, he proposed. One year later, they were married.

Ravyn had wanted to settle down and start a family, but Anton had other ideas. Piggybacking on her fame, he built himself an empire, eventually running his own conglomerate. It was only a matter of time before he was constantly away on business while she was at home attempting to churn out her next best seller.

After successfully publishing her last story, The Vampire’s Kiss, Ravyn set out on a worldwide book tour. But after slipping in a puddle and breaking her wrist in Sydney, Australia, she called the tour off, opting to return to her house in the Gold Coast hinterlands to heal.

Upon arriving home, she had strolled into the living room and was met with two glasses, one smudged with ruby red lipstick, and a half-drunk bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. A woman’s coat and purse were draped across her favourite wingback chair, the scent of a citrus infused perfume lingering in the air.

The scene didn’t ring any alarm bells. Her husband was often entertaining clients at home while they signed off on their accounts.

It was a giggle from upstairs had her craning her neck, head tilting towards the sound. She moved towards the stairs when a whimper caught her attention. Shadow had been locked outside, chained to a post.

Cursing under her breath, Ravyn ran to the back door, unlocking it and sliding it with such force it came out of the track. She knelt beside her beloved pooch as she removed the chain that idiot husband had looped around his neck far too tight.

Whispering soothing words to him, Ravyn had planted several kisses atop Shadow’s head. Shadow responded, returning the kisses, his whole body shaking with excitement. He stood up on his hindlegs, his front paws draped over her shoulders. His tongue licked every inch of her face.

Ravyn grinned, his hands running over his body, scratching his favourite spots. She glanced around, surveying her surroundings. She was already angry at Anton for chaining Shadow up. She wanted to make sure that despite the chain, he was okay.

She couldn’t see a water bowl. The afternoon sun beat down on them.

Rage consumed her. How could Anton be so stupid? Shadow was her baby. He needed to be taken care of. If he was outside, he needed shelter, shade, and water.

Ravyn turned on her heel and made her way inside, Shadow at her heels.

“Ohh Anton!”

Ravyn paused as Shadow raced for his water bowl, lapping at the cool liquid. She tilted her head. The moaning from upstairs got louder.

“That bastard,” she muttered to herself. She made her way up the stairs as quietly as she could. If her husband was doing what she suspected he was doing, she wanted to catch him in the act.

She kicked open the bedroom door. Her chest heaved as she took in the sight of a busty brunette bouncing on her husband’s dick.

“What the fuck?!” she screamed.

Her husband panicked, tossing the bimbo off him. “B-b-babe,” he stuttered. “It’s not what it looks like.”

Folding her arms across her chest, Ravyn arched an eyebrow. “It looks like you’re having an extra-marital affair with a bimbo who clearly has boobs-for-brains,” she responded, spitting each word out with a venomous tone.

Anton tried to protest, scrambling to find his briefs. Ravyn didn’t want to hear it and told him to leave.

The following day, she filed for divorce.

Now, she was a 33-year-old woman living by herself, slowing drinking herself to death. The divorce took nearly two years to be finalised, most of which she spent drunk. Her drinking got worse when Anton moved on with Ms Busty Bimbo.

If that wasn’t bad enough, her last novel, Under the Moonlight, had been a monumental failure, barely recouping the publishing costs. Her usual spark, the witty dialogue that she had been known for, had gone. Instead, the story centred around a bitter woman who found herself in her mid-thirties, newly divorced, and desperate to start a family. If she had have thrown in a dependence on alcohol, it would have been biographical instead of fiction.

Reviews had been mixed to say the least. And when her publishing house called to tell her that she needed one more best-seller or she’d be dropped as an author, she had found herself drowning her sorrows from sunrise to sunset. 

Things went from bad to worse when she lost her house in the divorce settlement. They had bickered over him wanting to cash in on her name. He wanted access to her money that she had earned during their time together. When Ravyn wouldn’t budge, he asked for the house. Ravyn refused. The house was special to her. Her father built it before his death. All her best novels came from sitting on the veranda, the breeze whistling through the trees, a cup of tea on the glass top table, and Shadow sleeping beside her. Her attorney pulled her aside and told her it was either the house or half of everything she earned during their 5-year marriage. While the house was special to her, it wasn’t worth half her fortune.

It was that hot December night when everything came to a head. When she returned home that afternoon, she began drinking. Whiskey, wine, vodka. Whatever she could get her hands on, she consumed. She was gutted over losing the house, her marriage, and her ability to write.

When she had built up enough liquid courage, she loaded Shadow into the passenger seat of her beat-up Mustang before climbing into the driver’s seat.

Anton needed to know how bad she was hurting. He needed to see what he had done to her.

It took her three attempts to get the key in the ignition. Her vision blurred. She knew she was intoxicated. She knew better than to drive drunk. But once the car roared to life, she slammed her foot down on the accelerator, speeding through the beachside community where she resided.

Shadow braced himself in the front seat each time Ravyn swerved around a corner. She hadn’t put his harness on or clipped in his seatbelt. He turned his head, his eyes boring holes into Ravyn.

The closer they got to Anton’s house, the more erratic her driving became. She swerved all over the road, crossing doubled lines into on-coming traffic.

Headlights washed over her as she veered back onto the correct side of the road, indicating as she cut across the traffic, heading up the narrow mountain road.

Shadow’s claws dug into the upholstered car seat, his eyes wide in fright as Ravyn spun the wheel, fishtailing around a sharp bend in the road.

Ravyn screamed, hands gripping the steering wheel as she fought to get the car back under control. She spun the wheel, easing up on the accelerator. But it was too little, too late. Her Mustang careened off the side of the mountain, plummeting down the hillside before crashing into a tree.

Her body catapulted forward, her seatbelt digging into her flesh as her head hit the steering wheel before it deployed the airbag.

It took hours before anyone found her.

As they carried her up the side of the mountain, she remembered seeing the front windscreen smashed. Shadow was nowhere to be seen. Feebly, she called for him but was told to remain still as the paramedics loaded her into ambulance.

Shaking her head, Ravyn cleared her thoughts. Hard to believe that accident had been almost a year ago.

She glanced at Shadow. The big Lab had taken a seat in front of her, his eyes boring holes into hers. The newspaper with her ex-husband’s wedding announcement sat in front of him.

He tapped the newspaper with his paw, his eyes never leaving her. His lip curled up into a snarl, baring his fangs. His head turned towards the kitchen, his eyes locking onto the half-full bottle of wine on the bench.

Ravyn followed his gaze.

Without uttering a word, she got to her feet and made her way to the bottle. She unscrewed the cap and stood over the sink. Maintaining eye contact with Shadow, she tilted the bottle until the crimson liquid swirled around the drain. The scent of the wine flooded her senses. The fragrance was almost hypnotic. She wanted to put that bottle to her lips, feeling the wine dance over her tastebuds. But something in Shadow’s eyes made her tip the bottle so the remaining drops landed in the sink.

Rinsing out the bottle, she placed it back on the bench.

Shadow’s tail wagged. He stood up, a goofy grin on his face. His tongue hung out the side of his mouth.

“Is that what you wanted?” she asked aloud. “You want me to stop drinking?”

Shadow barked, his feet sliding over the floor as he ran towards her.

Ravyn smiled, dropping to her knees, extending her arms to embrace her beloved pooch. Shadow skidded to a stop.

She reached for him, rubbing his fur, scratching behind his ears. His eyes closed as he enjoyed the attention.

A loud ring echoed throughout the house. Ravyn cringed, her head pounding. She turned back to Shadow. “Let me answer the phone and then I’ll go shopping and get you some food,” she said, planting a kiss on top of his head.

She made a beeline for her phone. “Hello?” she answered. She paused before her eyes closed. “Hi Mum.” She laid down on the couch, her feet up on the arm as her mother did her weekly check in.

Not wanting to spend the next half-hour on the phone, Ravyn sat up. “Mum, I appreciate the check in. I really do. But I’m fine.”

“Really? Ravyn it sounds like you’re drunk. Have you been drinking?”

“Not since last night,” Ravyn retorted. “Mum, I’m a grown woman. Yes, I know I’ve had issues with alcohol, but I’m turning over a new leaf.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“Mum!” Ravyn could no longer hide the anger in her voice. “I’ve had a huge awakening today. I know this will sound stupid, but Shadow showed me the way. He wants me to quit drinking. He had me empty out a vintage bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

“I know I sound strange. But he really did help. The fact that I didn’t have any dog food in the house also helped with that realisation.”

“Ravyn, I’m coming over. Clearly, you are not well.”

“What?” Ravyn jumped to her feet. “No, Mum, you really don’t have to do that. I’m fine, really.” She saw Shadow and smiled. He wagged his tail in return. “I think I’m going to have a quiet one today. Maybe take Shadow to the beach then come home and see if I can jump start the creativity. Maybe I can come up with a new novel idea.”

“Ravyn, what are you going on about? Why are you talking about Shadow?”

“Um, Mum, are you okay? You remember Shadow, right? My big, black Labrador. The one that likes to sit on your lap whenever you come over. That Shadow.”

“I know who Shadow is,” her mother snapped. “I want to know why you’re talking about him in the present.”

Ravyn was confused. “Okay… What are you talking about?”

“Sweetheart, Shadow is gone. He passed away in that car accident you were in. Remember?”

Ravyn froze. The phone slipped from her hand, its screen shattering as it landed face down on the floor. She turned towards the kitchen. Shadow was gone.

Her heart pounded as she searched her house for her beloved dog. He was nowhere to be found.

She flopped onto the couch, her head in her hands. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

Drying her eyes, she made her way to the kitchen. She opened the cabinet beneath the sink, removing the liquor bottles.

One by one, she began pouring the spirits down the sink, ensuring every drop disappeared down the drain.

A single tear slid down her cheek.

“Shadow, thank you,” she said, glancing at the Heavens. “Thank you, for everything.”