Chapter 2
As my eyes began to open slowly, I was laying on a bed. There were other beds around me, but they're empty with a closed window in the room. A door opens, a man with glasses and a white coat walked towards me.
"You're a very lucky young man." he said to me. "You were nearly frozen, but a dog team came in time to rescue you."
I couldn't be able to remember or recall anything, because I was unconscious. "I could have been dead and be over with." I added.
"Why do you think yourself like that?" the doctor asked.
"I'm already dying." I answered.
The doctor had a folder of notes and he opened them. "You were diagnosed with-"
"I know what I have and I don't want to bring it up as well." I interrupted. The doctor then closed his folder.
"Other than that, you have a little hypothermia from the cold." he added. "You should try to get some rest and you'll be out when the weekend is over."
The doctor then excused himself and left the room. I could only to turn myself to stare at the window and gaze through it from my bed.
After I was recovered, I decided to head over to the meat shop, but another hunter took my place. I rather not fight about my absence so I decided to head off towards outside of town. In a few minutes, I could only find myself isolated from Nome and I would simply relax and let the cold take me.
My eyelids started to fall and making me more tiresome. I fell into a sleep and started to feel a bit peace, as if it was my last night. My heart felt saddened and in pain as I was carrying the disease for a while. Hearing small steps into the snow came closer, a snuffle was made by my ear with a lick. I was too weak to move or to open my eyes from the cold. A whimper came after I was being nuzzled.
Don't give up on life. A voice came from the unknown.
I continued to be aware despite being unconscious as I was being dragged from the snow. My back started to feel the hard wood that results of scratching my back lightly. When my became still, I didn't feel any snowflakes coming down my face or my body. Then, I felt a warmth from a animal's fur and a small blanket to add the warmth. The comfort made me felt that I wasn't alone if it was my last night of my life and I was given care.
In the morning, my body was back to it's warm temperature, but the animal was gone. I could only say that it saved my life and I was only grateful to a small creature with a big heart could rescue me, despite of having a dyer disease that lurks within me. I stood up and I found myself in a boat trawler. I decided to head out to find a new line of work, as I found my guitar case and my belongings. Walking back to Nome, some of the town's people were going about their lives. Suddenly, I found a job opening at the U.S. Mail Post office. The post office was small, but a man behind the counter was organizing mail while looking through the window. I opened the door and rubbed my boots on the mat to remove the snow.
"Can I help you stranger?" the man asked.
"I'm looking for a job here." I asked.
The man looked around before walking towards me from his counter-top. "Not many people are intending to work here, but if you looking for work, you're in luck."
We decided to shake hands in agreement. "Just call me Conner or Mr. Conner if you insist. Who am I hiring?" the man asked.
"Bret." I answered.
The man stopped shaking my hand. "Aren't you the one who was rescued days ago from a thin ice?"
"Yes."
"By Jove, son... you had a miracle for being rescued. My mail team had recovered you from the river and took you back to Nome. Good thing you didn't leave this Earth." Mr. Conner said. "What were you doing over there?"
"Fishing. I was working for the meats, but until I found out that I was laid off after my recovery." I added.
"Well you won't have to work too much in the cold, I still have some mail you could start organize, before the mail team returns and you could meet them by then."
I got started to work. The work load wasn't to too bad to start until hours later the mail team came back. The musher was bit young in his 30's I believe and had a sled dog team.
"Bret! Come meet your rescuers." Mr. Conner called for me. As I finished my last mail package into a cubby storage, I walked with him outside to meet the mail team. The musher was just finishing feeding his sled dog team water. "Son meet my mail team musher Simpson."
Simpson had a grip hands from holding the ropes to mush the dogs. "So you saved me?" I asked him.
"Not full credit, my lead dog Kodi traced the smell to find you." Simpson answered as he pet his lead dog. I slightly kneel down and let the dog smell me as he remembers me. He licked my palm and I started to scratch his ears gently. "I'm sure your dog really have some good talent." I complemented.
"He does, but not like his father." Mr. Conner added.
"Who's his father?" I asked.
"You don't know the town hero?!" he laughed with Simpson lightly laughed along.
"Who is he?" I asked again. They stopped laughing and Mr. Conner cleared his throat. "Kodi's father is the town's hero for saving Nome four years ago-"
"Also saving my life as well a year back." a man walked by.
"Bret this Duke our spring bush pilot for the our mail team." Mr. Conner introduced me to the pilot.
We both shook each other's hands. "I'm sure you heard about Bret's rescue from the mail dogs." Mr. Conner told Duke.
"I heard." Duke said and turned towards me. "I'll have to tell you some time about my rescue as well." he added. I nodded with a smile.
"Well I guess you should get back to work and tomorrow's Sunday and the office will be closed." Mr. Conner told me.
I returned to the post office with a bag of mail that needed to be sorted. It took about fifteen minutes to neatly organize them. Mr. Conner was pleased before he notified me as we're about to close shop for the night. He even gave me my first payday. "Better save as much as you can... we're going through some tough times at the banks."
I couldn't be able not to know what happened in New York three months ago. As I started to find a place for night, I thought about heading towards the boat trawler where I was last night. The sun was on the set and I simply follow the orange colors of the sky. Walking away from the town, the wrecked boat trawler was still there, but no animal in site. I walked on the plank and on board the trawler. It was as if someone used this boat to travel, but on low ground. The sunset was being covered from the skies and the sun's light hitting my face. The waters were lightly crashing on the beach gently and the tide was out.
I spotted the lead dog I saw early racing with another dog with gray-brownish fur. Surprisingly, I didn't know which dog it was that rescued me from last night. I continued to watch them until they stopped after passing the boat trawler. They started to laugh and never noticed quite clear that I heard these dogs talking to each other. Leaning on the wooden railing, they were coming back towards the boat. The gray-brownish dog spotted me and I didn't have a instant reaction except staring each other from distance. In a daring attempt, I jumped from the railing onto the sandy beach. The two dogs started to slowly approach to me and I reached my hand out slowly, causing them to stop.
However, the gray-brownish dog slowly emerges towards my hand and I started to pet him. Kodi soon afterwards came towards me and petted him as well.
"So you two must be related?" I asked them as they sat on the dunes. "I know you're Kodi... I'll like to know who you are?"
I tried to ask the other dog and it walked towards me where I was sitting. Finally, I didn't see much of the exact dog likeness, but half of it's traits. Surprised to meet a wolfdog that saved a small town.
"Who are you?" I asked the wolfdog, but he just turned his head sideways. Who was I kidding to expect a dog to answer a question asked by a human. Embarrassed and disappointed I decided to grab a stick and draw on the sand.
Over ten minutes, Kodi headed back to town, however the wolfdog was still here. I tried to write down the same question to the dog to see if he could understand my writing if I can't speak to it. The wolfdog grabbed a stick from elsewhere and started to drag the stick onto the sand. I stopped what I was doing and watched. He started make letters one at a time like he could understand my words in writing. He wrote the letters "B... A... L... T... O..."
I could only remember the name ruffly from the newspapers making a report about a half dog and wolf saved Nome from diphtheria. "You saved me yesterday from freezing to death didn't you?"
The wolfdog nodded. "You're a unique kind of animal helping a human in need." I complemented. He smiled with appreciation.
As the sun disappears, I thought I should be ready to get some sleep. I stood up only to feel a bit of chest pain. Clutching my chest from the pain, Balto sensed something was wrong, he came by my side. The pain took a few seconds only to ache and became a bother.
"I'm fine... it happens all the time." I assured him as he still whimpers. After returning to my normal state, I petted Balto for being there. "I need a place to sleep."
Balto barked and had me to follow him up deck. We're on the bridge and he walked towards an empty spot in the room. I came to his understanding that he wanted me to spend the night. I dropped my belongings and had a blanket to use for a comforter. Balto came and threw down a blanket; he had brought over with his mouth, over me and laid next to me.
"Good boy." I told the wolfdog as he replied back with a lick to my cheek after I petted his head. The moon shines as the stars gazed, as we fell asleep for the night.
