Mika Bobika vs. Lake Michigan

            Pack vacation! Everyone piles into the car and Dad drives for a long time. I stretch out in the back seat across my girls and snore until I can smell the air change. Then I sit up and clamber over Ilana to look out the window.

“Mika! Get off!” Ilana says, rearranging herself so I can’t use her legs as boosters. “You’re too heavy.” She shoves me closer to Ellie. So I turn around and stand on Ellie who doesn’t complain. I make sure to whack Ilana in the face with my wagging tail.

It’s getting dark, but I can still make out our surroundings. Instead of lots of houses squished together with tiny yards, there are a few houses, stretched out from one another. And in between, there are trees. So many trees and none of them are marked! And the smells. There’s the usual squirrel and rabbit, and then a deeper, larger smell. I’ve seen the animal it belongs to once. It’s bigger than any dog. It has long skinny legs, large rounded ears and a tiny tail that looks like a flag when the animal runs.

We pull onto a gravel road and pass a few tiny houses. Then Dad turns the car onto a small grass lot tucked into the trees. A sandy path leads up from the grass to a little house hugged by forest. My pack refers to this house as The Cabin. Everyone gets out of the car and starts unpacking. I mark my territory before Ilana brings me into The Cabin.

I run around the few rooms sniffing while my pack brings in the luggage. Mom and Dad go to bed in the bed room while Ilana and Ellie set up their little folding beds in the main room. I get the couch in the room with the girls. In the middle of the night though, I sneak onto Ellie’s bed and take it over.

            After breakfast the next morning, Ilana and Ellie put on their swim suits and get towels. “Come on Miki,” Ilana says, grabbing my harness. The harness usually means I’m going for a car ride, but at The Cabin it generally means a fight with the monster.

Alright, I think, this time I’m going to win! I get up and pad over to Ilana, my collar jangling. She slides my harness on, then clips on my extra-long leash. Next she fits my floatie on my back, then straps it in around my chest and waist.

She stands up, hands on hips, and grins at me. “Ready Miki?”

“Yes!” I tell her. All she hears is, “Woof!”

Ilana slips her sunglasses on, slings her towel over her shoulder, and then takes up the coils of my leash. “Ready?” she calls to Ellie.

“Yeah,” Ellie says, snatching her beach bag. She puts on her sunglasses and then leads the way out the door.

We walk down the gravel path for a little while, cross an actual road, and continue down another gravel path. The girls talk but I’m too busy sniffing everything to bother listening. Then the gravel under my feet begins to mix with sand. I lift my nose to the breeze. The scent of fish and water fill my nostrils. I can hear birds calling in the distance. I prick my ears up and that’s when I hear the crashing of the monster.

I pull at my leash now, scrambling in the sand. I strain to get closer. Ilana tightens her grip on my leash and digs her heels into the sand. “Hold on, will you?”

We all mount the boardwalk. I’m straining forward, my muscles ripple under my floatie. Haltingly we move down the boardwalk to the top of the hill. I stop for a moment. The monster is down at the bottom, past the people lying on the sand and the other dogs fetching balls. The monster roars and crashes into the sand, foaming.

“Hey you guys!” I bark to everyone on the sand, “What are you doing? Don’t you see the monster?” Both the humans and the dogs ignore me. If they’re not going to do something, it’s up to me. I plunge forward. Ilana almost loses her footing as she stumbles after me. Ellie runs to catch up. In between breaths, the two girls are laughing. I don’t understand why.

Ilana drops her towel on the sand and lets go of the coils of leash. I bolt into the monster. We hit each other with a crash. The monster grumbles and rises high above me, foam at the top. I leap up to meet it, mouth open. With a defining boom, it rolls down towards me and I bite it hard.

The monster slides over me, and envelops me for a moment. When I surface, it’s in front of me. I shake myself and spit the water that somehow ended up in my mouth. The monster is coming at me. It writhes and sways, rumbling toward me. “Stay away!” I warn it, but my usual deep bark comes out high pitched.

Behind me I hear giggles. I turn briefly and see Ellie holding up her phone. “Mika  Bobika vs. Lake Michigan round 3,” she says into it.

“Get away from the monster!” I warn her. “Ap, ap, ap!” she hears. Smiling, she keeps her phone trained on me.

It’s no use. I turn back to the monster just in time to be bowled over. I tumble into the sand kicking and barking. The monster recedes and I scramble to my feet. I run along the sand yelling taunts and curses at it. It rises and bellows back at me.

More giggles come from behind me but this time I don’t turn around.

The monster rushes at me again. I gather myself and launch into it. I bite and claw at it. It escapes me, leaping over me and turning me upside down. I land back on the sand.

Breathing hard, I lay there for a moment. I cough up water. My whole body is shaking. This monster is tough. I can’t find its weakness.

Slowly I rise to my feet. The monster is thundering at me, taunting me. My girls come up behind me. Ellie isn’t holding her phone anymore. The monster is charging us. “Get back!” I shout at the girls. They don’t listen. Panic is beginning to creep in. I’m exhausted. I haven’t even wounded this monster, and it’s coming for my pack!

I shake myself. Sand and water fly everywhere. I start my final attack. I get a few steps in before the girls grab me. “Stop! I have to protect you. Don’t you see it’s coming?” I cry at them.

“I think you’ve had enough for today Miss Mika,” Ilana grins at me. “It’s great to watch, but we don’t want you to drown yourself.”

“But I’m not done!” I protest. I squirm and push against them. I can’t leave. I won’t quit. The girls are strong together. They force me back up the sand, away from the monster. I try to turn around and face it.

Ilana swings a leg over me so she’s straddling me. She adjusts her grip on my collar. “Okay, I’ve got her,” she says. Ellie lets go and I wriggle but Ilana holds me tight. With one hand she coils my leash up. “I’ll be back,” Ilana calls to Ellie, then she leads me up the sand hill to the board walk.

The farther away from the monster I get, the more I relax. Ilana swings her leg back around and loosens her grip on my collar. We walk a little. She watches me. The sounds of the monster are fading and smells of forest start to take over once more. I cough up more water and shake myself. I let the songs of the trees fill my senses and relax me.

Ilana lets go of my collar and I fall into place beside her. We stroll back down the gravel road in happy silence. I didn’t defeat the monster, but I protected my girls. I’m sure I’ll have another chance to fight, but for now I’m happy to take a break.

We stop at the street crossing and I sit like I’m supposed to. I look up at Ilana. She’s watching the road for cars. Then I look at her bare leg next to me and give it one giant lick.

“Ewww Mika!” Ilana yells and jumps a little. I look up at her, tongue lolling.
She sighs and pats my head. My reward for saving her was completely worth it.