He smelled something burning the moment the Men’s room door opened.  Smoke billowed down the hallway. Out in the dining room guests were screaming and knocking chairs over as they fled.

John gripped his shoulder tightly and took baby steps beside him. He knew John smelled the smoke too and was frightened. John couldn’t hear the shouting or the approaching sirens. John couldn’t see where they were going. That’s why he was John’s caretaker. He was terrified of fire but he had to be brave for both of them.

For every unsure frightened step John took he moved forward with confidence. The restaurant was completely dark. They inched slowly around overturned tables, and broken glass. An explosion in the kitchen lit up the room for a terrifying moment. Thick toxic smoke pushed downward from the ceiling but it also showed him the front door. He had to get John to safety. He wasn’t just John’s caretaker he was his friend.

The door tore open. Cool night air and big firemen in yellow suits rushed in. They were safe. John hugged him. He was crying. "Good dog," he said. "My brave good boy."

© 2008 Pam Tanzei. Original for CCF (Tanzei grants CCF first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology).