Amy & Csucsu

It was Amy’s first trip to Australia. During the long flight, she asked more than once:

“Are we still on the same planet?”

Mum smiled and nodded.

When they arrived, Amy held her hand tightly. The birds sounded different, the air smelled unfamiliar, and the sunshine made even her pink suitcase look a little paler.

Someone was already waiting at the house where they were staying.

A white dog stood on the veranda. He had a black patch around one eye, and his ears pointed curiously towards the sky.

“This is Csucsu,” they told her.

Amy crouched down on the grass. Csucsu watched her for a moment, then disappeared behind the veranda.

“Doesn’t he like me?” Amy asked quietly.

But Csucsu was already coming back. He carried a worn yellow ball and set it down in front of her.

“Is that for me?”

He nudged it closer with his nose.

Amy rolled it. Csucsu brought it back. She rolled it again, and by the third time she was laughing so much that Mum came outside to see what was happening.

From that day on, they always looked for each other. In the mornings, Csucsu waited on the veranda. In the afternoons, Amy told him about home while he rested his head in her lap.

One evening, Amy gently held Csucsu’s face in her hands and touched her nose to his.

“You know, I was a little scared to come here at first,” she whispered. “But I hadn’t met you yet.”

Csucsu snuggled closer.

The next morning, Amy ran out into the garden by herself.

“Csucsu! Where’s our ball?”