Only 2 more blocks to run and she knew she would be safe. This would be her territory and those in pursuit would then be at the disadvantage. She was tired and knew her legs were weak but they had to carry her just 2 more blocks.
Around the final corner and the derelict site was there. She wound her way swiftly down the maze of rubble and broken bottles, through the muddy slopes until she found the drainage pipe. She made herself small and with her stomach on the ground, she belly crawled along the pipe until she was away from the noise, away from the light, and away from the human who was chasing her.
She found her offspring, where she had left them and settled down to let them feed from her once again. Her milk was the only thing she had to offer them and even this was in short supply because she had been unwell, so thin and weak. Her venture into the world of people had once again been terrifying but she knew this was her only way to find food for herself and this was essential to her life source and ability to feed her young.
Those above had long since been afraid of her and her kind. They would kill her anyway they could because despite their size and their knowledge, they were scared of her. The threat she was to them and their way of life was the driving force which brought them into conflict with her, each and every time she left the sewage pipe she now called home.
For Lola, life had always been this way but for others it had not. She had heard tales from her ancestors of other countries where her kind lived in harmony with the humans. Even sharing accommodation and sometimes food. A partnership, both species respecting the others needs and desires, working together, and playing together. She could only imagine how this would be. For her, life with the people above was one of terror. When she was younger she ran the streets with her mother, hungry and always searching for food and water, but she was happy. Her mother had always taught her to be wary of the humans and not to trust them and this had been the single thing that had saved Lola so many times from dying on the streets of Cairo.
So many times had she fallen into the trap. So many times did her instincts tell her to wag her tail and go to the human who was calling her. Something inside told her that it would be fine, something told her that those above were her friends, and so time after time she wanted to go to them. Only her mother stopped her. Only her mother’s fear and cries prevented her from taking the delicious smelling meat from the humans hands. Only her mother was brave enough to shout at them and drag her away.
With sadness and a heavy heart, she licked her pups and sank further into the damp soil that had found its way into the disused pipes over many months. She closed her eyes and remembered. She remembered seeing the human walking towards her with the food. She remembered just how hungry she had felt and how good the meat did smell when the human threw it towards her. She sighed deeply as she recalled in slow motion how her wits were weakened by her hunger and how she stopped running and edged towards the meat and the human and just how close he was to her when she heard her mother bark. She could recall so vividly how she stopped and turned around and then her mother was beside her pulling her away. Then all at the same time, in a instant, the human pulled something from behind his back, there was an explosion, so loud, so terrifying that Lola bolted for the safety of a dark alley. She remembered how she huddled up terrified among the rubbish that the humans threw beside the roadside until she could wait no longer. She saw the man with the gun walk past her some time ago still looking around him. She ran with shaking limbs back to where she last saw her mother, where the bang had been, where the human had called her.
In the pipe with her pups, Lola remembered finding her mother, smelling the blood, tugging at her mother’s lifeless body and crying.
Lola awoke before dawn and knew that she must quickly find new accommodation for her family. The human followed her back to the site, only her superior speed and agility had put sufficient distance between herself and the man but he was close behind. She was weak from malnutrition and it took all her strength to survive that evening. He was too close, he must have seen her run down the bank and maybe even saw her slip up the pipe. He may return in the daylight. Lola carefully crawled back along the pipe to its entrance and gingerly eased her head outside and took a brief but thorough look at each side of the opening. She then summoned up enough courage to venture outside and to survey the immediate area. It was just becoming light and he was not there. She must act quickly. She has 5 pups and she can only move 1 at a time. She must with great haste find an alternative hide for the family and it must be now.
Against all her instincts, Lola left the pups whilst she surveyed the local area for a suitable site to move the family to. Just 2 streets away she found the ideal place. Yet another run down area deserted by the humans and just rubble and holes and best of all, no people. She returned as quickly as she could and began the laborious task of moving the pups one by one to the new home. By the time she had the fifth and last of her litter in her mouth, the sun was rising and she knew that soon, those above would be moving around and the pup squeaking would draw attention to her. She moved as speedily as she could with the last of her offspring. She joined the remainder of the family now installed in a disused 5 gallon oil drum thrown to the bottom of a man made excavation site along with a multitude of other waste material and general household rubbish.
Lola was at last feeling safe once again but knew she still had to go out and forage for food and water. She had her regular points of contact for food, not too far away. There was the refuse tip where she would hide and watch the humans arrive with their carts of rubbish being faithfully pulled by the toiling donkeys. She would wait patiently while the carts were unloaded and then moving as swiftly as she could, she would rummage through the litter and filth, consuming anything that was edible before the sound of the next donkey cart arriving. There was also the makeshift slaughterhouse. Despite the dreadful feeling she sensed when near the building, she knew, that when the humans were not looking she could steal the offal and hooves of the unfortunate animals that were taken there. The humans were so busy admiring their work, that a small dog could nip in and out quickly and mostly undetected. Finally there was the Kebab restaurant where the chief cook would sometimes take pity on her and throw her a bone or some old meat. He was however unpredictable and on some occasions it had been known for him to throw his knife at her, or anything else that may be to hand. However, it was always worth a try, he may just be in a good mood.
Water was more difficult, especially during the dry season. During the winter, the collection of rain in various utensils and vessels was sufficient to satisfy her thirst but in the summer it was a real problem. Usually Lola would drink from blocked drains or on a really lucky day, she would find the early evening sprinklers being used to water the palm trees along the roadside.
However, life was never that easy and despite having her regular places to eat, she could in fact go for days without finding food or without it being safe to approach. She was sly though and streetwise, having learned many tricks from her mother. She took her opportunities as they arose and always ate more than she needed, just in case.
Having managed to fulfil her hunger at the rubbish dump, she wanted to return quickly to the pups. It was a new home and she was still not sure of any dangers that may lurk. All was well, when she returned and the pups then made the most of their turn to feed as Lola settled down for her first night in the oil drum, dubious about their safety, but thankful at least that her pursuer from the previous night would not know where she had gone.
Lola was woken early the following morning to the sound of heavy machinery and engines and they sounded close, too close. She eased herself away from the pups and up the nearest slope. To her horror, she found the entire area littered with humans. They were all men, all dressed in similar clothes and hats. She could never have known that she had set up her new home, bang in the middle of a construction site. The men were working all around her newly found abode and the machinery was being driven along the edge of the slope which led down to the oil drum. It was only a matter of time before they were seen, She could not keep hidden all day and keep the pups quiet. There was nothing for it but to move again. It was too dangerous in the day time to move the pups, and the heat would slow her down. She decided to hide in the drum and move again that night, under the cover of darkness.
Fate was to deal her a cruel blow. The pups were getting older and playful and they were yapping and squeaking and despite her attempt to keep them quiet, they were heard by a passing workman, who went down the slope of the pit to investigate. He saw them immediately, Lola put herself between the pups and the potential danger of man. She was hesitant, should she growl and warn him away or appeal to his compassion and let him approach. The decision was made for her, the man picked up a half brick and hurled it at the small family in the oil drum, hitting Lola on her back. She immediately retaliated, determined to protect her pups. She ran at the man, teeth bared and barking as loud as she could. The human retreated up the slope of the pit but she could hear him shouting.
Confusion now, and panic. What can she do? Where can she go? The man will return and she was sure from the encounter that whatever happened, whatever he had in mind, it would not be favourable for her or the pups. Soon the man was at the top of the pit, and this time he was with 2 other humans. The 3 men bent down and picked up handfuls of bricks and began hurling them at the animals now cowering within the oil drum. The sound of the bricks banging off of the drum was deafening to Lola and she instinctively grabbed hold of one of the pups and tried to leave the drum. She was met by a barrage of bricks and was struck several times, she ran back inside the drum. The men were coming down the slope, the puppies were crying, Lola was terrified and looked at her 5 progeny with fear.
A decision had to be made. If she stayed, they would all be killed, if she ran, the puppies would all be killed. But, maybe they would take pity on the pups, after all it was only her that the first human saw. He knew the pups were there because he had heard them playing but the only confrontation had been between him and Lola. Without further thought, she picked up one of the pups between her teeth and looked at the others. She ran as fast as she could up the opposite side of the pit to where the men were coming down. They began throwing bricks at her but she was too fast and they were falling over in their excitement to stone her. She was out of the pit and across the road, down an alley and onto some waste ground behind some houses. She lay low for several hours with her pup but her maternal instincts were calling to her all the time. She had to go back and see, she had to.
The pups were not there, they had gone. She would never know if they had been killed or taken by the humans. If they had been taken and cared for there was a chance. They could survive now without her milk. But she did not know.
Lola was distraught but her instinct to survive was the greater of the two emotions and she returned to the dusty alleyway where she had left her remaining pup. If life had been difficult for her before, it was now desperate for Lola. She had no place to go to which she knew would be safe for her and Kalif her pup. She was frightened to think about what the future would hold but she was determined that Kalif would survive. He was still young but would soon be able to feed for himself and to keep up with her on the streets. The time had come to move on.
Lola had lived on the busy streets of Cairo all her life and new of nothing except the noise of the traffic and the anger of the people. Her only security was her regular feeding stations but it had become too risky. Too many times had her life been in danger from the motor vehicles which deliberately drove at her as she crossed the busy roads. Too many times had it almost been her turn to have been shot by the men from the municipal authorities. There had to be another way. It was a great risk to move to another area. No known places to eat and drink, and new humans with unknown intentions. There would be other street dogs fiercely defending their territory from migrating dogs such as she.
But Lola was too scared now to remain where she was. So she took a long rest in the dirty alleyway with Kalif, allowing the heat of the day to subside into dusk and cooler conditions. She slept through the evening and not until the noise of the traffic had subsided and many of the surrounding music bars and bazaars had gone quiet, did she nudge Kalif and together, they set off to find safety elsewhere in the city.
Lola walked, ran, and hid for 3 days whilst she and Kalif wandered the streets looking for a safe place to call home. They were exhausted and felt as if they had been walking and searching for weeks. They were hungry and thirsty. It was difficult finding food in the new places. Until they could find somewhere to settle, it would not be possible to spend any time seeking out safe food sources.
Eventually Lola and Kalif found their way into Giza District. Here things were still busy but there seemed to be more space, greater distances between buildings and therefore, also between the concentration of people. Lola suddenly stopped still and stared ahead of her. Kalif was urging her on but she was staring at the 3 peculiar buildings which now blocked out the entire skyline in front of her. She couldn’t have known that she and her pup were in the shadow of one of the worlds great marvels, the pyramids.
Lola quickly realised that beyond the pyramids, was the desert and that as they moved into the desert, the buildings, the noise, and the people faded into the distance. Could this be the answer? Not far from the great pyramids and into the desert, Lola found the tombs of the great and ancient Egyptians. These tombs were built and used even before the construction of the pyramids. The tombs were not looked after anymore by the present day humans and long since neglected into areas which collected sand from the desert and rubbish from the many tourists who came to see the pyramids and cast their litter onto the ground.
Her only immediate problem appeared to be other dogs who were already in residence in the area of the tombs and were prepared to defend their homes from would be squatters. Eventually, Lola found a tomb which was unoccupied by canine residents and although it was only shallow and very sandy, it would provide her and Kalif shelter from the sun and hopefully, a hiding place from the humans when necessary.
Having found a place to settle, Lola left Kalif whilst she went off in search of food. She left the sandy tomb and wound her way between the pyramids and across the road, back into the town full of people. It was not too difficult here to find food. There were many eating places for the humans and where these places existed there were always remains unwanted food scattered on the roads outside and heaps of waste in bags, thrown into the gutter.
Lola was happy to realise that around the pyramids were many sources of food. Water was not going to be too difficult either. Again, nearby to the pyramids were many camels and horses which were taking people on their backs to visit the pyramids. Close to where these animals waited for their passengers, were water points and at these, there was usually water in the drains or even dripping from the taps. Here, she and Kalif could drink whilst they stood guard for each other.
In the weeks to come, Kalif grew bigger and stronger and he was soon to become a full partner in the survival game he played every day with his mother. They had difficult days when the shop keepers and horse and camel owners would chase them away from the food and water supplies, but usually they were cunning enough to grab what they needed quickly, and took it in turns to eat and drink whilst the other partner watched out for danger.
There had been a small number of occasions when the men with the guns had come to their area in the evenings and shot some of the other dogs who were not wise to the tricks of the humans. But Lola was very wise and Kalif stayed with his mother. For reasons unknown to them, the men did not shoot here in the day time but only in the dark hours. So much more easy for streetwise dogs to hide away.
At this new site, they met people who seemed to be going out of their way to trick the dogs. They were down on one knee and offering food, they were whistling and calling, and seemed to be willing to be friendly. Lola was never going to fall for that one again. This was how her mother died, this was the devious tricks of the humans. Whenever she was tempted to approach the visitors to the pyramids for the food they were offering, she remembered it all and stood back, shying away. She wanted to go to the people, she wanted the food for herself and Kalif, she wanted them to stroke her and be her friend. No, it was a trick, they would kill her. Run Kalif, run.
It was not possible for her to know that these people were the tourists, these people were trying to be friends, these people were the reason that the men with the guns were not able to shoot in the day time. How could she know?
As time went by, the dog population around the pyramids seemed to be growing and each time this happened, Lola knew that the men with the guns would be around. But this time they did not seem to be coming. Only the other humans were there, the ones trying to be friendly and offering food. One late evening, Lola and Kalif were returning to their lair, when they saw 2 men in the dark putting food down among the pyramids and standing back whilst some of the dogs were eating. Lola saw her opportunity and knew that she could easily get to the food in the dark and escape before the humans could get to her, and in the dark she would be too quick for them to shoot. Kalif wanted to go as well but Lola made him stand guard as was their agreement.
Kalif watched from the distance as his mother moved swiftly in on a large piece of meat which the 2 men had thrown on the ground. Lola gulped down half of the meat immediately and started to make her way back to Kalif with the remainder.
Suddenly without warning, Kalif heard his mother cry out and fall to the ground. He saw her body convulsing and her legs twitching and watched in horror as she vomited and defecated Lola cried in pain as she lost control of her nervous system and bodily functions. Kalif approached cautiously towards his mother and sniffed at her body, now motionless and he tried to awaken her by pulling at her ears and tail. He nudged her several times with his muzzle and licked her eyes. The meat Lola was carrying was still hanging between her teeth and Kalif wanted to take his share. Just then, the men were upon him and were shouting to each other. They ran forward and picked up Lola. In his fear, Kalif forgot about the food and ran as fast as he could back to the home he had shared with his mother.
Lola had died an agonising death at the hands of mankind, from strychnine poisoning. Kalif would have died also if the men had not come along to collect his dead mother.
Kalif was alone now, in the dirty, sandy tomb, and as he sobbed, he fell asleep wondering what was to become of him now.
The days passed and Kalif was alone and miserable. He did not have his mothers strength or courage and he only ventured out when he was so hungry that the urge to eat was greater than his fear. He did not seek companionship with the other dogs, he had no desire to move on to a new location. He had given up. All that he knew and loved had gone..
Kalif survived this way for almost a year, he had grown weak and thin and he was beyond fear and grief. He wandered around aimlessly, feeding and drinking when he could because this was his instinct, this was survival.
Early one evening, after the tourists had all left, Kalif was wandering around the pyramids looking for scraps when he heard a call. He turned around and he saw the child. She was only about 10 years old but Kalif had seen them before. They were not as frightening as the bigger humans but he had still seen them kick and punch some of the other dogs. Kalif looked at the girl who was now beckoning him towards her and holding out some kind of food.
The girl moved closer and closer to Kalif who did not know whether to run and hide, or to growl at the child to frighten her away. He waited, in the hope that she would throw the food and he would risk running forward to grab it before running off. Eventually, the child sat down in the sand and held out her hand with the food to Kalif. She would not drop it and he wanted to eat. Suddenly and impulsively, Kalif lunged forward and took the food from the child’s hand and ran back to his place of safety in the tombs.
In the next few days. Kalif would see the child in the sand at the front of the pyramids and he became braver and braver on each encounter, until he would sit a respectable distance from the girl whilst she would stretch forward, feeding him biscuits from her hand. If she moved forward, Kalif would bolt away, but if she sat still he would take the biscuits.
This particular day, Kalif and taken a large number of biscuits from the girl and whilst he sat in the low evening sunshine, his eyes closed and despite all his fears, he lay down on one side and slept. The girl moved forward and gently stroked Kalif’s head and then his back and stomach. Kalif awoke calmly and found that his tail was wagging slowly from side to side almost without any control from him. He looked at the child and for one moment almost ran, but he didn’t. He merely closed his eyes and enjoyed the affection for which he craved.
End