Two dogs are taped to the side of her bed. When she goes to class, the dogs come out of her picture. In winter, the dogs stay in the room and curl up on the floor next to the water coils. When spring rolls back, the dogs run their floppy ears through the yellow fields. In the summer, they frequent a certain ice cream parlor. On sunny days, people like to stop, eat ice cream with their children, and pet the dogs. Sometimes, the dogs even get a fallen cone. When autumn rolls around, the dogs can be found on the nearby river. They fetch and fetch whatever anyone throws for them.

     She never bothers to throw for the dogs. She just arrives home and goes about her business. One day, she notices that white space has replaced the dogs. She walks to the river to think things over. The dogs smell her coming and continue to retrieve sticks for a teenage couple. "Can I please have my dogs back?" But the couple refuses.

—P. F. Potvin