Where Dreams Blossom: The Wind of Past Times. Alex Chekhanovski

Inside…

      Rusty-as-Ethan stretched luxuriously in the warm bed. He sniffed the air. Mmm… delicious smells were wafting from the kitchen. A human word popped into his head: «Breakfast!» And suddenly, he felt an overwhelming urge to get to the kitchen.

      He leaped out of bed and raced downstairs, his bare feet slapping against the wooden floor. He burst into the kitchen, tail… well, imaginary tail wagging furiously.

      «Good morning, sleepyhead!» Mom said, smiling. «I made your favorite: oatmeal with blueberries.»

      Ethan, or rather Rusty-as-Ethan, wrinkled his nose. Oatmeal? Yuck! He normally hated that gooey stuff. But today… it smelled… amazing. He sat down at the table, grabbed a spoon, and shoveled the oatmeal into his mouth. It was warm, sweet, and surprisingly delicious!

      Mom stared at him in amazement. «Ethan! You’re eating your oatmeal! And you like it!» She clapped her hands with delight. «I’m so proud of you! Maybe now you’ll behave better.»

      Rusty-as-Ethan just grinned and shoveled another spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth. This human world was full of surprises!

      After breakfast, Mom pulled out a brush. «Time to tame that wild hair of yours,» she said, chuckling.

      Rusty-as-Ethan sat still as she brushed his hair, enjoying the gentle pressure on his scalp. He usually squirmed and complained when Mom brushed his hair, but today it felt… nice.

      As she brushed, Mom noticed something odd. Rusty-as-Ethan kept sniffing the air and twitching his nose. And he kept looking longingly out the window.

      «Are you feeling okay, sweetie?» Mom asked, concerned. «You’re acting a little… dog-like today.»

      Rusty-as-Ethan just wagged his (still imaginary) tail and licked his lips. He couldn’t explain to her that he was actually a dog. But he could enjoy this strange, new, human world. He was going to do the best he could, even if it meant going to… school!

      Chapter 3: Rusty Goes to School

      With a newly brushed head of hair and a stomach full of oatmeal, Rusty bounced all the way to school. He practically skipped down the sidewalk, his sneakers squeaking with every step. He couldn’t wait to see what this «school» thing was all about. Was it like a giant dog park, filled with exciting smells and friendly faces?

      He burst through the school doors, a wide grin plastered across his face. The hallway was a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds: children chattering, lockers slamming, and the faint aroma of floor wax and… were those peanut butter sandwiches he smelled?

      A little girl with bright pink pigtails stared at him. «Wow, Ethan, you’re really happy today!» she exclaimed.

      «Woof!» Rusty barked, then quickly clamped his mouth shut. He meant to say «Hello!», but he’d forgotten he was supposed to talk like a human now. He gave her a big, goofy grin instead.

      The little girl giggled. «You’re funny, Ethan!»

      Rusty followed the stream of children down the hallway, his nose twitching, trying to identify the source of the peanut butter smell. He found it! A little boy with a Spider-Man lunchbox was unwrapping his sandwich. His name was Billy. Rusty’s eyes widened. He’d never seen anything so appealing in his life.

      Completely overwhelmed by the delicious smell, Rusty lost all sense of personal space. He went straight to Billy and began sniffing furiously at the lunchbox, practically burying his nose in it.

      Billy, startled by the sudden, intense sniffing, yelped and jerked back, nearly dropping his sandwich. «Hey! What are you doing, Ethan? Get out of my face!» he exclaimed, clutching his lunchbox defensively. He looked around, bewildered.

      The teacher, Mrs. Gable, a kind-faced woman with a warm smile, rushed over. «Ethan, what’s going on?» she asked, her voice gentle but firm.

      Rusty, feeling ashamed, tucked his tail between his legs… or rather, tried to. He forgot he didn’t have a tail anymore. He looked up at Mrs. Gable with wide, apologetic eyes, his nose still twitching from the irresistible aroma of peanut butter.

      «Ethan,» Mrs. Gable said softly, kneeling down to his level, «we don’t sniff people’s lunchboxes like that, okay? That’s too close, and it’s making Billy uncomfortable.»

      Rusty nodded, feeling his ears droop. He knew that. He just… he just couldn’t help himself. The peanut butter smelled so good!

      «Maybe you should step back and give Billy some space,» Mrs. Gable suggested. «And then we can start our reading lesson.»

      Rusty shuffled off to the bathroom, feeling like the worst student in the entire school. Being a human was harder than he thought. There were so many rules!

      As he washed his hands, he gazed out the window at the playground. He saw Ethan, his real self, running wild and free in the yard, chasing a ball and barking with glee. A pang of longing hit him. He missed the freedom, the smells, the simple joys of being a dog.

      He sighed. He had a feeling this «school» thing was going to be a lot more complicated than he anticipated. Maybe he should have stayed home and chased squirrels instead.

      While Rusty struggled to navigate the human world of school, Ethan was having the time of his life in Rusty’s body. He spent the morning exploring every corner of the neighborhood, sniffing out new smells, marking his territory (much to the dismay of the neighbor’s prize-winning rose bushes), and generally causing a delightful amount of canine chaos. He even managed to snag a discarded hot dog from a nearby park, a culinary masterpiece that tasted a million times better than anything Mom ever made. But as the day wore on, a gnawing feeling started to creep in… loneliness. There was no one to share his adventures with, no one to scratch him behind the ears, no one to… tell him he was a good boy.

      He missed Mom. He missed his warm bed. He even missed… gasp… school.

      Chapter 4: Cold Floors and Cardboard Dreams

      Rusty shuffled back into the classroom, his ears drooping and his tail (the imaginary one, of course) tucked firmly between his legs. Billy was still clutching his Spider-Man lunchbox, giving Rusty a wide berth. Mrs. Gable gave him a kind smile and gestured for him to sit down.

      The reading lesson was a blur of unfamiliar words and confusing sentences. Rusty couldn’t concentrate. All he could think about was the peanut butter sandwich and the disapproving look on Mrs. Gable’s face. He missed the simple pleasures of being a dog: sniffing, digging, running, barking, and generally causing harmless canine chaos. Human life, he decided, was far too complicated.

      Finally, the school day ended. Rusty practically sprinted out of the building, eager to escape the confines of classrooms and rules. He trudged home, dragging his feet and feeling thoroughly miserable.

      When he arrived, Mom greeted him with a warm hug. «How was school, sweetie?» she asked.

      Rusty just mumbled something unintelligible and trudged upstairs to his room. He flopped down on his bed, burying his face in the soft pillows. He’d never been so exhausted in his life.

      The bed was incredibly comfortable, softer and warmer than anything he’d ever experienced as a stray dog. He snuggled under the covers, feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him. For the first time in his life, he was sleeping indoors, under a roof, protected from the elements.

      But as he drifted off to sleep, a strange feeling started to creep in… restlessness. He couldn’t shake the memory of the open road, the exciting smells, the thrill of the chase. He missed the freedom, the adventure, the raw, untamed spirit of being a dog.

      He tossed and turned in the bed, unable to find a comfortable position. The mattress was too soft, the blankets too heavy, the room too quiet. He longed for the familiar sounds of the city, the distant rumble of traffic, the barking of other dogs, the whisper of the wind through the alleyways.

      Finally,