CHAPTER FOUR

Chapter 4: A Miracle

The man was busy, laying blankets on the ground and shooing away curious goats.  He did not take any notice of the dog that hid in the shadows.  The woman was panting as the pain increased.  The dog could smell her anxiety growing.  

Then the dog smelled two more humans coming.  The dog was nervous; he only knew abuse and neglect from humans and avoided them at all costs.  And now he was trapped.   He pressed himself into the darkest corners of the cave, trying to be as small and invisible as possible.

The two new humans came in and rushed to the side of the woman on the ground.  They cooed softly to her but barked at the man, who left the cave.  One woman held the crying one's hand, while the other approached the back of the cave.  Would she discover him?  If she discovered him, would she beat him?  But she went to the water, picking up the basin and taking it to the woman in distress.   They gave her a drink, and dipped rags in the water to mop the crying woman's brow.   The dog could not see what they were doing, there was one woman on each side of the crying woman and they were blocking his view.  A third woman entered the cave and positioned herself behind the woman who moaned with pain.   She raised the crying woman off the floor slightly holding her in a tight embrace.  She spoke soothing words to the woman and rapidly to the other women that blocked his view.

Then he smelled a rush of fluid coming from the woman, and he winced when she moaned loudly from her pain.   The fluid smelled of blood and urine...and something else.   The woman groaned in pain as she sat partially upwards pushing against the woman that held her.   The three women tending her were calm, using tones of comfort and encouragement.   This lasted another half hour when suddenly the woman's body lifted and she yelled out then collapsed back.   There was a moment of silence...then...a cry...a baby human's cry!

There were tears and laughter among the women.   The first woman no longer groaned in pain or smelled like fear and anxiety.    The lady loosened her grip on the first woman, lowering her gently to the floor.   The helping women gathered the newborn in their aprons and smiled widely, speaking rapidly.   One woman poured oil from a small earthen vessel and rubbed the oil on the newborn’s skin.  The oil had a deep woody scent reminding the dog of the scraggly trees on the hillside.    

One of the other women gathered the blood and fluids from the birthing of the newborn into her apron and walked out of the cave into the early night.      She returned soon thereafter rushing behind the man who had brought the first young mother to the cave.   The young mother sat on the blankets nursing her newborn as the three women clucked at the man, seeming to want him to leave.  But he would not.   The young mother spoke, softly to the women.   There was much discussion among the women, but when the young mother spoke again the other women left the cave, leaving the young mother and man alone with the newborn.  The man spoke softly to the young mother and the two began to laugh and cry softly.  He kissed her on the forehead and looked at the newborn resting in her arms.   

From the shadows the dog lifted his nose into the air and sniffed.  His nose twitched as he surveyed the new smells in the cave.  He sensed nothing unusual about the man and woman, but this infant was simply unlike anything he had ever smelled before.   The newborn smelled human, male to be specific,  but yet more than just human for it also smelled of ....joy.     The dog emerged slightly from the shadows, curious.  How can a human smell of ....joy?

The dog felt himself drawn to this newborn that smelled of joy.  A scent of warmth and peace radiated from the baby.  He pulled back into the shadows as the woman moved.  The woman swaddled the infant tightly in the aprons she had removed from her body.   She laid him down in the hay of the goat’s manger.   The goats didn't mind as they were bedded down, chewing their cud, no longer concerned with the intruders of their domain.

The man and woman tended to their personal belongings and did not notice the dog limping from the back of the cave towards their baby.  The dog could not help himself, the closer he came to this baby, the stronger and bolder he felt.    The baby filled him with joy, a greater joy than he had ever known; even from when he was a pup snuggled with his mother. 

He limped closer and began to feel as if the entire world was falling away into the background, leaving only him and this baby.   The dog was at the manger.  At this moment he no longer knew he was in the cave, that he was hungry and injured, that there were humans very close by.  He only knew that he had to see this baby, sniff this baby, and touch this baby.  He had never touched a human before, but as he stood as tall as he could and looked down on this baby he was struck with....love.    The baby could not clearly see him with his newborn eyes, yet somehow sensed he was there. 

The dog stretched ever closer, gently touching the cloth that tightly covered the newborn.   At the instance of contact there was a warmth that washed over the dog and the cave seemed to glow brilliantly.   The dog pulled back, just slightly and everything came back into view.  The goats were still chewing their cud; the man and woman still busy tending their belongings.  No one had reacted to the glow; no one else had seen it.  

The dog felt he should retreat before the humans saw him so close to their baby.   He turned and trotted back into the safety of the shadows of the cave.   Just as he reached the depths of his safe haven he came to a sudden stop....he had trotted?!?    He suddenly realized he was standing on all four legs, not three.  There was no pain!  He inspected his wound with a sniff and a lick.   Just moments ago on his left hind leg was a gash and fur caked with blood.   But now....it was healed!