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— Lusya! — he exclaimed, laughing, throwing a stick to the big cream-colored dog.

The dog either ran away with the stick, not letting it be taken, or suddenly placed it right into his palms. The boy argued with her, laughed loudly and sincerely. Their game was full of joy.

She stood in the shadow and watched, mesmerized. Everything — fear, anxiety, even the cold of the wind — suddenly disappeared. Her heart grew warm, as if someone had lit a little flame inside.

A few minutes passed. She leaned farther and farther out from behind the rock, unable to take her eyes off their game. Her lips stretched into a slight smile all by themselves. The wind swayed the grass, clouds slowly drifted across the sky, and the boy’s laughter sounded light and free. It seemed as if in this world there was no fear or pain — only this moment.

Everything could have continued — if the boy hadn’t suddenly seen her.

His eyes opened wide with surprise, he froze in place, and the next second he was knocked off his feet by his own dog. She heavily threw herself on top of him, yelping joyfully and licking his face. He laughed, trying to fend off her affection, but she stubbornly kept nudging his cheeks with her nose and licking his forehead.

When he finally managed to stand up, she was already gone.

His gaze nervously rustled across the clearing. He quickly turned, looking for her with his eyes. And finally — he saw her. Their eyes met.

Her heart beat so hard it seemed the boy could hear it. She got nervous, scared — and without thinking, rushed back, hiding behind the rock’s edge. For a moment everything vanished from her mind, only the fire of shame and quickened breathing remained. Behind her, barking was heard — the dog had again drawn the boy’s attention.

He realized it wasn’t his imagination when the dog also looked alertly in the same direction he was looking. She barked shortly and swiftly dashed forward — straight toward her. The boy, understanding nothing, ran after his beloved.

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