Yelena Dovjique - The story of a little ginger puppy girl named Suri

Translator Jose Manuel Salvador

Editor Philip Bryer

Illustrator Victoria Dovzhik

© Yelena Dovjique, 2022

© Jose Manuel Salvador, translation, 2022

© Victoria Dovzhik, illustrations, 2022

ISBN 978-5-0059-1069-1

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

It was a warm April day when four red puppies were born. They were born in a den carefully dug by their dad under an old concrete pipe. The den was deep, and the sunlight barely entered into it. But even its faint rays were enough to see that one puppy was different from the rest. Three puppy boys looked like dad – large, with short, dark red hair. But the fourth puppy, a girl, was light red and with a soft fur, more like a fluff.

An old, red-haired dog, Granny Pea, looked into the den to greet her grandchildren and congratulate her daughter on the birth of such sweet and wonderful children.

“They are lovely!” Granny Pea said, with a gentle whisper. “And this little one here is just a miracle,” she pointed at the puppy girl.

“It’s a girl,” the mother said.

“A girl, and so much like you!” Granny Pea bent down and carefully licked the baby. “Let her name be Suri! Such a wonderful baby must have a wonderful name.”

“Mom, don’t…” The mother was embarrassed. “You know, it is not customary in the pack to give the children human names.”

Granny Pea wrinkled her nose a little in frustration, but replied:

“You can refuse to give names to yourself and the puppies, but this baby must have a name! I feel like Suri has an unusual fate!”

Granny Pea again tenderly licked each puppy and crawled out of the den.

Suri did not see or hear anything that happened. She had just been born, and her eyes and ears were tightly closed, just like all newborn puppies. All she felt was the delicious milk from her mother and warmth from her brothers. Suri was sleeping peacefully, clinging to her mother’s furry side, and did not even realize that now she had a name and a destiny.

Two weeks passed. Suri and her brothers grew up, got stronger, and their eyes and ears had already opened. The first sound Suri heard was a measured snorting sound. She crawled, her still weak paws feeling the way, and buried her nose into the warm flank of her brother. She already knew her whole family by smell. The brothers had a warm, soft scent. Mom smelled delicious, like sweet milk. Dad always smelled differently. He did not often appear in the den but each time he did, he brought a new smell with him: a coolness which tickled your nose, or a sharp fragrance which made you want to sneeze; and a stranger one still, which was not quite like the smell of milk but which also made you hungry.

But most of all, Suri liked the smell of her grandmother. Just like mom, she smelled delicious, but not like milk. Grandma’s aroma was something mysterious and incomprehensible. Suri still had nothing to compare her grandmother’s scent with, because she had not yet known anything like it, but when Granny Pea appeared in the den, Suri immediately crawled towards her and rolled over her endlessly, inhaling and exploring this unusual smell.

Suri liked the sounds as much as the smells. After a while, she came to know that the squeaking, grunting, and smacking sounds were made by her brothers. Rustling meant that someone had entered the den. Tapping meant that dad had come – mom was happy and wagged her tail. Suri was even hit more than once by that excited, wagging tail. The sensations were strange – at first something hit her on the head, and then she was covered in fluffy hair that became extremely ticklish and made her want to sneeze. Suri definitely loved her mother’s tail. It was lovely and soft and warm to lie on, and when her legs grew stronger, playing catch-up with it was great fun. Suri also loved the sound of her grandmother’s steps: soft, barely audible. Granny Pea always entered the den very carefully, and sometimes Suri detected her presence even before grandmother began to gently lick her snout, as if kissing.

The most interesting part started when Suri’s eyes opened. At first, she saw everything very dimly, distinguishing only dark and light areas. It followed then, that the first thing she saw was the exit from the den through which the sunlight made its way. This bright spot interested Suri very much and she immediately went to investigate it, tottering along on paws which were still somewhat fragile. But mom, of course, didn’t like it, for it was far too early for the little puppy to crawl out of the den and explore the outside world. So, mother carefully took hold of Suri in her mouth and carried her back to the depths of the den, where the rest of the puppies were happily swarming around.

The second thing Suri saw was pink and soft; it quickly approached her face and walked over her, leaving a warm wet trail. It turned out to be mother’s tongue. Suri really liked the sensations, and she stuck her tongue out too and tried to lick her mother’s nose. But the nose was too high. Suri tried to stand on her hind legs to reach her mother’s nose. She tried her best – she so wanted to kiss her mother! But her hind legs trembled and buckled and Suri fell, hitting her nose smartly on the floor.

“Ouch, it hurts!” She squeaked in pain.

“Be careful, baby,” said mom as she bent over her and licked her bruised nose with a soft warm tongue. “It’s too early for you to jump. Wait a bit.”

Mom’s kiss almost made Suri’s nose stop hurting, but the frustration remained. Suri decided to wash it down with warm milk and staggered towards her mother’s belly.

When her eyes were completely open, the world around Suri became so big and so interesting that Suri was overwhelmed and sometimes had a hard time recognizing and understanding everything. Since the den was always dark, Suri could not see exactly what her family looked like. Her brothers and dad were dark and smooth, while mom and Granny Pea were light and soft. As the walls of the earthen hole were a dull gray-brown, Suri’s initial thought was that the whole world looked just the same.

Another week passed. Suri and her brothers were almost a month old.

“Well, the kids are old enough,” dad announced one day. “It’s time to take them out.”

Suri noticed her mother shrink a little, as if the thought scared her. Dad noticed it too and said:

“Don’t worry. It’s warm enough and it will be good for the little ones.

“You know I’m worried about something else,” mom said quietly, with a sideways look at the children.

“I know,” dad replied and headed for the exit of the den, “but you shouldn’t worry about that either. People have not come here for a long time.”

When he disappeared into the passage, mother sighed and said:

“Well kids, it’s time for you to learn to live outside. Follow me.”

The boys followed their mother. Suri was the last to go, lost in thought.

“People?” she thought. “What are people? Something scary? Why don’t mom and dad like people?”

Suri was so lost in thought, that she did not notice as she walked towards the exit that the light was getting brighter and brighter.

When she crossed the threshold and left the den, all thoughts immediately flew out of her head. Suri forgot about people, about her mother’s anxiety. She forgot about everything. Because something big, bright, and noisy enveloped her. It hammered into her eyes and ears, tickled her paws and stomach, and coolly ruffled her fur.