Mike Dillingham - Alaska Dogs and Iditarod Mushers - The Adventures of Balto, Back of the Pack, Honor Bound, Rivers

However, again this year I had nothing to give him. Aurora’s voice got my attention. “You know, Rivers, for a smart dog you think way too much. I know what you are thinking. You forget that dogs give their buddies presents all year long. You give your obedience, your loyalty, and your love. See, Rivers,” Aurora said, “dogs don’t need special days to give presents. We give them everyday. Moreover, according to my records, you and your teammates do a great job of that. So Rivers, you gave Mike some super presents all year.”

Her words made sense and I felt a lot better. Yes, Aurora is right, I do think too much. “Yes you are right.” I said. “But what is this thing about your coming here to grant Mike his Christmas wish?”

“Well, it seems that your buddy Mike has some friends in very high places, She said. “However, we cannot do it.”

I guess I got a little feisty. Mike deserved to have his wish granted. “Wait a minute, that is not fair.” I demanded, “Why can’t Mike have his wish granted?”

“His wish is not for himself,” Aurora answered. “His wish is for you to see, and that is impossible. Well, it is not impossible; it is impractical. You have no eyeballs and if all of a sudden you could see, a lot of humans would ask too many questions.”

“Yes,” I said sadly, “I understand.” If people knew that a blind dog led a team in the last big race, there would have been a lot of trouble.

“They told me you were a smart dog; they sure are right.” Aurora said. “But I am here to offer you a deal. I have the power to let you see for one day and one day only,” she said. “Unfortunately, you can’t tell anyone you can see, or act like you can see. You will have one day to take in all of the sights and keep those memories close to your heart. Mike has some special stuff planned for you and the team, so you will see the best that humanity has to offer.” I listened as Aurora continued, “Nevertheless, there is a downside and that is it may be cruel to do this for you.”

I was about to ask what she was talking about when she said, “You spent years overcoming your loss of vision and accepting being blind. It could be very hard for you to see for one day and then go back to the darkness. Also,” she continued, “Mike can never know this happened. You may think that it is not fair to him, but he has plenty of faith and… well, just leave it with that.”

“Now Rivers, you have to make a decision.” Yes, a tough one too, I thought. Do I choose to see for one only day? On the other hand, do I choose not to see, and wonder what I am missing? I could see Mike, my buddies, and little Christmas, the puppy we saved last year. I could see the chow I get to eat and the house I sleep in. I could see the trail I run on and the snow. There is no choice. It has to be yes!

“Yes!” I said, “I want to see, if only for the one day. I want the memories.” I pleaded, “Please Aurora, let me see.”

“Okay, Aurora said. “You will see, but remember the rules.” She continued, “If you break the rules, then what you see, and their memories will be erased from your heart and mind forever. Agreed?” She asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I agree.”

Then she told me, “Go back to sleep. When you wake, you will see. You will be up before any of your buddies. Your other senses will be as strong as they are now, so you will need some time to adjust to the difference.”

When Aurora said, “Go to sleep,” I laid my head down and dozed off. When I woke up, I thought, that was some dream I had. Wow, it sure is bright. Wait a minute. It sure is bright. I turned my head and…. I could see! It was not a dream. Mike got his wish and I could see! I jumped up and raced out of my doghouse. I looked around the yard. I saw my buddies’ doghouses painted green and each with a big yellow sign with their names on them. I looked around and I saw the big house where Mike and Mary live. There were Christmas lights and a big Santa with a sled and reindeer on the roof. Lakota told me all about the decorations last year. There was the warming shed and the garage where Mike keeps the trucks. And snow! Yes, I remember seeing many of these things before I went blind. And the sunrise! Oh, wow, how beautiful!

My buddies started to get up. “Morning, Rivers.” It was Lakota. He is a lot bigger than I thought he was. Big paws! He looked so strong and somewhat sad.

“Hi Lakota”. I said.

“Boy, Rivers, you sure sound happy this morning,” Lakota said.

“Oh?” I said. “Well this is Christmas Day and I am happy for all the joy and happiness that will happen today.”

“Merry Christmas, Rivers,” Lakota answered.

As each of my teammates came out of their doghouses, I greeted them and took a very good look at them. There was Doc, the smart one with blue eyes. He is smaller than I imagined. Next to Doc was Nitro, the biggest dog on our team and brave too. Then I saw Brownie, who is three or four shades of brown. Next, I saw Ugly, who is a real handsome dog. He is the clown of our team.

“Morning, Uncle Rivers.” It was little Christmas, who really is not little any more. She is over a year old. Her eyes are blue and she always looks like she is smiling. She is a very beautiful dog.

“How are you doing this morning, Christmas?” I asked.

“I am so excited Uncle Rivers,” she said. “Mike said I can be the lead dog today. I heard him saying that we are going over to the orphanage to give some goodies to the poor kids there.”

Yes, I remembered that also. This was sure going to be a fun day. Christmas scampered off to play with her other uncles. I sat there, just looking at everything. I wanted to remember everything I saw and not waste a precious second of this great day.

“Yo, Rivey buddy.” I looked in the direction of the voice and there was Mike with Sandy. Yes, I would know that voice anywhere, so I knew it had to be Mike. I watched him as he walked over toward me. I saw his beard and the glasses that I tend to knock off his face when I jump up to greet him. He has a slight limp. Mike is not as big as I imagined.

Sandy looked just like I pictured her, a chunky yellow lab, with a lot of gray in her face. Nevertheless, she was still very pretty and looked strong. While she sure was bossy and sassy, we all knew she is kind and was very devoted to Mike.

It was sure hard to just sit there until Mike came over. I had to act as if I was still blind. When I saw his hands reach out to pet me, I jumped up to him as I normally do and nuzzled Mike’s beard. “Well buddy, you sure are affectionate this morning.” He chuckled, “You got the Christmas spirit, I bet.” Yes sir, Mike, no doubt about that.

I watched Mike give all of the guys a lot of TLC (Tender Loving Care) and then enjoyed watching Ugly play his normal chase game with Christmas. She would tease him and then he would run after her. She would hide behind Mike and Ugly would have to stop short or else run into Mike. Sometimes Mike would jump out of the way and then Christmas would have to run to get away from Ugly. This was very funny to watch. I always pictured it in my mind, but Christmas was just a little puppy and Ugly was a big dog. Actually, Christmas is taller than Ugly.

I started to laugh. “What are you laughing about Rivers?” It was Doc. Now I had to be careful round him because he is so smart and sensitive, he would know something was different.

“Christmas and Ugly are playing their chase game, right Doc?” I asked.

“Yes, and it is sure funny to watch.”

I replied, “I bet it is, I can picture it in my mind.” I knew Doc felt bad because I could not see them play.

“Want me to describe it to you, Rivers?” He asked.

“Nah,” I said, “I can imagine what they look like. Thanks anyway.” I saw him turn and walk away to talk to Brownie and Nitro.