Strays

Every once in a while, when I'm walking somewhere alone, at night, a dog will show up and walk with me or wait with me until I'm home. It happened tonight, as I waited for the guesthouse night guard to come out from under his pop up mosquito net inside and open the locked gate for me, after having pulled the rope that tinkled the little bell in his window. A dog came walking up, sat with me for a few minutes while the guard rattled his locks, and then sauntered off back toward where he came from when I was inside the gate. I always think they've shown up to protect me.