Samson

The heavy downpour stopped about an hour ago, and now was just a drizzle. He could not lie down without the brown, sloppy mud making a mess of the rest of his coat.  He was parched despite the cool weather. Puddles formed between uneven sidewalk, but the short leash did not allow him to reach the small pools of water. He could no longer gnaw away at the leash. They got smart. They changed the worn-out manila rope to a thick, heavy, galvanized steel chain. The last time he chewed his way out of the binding, they did not feed him. He became so famished that he ate his own feces and drank the murky gutter water. His stomach was queasy and he could not hold down any food. When they put a bowl of burnt, leftover roast, he turned his back on it. Consequently, they started giving him meager portions in response to his lack of appetite.
In months of July and June, there was no refuge from the smothering humidity or the suffocating heat. The 1996 Chevrolet Express passenger van was parked haphazardly in the middle of the yard. He crawled underneath the van in a desperate attempt to escape the intense heat of midday. Unknowingly, he hooked the rope unto something under the van. Within a few minutes, he realized it was much hotter under the van and attempted to crawl back out without success. He was afraid to whimper or yelp. If they heard him, they would surely try to shut him up with their foot. 

He was about to close his eyes and surrender to the smothering heat when he heard the faint sound of footsteps. The noise grew louder and eventually a short, blonde woman came into view. She was wearing a white sundress, big round sunglasses, yellow sandals, and a wide-brim sun hat. She had a concerned look on her face as she cautiously approached the him. She was unsure of his temperament and slowly reached out her hand, palm down.  The woman was careful to not make any quick motions that might elicit an aggressive reaction. The scent of her hand was enchanting, and reminded him of the neighbor’s cherry blossom tree. Her hand felt smooth and tender under his dry, rough tongue. The corners of her mouth pulled up into a friendly smile that showed off her straight teeth and pronounced smile lines. “My name is Adelaide. And who are you? Do you have a name?” He wished he knew his own name. He wished he had a name. Whenever they beckoned to him, he only heard a long string of garbled syllables. In response to her inquiry, his ears perked up. He tried to lift his head before being pulled back by the taut rope. He whimpered softly and he lowered his head. Adelaide, realizing the problem, jumped to her feet. She gave him one final glance before running out of the yard, and across the alley. It was several minutes before she returned. He had grown anxious and distressed when she did not come back right away. She had brought a pair of lock cutters with her and used them to cut the chain around his neck. He immediately crawled out from under the van and waited for Adelaide to stand up. She wore a triumphant smile on her face as she held the broken shackles in one hand and the lock cutter in the other. It occurred to her that someone could be watching, and she turned towards the windows of the house. The blinds, broken and bent, were shut, and the house appeared to be unoccupied. She walked into the alley, opened the garbage can, and threw away the chain and collar. Adelaide walked down a few houses before she turned around to look at him. He was unsure of what to do and stared at her with a blank expression. She smiled her charming smile, patted the side of her leg, and said, “Let’s go.” He took a few hesitant steps before he broke out into a trot. He could not remember the last time he had this much space to move, and he did not know what was outside the confines of the small yard. They walked a few more paces before she stopped and opened a tall wooden gate on the left side of the alley. She stepped beyond the gate and he followed her. 
She called him Samson, contrary to the biblical ending. She was the beautiful, blonde woman who freed him from bondage, and he was the one who survived his antagonists.