Barney.

"Pliz cum" said the text message. Don shook his head and smiled. Barney again, no doubt. "Where RU" he enquired. "Clif" came the reply. What on earth were Frankie and Barney doing on the cliff at this time of day and in worsening weather? "Stay put" he replied. He looked out of the window, the wind was rising and dark clouds gathered overhead. Reaching into the cupboard under the stairs he pulled out big boots, a heavy mac with a sou'wester tucked in the pocket and a coil of rope.

Frankie was an only child whose parents owned the big hotel on the cliff. It was the height of the season and they were busy, too busy to entertain an 11 year old, apart from making vague suggestions as to how he could fill his days. His best friend, Luke, was spending his holiday with his father in Florida. From there he sent Frankie enthusiastic e-mails of fishing trips and beach parties. All Frankie's other mates were away too. The summer holidays looked bleak indeed.

Things started to look up when his father's sister, Mary, arrived from Scotland. A teacher in a girl's school, she had offered her help to her brother for the long holiday. A spare pair of hands was always welcome! She had also found an animal shelter a few miles away and had offered to help there when she had a few hours off. They were delighted as the summer was one of their busiest times. It had not taken Mary long to realise that what Frankie needed was a pal. This need was to be filled when she next went to the shelter. Barney had arrived. A large, lollopy, clumsy dog with a short coat in a shade of beige with brown patches, long floppy ears, dark brown eyes and what looked like a smile playing round his mouth. He had been found wandering along the road that led to town, dirty, hot, thirsty and hungry.He had no identification marks on him. He was named Barney and on his admittance card was written "male,aged about 3, cross breed". The crossing of these breeds made the identification of any one of them virtually impossible. Mary looked at Barney, her mind filled with numerous possibilities, all relating to Frankie. Barney gazed at Mary and hoped. It took her little time to convince her brother and sister-in-law that Barney would be a useful addition to the family. She collected Barney and drove him to his new home.

From the moment they met boy and dog were joined at the hip. They filled their summer days with adventures. Some days now seemed too short. The problem was that some of the adventures led them into trouble - the time that Barney got stuck down a rabbit hole having chased a rabbit into it. He did not realise that the rabbit and he were not the same size - the time when he hurtled through a thorny bush after a cat that wisely climbed a tree. It took a while to extricate Barney from this dilemma and he then needed a trip to the vet to remove some of the thorns. The famous time when an enthusiastic Barney slithered down a cliff path, lost his footing and was lucky that scrub broke his fall. It was then that Don, a local coastguard and old family friend came upon them and recued both of them. He had known Frankie since he was born but it was the first time that he had met Barney. It was then Don entered his mobile number into Frankie's mobile, telling him to contact him should there be any further mishaps he could help with. The "pliz cum" message was obviously one of those.

Don reached the cliff, parked his car and started calling. Walking quickly and conscious of the worsening weather he suddenly saw them. To his great relief, boy and dog were standing side by side looking over the cliff. When he reached them, a white faced Frankie pointed to something further down. Don looked over and saw a man lying halfway down the cliff with his leg bent under him. The man was calling for help with a voice that was getting steadily weaker.
"Barney found him" whispered Frankie "is he going to be alright?"
"I'll get the recue services" said Don.
"What happened?" he asked, punching numbers on his mobile.
"We were on the way home. I thought I heard a voice but the wind carried it away. Barney started running along the cliff barking his head off, so I followed him. When I got to where you found us I looked over and saw the man. I couldn't hear what he was saying because of the wind but I could see he was hurt. I sent you the text like you said."
"Well done to both of you. Once the rescue is under way I'll drive you home. In the meantime go and wait in my car. Had you not heard him, had Barney not found him the man could have......" Don did not finish his sentence.

Some days later, at his insistence, Frankie's dad took him to the hospital to see the man. The man turned out to be a Canadian who had been on a walking holiday. His name was Steven Lear. Apart from a badly broken leg and multiple cuts and bruises Steven seemed to be quite cheerful. Frankie took to him at once, finding him a sympathetic listener. He told him about Luke going to Florida and how Aunt Mary had found Barney. He related some of Barney's adventures that made Steven laugh. They parted friends. A week later two large parcels arrived at the hotel reception addressed to Frankie and Barney. In Frankie's parcel was the latest in laptops and in Barney's a de-luxe dog bed. With the parcels was a note from Steven. That same evening Frankie sent a long e-mail to Luke telling all about his latest adventure. An envious Luke e-mailed back saying that he'd be home next week and was looking forward to meeting Barney.

Frankie admitted to himself that this summer holiday had been one of the best ever. Barney, from the depths of his bed barked his agreement.

Copyright Jacqueline Hastings 2010