Diana winced as her feet hit the pavement while exiting the bus at her stop. Today the walk to her apartment seemed longer than it should have been. She was looking forward to her home’s air conditioning and starting her new book after dinner. The air felt steamy, too hot for the season. Fatigue slowed her down as she rounded the corner.
She stopped short as she spotted an enormous dog just sitting in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at her. She looked around to see what others were doing about this odd scene. Nothing. No one else seemed to be paying attention to this magnificent beast just yards in front of her. Other pedestrians walked around him but did not seem to see him. No one appeared alarmed.
He had to have been at least 200 pounds. He was black and grey and very furry with his body firmly planted on the sidewalk. He was grinning at her, but not in a scary way, tongue lolling from his wide toothy mouth.
She straightened her back. Nana had foretold this. Might as well be brave about it now that it was happening. Labros was waiting.