I was racing after yet another stick when I saw Joe come puffing up the path towards us. He was so tired out he could hardly speak. All he could say was, “Paddywack, Paddywack!”

“Is he yours?” Patrick asked him. “Run off, did he?” Joe nodded, still quite unable to speak. “He’s been here for half and hour or so,” Patrick went on. “I once had a greyhound like him, must be over five years ago now. He ran off too.”

By now Joe had recovered a little. “He’s never run off before, I don’t understand it. It’s not like him at all. I’ve been looking all over. Someone down by the pond said I should come and have a look in the park. There’s always dogs up there, dozens of dogs, and dogs like other dogs. He was right, wasn’t he? Thank goodness.”

For a moment Joe and Patrick said nothing more. They looked at us lying there at their feet, panting our hearts out. “Where did you get yours?” Patrick asked.

“I guess we just found each other,” Joe replied. “Strange meeting really, when I think back on it. Just the luckiest thing. Right time, right dog, right place. What about you?”

“Same with me, I suppose,” said Patrick. “When my first dog ran off – Best Mate he was called – I looked everywhere for him. It happened here too, right here in the park. I came back every day for months. I was sure he’d come back. But he never did. He just disappeared. So in the end my dad and me, we went down to the rescue centre. I wanted another greyhound. I like greyhounds. They’re the best. I love to watch them run. They run like cheetah-dogs. In fact they’re the third fastest animal on earth, after a cheetah and a prong-horned antelope – did you know that? I could watch them and watch them. And they’re kind too. I like that.” Patrick glanced at his watch. “Homework. I’d better be going, I suppose. See you,” he said, and he ran off, the silver-grey dog trotting at his heels.

I watched until they disappeared over the hill, under the trees. I found I wasn’t so sad any more. I was just glad I’d seen him.

“Let’s go home, Paddywack,” said Joe. “Bacon butties for tea, and biscuits for afters. All right?”

As we walked away I looked back over my shoulder, hoping to catch a last glimpse of Patrick, but he was gone.

I miss him, like I miss Alfie, like I miss Becky. But I’ve got Joe now, and Joe’s got me, and we’re fine.

Copyright

First published in hardback in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2007
HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
77–85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

The HarperCollins Children’s Books website address is
www.harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk

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Text copyright © Michael Morpurgo 2007
Illustrations © Michael Foreman 2007

The author and illustrator assert the moral right to be
identified as the author and illustrator of this work