My head is ready to burst. Lies, white lies, putting a good spin on things – how am I supposed to understand that?

‘But why would Daniel be hurt? He said himself that his kiss was probably not a good idea. He even said that everything was perfectly fine.’

Mr Beck shakes his head. ‘Hercules, I thought that by now you would have got to know people better. This is a matter of the heart. No human likes to admit to falling hard for someone. They prefer to act as though it’s not an issue. I explained that to you already – the person you’re interested in is never supposed to know how much you love them. That’s a cast-iron rule. Otherwise you’ve had it.’

I fear that Mr Beck is right on this point as well. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that when it comes to love, there is so much chaos among humans. Their rules are just utterly absurd. A dog would never come up with nonsense like that.

chapter eighteen

Today is a totally boring, unremarkable day. Marvellous! I’m lying around in my workshop box, taking a peek into the garden here and there, then heading back to the aforementioned box for a snooze. The only thing I could imagine to make my happiness complete is a nice bowl brimming with tripe or offal. I mull over whether I ought to ignore my growing hunger pangs – I’m just too lazy to run over to Caroline and demand my next meal. But eventually, my stomach starts growling so loudly that I can’t manage a proper nap, so I get back on my feet, head to Caroline, who’s sitting at her desk, and nudge her with my nose.

‘Time to eat?’ Caroline looks at her watch. ‘You’ll just have to wait a little longer. We have something else to do first.’

Oh no! I’m hungry now! I nudge Caroline again. She laughs, and strokes my neck.

‘Hang in there, Hercules. We’re about to do something you’ll like too, and then there’ll be something to eat as well.’

Hey! I don’t want to do anything! I want my tripe now, then I plan to continue lying around. Yesterday would have been a fine time to do something. The whole day I had such a need for fresh air, sniffing around for rabbits and catching flies. But instead, she was so busy that I couldn’t even pry her away for a little walk in the park. Tomorrow is Saturday, then I’ll have more time, I promise. As though that could console a dog. You’ve got to seize the moment as it comes. But people just don’t seem to get that.

I head back to my box. I was in such a good mood, but that vanished in an instant. With my head on my cosy pillow, I mutter to myself about how offended I feel. We always do what Caroline wants. That is so unfair. Meanwhile, the feeling in my belly has gone from a healthy appetite to full-blown ravenous hunger. I begin to whimper a little. Caroline might as well know that she’s teetering on the verge of cruelty to animals.