He reached under his bunk and pulled out the rubber ball that Nanette had wanted so badly she would chase it through a campfire or from plane to plane.

He tossed it lightly against the wall. Boy watched him, and then the ball as it rolled to a stop. He made no effort to chase it.

“You can do it,” Leland whispered. “You just don’t know how yet.”

…

A half hour later, Leland had the bed and the slop buckets and his clothing packed into the corner, and he covered the pile with a sheet. There were no distractions. He tossed the ball again. This time, Boy followed it with his eyes, then looked back to his master with confusion, the desire to please, and utter lack of responsiveness.

“Okay, Boy, we’ll do it again,” Leland whispered. He tossed the ball. Hesitantly, looking back for reassurance, the dog walked toward it, just three steps, and then sat down and looked again at Leland.

“Okay. Okay. That’s a start.” Leland smiled. Reaching for the ball, he paused, staring intently at the only dog he had left. “We’re going to do this,” he said, “you and me.”

The idea was this: People had already made actors famous for emoting. And the audience was always only guessing at what the emotions were. And need for communion was so strong they ignored stunt doubles and stand-ins and all the evidence at hand, to believe for a moment that they and the actor onscreen understood each other.

So why not a dog acting? Leland could teach Boy stunt work, probably, eventually. Many dogs could do that. But that was spectacle, the big sweep. Emotions were the narrow gesture that made the experience feel true. Boy was going to be the first dog that could act. He would be beloved.

Leland put the ball against Boy’s mouth, and Boy opened up and held it in his jaws. Quietly, with the same kind of gentle pressure you’d use on a blindfolded friend, guiding him along a mountain trail toward a magnificent surprise vista, Leland pushed his jaws closed, and the ball let out a squeak.

Boy, shocked, dropped the ball, then immediately picked it up again. Squeak. A pause. Then squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak. His mouth went up into a smile, and his whole body went alert; his world had expanded suddenly, and could just barely contain the wonder of this unknown pleasure.