At the base of the mountain I have made a new buddy - a small dog named Pickles. During one of my first days at work I looked up and was surprised to see a stray mutt nosing his way into my little cabin. The dog walked right in, hopped up on one of the chairs and looked at me as if to say, "Right, sorry I'm late, let's get down to business" and also "So . . . why isn't the heater working?" I have since found out that Pickles was a regular visitor to the NZSki cabin last season as well which makes sense considering he knew the job better than I did.
I was worried about the little fella because he seemed old and lost so I called the number on the collar which also said, "Hi, my name is Pickles." An older lady answered and told me not to worry. She said that Pickles lived on a nearby farm and "Just liked to go for a wee wander in the mornings." She told me that Pickles was very friendly and that as soon as I had to leave that I was just to point in the direction of the farm and say, "Go home Pickles!" and everything would be fine.
Pickles visits me about every day and has become somewhat of a celebrity as of late. All of the regulars who take the bus absolutely love him and ask about him every day. Today, someone brought their own dog along just to meet Pickles. The other day, Pickles' dad, a farmer, drove up on his tractor to have a chat with me and to make sure it was O.K. that his dog was hanging out with me at the base of the mountain every morning. Since it can get a little lonely in the cabin at times, I am more than happy to share my working hours with an exceptionally curious and friendly little dog.
With all of these animals following you around, I'm not so sure you're not actually Snow White or Cinderella!