Radov

It was a beautiful summer day, and I decided it was time for a proper swim. I persuaded my human, and before I knew it, I was jumping out of the Toyota in a small parking lot just a stone’s throw from Tchořovice. As soon as my paws touched solid ground and my human packed the essentials, I set off along a dirt path past a few houses into the beautiful countryside.

Before I knew it, I had crossed the fields and entered the forest. The dirt path turned into a soft forest trail full of puddles and small waterholes. I followed the forest path for only a short while before I reached a crossroads. I had to decide whether to go right or left. Since I had recently been to the right, I took the paved forest path to the left, curious to see where it would lead me.

I walked slowly alongside my human, enjoying the moment and the here and now. My nose caught the wonderful scent of water, my ears listened to the playful sounds of duck friends, but my eyes saw no water. All I could see were trees and bushes. But my whole being knew that water was near.

To this day, I don’t know why, but suddenly my paws began to move on their own. With a wag of my tail to say goodbye to my human, I sprinted forward along the paved forest path toward a new adventure.

Paw followed paw, tree after tree passed by. I dashed past a stump, past a boulder, and suddenly the landscape opened up before me, revealing more water than I had seen in a long time. Everywhere my right eye could see, there was water. In the middle of the water stood a large rock, and on it sat a duck friend next to another duck friend. At the far end of the dam, in the distance, I saw trees and a small house.

As soon as I saw the water, I knew I was going to have a proper swim. But how to get into the water, I wasn’t sure. I stood on the dam, and below me was a short but steep slope. A slope so steep that I might not be able to climb out of the water. But getting into the water would have been quick—one long jump would have been enough.

With plenty of water to my right, I continued along the dam. I dashed to the middle of the dam and kept going. I was almost at the end of the pond when, right before me, a wooden house appeared in all its glory, and just behind it, a small path led directly into the pond.

Of course, I left the house for later. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere. I picked up speed and sprinted forward faster than ever. I raced past the house, slid down the path, and in a flash, I was belly-deep in the water. Before I knew it, I was completely submerged, with only my tail and head above the surface. The rest of me was enjoying a fantastic swim.

I swam to the center of the pond, swam along the dam. When my strength began to wane, I climbed out of the water and explored the house I had passed on my way. I discovered it was a fisherman’s house, full of delicious treats for my water friends, judging by the smell.

Once I had the house fully scoped out and was thoroughly refreshed, I headed back to my human. As soon as I stopped beside her, a rumbling sound broke the silence. But it wasn’t the rumble of cloud friends; it was the growl of my belly, hungry after a good swim. I glanced at my human, and it was instantly clear where our journey would lead next. I knew we’d head to nearby Tchořovice to the local pub for a delicious meal, just like we always do when exploring Tchořovice.