**The Leash of Fate**
The first rays of morning sun, soft yet insistent, crept through the thin curtains, casting golden flecks of light across the sleeping womans face. They seemed to whisper, *”Wake up, the world is beautiful, and it waits for you.”* Eleanor stretched beneath the covers, savouring the lightness in her limbs after a deep, restful sleep. It was a well-earned reward for years of discipline.
It had been eight years, two months, and seventeen days since she had shown her husband the door. Not that she countedbut the date had etched itself into her memory as the start of her real life. Their son, Edward, had grown into a capable young man. He was in his final year at Cambridge, absorbed in his studies and part-time work, visiting home less and less.
*”Mum, Ive got exams, then my shift at the café, and Laura and I”* shed hear, and though a quiet sadness tugged at her, shed cheerfully reply, *”Of course, love, I understand. Im perfectly fine!”* And it was true. Her life had purpose and order.
At forty-three, Eleanor felt a decade younger. Slim, poised, with clear grey-blue eyes, she defied her age. Her secret was simple: four years of unwavering routine. Up at six, a morning run, a cold shower, a proper breakfast, then straight to the office. She worked as a manager for a well-respected firm, and her punctuality was legendary. The director, a stickler for discipline with an uncanny knack for spotting latecomers, loathed tardiness.
Shed often seen him materialise in the corridor at precisely 9:01, looming before some breathless colleague. *”Late again? Shouldve set your alarm earlier. Hand me a written explanation by noon.”* His low, commanding voice sent shivers down spineseven those of the innocent.
Eleanor was well-liked in the office. Sharp, driven, always ready to lend a hand. Down-to-earth, easy to talk to. But her personal life had been quiet since the divorce. Work, self-care, and her loyal companiona golden Labrador named Alfie, whom she affectionately called Alffilled her days.
Alf had been the reason for those invigorating morning runs. He was her alarm clock, her trainer, her most devoted friend. A handsome creature with kind, knowing eyes and boundless affection. He never caused trouble; his easygoing nature was the best antidote to loneliness. Years ago, when choosing a breed, shed consulted a friends husband. *”Get a Labrador,”* hed said. *”You wont regret it. A friend, a cure for solitude, and a therapist rolled into one.”* He hadnt been wrong.
As a girl, shed always had dogs, but marriage to Robert had put an end to that. He despised animals. *”If you bring some filthy mutt into this flat, I swear Ill toss it out the seventh-floor window,”* hed snarled, the venom in his eyes so real shed believed him.
In the end, it was she whod nearly thrown *him* outwhen, drunk and raging, hed raised a hand to her for the first time. She hadnt the strength, only the heartbreak. Shed sobbed in the bedroom as he stormed about the flat, then finally slammed the door, taking the bags shed packed for him. Fifteen years togetherthe last three a living hell. Robert had failed as a husband, as a fatherselfish, bitter, perpetually dissatisfied. That slap had been the final straw. Thank God Edward hadnt been home.
*”Better alone than trapped in misery, setting a wretched example for my son,”* shed told herself then. And shed been right. Eight years of peace, of harmony. Men had stayed at arms lengthRobert had soured her on them for life.
One warm August morning, the air thick with the last breath of summer, Eleanor rose and peeked into the hall. Alf was already waiting by the door, leash clamped in his jaws, tail thumping the floor. *”Good boy! Who needs an alarm with you around?”* She slipped on her trainers. *”Alright, lets go!”*
Their park was just across the road, a green oasis with neat footpaths. At this hour, it buzzed with joggers, cyclists, fellow dog-walkers. Eleanor unclipped the leash, and Alf bolted ahead, glancing back to ensure she followed.
She ran at an easy pace, nodding to familiar strangersfellow morning enthusiasts. Then, from behind a lilac bush, came a sharp yelp. Eleanor veered off the path and froze. Alf stood rigid, hackles raised, before a tiny black kitten, ears flattened in fear. Her heart lurchedshe knew Alf wouldnt harm it, but instinct sent her forward
And in that moment, the world flipped. Her foot caught on a hidden rock, twisting with a sickening crack. White-hot pain seared through her leg. She crashed to the ground with a gasp, vision swimming. *”No not this”* She forced herself to lookher leg bent at an unnatural angle. *”Alf, what have you done?”* The kitten had vanished. Alf licked her cheek once, then tore away into the bushes.
Despair clamped around her throat. Pain, fear, thoughts of Alf, work, utter helplessnessall twisted into a knot. She tried to push herself up, but it was useless. Tears spilled unbidden.
Meanwhile, Alf raced down the path like a mad thing. He found the man he soughttall, athletic, a fellow regular. The dog skidded to a halt before him, barking urgently. *”Hey there, handsome!”* the man chuckled. *”Wheres your owner? Something wrong?”*
Alf barked again, then bolted back the way hed come, glancing over his shoulder to ensure the man followed. At the bushes, he stopped and howled.
The manhis name was Jamesparted the branches and saw her. Pale, tear-streaked, her face twisted in pain. *”Morning though I see its not the best one,”* he corrected, kneeling beside her. *”What happened? Your dog sounded the alarm. Clever lad.”*
Eleanor gritted her teeth. *”My leg I think its broken. Cant move it.”*
*”Well get an ambulance,”* he said, calm and efficient, his steadiness seeping into her.
The paramedics arrived swiftly. *”Definitely a fracture,”* the doctor confirmed. *”Hospital, X-rays, resetting.”*
*”ButAlf? I live alone wholl look after him?”*
James didnt hesitate. *”Give me the leash. Ill take him.”*
*”But weve only just met”*
*”James,”* he said simply. *”Well sort it. Lets swap numbers.”*
As the medics lifted her onto the stretcher, she saw Alf whining, straining toward her, James holding him fast, murmuring reassurance.
The ambulance left. James stood with the dog. *”Right, mate. Youre with me now.”*
Alf walked solemnly beside him, shoulders slumped with worry.
James owned a garage and parts shop. Divorced a year priorhis wife had left him for a younger man. His father, shrewd, had insisted the business stay in his name. *”Lifes unpredictable, son. Trust me.”* Now, James was grateful for that wisdom.
That evening, his phone rang. *”James? Its the hospital. Your friends doing alright, but its a complex break. Shell need time.”*
*”Any breaks that *arent* complicated?”* James joked.
*”Plenty!”* the doctor laughed. *”Visit her. Shell be discharged soon, but shell need rides for check-ups.”*
Eleanor lay in the ward, her leg encased in plaster. The pain had dulled, but loneliness gnawed at her. She stared out the window, thinking of Alf, of burdening a strangeruntil James walked in, arms laden with fruit and juice.
*”Why the long face?”* he teased, setting the gifts down.
*”Im so sorry for all this trouble”*
*”Nonsense,”* he cut in, switching effortlessly to warmth. *”Alf sends his love. Misses you terribly. Hurry up and heal, yeah?”*
He joked, told stories, and before she knew it, she smileda radiant thing that caught him off guard.
A week later, discharged and on crutches, she called him. *”James, could you? I can manage a taxi”*
*”Already on my way,”* he interrupted.
An hour later, his car idled outside the hospital. As he helped her in, a blur of gold launched from the back seatAlf, whining, licking her face, her hands, quivering with joy.
*”Alf! Oh, my darling boy!”* She buried her face
