Prompts for 13 February 2026 from Scoot
Write about a desert
mythical commonplace
“it’s unlikely, these days”
A character who is in love
In the mythical commonplace of New Mexico, Dexter ruled his herd of humans. With a slight cock of his head, his snaggle tooth on display, his people were incapable of refusing him anything. Sunset walks were his favorite activity; as the heat of the day gave way to the chill of desert evenings, Dexter could see the ancestors weaving baskets, preparing for hunts, and sitting in honor of the gifts of the earth. Always beside them, were little dogs like himself, waiting for treats and affection.
For years the pattern of life remained. Other dogs came and went, each bringing a bit of joy before moving on to somewhere else. His humans changed: they got taller and faster and louder, but at sunset, one of them would whistle for him to leash up.
Until they didn’t. From one sunset to the next, the air in the house became oppressive. Strange sounds emanated from the bedrooms, and no one whistled for him to walk. The first night he worried, but just a little. Surely they would come and get him any minute.
The second night he was hungry. None of his humans seemed to be home, and his bowl remained empty. The backyard hose dripped, so Dexter drank until his belly stopped grumbling. The third and fourth days passed. He grew tired, and took to sleeping near the water. The tiles were hard, but the water was close. It was getting colder.
Dexter dreamed. All the other dogs from his life made appearances: Lucy the Chihuahua with the insatiable appetite, Norman the Beagle who ran away nightly no matter how they secured him, Pico and Taco, the tiniest Poodles he had ever seen, and Mango, the Great Dane who was far and away Dexter’s best friend. They came and went from his dreams, usually in the golden sunsets over desert scrub, but also in monsoons followed by rainbows. The rainbows brightened in every dream. He thought he might follow a rainbow if he ever had the energy.
On the sixth day, Dexter heard shouts and sirens. Suddenly there were strangers everywhere. Big men in dark uniforms with guns. Other men driving beds on wheels. TV people. The chaos made Dexter curl into a tight ball. Lights flashed, people shouted, and one of the rolling beds nearly ran him over. One of the big men—the one with the crooked nose and the skin the color of cedar—knelt beside Dexter.
“Hey, little fella. Have you been hiding here this whole time? It must have been scary for you.”
The man’s hand pulled Dexter up. He smelled like cats. Dexter shivered.
“Guys, I’m going to take this dog to the shelter. Maybe they’ll feed him and someone will adopt him.”
Other men laughed. “It’s unlikely these days. People want puppies, not old boys with googly eyes. And that tooth? Ha. That mutt will be first in line for….” The man clamped Dexter’s ears closed with one massive hand.
The trip to the shelter was short. The big man sat Dexter on a smooth counter and whispered to a lady with kind eyes. Dexter only heard a few words. His humans were not coming back—ever. He hung his head and whimpered as the lady picked him up.
“Thanks Ray,” she said to the man. “I’ll get him bathed and fed. Poor guy. Hopefully someone comes for him before next weekend. Hopefully folks come for all the dogs before then.” She shuddered, but scratched Dexter behind his ears and whispered to him.
Dexter tried not to inhale the kibble she set before him, but he was so hungry. The warm bath relaxed him, and when the kind-eyed lady put him in a cage with a worn blanket, he almost forgave her. He slept without dreaming.
In the mornings, for the next few days, the kind-eyed lady fed Dexter, spoke softly to him, and took him out of the cage. He liked her lap best, but she was busy. People were coming and taking the other dogs away. This made the lady happy, but Dexter started to worry that he would be left all alone again. The lady looked at him, and then her eyes would fill with tears as she returned him to his cage.
When all the other dogs were gone, he heard a van in the driveway and the kind lady laughing. She came to his cage smiling.
“Hey there, sweet boy. You just hit the lottery. These nice people are going to take you to a beautiful farm! You will be safe there. And I hope there is a family that falls in love with you and takes you home forever.” She sniffed, but she wrapped him in the old blanket and took him to the waiting car.
It was a long trip, but the people quietly earned Dexter’s trust. When they arrived at the farm, he wiggled with excitement like he hadn’t felt since his humans were small. There were a dozen or more friends to meet and people who treated him like the distinguished gentleman he imagined himself to be. Before long, he claimed a fluffy red bed without a cage, new friends to run circles with, and a spot in the sun.
And the Carolina sunsets were beautiful.
Dexter’s story is 100% fiction. If you’d like to meet Dexter — the real dog who inspired this story — here’s his rescue page:
https://carolinapoodlerescue.org/animal-detail/?AnimalID=22243689
To read more about Carolina Poodle Rescue, check out their Substack:
