Five women, friends for many years, had settled comfortably on large towels beneath the warm summer sun. At last, they could rest and enjoy their vacation together. They talked, laughed, told each other the latest stories, and sometimes simply gazed into the distance at the calm sea.
Beside them, in a wicker basket, lay homemade cakes, fruit, and cold drinks. The atmosphere was light and carefree.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a dog appeared — a medium-sized mixed-breed with shaggy fur and a very watchful look. He began circling around the women, barking loudly and wagging his tail energetically, but there was something strangely nervous in his behavior.
— Look, how funny he is! — one of the women laughed, holding out a piece of cake toward him.
— He’s probably hungry — the second added, tossing him another piece of food.
But the dog did not even look at the food. He kept running around them, going first to one woman, then to another, barking louder and louder. The friends fell silent, sensing that something was wrong.
At one point, one of them — the most observant one — suddenly turned pale.
— GIRLS… LOOK AT HIS FUR! 😱😱
With a trembling hand, she pointed to the dog’s side. Between the reddish strands of fur, dark stains could be seen — blood.
The women looked at one another in disbelief, then carefully stepped closer. Indeed, there were traces of fresh blood on the dog’s paws and side.
— God… is he hurt? — one of the frightened friends asked.
But the dog did not look injured. He was not limping, not whimpering, and did not seem to be in pain. Suddenly, he turned around and ran toward the rocky shore.
The women exchanged confused glances and decided to follow him. They quickly jumped up from their towels and began running across the hot sand.
When they reached the spot, their hearts tightened. On a wet patch of sand right by the water lay an unconscious man. A dark pool of blood was spreading beneath his head, and beside him lay a wet stone — most likely, he had slipped and hit his head hard.
THE DOG RAN UP TO HIM, SNIFFED HIM, AND BEGAN BARKING AGAIN, AS IF BEGGING FOR HELP. THE WOMEN LOOKED AT ONE ANOTHER IN TERROR, AND ONE OF THEM IMMEDIATELY PULLED OUT HER PHONE AND, WITH TREMBLING HANDS, CALLED FOR AN AMBULANCE.
— Is he breathing? — one of the women asked, kneeling beside the man.
— Very weakly… — the second answered quietly, placing her hand on his chest.
The friends tried to keep him conscious, calmed the dog, and waited for the rescuers to arrive.
Each of them was thinking the same thing — if it had not been for that faithful dog, they would never have known that just a few meters away from the place where they were resting, a real tragedy was unfolding.
A few minutes later, the sound of an ambulance siren pierced the summer air. The rescuers carefully placed the man on a stretcher. The women breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the paramedics give him help.
And the dog finally calmed down. He walked up to one of the women and allowed himself to be stroked, as if he wanted to thank them for saving the man.
