The Dog Who Couldn't Swim

Marcus had never been more embarrassed in his life.

Here he was, fifteen years old, standing at the edge of the community pool while six-year-olds did cannonballs around him. His older brother Jake had promised to teach him to swim, but Jake was too busy flirting with the lifeguard to notice Marcus was practically hyperventilating.

"You good, bro?" Jake asked, finally looking over.

"Fine," Marcus lied, adjusting his backward baseball hat. The hat was his armor. With it on, he could pretend he was chill, unbothered, totally not moments away from a panic attack.

Then he saw THE dog.

It was some scraggly golden retriever mix, wandering along the pool fence, tail wagging like it had just won the lottery. The dog locked eyes with Marcus, tongue lolling, and let out this excited bark that made three different moms turn and stare.

"Great," Marcus muttered. "Now I'm the scared kid AND the dog whisperer."

The dog found a gap in the fence and bolted straight toward him. Marcus tried to back away, but his heels were already at the pool's edge. One slippery tile, one startled yelp, and suddenly Marcus was underwater.

The silence was peaceful until he wasn't.

He flailed, swallowed chlorine, and something grabbed his shirt. Jake? The lifeguard?

Marcus broke the surface gasping, expecting salvation. Instead, he found himself being hauled toward the shallow end by the dog, who was paddling with determination, somehow gripping his shirt between her teeth.

"DUDE," someone yelled. "That dog just saved your life!"

The dog deposited Marcus in three feet of water, then shook herself off like a conquering hero. Everyone was staring, but not like they were before. This time, they were impressed.

"Your dog is a freaking legend," Jake said, grinning. "And you're officially swimming, bro. Sort of."

Marcus laughed, water dripping from his hat. The dog swam over and nudged his hand like she'd known him forever.

"Yeah," he said, scratching behind her ears. "I guess we both figured it out."

His name tag read: LUNA - IF FOUND, CALL 555-0192. Marcus didn't call right away. Some heroes deserved an origin story first.