She wakes up long before they do. She waits for the light outside the windows to turn periwinkle. Now she knows she'll see them soon.
Soon they stir upstairs, a place she's only seen once or twice. It's forbidden to go up there. No one knows why. At least, she doesn't know why.
She waits and listens. She tries to figure out what they are doing as she hears them moving around, their feet shuffling on the wood floor, conversation, some laughter. She sees the dim light that they must have turned on just now. What takes them so long? She wants to see them, to show them the red rubber ball and playfully growl at them so they'll try to take the ball away and throw it for her.
She hears the same noises she hears every morning. What are they doing? Why don't they hurry? Aren't they excited to start the day with her?
The stairway pendant light goes on. They're coming down! She grabs her ball and runs to the bottom of the stairs, sliding a little on the wood. Finally!
Again, she waits, her entire body moving in response to her wagging tail. She sees his slippers through the slats of the first step at the top! He's on the landing! Now she's there, too! A yip will speed them up.
"Yip! Yip!" Hurry up!