DANGER! Jack Thevictorian!

When we last convened, Hick had pretty much finished the new pool deck. The sun was setting, and he'd gone off, unbeknownst to me, to HOS's place up on the hill. I was minding my own business, walking in the driveway per my evening routine, when Hick and HOS roared into the BARn field on Gator and 4-wheeler. HOS's missus was with them, and his boy young 'un, who is seven.

I finished walking and sat on the porch pew to be sociable. HOS had been assisting Hick with the deck as needed. They were off fiddle-fartin' around in the BARn. HOSMS didn't know what they were doing. I asked her if she'd seen the deck and the steps, just finished that day. She walked around to have a look, and agreed that it looked like a professional job. For around here, anyway.

"I guess they're getting the gate ready, now. It's going to be dark before long."

"They didn't mention a gate. But I guess they could be."

"He can't leave it OPEN like that! Jack'll get down there. As much as he likes water, I'm afraid he'll jump in the pool. He'd drown! The ladder is out, and the water's too low for him to get his paws up on the side."

"Yeah. He wouldn't be able to get out."

"That dog jumps in EVERYTHING! The fish pond, the creek, the goat's water bucket..."

"He always gets in our creek when he comes up to our house. He's always wet."

"I better say something about that gate. He can't leave it open."

I had to get supper, and HOSMS had to get back home for Sonny's bath time. It was a school night. When Hick came in the house for supper, I asked him about the gate.

"I didn't have time to do the gate. I'll work on it tomorrow."

"You can't leave it open! Jack will get in the pool and drown!"

"No! He's not that stupid. Now...if he could reach his head down and drink some of the water...then I think he might jump in. But the water's too far down. He won't do that."

"You'd better be right! Because if I get up in the morning, and my little dog is floating dead in that pool after struggling all night to get out...YOU'LL be the one scooping out his little limp body, and you'll never hear the end of it from me!"

The next morning, I saw that Hick had put the old gate up as a makeshift blockade to keep Jack from the pool.

Good enough for me. I didn't think he'd try to take a high dive through that gap in the rail.

The new gate is up now. But a gate is only as good as the gateKEEPER.
Which is tomorrow's story.

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