School was out for the summer.  No one ran through the halls since no one was late.  No bells rang. No sounds were heard.

Except for the thump-thump-thump of running feet getting closer.

He charged through the door at full speed, all 6 feet and flowing coat, twisted his body to the left and tried to stop from slamming into the row of lockers.   He failed.  Hard. At least he had managed to avoid planting his face into the steel doors.

Regaining his balance and composure he started to race down the hall at a considerably slower pace, quickly reading off the locker numbers.  As he reached the end of the first bank a bark from behind him caused him to turn around just as a small white dog came racing through the same set of doors, albeit in far better control of it’s body.

He smiled.  Then frowned as a roar came from the same general direction, reminding him of what he was running from.

He watched as the dog sped down the hall towards him.  Bracing himself for the leap he expected, it took him a second or two to realize the dog hadn’t slowed in the least as it raced past him almost to the end of the hall.  Suddenly it stopped at the third bank of lockers, look to the right, sat and started barking.

The man looked at the dog with confusion, glanced at the lockers and back at the dog when a smile began to break out on his face.

“Good girl Zena! You found it.”

Zena gave a single responding bark as if it was expected she would know.

He raced down the hall and slide to a stop beside Zena.  Reaching into his breast pocket he pulled out an ordinary key, slipped it into one of the locks, and inexplicably opened the doors of four of the floor to ceiling lockers at the same time.  He then stepped aside as the little dog rushed into the lockers.  Taking a glance over his shoulder back toward the doors from which they had both raced through, an expression of concentration creased his face as he stepped into the lockers and disappeared.