Markos
The Determined One
An unruly dog who, due to an accident, has lost one of his legs.
When a big storm breaks out, he helps the whole village build the bridge that connects the village to the stable. He understands that strength is not only measured by physical ability but mainly by believing in ourself.
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Once upon a time, in a small and quiet village, there lived a lovely dog, Markos, with his boss Antonis. Markos was full of energy and constantly smiling. He always looked forward to going out, running around on the hillside, rolling around in the grass, chomping in the waters of the river near their house and messing with Antonis' sheep in the stable. Markos known to be a teaser! He was, of course, very careful of the little sheep but...at the same time...he could irritate them in a heartbeat! He would bark at them all of a sudden, hide behind their food and jump out without them expecting it , or he would make them dizzy by running around all the time. What a rascal he was! But he loved them dearly and took care of them as much as he could! When they went out on their daily long walks on the mountainside, he took care of them as if they were his own. He would line them up , making sure none lost their way and that they all made it back to the barn safely. The little sheep also loved and listened to him. They knew that Markos was a very special dog. Because of an accident when he was a little puppy, he only had his three little legs. Despite this, he had adapted to the new reality of his life very early on! He had decided that nothing could deprive him of the joys offered by each day!
One morning while Markos was playing on the mountainside with his friends, Joe the hedgehog, Bill the rabbit and Leah the turtle, something strange happened. Suddenly, many clouds gathered and the sky turned dark.
“Hurry to your nests!” called Jan the hawk , who was now flying over them and added "Can't you see how dark the sky has become? A storm is coming! Run quickly to your homes!"
After Markos messed with Bill, Leah and Joe for a bit more, they said goodbye and started on their way home. The rain had already started by the time Marcos reached his house. There, he found Anthony very worried! He kept going up and down , up and down! He was holding his chin and for hours and hours, scratching his head.
Something is going on, Mark thought. What's wrong with Anthony?
“Woof, woof, woof!” Mark was trying to get Anthony's attention to figure out what was happening.
“Marko , we have a problem,” Antonis said, looking at his good friend in concern.
“It's raining hard, the river is overflowing and Mr. Pantelis told me that it washed away the small wooden bridge that connects the village to our barn.”
Markos froze. His tail stood still, he pricked up his ears and turned his head slightly, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
The silence didn't last long. Marcus began to twirl around his tail in panic. He kept thinking, “We have to do something, we have to do something. My friends are in danger! The little sheep! We must save them!”
Antonis, as if he understood Markos's thoughts, felt something shake him awake. He quickly put on his raincoat and set off with his trusty dog to go to the river. It wasn't long before they arrived. Mark was running so fast that even Antonis found it difficult to keep up with his pace! Once they arrived, they saw the whole village had gathered around the river shouting and trying to find a way across to save the poor little sheep. The water was already very close to the stable.
Mark had no time to waste! He began to observe the area around him persistently , trying to find something that would seem useful. And he found it! At the edge of the bank he spotted some thick ropes left over from some old village projects. He wasted no time and started barking at Antonis and pulling at his trousers.
“What is it Marko, did you find something?”
Markos quickly led him to the ropes.
"You're amazing! How come we didn't think of this sooner, Marko? Yes... of course... Good for you!"
Antonis, with the help of the villagers, gathered all the remaining wood from the demolished bridge and, skillfully, tied them together with the thick rope, creating something like a raft. But there was another, perhaps more important, problem: the river was rough, and in order to use the raft safely, someone had to get the end of the rope across to the opposite bank and fasten it around a stake, so that the raft could be stabilized. That way, Anthony could cross the river without danger.
“Woof, woof, woof!”
“Marko are you sure?” asked Antonis.
Markos just waited for a nod from Antonis to start.
“I trust you, but I want you to be careful!”, Antonis told him.
Markos, cautiously, clenched the end of the rope with his teeth and took a deep breath. His eyes scanned the surface of the river, focusing on the rocks that were appearing and disappearing over and over again, because of the rushing waters. He knew his only chance of getting through was to step on them with precision and maintain his balance.
Having three legs, he put all his weight on his front ones, using his back leg for support. The first jump was the hardest one.ΗHis heart was pounding, but his legs moved in perfect synchronisation! He landed on the first rock, which was quite slippery from the water, but he kept his balance by slightly tilting his body left and right.
The river was raging around him, the water surrounded the edges of the rocks, as if trying to throw him. Still, Markos was determined! With careful, calculated movements, he jumped onto the next rock and then the next, each time checking the ground before stepping on it. A wave hit him hard on the side, making him slip slightly, but with a quick flick of his tail, he regained his balance.
He could now see the opposite bank getting closer. With one last, strong leap, he was on land, soaked but safe. He ran up to the stake and, with a quick head movement, he passed the rope around it and pulled firmly to secure it.
The raft was now steady, and Antonis was already on it and approaching Marko.
“I have no idea what I would do without you!” said Anthony fondly to him and ran towards the stable. The little sheep were terribly scared , but with Markos's help, they quickly lined up and got on the raft. Now everyone was safe.
The villagers cheered with joy, stroking and praising Marko, who didn't hesitate once. Antonis leaned down and whispered to him:
"Marko, you are very special! Today you taught us a wonderful lesson! True strength isn't measured only by physical ability, but mainly, by a rigid belief in yourself. When we work together and trust our abilities, we can overcome any obstacle and accomplish great things."
Mark could not contain his joy! He was spinning around his tail and enjoying the petting of the villagers and the tender words of Antonis.
