Perhaps the woman could help?

May tried to think, blinking her eyes rapidly to clear her head of the hungover drowsiness. Maybe she could ask this woman for help? Maybe this woman would be shocked and disgusted to be confronted by a random naked girl during her morning dog walk? She knew she didn’t have many choices; she guessed it was still early morning, and the park was probably only going to become busier as time passed. She decided to try to attract the woman’s attention.

Trying to remain mostly hidden behind a tree trunk and with the leafy branch still clutched tightly against her body May watched as the woman and the large dog drew nearer. The woman appeared quite elderly, no match for the strength of the powerful dog, and as May watched she leant down to unclip the leach from the dog’s collar. As the dog ran around in circles, snuffling excitedly at the grass, May tried to call out to the lady.

‘Umm, hello,’ she tried, her voice croaky and hoarse. She realised she hadn’t spoken yet since waking, and cleared her throat. ‘Hello!’ she called out a little louder.

The woman didn’t seem to have heard her. But the dog did.

It came bounding over, spittle flying from its jowls, stopping just a metre away from where May was hiding. ‘Hello dog,’ said May in a sing-song voice, ‘can you go get your human? Bring her here. Yes! Yes, go fetch her!’

The dog tilted its head at the words, looking from May’s face to the leafy branch and back again.

May heard the elderly lady call out to her pet. ‘Satan! Satan, where are you? Satan, heel!’

‘Go fetch!’ May tried again. The dog seemed torn – what to do? So many choices!

In an instant the dog leapt forward, paws in the air, it’s powerful jaws clamping onto the thickest part of the leafy stick. May tumbled backwards under its weight, landing flat on her back in the grass. Although she tried to hold on to her only shred of cover the dog was too strong, and with a sharp tug it pulled the branch out of her grasp then ran off across the park, head held high, with May’s stick in its jaws.