#66 Lyka
For Lyka, My Childhood Playmate Today, I found an old photo from 2013 of Lyka's daughter. I stared at that little dog and suddenly thought of Lyka again. I don't have a photo of Lyka. There were no smartphones back then, and somehow, none of the old photographs I have managed to survive. I wish I had even just one picture of her—something I could look at whenever I miss her. Something that would let me say, “Yes. This was Lyka. This was my dog.” But I remember her. Lyka was my playmate when I was younger. She wasn't just a dog that happened to belong to our family. She was part of my childhood. I remember having her around, being able to play with her, and simply having that little companion who existed in my world when I was a kid. She eventually died after being bitten by a snake. Even now, that feels like such a sad way for her story to end. I wish I could have protected her. I wish there had been more we could have done. But I was young, and some things were simply be...
