"Umm…excuse me, can you get Little Hayden his ball toy? It’s in my room, I think if you ask one of the maids, she should be able to get it for you…" I requested with a pleading voice.


    "Sure…" one of the guards replied emotionlessly after a short pause.


    I continued sketching and soon after, Little Hayden had a red little ball to y with in the grass. Now only if he had someone to y around with him, the day would be so perfect for the little guy. I nced over at the stern-looking guards and shook my head softly to myself as I gave up on the idea. I don’t think any of them would be willing to y ball with my little puppy.


    Sorry, Little Hayden, you’re going to have to y by yourself for today.


    Right now, I found it a great idea to have the guards with me. Not because I felt like I was in any real danger, but it was useful to have them help keep an eye on Little Hayden as he yed around in the grass to make sure that he didn’t wander off while I was busy sketching or working on my artwork.


    The sketches of the various flowers that I’ve drawn up to this point seemed decent enough. However, there wasn’t anything new or outstanding about that. I’ve sketched many flowers before up to this point and I wasn’t sure if it was adding any new range to my skill as an artist. A depressed sigh left my lips as I stared down at the sketchbook while I wondered what I should do next.


    My eyes rove around the scenery, trying to find something that was worth sketching. Something new, a little moreplex or something that I wasn’t used to sketching. I’ve done a lot of sketches and paintings of trees and flowers before so that was out of the question. I could use some practice on sketching people, I thought as my eyes fell on the bodyguard standing nearby.


    His facial hair would make the sketch more challenging in terms of texture and tone.


    I sighed again and shook my head to myself. There was no way that he would just sit and let me sketch him. Plus, the guards are supposed to be working right now. My eyes wandered and then stopped at the little furball sitting very close to my feet. What about…


    "Little Hayden…would you like to be my model for today?" I asked cheerfully.


    Little Hayden, who by now had figured out that that was his name, turned and looked up at my face. Iughed a little and he immediately began wagging his tail enthusiastically. It was clear that he was happy about everything that was going on in his life right now. I had almost no experience sketching animals, especially very furry ones like Little Hayden so he would be the perfect subject.


    New and challenging. Perfect.


    Now, I just need to figure out how to make him pose and stay rtively still. Before when he wasying on his favorite spot on the grass, he was quite calm and stayed quite still. That might work but how do I get him toy down there again?


    I looked down at the active and energetic puppy that was running around in the grass and suddenly, I started feeling hopeless. What if I put him on a chair or something? Maybe that would work…


    "Excuse me, can someone get me a chair or a stool? I want to sketch Little Hayden so…" I requested with a smile.


    "Sure…" one of the guards replied curtly with a nod.


    Soon after, the chair arrived, and I carried Little Hayden up and seated him on the chair. He looked confused at first but then his optimism returned in full stream, and he was all smiles again. His eyes sparkled as he looked at me. He sat down and because there wasn’t a lot of space on the chair, he was sort of forced to stay in ce.


    I sat down on the grass close by and just like magic, Little Hayden looked straight at me. I sketched him while he sat and watched what I was doing.


    Knowing that he probably wont stay like that forever or he would die of boredom sometime soon, I concentrated on sketching a little faster than usual. It was a challenge to capture the soft texture of the puppy’s fur on paper and also the expression in his eyes. This clearly was an area that I needed to practice and improve upon.


    After I was quite satisfied with the sketching session for the day, I decided to wrap up. I thanked Little Hayden for his help and ced him back down on the grass. The final mission before we go back in is to get him to pee.


    "Little Hayden, it’s time for you to go to the toilet. Anywhere on the grass is fine…" I said encouragingly.


    The little corgi gave me a confused look before walking away. Clearly, that didn’t work out the way that I had expected. Is it normal that he hasn’t peed since we came out here? Was he too dehydrated to go to the toilet? Should I feed him some water first?


    I watched as Little Hayden walked leisurely around as I tried to give him some space. He began sniffing the grass here and there. It wasn’t like I was in a hurry to get back inside. I decided to wait for him as he seemed to search for the right spot to attend to his business. Suddenly, Little Hayden started peeing onto the grass.


    "Wow…finally!" I eximed in joy as I pped my hands together.


    My reaction drew suspicious stares from the guards, and I realized that I must have acted strangely. They probably think that I’m weird. However, I couldn’t care less. Little Hayden hadpleted his mission of going to the toilet outside for the first time ever! I felt so proud of his little achievement. This must be what it felt like to be a proud mum.


    --To be continued…