Marko ima dvadeset godina i studira biologiju. On živi u malom gradu na obali Save. Njegov najbolji prijatelj nije čovek, već pas po imenu Lajka. Lajka je mešanka, crna sa belim šapama, i Marko ju je pronašao pre tri godine kao štene na ulici. Od tada su nerazdvojni: šetaju svako jutro, igraju se u dvorištu i zajedno odlaze na reku.
Jednog prolećnog dana, Marko je krenuo na fakultet, a Lajka je ostala u dvorištu. Kada se vratio kući posle predavanja, kapija je bila otvorena, a pas nigde. Marko je odmah osetio strah i paniku. Počeo je da doziva: „Lajka! Lajka!“ ali se ništa nije čulo.
Prvo je obišao komšiluk. Pitao je baku iz susedne kuće da li je videla psa. Ona je rekla da je videla Lajku kako trči niz ulicu za biciklom nekog dečaka. Marko je potrčao u tom pravcu, ali je nije pronašao.
Te noći nije mogao da spava. Stalno je razmišljao gde je Lajka. „Možda je otišla predaleko, možda je gladna ili uplašena,“ mislio je. Sutradan je odštampao plakate sa njenom slikom i zalepio ih na bandere po gradu. Napisao je: „Nestao pas, odaziva se na ime Lajka. Ako je vidite, pozovite ovaj broj.“
Nakon tri dana, Marko je dobio poziv. Javio se dečak iz obližnjeg sela: „Mislim da sam video psa sa belim šapama kod naše škole.“ Marko je odmah seo na bicikl i vozio se deset kilometara do sela. Srce mu je snažno kucalo od uzbuđenja i straha: šta ako nije ona?
Kada je stigao, video je grupu dece kako se igra na školskom igralištu. Pored njih je ležao crni pas sa belim šapama. Kada je viknuo: „Lajka!“, pas je skočio i potrčao prema njemu, mašući repom. Deca su se iznenadila, a Marko je zagrlio psa i skoro zaplakao od sreće.
Dečak mu je objasnio da je pas došao sam u selo i da su ga hranili hlebom. Marko se zahvalio deci i rekao im da dođu u grad da ga posete, da će im pokazati reku i igrati fudbal. Deca su se obradovala i obećala da će doći.
Na povratku kući, Marko je razmišljao koliko znači prijateljstvo između čoveka i psa. Lajka je možda samo pas, ali za njega je bila porodica. Kada su stigli kući, zatvorio je kapiju i seo na klupu. Pogledao je Lajku i rekao: „Više te nikad neću ostaviti samu. Ti si moj najbolji prijatelj.“
Te večeri, dok je Lajka spavala pored njega, Marko je pisao u svoj dnevnik: „Naučio sam da ljubav nije samo među ljudima. Ljubav je i u pogledu psa koji te čeka, u njegovoj odanosti i tišini. Ponekad tek kada izgubiš nešto shvatiš koliko ti znači.“
Marko is twenty years old and studies biology. He lives in a small town on the banks of the Sava River. His best friend is not a person, but a dog named Lajka. Lajka is a mixed breed, black with white paws, and Marko found her three years ago as a puppy on the street. Since then, they have been inseparable: they go for a walk every morning, play in the yard, and go together to the river.
One spring day, Marko went to university, and Lajka stayed in the yard. When he came back home after classes, the gate was open and the dog was nowhere to be seen. Marko immediately felt fear and panic. He began calling: “Lajka! Lajka!” but nothing was heard.
First he went around the neighborhood. He asked the grandmother from the next house if she had seen the dog. She said she had seen Lajka running down the street after a boy on a bicycle. Marko ran in that direction, but he did not find her.
That night he couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about where Lajka might be. “Maybe she went too far, maybe she’s hungry or scared,” he thought. The next day, he printed posters with her picture and put them on poles all over town. He wrote: “Lost dog, responds to the name Lajka. If you see her, call this number.”
After three days, Marko received a phone call. A boy from a nearby village said: “I think I saw a dog with white paws near our school.” Marko immediately got on his bicycle and rode ten kilometers to the village. His heart was beating fast with excitement and fear: what if it wasn’t her?
When he arrived, he saw a group of children playing in the schoolyard. Beside them lay a black dog with white paws. When he shouted: “Lajka!”, the dog jumped up and ran toward him, wagging her tail. The children were surprised, and Marko hugged the dog and almost cried with joy.
The boy explained to him that the dog had come to the village on her own and that they had been feeding her with bread. Marko thanked the children and told them to come to the town to visit him, that he would show them the river and play football with them. The children were happy and promised they would come.
On the way home, Marko thought about how important the friendship between man and dog is. Lajka may be just a dog, but for him she was family. When they got home, he closed the gate and sat on the bench. He looked at Lajka and said: “I will never leave you alone again. You are my best friend.”
That evening, while Lajka slept beside him, Marko wrote in his diary: “I learned that love is not only between people. Love is also in the eyes of a dog who waits for you, in its loyalty and its silence. Sometimes only when you lose something do you realize how much it means to you.”
Actions (verbs)
- naći – to find
- nestati – to disappear, to be lost
- dozivati – to call out
- pitati – to ask
- trčati – to run
- odštampati – to print
- zalepiti – to stick, post (posters)
- javiti se – to call / report
- voziti se biciklom – to ride a bicycle
- zagrliti – to hug
- plakati – to cry
- obećati – to promise
- pisati u dnevnik – to write in a diary
Emotions
- strah – fear
- panika – panic
- uzbuđenje – excitement
- radost / sreća – joy, happiness
- odanost – loyalty
- ljubav – love
Objects
- plakat – poster
- slika – picture
- broj telefona – phone number
- klupa – bench
- dnevnik – diary