I climbed the ladder to trim the old apple tree, the morning sky heavy with dark clouds and the air thick like the calm before a storm. Rain felt inevitable, but I refused to postpone the task; the ladder was ready, and I needed to cut the dried limbs near the house. I leaned it against the trunk and started up, when suddenly I felt a tug from behind. Glancing back, I froze—my dog was trying to climb after me, his paws slipping on the rungs, claws scraping metal, eyes locked on mine. “What are you doing? Stay down!” I called, but instead of obeying, he rose on his hind legs, braced himself, and bit the cuff of my trousers, yanking hard enough to nearly topple me backward. “Hey! Are you insane? Let go!” I shouted, but he refused, digging in with his paws,

pulling with an urgency that felt less like play and more like a warning. I tried to shoo him away, but every time I stepped higher, his jaws clamped down again, jerking me back with frightening force. My chest tightened as the realization struck that one wrong move could send me tumbling. Out of breath and unnerved, I climbed down, glaring at him. “Alright. Since you’re so clever, you’re going on the chain.” He lowered his head as if in guilt, and I led him to the kennel, fastening the chain securely before turning back to the ladder, relieved to finally work undisturbed. But the very moment I placed my hands on the rungs again, the sky split open with a blinding flash. Thunder cracked like a cannon and lightning struck the apple tree—directly where I had planned to climb. The trunk exploded in sparks and bark, smoke curling into the air as I leapt back in shock, shielding my face with trembling hands. For a long second I couldn’t breathe, then the chilling realization struck: had my dog not stopped me, I would have been high on that ladder, right next to the treetop when the lightning hit. Shivering, I turned to him. He stood by the kennel, chain taut, eyes steady and filled with something deeper than words. “My God,” I whispered, voice breaking, “you saved me.” Dropping beside him, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he wagged his tail gently, as if he knew exactly what he had done. In that instant I understood the lesson—sometimes our animals sense dangers our human minds cannot.