Silent film

An dog stirs from where it has been sleeping in a ditch on the side of a dirt road. It lifts its head, rises to an upright sit, then stands fully alert. Its ears are perked up, though its foggy eyes drift. From down the road, a group of children are walking toward the dog, kicking a basketball back and forth between them. The ball stirs up puffs of dust as it rolls. The dog waits, still, until they arrive. The walk by, continuing to laugh and jostle one another. The dog hops stiffly up to the road and follows. After a few more passes, the ball gets past the smallest boy and he has to chase after it. The group stops while he fetches the ball. They all see the dog. One of the boys tries to whistle, but another one lightly punches him in the stomach and they laugh. Another boy claps and calls to the dog. The small boy pulls a plastic baggie out of his pocket and fishes out a couple bits of sliced salami. He tosses them to the dog. The dog shuffles forward, sniffing, and then eats the meat. The dog must make a superabundance fo mouth movements, because the dog doesn't have very many teeth. The small boy beckons, the rest of the boys start walking, and the dog follows behind.

There is a railroad trestle spanning a wide river. The trestle is stained in the places the paint has cracked. The river's surface is wrinkled by current, and flickers in midday sun. The boys arrive down the tracks to the trestle. The dog is following them. One of the boys is carrying the ball. Another boy bends over, picks up a rock from the railroad bed, and throws it at the river. The rock falls short. The biggest boy tousles the thrower's hair as he steps past him onto a walkway along the side of the trestle. The rest of the boys follow until only the dog is standing on firm ground. The dog shuffles slowly on its paws. The smallest boy turns around calls out. The dog shuffles a little more, but sits down. The smallest boy calls again, dropping to a squat and gently clapping his hands. The dog, haltingly, rises to its feet and scampers along the walkway grating. The smallest boy turns back toward the other boys and jogs to catch up.

Midway along the bridge, while the dog is catching up to the boys, a gull swoops down toward its nest among the support beams. It passes close in front of the dog, and the dog hops reflexively to the side. The dog falls. The dog's legs kick as it tumbles through open air. The dog is a very small by the time it reaches the water; the splash soothes fast.

The smallest boy stops walking and turns around. He scowls and speaks to the other boys, who also turn around. The smallest boy leans starts running back along the trestle. Except for the one carrying the ball, the rest of the boys lean over the guardrail to peer down. The smallest boy races down to the riverbank. One of the boys on the bridge yells and points at the river, but the biggest boy knocks away the pointing finger. The boys on the bridge continue staring. The smallest boy walks back and forth and back and forth along the shore. Eventually, he sits down.