Animals were coming and going on the stepping stones just like the locals

I stepped into an alley in a residential neighborhood. Both sides of the alley were lined with shabby houses. The alley was muddy after it had rained. I wondered how long it would be before it became muddy. Stepping stones had been placed in the alley so that people did not have to walk on the muddy ground. I walked through the stepping stones one by one. I felt as if I was walking in a Japanese garden. Not only humans but also animals were moving back and forth on the stepping stones. Animals do not like to walk on muddy soil, so they walk on the stepping stones just like humans.

After walking for a while, a stray dog came from the other side. Ever since I was licked by a stray dog in Bangkok last year, I do not feel good about meeting dogs when I travel. I am afraid of rabies. I used to think that rabies is not contagious unless a dog bites you, but now that I know that there is a possibility of infection just by licking a wound, I get nervous whenever I see a stray dog because I have scratches on my body. But the dogs have no way of knowing how I feel. They approached me with a nonchalant look on their faces.

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