the longhound is exactly as long as whatever room it has entered. in a hallway he is the length of the hallway. in a cupboard he is the length of the cupboard, folded several times. he is never crowded and never bumps anything.
he is a quiet dog. the head rests near one wall and the tail near the other; the middle is somewhere in between, less defined. he has been measured at 4 metres, at 11 metres, at — in the long corridor — 38 metres. no two measurements have agreed.
he sleeps in the largest available room. he prefers libraries and disused churches. small visitors are tolerated. children are permitted to walk the length of him, counting, though the count is never the same twice.
— he had been in our hall as long as i could remember. when we moved house he came too. he is now the length of the new hall. — sister of m.