There are only two people...

who use the long beach in the mornings, 

myself and a local farmer with a dog called Hokto.  

Hokto is a scruffy grey mutt that looks like he's been created by Dr.Seuss. 

The farmer is not much different, squat and tubby. 

In the winter months he often gets out before me 

and leaves his footprints on the beach.

He walks with short steps, feet splayed out. 

One morning I tried walking in his footprints 

and found myself doing a Charlie Chaplin imitation.

In the summer months I get out before him to avoid the sun 

so my footprints are the only ones on the beach.

This morning I had finished our walk 

 and was sat on a driftwood seat I had made at the beach exit.  

The farmer and Hokto appeared at their usual place 

midway down the beach where the boats are pulled up.  

Him and Hokto started off away from us 

and then as I watched he started acting strangely. 

At that distance it was at first hard to imagine what he was doing.  

The little farmer was swinging his arms 

and taking giant strides like a Greek palace guard. 

He was walking in my footprints. 

And, amazingly, he kept going like that until he became a dot on the beach. 

Even Duke laughed.

Maybe he found out it was better exercise than his usual waddle.

Or maybe he wondered how it felt to be in the shoes of a tall gaijin.