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About three years have passed since the kind family of Merriam, Arthur, and Alyssa took me into their home and cared for me since. I remember images of my past, but only out of sequences of the past, not enough to piece together all the random and mostly incoherent images. Like a puzzle missing pieces. I was fascinated by my new owners stories and decided that they where the only ones that could be my parents. I have listened to countless stories from them; stories of a baby called, Chucky Finster. Stories of a crazy guy who has head aches and carries a thing called a sword a person who aspires to be a master crook, even a strange story of animals in a school. My favorites by far are, Ditto and a person with a “rifle,” I think they are called. By far however, a sad story they told me still affects me even until now. The story of Alyssa’s parents. They where both in this thing called the army, and they where both killed, leaving Arthur and Merriam to look after Alyssa. It brings a tear to my eye every time.

I am about five years old in human years now (35 in my years). My fur is a bright, glistening gold that is trademark to all retrievers. Alyssa is about four years old in human years, but she is still pretty small. Sometimes when she is playing out in the front yard and a meal is ready, they have me go and get her. I pick her up by the back of her shirt and bring her in the house, if this doesn’t get a laugh out of Arthur or Merriam, then her response dose. She would say, “Hi Uncle and Aunty, I’m here!” I can still eat at the table with the family except when company is over, but I still get fed as much. There was one supper that was special however. One that started with the feeling of fear.

One year ago…

The smell of Merriam’s wonderful home made bread filled the air, complementing the mouth watering sent of roast beef. Alyssa was sitting next to me, petting my coat, making sounds with her mouth resembling human bowl movements and laughing all the while. ( I still don’t know what is so funny about that.) My mind wandered off, trying to remember how I had revived the injuries I had attained last year. The wound had receded into mere scars. I remember I was running, but what from I wondered. That little thing picked at my mind like the rooster all on a farm at four- thirty in the morning…Wait… Farm? Why did I say farm… How would I know? I don’t think I was veer on a farm… Was I? I rubbed my snout with my paws, what I always did when I was confused.

My head snapped up at the sound of a truck. Why did it sound so familiar? I could smell it, both the car and its driver. It bore the sent of animals. The smell of hay, and paint, and tractors. But this didn’t make sense, how did I know all these smells. I could swear that I had never been on a farm before. How did I know these smells where from a farm? Three sharp knocks on the door rand through the house. “Coming, just a second please” Merriam shouted from the kitchen. Her large figure waddled to the door. Why did the familiarity of this visitor’s sent haunt me? Who could it be? Merriam opened up the door and said, “Ah! Eustace! My brother! How have you been?! It’s been ages!” “Hello, Merriam. Good to see you. I understand you have a dog now? I came to see him.” That voice… that voice was so agonizingly familiar. It was at the tip of my mind but could not remember whose it was. It was driving me to insanity. “Of course Eustace, Do you think I would ever bar my own brother form our humble house? Come in, come in!” Merriam stood to the side to allow the stranger she called Eustace, to enter. My eyes met his, and a sudden wave of memories filled my head. A farm, chickens, horses, a cow kicking me into it’s leavings, my mother, Gruff… Gruff, my brother, my brother that he did not even hesitate to sell to that awful man. My mind was filled with the agonizing pain of a thousand orders, feelings, sights, and sounds, filing into my head in one simultaneous moment. THE FARMER!!! It was him! He came to dispose of me the way he did Gruff! He looked at me for a long hard moment. His eyes widened in shock, his mouth fell, and his lips uttered, “Sparky?”