CARIBBEAN Age 8-11: Hero by Aaron Dean

Title: Hero “I can’t do it, No! It’s too hard, after all these years together…”

I’ll never forget the rainy Saturday afternoon when I first saw my best buddy and loyal companion. Beautiful, intelligent and strong, but he wasn’t always a beautiful sight.

After three endless hours the rain had finally stopped. I was glad to be outdoors again, looking for new species of bugs. I heard a small whimper. I stopped and looked around, but saw nothing more than a few croaking frogs. I heard the sound again. Curious, I ​stealthily made my way over to the gigantic Silk Cotton tree in my backyard.

To my surprise, a scrawny little puppy laid shivering between the roots of the tree. I tried to walk away but the puppy whimpered loudly. Was he begging me not to abandon him? My body froze the moment I looked into his dark, helpless eyes. I gave in, picked him up, and dried his shivering body with my coat. I named him Hero and we became inseparable!

Hero lived up to his name. The day my father took me out on a fishing trip, Hero came along even though he​ was terrified of the water. ​He sat beside me enjoying the brisk salty air and barking at every fish we caught. Suddenly, the sky darkened and the boat rocked and swayed ferociously. We were caught in a thunderstorm. I was tossed out of the boat, but Hero fearlessly jumped in to save

me, ignoring his own fear of the water.​ S ​ hortly after, Hero’s health declined. His dive into the water had infected him with parasites. He developed a terrible cold, his shiny coat became dull and his stomach looked like a watermelon. He tired easily now and could no longer endure a game of doggie soccer. It broke my heart to see Hero suffer this way. I cried often and begged God to make my Hero better, but he grew worse.

A week later, my dad said, “ buddie, we must put Hero to sleep”.

With warm tears rolling down my face, I threw myself onto the sofa and screamed, “​ I can’t do it, No! It’s too hard, after all these years together”

My dad gripped me into a bear hug and promised me that this was the best

decision for Hero. “No dad”, I replied, “​ i​ t’s too hard!”

Dad whispered in my ears, “Son, being brave and courageous means doing the thing that sometimes hurt or scares you the most.”

It broke my heart, but I got it. With my lips clenched, I wiped my tears and went outside to Hero.

“Come, Hero” I called. Hero got up and slowly limped over to me.

“Atta boy,” I said.

I bent down and wrapped my arms around him gently. He looked up at me and I whispered softly, “Hero, you once saved me from drowning. Now I’ll be your hero and save you from suffering.”

“Rest in peace, my Hero and friend”.

Word count: 494