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