I wake up after a long nights sleep. It is still dark in my room, which means it’s another gloomy day. I slowly get myself out of bed. As I walk over to my door, I try not to make any sound. If I made a sound my parents might hear me. I lean my head against the door for a few moments. It’s quiet, my parents left for work. All of a sudden my dog scratches against the door, I jerk back and put my hand against my chest to see if my heart is still beating. I quickly open the door. “Lucie, you scared me!” I say as she greets me. “Why were you outside huh?” I sit on the floor as she tries to lick my face. I still remember the very day I got her. It was my tenth birthday, a couple weeks before. One day I was alone, as usual, and I had decided to take a walk into town, a very small town. As I walked down the street, I saw a man with a dog just outside the animal hospital. I walked over for no reason at all, like I was being compelled. I stopped a few feet away from the man because he smelled really bad.
“What you looking at, girly?” He spit out the side of his mouth as I looked at him with disgust. “I said what you looking at?” He said as he pet the scruffy dog next to him.

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“I’m looking at your dog. He is cute.” I paused. “I never had a dog before.” I said stepping one foot closer.
“Well, this here is a girl, a new mother.” The man started to smile.
“Can I touch her?” I asked looking at her.
He started to think and after a few seconds he stood up. “I have a better idea; you can have one of her pups.”
I smiled wide and began to pet her. “Really?!” I shouted.
“As soon as the doctor comes out and says they’re ready, you can pick one. They are all inside.” It felt like forever until the doctor finally came out.
I ran up to her, “Are the puppies ready?” She smiled at me and nodded her head. Before I went inside I looked at the mother of the puppies. She was lying down next to the old man. I finally ran inside and found the little Finn Irish terriers. That’s what the label said on the side of the container they were in. They were five weeks old. I looked at all of them and I already knew which one was mine. She stood out from all of the other pups. She was the fluffiest and she was the only one sitting and looking at me, while the others were playing.
She walked over to me and I lifted her up off the ground. “Hi Lucie, your my baby.” That was the name my little sister would have had, but she died in my mother’s womb. After that both of us were inseparable. My parents weren’t too happy about Lucie, but I told them I would take care of her, and I did. All five years have been such a blast. I trained her, I fed her, and I

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took her on many of our special walks. We like to walk through the creek; it’s a little farther past town. I think of the great memories we have had as I look at Lucie. She sits right in front of me as I stroke her head.
“Want to go for a walk?” I say as she gets excited. “Let’s go then.” I quickly throw on clothes and run outside with Lucie. She stays close to me as we run over the grass hill. We like to think as we go on our walks. Lucie and I are best friends. She is really my only friend. The kids in this town don’t go to school because everyone is poor. That is why my parents always work. They think we can move out of this town one day. They have been non-stop working ever since I turned ten. So, I never see anyone but Lucie really. Well, maybe some town people here and there.
After our long walk we are home. I turn on the hose outside and let Lucie drink from it first. I look around our house that is covered in broken wood. After we hydrate Lucie and I sit on our log in our yard. “You’ll never leave me, will you Lucie?” She rests her head on my lap. After a few minutes I see my mother’s car parked on the dirt road. I have to squint before I realize she was home. “Oh no.” I groan as Lucie jerks up. “It’s okay, Lucie.” I slowly get up and walk over to the window. I peek through as I see my mother making sandwiches. She quickly looks up and sees me before I can duck my head.
“Sammie, is that you? Come inside for lunch.” I groan and go inside as Lucie follows me. As I open the screen door I see my mother looking at Lucie. “Oh, leave the dog outside where it belongs.” I hold the door open for Lucie.

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“Then I’ll go outside too.” She looks at me wide eyed.
“You are not a dog! That is a dog!” she says pointing at Lucie.
I look at Lucie and then back at my mother. “Come in Lucie,” I say as Lucie walks in the house. “We stay with each other, Mom.”
She slams her plate down. “Go to your room! I can’t even deal with you right now.” I walk to my room and close the door as Lucie jumps on my bed, we both fall asleep.
I wake up at two in the morning to the sound of a gunshot. I quickly sit up and I look on my bed to see if Lucie is with me. Lucie is gone. “No!” I shout as I leap from my bed and run outside. I see my dad with the gun in his hand. I look for Lucie but I don’t see her. “Where is she?!” I run over to him and smack the gun out of his hand. I start screaming and yelling at my dad. I keep hitting him until he grabs both of my hands.
“She got away okay!” My dad shouts at me. “I missed.”
I’m in shock; I look back at the house and see my mother standing behind the screen door. I pulled away from my dad and ran. I run through the field where we usually go on our walks. It is pitch black outside and I can barely see a thing. “Lucie!” I shout. “Lucie, it’s me, Sammie.”
I run over to the creek and stand in the water. I begin to sob. Have I lost my Lucie? After an hour of sitting on the side of the creek, it gets quiet. I look down at the reflection of me in the water, with tears streaming down my face. All of a sudden, I see Lucie walk through the

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trees. “Lucie?” I stand up quickly and run over to her. I sit on the ground as she licks me. “Oh Lucie, I thought you were gone forever!" I say. "We are never going back there, we will go somewhere safe.” I don’t let go of her for a while. I love my Lucie.