Arianna Dog
Twelve year old,Ari swung up on the red swing in her mother garden, the cool wind blowing wildly through her brown hair and brown eyes, her brown arms grasping the warm ropes of the swing.
Yippee ,she tried to laugh raising her left arm to rub her teary eyes. She felt lonely. It was only the first day of the August break and she had no one to play with.
She looked behind at her parents brown sprawling manor with stained windows and comfortable interior. She had almost everything money could buy. But she had no friends.
Her mom had told her to thank God and pray whenever she had any problems.
“In Jesus name” She prayed in her soft voice. “Father, I thank you for all your love, please send me a friend to play with”
She shook in fright as loud rustling sounds came through the trees in the garden. In front
of her stood Taylor, their housekeeper ten year old son and his best friend, Henry.

“Arianna, Arianna’ they called excitedly.
Ari started wide eyed. They had never spoken to her before.
“Come with us” They both took one of her hands and led her bare-feet on the soft wet grass in the garden. Ari could only gap as she was led out the gate, down the streets and by the lake.
“There it is” Taylor, his green eyes wide under his shiny red hair was pointing. Stunned, Ari looked ahead at a carbon box placed right near the end of the rustling waters. It was holding two cutie white puppies, one with gray spots all over it.
“Oh, my” said Ari hurrying along the two boys to them. Though the dogs gave a faint rink, they began hugging ,petting and playing them while the puppies yapped and wagged their tails. On the carbon box was a carved sign “Please adopt me”.
“Can we take one to our house, please’Taylor green eyes begged.
“Of course” Ari was shaking in excitement. So, it was agreed. Henry, Taylor black-eyed friend was taking the gray spotted dog. They were talking the purely white one.
“Let’s name them Peter and Paul” She nodded. “Like the apostles in the Bible”

Their white-haired green eyed house-keeper was fretting when they returned home.
“Where have you been?”She eyed them curiously. Her eyes fell on Peter. “What!” Her mouth curved in surprise.
“Sorry, nanny, we went out to get him, he is our new pet, his name is Peter” Ari said in a rush as she could feel her insides tightening in nerves.
“Can we keep him, please?’’Taylor folded his hands together.
Mrs Elinor eyes softened when she looked at her son. “Where did you find him?”
“Near the lake, in a box with a ‘please adopt me’ on it”
“I tell Mother when she gets home from her trip” Arianna added quickly. “I am sure she will let us keep him”.
Mrs Eli nor paused for a while. “Fine”
“Yea” The kids both jumped in excitement.
Mrs Eli nor soon gave directions.
They had lots to do.
They carried Peter to the tap in the garden. Ari put the tap on and warm water gusted forth, splashing them.
Peter struggled to get away but Taylor held him tight while Ari washed his hairy, weak
body clean. Then Taylor held him tight while Ari dried him with a hair dryer from her bedroom and spayed him free of flees with a spray Mrs. Eli nor gave them. They then fed him with chucks of bread mixed in a bowl of warm milk in the kitchen.
He was soon asleep on a pillow in the foyer.
“He is perfect” Taylor claimed. “Just perfect”

The next day, after her morning prayers, Ari hurried downstairs to see him. She took a wagging Peter into her arms immediately.
“How cute” Taylor voice chimed pin as he walked in just after her. “you look like his mommy”
“Really” Ari laughed as she kissed his
fur, taking in its now fruity scent. it was good that she used her liquid wash to bath him.
“Mommy said we have to take him to the clinic today”
“Sure” She wanted Peter to get all the care he needed.

Ari wanted to eat with Peter so she had her breakfast with Taylor in the kitchen. She gave Peter half her tasty chicken to eat, and he jumped at it.
Taylor walked Peter next, Ari gushing at his side. As they passed by, all the neighborhood kids on the way stopped to watch them, surprised.
Mrs. Eli nor drove them to a large vet hospital that day, where Ari could sniff disinfectant everywhere and a faint scent of lemon. The gray-haired vet took them to a room with a long white table where Peter, struggling was held down just as had once been done to her by a children’s doctor, and given an injection.
Everything seemed rosy.
They had just got home and getting out of the car when they saw Henry waiting, Paul by his side. The boy looked dejected as Peter jumped at Paul, obviously happy to be reunited.



“My parents don’t want Paul, they say he is a disturbance ‘His dark skinny face was frowned with worry. “Can you take him?”
Beside them, Mrs. Eli nor gave a huff of amazement as her two wards turned to her, hands folded together in front of them, their eyes pleading.
“We best get back to the vet, then” she smiled.








They took their new dogs everywhere, from the park to the play grounds so the other children could play with them. They only left him behind when they went to the church. The four of them were sometimes seen roaming in the streets together having the time of their lives.
Two weeks later, Arianna was reading a bible story on the couch in the living room when Taylor came rushing in.
“I can’t find them” He was gasping for breath.
“Who?”
The dogs, I can’t find the dogs”
Ari rose.
“I look round the rooms in the house, you look through the garden ”Ari started for the corridors “Peter, Paul” she called loudly. Could the dogs recognize their names?
But the search proved fruitless.
“Do you think they went under the gates?” Ari asked, arm over her chest as they stood in front of the front gates which were just a foot above the ground, enough for a little dog to get through .
“Yea”
Ari prayed in the foyer. Where could the dogs have gone?.
“Ari, come have lunch” Taylor called .
She nodded half-heartedly. “Taylor, do you think the dogs returned to their former home”
“Maybe”
“Woof, Woof”
They gaped for a moment.
“The dogs’’ She gasped as they hurried outside. The dogs flew at them, barking widely.
Ari held on to them, their fur soft against her arms. I hope you never run away again.
The next day, Ari was bent over her drawing book, eyes fixed on the Paul as she drew a picture of him. The dog had been oddly still today.
“What’s wrong with Paul?, he looks ill” said Taylor who was carrying in some clothing. He often helped his mom with her tasks.
“You think” Ari bent her heads sideways as she considered the matter.
They looked at the dog. He stood up slowly and began to crawl, as if in pain.
“I get some water” Ari hurried out of the attic.
Paul slipped the water slowly but then he turned on his back and vomited.
Both Taylor and Ari faces were both alarmed. Now even Peter was watching with fright.
“Let’s get him to the veterinarian” Taylor cried.
Mrs. Eli nor received the news compassionately and soon the three of them were on the way to the hospital with Paul.
The gray haired vet looked him over. “I think this is a mild case of food poisoning, just give him some medicine and he will feel better” He smiled reassuring at the children. “What have you been feeding him?”
Taylor went into details about all his meals. “Oh, but he went missing yesterday so we don’t know what he may have eaten” Ari added.
The vet, Mr Edwards nodded. “We will just keep him over night to watch over him and will send him back hale and hearty tomorrow hopefully” He told them.


The next day, Taylor was riding his bicycle outside in the garden when the delivery man came.
“Peter” Ari stood up from the stone seat , her drawing of a sunflower dropping on the floor as she made for the van. Peter began barking furiously, no doubt happy at the arrival of his friend.

She was just near the almond tree when Peter pounced forward and attacked a snake just a step from her.
She could just hear the Taylor and the delivery guy screaming but Ari was frozen like a statue.
Soon, the snake was dead. Peter was injured.
“Let’s hurry him to Mr. Edward” said the delivery guy coming over with a towel to wrap Peter bites. Both children could only nod.


Peter, luckily didn’t die and though the children avoided the garden now, and Mrs. Eli nor was shocked by the events, everything seemed to return to normal. They however treated the dogs with even more care than before.
On the last day of August, Ari made a plus sign on her calendar. Her parents were retuning.
The cleaning crew came around to clean the manor. It was scrubbed from top to bottom this morning. The whole house had a clean scent.
When the doorbell rang, Ari went downstairs to stand beside Taylor and Mrs Elinor at the oak front doors.
“They are coming” Mrs. Eli nor nodded at them. A moment later the door opened and her parents stepped in.


Ari was held close by her mom.
“We have missed you “her mom, Esther Flutter held her close. She was just an adult version of Ari, with big brown eyes, brown hair and light brown skin.
Hugh Flutter, a short fair man, patted his daughter head fondly. ‘How are your studies going, dearest?”
“Fine, papa”
All of a sudden, barking sounds fill the living room as Peter and Paul make their entrance.
Her parents looked flagabased. Her mother jumped into her father arms.
“ Dogs’Father muttered aloud. ‘What are they doing here?”
Mrs. Eli nor went into the tale of how they had ended up here, with special emphasis on how they saved Ari life.
“I see,I see” said her father.
Her mother turned to her father. “Can we have a quiet chat, husband” He nodded gravely.

The kids paced noisily in the pal our as they waited for the verdict.
Her parents came soon.
“No” said her father.
“Please papa” Ari begged. “The dog saved my life, can’t we keep them?”
“They will distract you from your studies” Father answered.
“And I don’t want a dog in our house”her mother added.
Ari stepped forward on the soft brown carpet . “ Please”
“Our answer is no” her mother said firmly.
A few hours later, the shelter van arrived and Ari was hugging the dogs goodbye tearfully.
“I hope you will be taken good care of by the shelter, we will miss you” Taylor was holding them tightly until his mom removed his grip.
Cheer up, kids” Even Mrs. Eli nor looked a little sad to let them go.However,soon both kids saws stones placed under their gates to prevent the dogs from ever coming back.
With the September school year, Ari and Taylor were soon swapped with their studies.
I still have so much homework to do” Taylor admitted one morning.
Ari was staring out of the window wistfully. “I just miss them so much”
“I miss them too” Taylor agreed with her
The next morning, Ari was just starting on her studies when Henry came calling.
“it is the dogs “He said. “Come and see”
They followed him six blocks away until they got in front of a shop for Kitchen ware. The dogs, their precious dogs were lying in front of its window ,both dead.
Ari and Taylor fell next to the dogs, crying.
“The Dogs, oh our dogs “Taylor wept.
“Did you see what happened to those dogs” Henry asked the balding shopkeeper who had come out of his shop to watch the crying kids.
‘Well that is quite the story, I have seen them around these parts for like a week, they must have run away from the shelter nearby, well both dogs were starving, they had no food and just yesterday they were set upon by a gang of bullies that roam these parts ,I saw it myself they were giving them quite the beating but the white dog covered the gray spotted one until he died and then the living dog stayed by its side, refusing to go anywhere until it died soon after”

“This is all my fault” Ari wept “ I should have found the dogs a new home”
“Don’t blame yourself” Henry seemed pensive.
“Do you think the dogs are in heaven?” Taylor asked between sobs.
“The bible says- Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?- Luke 12-6”
Ari felt certain that she won’t forget the puppies.

Lucy the antelope

‘Lucy, Lucy’ called her friends loudly.
Lucy, a small female antelope, woke from her musing and turned to face her friends, Rachel and Esther.
‘We found water’ said Rachel. ‘The herd found water’
Lucy smiled in relief. Her herd of antelope had been searching for water for hours. She hurried after her friend and soon they reached the brook. Most of the herd were already drinking.
Lucy lowered her head and drank deeply from the brook. It tasted so refreshing.
‘Tiger’ someone screamed. ‘Tiger’
Lucy ran fast. The whole head took to their heels. They didn’t stop running until the all clear was given.
‘Count everyone’ said Elder Abel.
Everyone was counted. A little antelope called Jane was missing. Lucy eyes filled with tears.

Life was hard for an antelope. Finding food and water was difficult and there was one thing that made life horrible. It was predators. Lions, tigers, wolfs and more. They were always waiting to devour. Everyone lived in terror.
Lucy loved her herd very much. She hated to see them live this way, always running and some getting eaten. She wanted to do something to change things.


Lucy left the herd and walked into the forest. She was going to find a way out.
The air smelled crisp and clear, and the wind blew sand into her face as she walked past the trees, stones and vegetation. Owls hooted into the air as she passed by. Was there anything she could do?
Her search proved fruitless. There seemed to be nothing at all.


Everyday seemed to continue as it was before. But Lucy kept looking.
‘What are you always looking for?’ Rachel had to ask one morning.
Lucy signed. ‘I want something that would keep us from getting killed’
‘That’s impossible, if there was a way ,we would know by now, they are just too strong for us’
‘We can’t go on like this,Rachel,our people are dying, I can’t bear to see another child lost, if there are stronger than us then we have to be smarter than them’
‘The tigers are far too smart’
‘I won’t give up, no matter what it takes’ Lucy was firm.
She went off running. A lond object suddenly hit her foot. She looked down. it was a round shiny object with a tiny gong in the middle.
She picked it and it shook .It made a loud sharp noise. Lucy came up with an idea.

Lucy went straight to Elder Abel.
‘I found something important’ she told him.
‘What is it?’ He asked.
‘It is a object that make noise, I think it could be used to warn us when a predator comes near’
‘Seriously’ He examined the bell. He shook it and most of the antelopes jumped at the noise.
Elder Abel called all the antelopes together.
‘We have an idea to help us know when a predator comes near, we shake this object and everyone flees’ He shock the bell for good effect and all the antelope jumped.
Everyone agreed it was a fabulous idea.


The next day, all the antelopes were grazing in a field .Lucy was munching a sweet piece of grass.
The bell rang. Lucy ran. Alongside her, all the other antelope ran, too.
They reached a safe place.
‘Count’ said Elder Abel.
Everyone was counted. No one was missing. All the antelope jumped in joy. Rachel and Esther jumped around Lucy.
Lucy felt so happy.
Everyday, the antelope went to to get food and water. And when any predator came near, the person watching rang the bell and no one got caught.
One day, Lucy was grazing with the rest of the antelopes when she saw a lioness running at them.
‘Ring the bell’She shouted at the watcher for the day. ‘Ring the bell’

But the lion was fast. He made for the watcher antelope and broke his neck.
‘Lion, there is a lion..’ But it was too
late. The lion had both caught another antelope and were tearing him apart. Lucy fled with the remaining antelopes.
When they got to a safe place, everyone
raised their voices in tears.
‘She knew’ Lucy was weeping. ‘They must have found out about the bell’
‘it is our fault, we kept on using it until they found out the trick behind it’ said Rachel.
‘There are four antelope missing’ Elder Abel had finished counting them.
Everyone was inconsolable.


Life began without using the bell again.
Lucy watched with dismay as things returned quickly back to the way things were before they found the bell. It was as if the brief reprieve never happened at all.

She huddled close to Rachel and Esther.
‘I am still going to try to find another way out of this’ She told them.
‘ Please don’t, the last time ended in such a disaster’ Esther said.
‘But, Esther, I don’t want to give up, even if I fail, I want to still keep trying, I believe that one day, I will succeed’
She wanted to save everybody.



Lucy got up when everyone was dozing off.
She leapt over the other sleeping antelopes and walked into the jungle.
She looked around the jungle. it used to be so alive during the day, with all sorts of animals roaming about, but now it was dark and most of the animals were sleeping.
It was hard moving forward in the dark as she passed trees, rivers ,and rocks searching desperately.
Early the next morning, she saw a large mountain. I can’t stop here, she thought.
Up she climbed, passing rocks and skipping stones. Ahead was a large cave.
Lucy peeped inside. It was really large but no one was there. She walked right in.
It was a really big cave. There was grass growing inside .She walked in deeper and saw a small lake. It was like a dream. Everything her herd needed was here. And most animals won’t brother climbing the mountain so they were safe from predators.
She hurried her way back to the
herd.
‘I found a place where we can all live in peace and safety’ she told Elder Abel.
But he looked away, not willing to listen to her. He must still be displeased over the bell incident.
She turned around and shouted. ‘Everyone listen, there is a cave up a mountain far away from there that has both food and water, and is free from predators, won’t everyone like to go there?’
Everyone looked around at each other.
‘Yes, yes’ The answer all round was a resounding yes.
Everyone followed Lucy down the forest at night. It was quiet and dark but Lucy could still remember the way.
Finally, they climbed up the
mountain. Everyone gasped when they saw the cave.
‘Seems like a cosy home here ‘Elder Abel was making himself at home on a pile of grass. The rest of the antelope quickly followed suit.



Life at the cave was very happy.
‘Everyone has as much grass and water as they want’ Esther told Lucy. ‘And there
are no lions or tigers here, yippee’
Lucy laughed. ‘This is what I have always wanted, for everyone to live in peace like this’
Rachel came over to nuzzle Lucy. ‘ I am so happy, thank you so much’


Esther, Rachel and Lucy were drinking water by the lake.
Esther coughed and blood spilled on the floor.
‘What!’ Lucy raised her head in alarm.
But it was not just her. Around her, many of the antelopes were coughing blood.
‘We need to get out of here, it must be the water here making everyone sick’ Elder Abel seemed dismayed. He led the way out while the rest of the strong ones followed, carrying the weak ones.
For hours, half the antelopes remained ill as they made their way back to their former home. On their way, Esther died, along with six other antelopes. No one could stop grieving.


‘Are the rest of them all feeling better?’ Lucy asked Elder Zack. She didn’t dare go near Elder Abel.
But Elder Zack hissed at her and walked away. Lucy walked up to where two other antelope was grazing.
Immediately they shifted away,
turning their backs at her.
‘There is no point trying to talk to anyone’Rachel had come over now. ‘Everyone shuns you because they blame you for the cave sicknesses’
Lucy wept. it had been heat-reaching to watch Esther and the other healthy antelopes die. She couldn’t stop blaming herself.
She fell on the ground, weakened. She had hardly eaten and drunk since they all died.
‘I have an idea to help everyone’ She told Rachel. ‘Will you please help me?
Rachel nodded. ‘I help you’ she told her. ‘But we can’t afford to fail this time’




The antelopes were feeding in the pasture when a tiger came out of nowhere.
‘It is a tiger’ The antelopes took off running.
The tiger went after a nursing antelope with her young. For a moment Lucy paused in terror, but she came out, heading for the tiger. Distracted, the tiger followed Lucy instead.


Lucy ran for her dear life. The tiger was right at her heels. Then it fell right into a hole.
Lucy ran with the other antelopes until they got to a safe place.
Once they got there, all the other antelopes surrounded Lucy.
‘You did it’ said Rachel. She and Lucy had dug the hole together.
‘You are so brave’ said another antelope.
‘Thank you so much’ said the nursing mother the tiger had been aiming at.
From being an outcast, Lucy had become a hero again.



From that day forward, whenever a predator came along they would play the same trick. The predator would fall into the trap and no antelope would be harmed.
Five days later, they were drinking water by the river when a lion came out of nowhere.
‘Run, everyone run’ Lucy raised the alarm as she went to distract it.
The lion roared. Lucy wanted to flee in terror but thinking of the herd she loved she moved forward.
But out came two more lionesses. Lucy nearly fainted from fear.
Confused, she turned and ran, trying to lead them to the trap, but ignoring her, they turned sideways, chasing other antelopes.
It was a total night mare. There was nothing more to do. With no other option, she ran for her own dear life.


They finally got to a safe place. But they had lost many, including the nursing mother Lucy had saved before
Everyone began to weep.
‘It is all her fault’ Someone pointed to Lucy angrily. ‘ She is the one who got us into so much trouble’
The entire herd stared at Lucy. Lucy froze in terror again. It was all her fault.
‘The lions must have planned this as revenge for always putting them into a hole’ Said Elder Abel.
‘She is the one who caused that trouble with the cave also’ Everyone looked on bitterly. It was as if they would kick her to death.
Lucy bent low. ‘ I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused, please forgive me’
But they were furious.
‘Leave us’ they shouted. ‘And never come back’
Lucy looked at their faces. They were all hard without pity except for Rachel who was crying. I deserve this, she told herself sadly as she crawled away.



Lucy wandered the forest slowly. She lost the desire to do anything, even eat or drink.
How could this have happened? How could she cause so much harm when all she wanted to do was to help?. She lowered her head in grief.
Days passed by as she roamed around alone in the jungle. She saw a thicket ahead and then fell into a hidden place.
She passed though and gasped.
It was the most beautiful valley. It was full of all sorts of vegetation and there was a spring of running water . It looked so clean. Lucy tasted some of the water. She ate some of the grass. It all tasted perfect. And it was so well-hidden that there was no risk of predators.
I go and bring everyone here, she told herself. This time, it would work out fine.


Lucy hurried back to the herd as fast as she could.
She met a dismal sight. Everyone had covered their heads with sand. They gaped at her.
‘What’s wrong?’ She made for Rachel
who was standing by an orange tree.
‘We are constantly losing children to predators’
Lucy shook at the horror. ‘I have found a new place that would be perfect for us’ She shouted loudly. ‘It is a valley with a lot of vegetation and flowing water, and it is hidden so there is hardly any possibility of predators coming’
But everyone turned away, except Rachel.
‘Is there any way I can convince them to come?’ She asked Rachel
Rachel shook her head no.
Alright, how about everyone come and see and if you don’t like it, you can leave immediately’ Lucy begged.
‘Fine, then’ said Elder Abel. ‘We will just come and see’
Everyone agreed to that.
The entire head followed her to the valley.
‘Oh my’ said one when they arrived.
‘The place is perfect’ said another.
Everyone gaped.
‘There is food, clean water and it is hidden from predators’ Said Elder Abel.

‘This is our new home’ everyone agreed.
‘Thank you, Lucy’ they all said to Lucy. Everyone came to pet her.
And they all lived happily from that day on.