A loaf of Bread
Pets are like a hidden treasure that owners cherish. One of the most common pet is the dog. Dogs are man’s best friend, they are loyal beings and they make their owners happy despite the barrier of language. This story is about a smart little dog that despite its owner neglecting him, found not only a home but also a family.
In a small town in a little island called Holston. There lived a man who was more of a socially deprived person. He does not have company in his house up in the hill. He seldom goes to the main town and ignores people he meets there. Children often call him names and usually throw rotten foods at him whenever he goes down town. His name is Fred. Fred grew old as an orphan his parents died early and he does not know any relatives. During his childhood days an old man adopted him and they both lived in the house on the hill. The old man was also an orphan and felt the same sadness that Fred is encountering. As a young boy he was practically normal, he likes playing games, running down the hill, walking in the park with his foster parent but all of this disappeared when one tragic event happened in Fred’s life. Fred’s foster parent had been sued for stealing food at the town’s pub.
The form of sentencing a person’s justice during those days was having a public judgment. He was strapped on a wooden pole and was bid upon whether he was guilty or not. People then put red balls on a box saying he was guilty or not and by the end of the day they will count all the balls. People during those time where easily to comply with rich men’s opinion. Unfortunately the owner of the pub had large amounts money and bribed the townsmen into voting the man guilty.
Fred’s foster parent and the only family he knew was burned to death right in front of his eyes. He was only 15 yrs old when that happened. He was devastated and since then he isolated himself in that old crummy house. He gets his food and water from a small garden that his foster father had made. Every time he goes downtown people constantly stares at him with eyes penetrating to his soul as if they were burning him with criticism. He just ignored every painful backstabbing word he hears from them. He was misunderstood because whenever the deputies asked him questions, he just ignores them and walks away.
So the people of that town disregarded him as part of that small village for over 20 years. During one stormy night as Fred was preparing food. He got distracted from a tiny little bark coming from his front porch. He went to look and surprisingly saw a malnourished dog begging for shelter and hospitality from him. Fred ignored the dog and went inside and ate his dinner. That morning as he was to get his oil can in the small storage house he saw; again, to his surprise the dog lying in the front porch. The dog was in the verge of dying over starvation. It cannot move nor bark because of fatigue. Fred took the dog inside his house and thought of cooking the dog for lunch. As Fred grab the neck of the malnutrition dog, its eyes slowly opened and looked at him with teary eyes. The dog then tried to lick his hand as if it was saying “Thank you for letting me inside.”
Fred felt a little tingle in his heart so he left the dog over the fireplace and gave it food and water. He also covered the poor little dog with a trashed blanket. Fred never felt that emotion before, he felt pitiful. He never felt pity over another being before other than himself. He ate dinner and went upstairs to sleep. As the days go by the storm reached its disappearance, the dog on the other hand suddenly grew strong. Fred really did not care about the dog for he was busy thinking how miserable his life was. Every day since that faithful night the dog followed Fred whenever he goes, whether it was downtown, through the forest or even at home. The dog was always there but Fred did not even appreciate that he now has company or even a family.
Years passed and yet the same old Fred was still blaming everything and everyone over the death of his only family, his foster father. The dog on the other hand stayed by his side throughout those years. One day as Fred was to harvest his cabbage in the garden, he was stunned to what his eyes saw. His garden, the only source of food he knows, was sabotage leaving only traces of paw marks on the soil. To his anger the only thing that came to his mind was the dog. He brutally kicked the dog and threw the dog over the forest. He then went to the town to search for food over the trash. He went home empty handed and while he was slowly walking towards the porch he saw something lying on the floor. It was a loaf of bread. For the past years, mysteriously, someone kept on leaving a loaf bread in his porch for every single day. To his delight and because he was hungry he ate the bread not knowing there were a few blood stains on the bread.
That morning the dog was lying on the porch bleeding, even though it was brutally hurt from the pain it got from Fred, it sat there as if nothing happened. Fred on the other hand kept kicking the dog whenever it comes close to him but the dog was determined and was there still following Fred. He went to the town to try his luck over the garbage barrels. To his surprise one of the townsmen screamed and kept on saying “ROBBER! ROBBER!”. Fred on the other hand did not know what to do so he ran away and not far away behind was the dog. The townspeople had him cornered and held him over judgement. The people glared at him as he was being strapped on the pole. The dog tried to defend Fred but it was too late. The dog was tied to a leash and cannot do anything but stare as his owner was burned to death. It was the same fate as his foster father but this time it was more injustice. They did not bid upon him but instead he was instantly burned. As he was slowly turning to ash and he saw blood stains on the dog. He remembered the loaf of bread that he last ate. Then in a flash it all came to him. The dog was the one giving him food every morning since the day the dog arrived.
The dog kept on barking at him as if he was saying “I will miss you!” just like the day his father was burned to death. He kept on shouting at his body the same thoughts as the dog was thinking. Fred died that night. The dog was then released and it ran towards Fred’s ashes. It stayed there until the wind blew the ashes away.
That day the dog stayed at the house on the hill waiting in the porch, hoping that Fred will come back and every single day he always bring bread into the house, thinking that some day when he comes back, Fred will finally appreciate him.
THE END
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