The air felt cold, the step felt colder. Fred was starting to feel more and more melancholy as the days got colder and longer. How he longed for someone to come and take him to a better place than the library steps. Not even his adorable face or button nose could persuade anyone to take him to a nice warm home. Just as Fred’s eyelids were about to facade his big brown eyes for the night, a middle aged and lanky lady, with a pink feathery hat scooped him up gently in her coiled arms. Resting his head against the lady’s nice furry coat, Fred dribbled with joy.

The lady strutted to her silver Porsche, and placed Fred in the front passenger seat. The ride in the car was like luxury, with the warm air blowing in Fred’s face. Fred looked through the pellucid window and admired the endless road of lavish mansions. Then, the scenery changed to a line of shops. The lady parked her Porsche in the vacant spot by the crooked bin, outside a silver-coloured shop. The lady opened the car and gently picked up Fred and carried him into the store. A man with a white lab coat welcomed the lady, and started to chat. Meanwhile, Fred looked around at the puppies in the cages. He felt guilty that they were locked up, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

The journey recommenced, however this time it ceased much earlier. To his delight, the lady sharply turned into a narrow road, before turning into a main road, and then finally heading down a driveway. The prolific building standing in front of them was a dainty piece of work. The mansion was cream in colour and had tinges of brown along the borders of the walls. The lady pushed open the heavy wooden doors, divulging a most intricate and exquisite interior. Two small children engulfed Fred in hug. Overwhelmed by their generosity, Fred dozed off to sleep.

When Fred woke up the next morning, he felt hungry. He wondered whether the nice lady would give him some food. He jumped off the sofa and walked out of the huge room. Curious, Fred turned into another room with a lot of cabinets. He walked over to the nearest cabinet and tried to open it. It was no use. He couldn’t open the cabinet, because his arms didn’t have enough power. Fred decided to sit down, and wait until someone came to his assistance. Bored, he looked around the room. In the far right corner, he could see a cylinder shaped container with a step. He wondered over to it. Gently he lifted his leg and placed it on the step. Abruptly, the lid of the container shot upright and a foul scent filled the air. Alarmed, Fred withdrawed his leg from the container and backed away.

Fred heard his stomach churn, and anxiously hoped someone would come soon. Just as he was about to have another attempt at opening the cabinet, he heard footsteps. They were getting louder and louder. Suddenly, the same lady from yesterday came in and started to sing a song. Her singing was hurting Fred’s ears, so he started to whine. Realising that Fred was present in the kitchen; she quickly opened the fridge and pulled out a leg of meat. Bewildered at the kindness of the women, Fred ran up to the lady and licked her hand. The woman gave an uneasy laugh, before throwing the piece of meat on the floor. Knowing her intention, Fred gobbled up the meat, and ran back to the lady and sat by her legs. The lady ran her long fingers through Fred’s thick brown furry head and down his smooth back.

The sensation of being patted didn’t last too long, as after three strokes, the lady ran out of the room. Confused, Fred tried to find out where she went, by following her scent. He exited the kitchen and entered the room, with the sofa he had slept on. There was no sign of the lady, so he continued his search. Fred heard footsteps, and he decided to go towards the sound. At the spur of the moment, the lady picked up Fred from behind, and ran out the door with him. Baffled, Fred thought that this must be important, so he let the lady continue on with whatever she was doing. The lady roughly dropped Fred onto the front passenger seat, nearly dropping him on the car floor. Fred could tell that the lady was feeling tense, as she drove the car, because everything there was a red light, she would repeat the same word over and over again. The lady’s apparel caught Fred’s attention, as in the house she was wearing a long pale dress, but now she was wearing a bright red skirt and orange blouse.

Wondering where the lady was taking him in such a hurry, he looked out the window, to see the same line of shops again. Fred just had an epiphany. The lady was going to lock him up in that shop, with all the other puppies. Realising what a fool he was, Fred started to howl and whine. The lady jerked the car to a halt, and started to pat Fred’s head. Feeling guilty, Fred decided to stop all the noise he was making. He decided that the lady had done enough for him, by keeping him for one night. The lady recommenced driving the car, but ceased shortly, as they had arrived at the dreaded shop. Fred’s heart skipped a beat, as they were about to enter the shop, five strange symbols caught his eye. The first symbol was a straight line with a curve, while the second was a simple circle. The third was a curve, the fourth was three lines and the last was a straight line with a curve, (POUND). He couldn’t make out what they said, so he ignored it. A man in a white lab coat approached Fred and the lady. The man laid out his arms, and the lady handed over Fred to the man.

The lady abruptly rushed out of the shop, without even saying goodbye. Fred was feeling quite dejected by now. Why was he in puppy prison? What had he done? Why? Interrupting his thoughts, the man gently placed Fred in a ‘cell’. Fred thought to himself. He knew that even living on the library steps would be better than this. He didn’t want to be locked up. Suddenly, the man placed a bowl of water and a bowl of pellets in front of him. Fred lifted his head, and looked around his surroundings. He could see several puppies munching into the bowl, so he decided to copy them. After finishing the pellets, Fred looked around again. He could see the puppies happily walking around in their ‘cells’. Maybe it wasn’t so bad being here. The air was warm, the cell was warmer!

Author: Anita
Country: Australia
Age: 14
True story: No
Rating: 36 paws up
Vote: Vote up Vote down

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