this made me cry. a lot.
"It's daybreak and light begins to filter through the laundry window, revealing the room's contents: a washing machine and dryer, a basin filled with dirty clothes and, on the floor in the corner, a sleeping puppy. She is curled up tightly into a ball of fluff, her small face and snout tucked in under her two front legs. She lies on top of a pastel-pink blanket; newspaper covers the floor around her bedding. The pup looks more like a stuffed toy than a dog as she lies motionless on her cosy, warm bed.
The first sounds of distant traffic drone through the double-brick walls as the puppy begins to stir. It's 6:00 a.m. and the house is still quiet, but it's the calm before the storm. Saturday is always a busy day in the Johnson household and this day is even more special, because last night Dad brought home a new addition to the family: a ten-week-old pup. The three Johnson kids, Rhiannon who is twelve, Jade who is nine and Mattew who is seven, could hardly contain themselves last night as they cuddled and played with the new pup. It was after midnight before all the children were marched off to their rooms and the puppy was put to bed in the laundry.
As the first set of footsteps come slapping down the stairs, the puppy wakes and sits upright. The little dog stares at the door, her head tilted to one side. She tries to prick up her ears, but they are not yet strong enough and they quickly flop back down again. The door bursts open and Rhiannon rushes in. The puppy jumps up to greet the girl, its little tail beating quickly. The girl lifts her puppy into the air, cuddling it. The puppy responds with a lick to her face and a wiggle. Rhiannon whispers to the puppy, 'You're not a dream!'
It doesn't take long before the whole family is awake and they gather in the lounge room. The puppy takes centre stage on the floor as they all sit around and laugh. They agree that her name will be 'Molly'.
This Saturday is the first of many Saturdays that the family will spend with Molly. Over the years Molly will become a much-loved member of the Johnson household and will become part of their family history. Molly will be there when Rhiannon has her sixteenth birthday party in the backyard. During the speech Molly will jump up on the table and lick the birthday cake, much to the amusement of the whole party, except Mum. When Jade gets glandular fever in Year Nine, Molly will sit by her side while the doctors come and go for several months. After Jade recovers, Molly will sleep protectively at the foot of Jade's bed every night for the next two years, until Jade moves into the spare room upstairs. When Matthew buys his first car at the age of nineteen, Molly will be the first to go for a drive with him. On that day, Matthew will drive down to the local river where he will take Molly for a short walk; and Molly will run up to a lovely young stranger who Matthew will marry three years later.
Molly is a new chapter in the lives of this family. She will delight and entertain three small children as they grow, giving them love and affection as only a dog knows how. She will be in many of the pictures of the kids playing together in the family photo album. She will feature in the family's home videos, as the children become teenagers and go to high school. In their hearts, Molly will continue to be part of the family, even after old age takes her from them."
-taken from Little Mongrels by David Darcy
The first sounds of distant traffic drone through the double-brick walls as the puppy begins to stir. It's 6:00 a.m. and the house is still quiet, but it's the calm before the storm. Saturday is always a busy day in the Johnson household and this day is even more special, because last night Dad brought home a new addition to the family: a ten-week-old pup. The three Johnson kids, Rhiannon who is twelve, Jade who is nine and Mattew who is seven, could hardly contain themselves last night as they cuddled and played with the new pup. It was after midnight before all the children were marched off to their rooms and the puppy was put to bed in the laundry.
As the first set of footsteps come slapping down the stairs, the puppy wakes and sits upright. The little dog stares at the door, her head tilted to one side. She tries to prick up her ears, but they are not yet strong enough and they quickly flop back down again. The door bursts open and Rhiannon rushes in. The puppy jumps up to greet the girl, its little tail beating quickly. The girl lifts her puppy into the air, cuddling it. The puppy responds with a lick to her face and a wiggle. Rhiannon whispers to the puppy, 'You're not a dream!'
It doesn't take long before the whole family is awake and they gather in the lounge room. The puppy takes centre stage on the floor as they all sit around and laugh. They agree that her name will be 'Molly'.
This Saturday is the first of many Saturdays that the family will spend with Molly. Over the years Molly will become a much-loved member of the Johnson household and will become part of their family history. Molly will be there when Rhiannon has her sixteenth birthday party in the backyard. During the speech Molly will jump up on the table and lick the birthday cake, much to the amusement of the whole party, except Mum. When Jade gets glandular fever in Year Nine, Molly will sit by her side while the doctors come and go for several months. After Jade recovers, Molly will sleep protectively at the foot of Jade's bed every night for the next two years, until Jade moves into the spare room upstairs. When Matthew buys his first car at the age of nineteen, Molly will be the first to go for a drive with him. On that day, Matthew will drive down to the local river where he will take Molly for a short walk; and Molly will run up to a lovely young stranger who Matthew will marry three years later.
Molly is a new chapter in the lives of this family. She will delight and entertain three small children as they grow, giving them love and affection as only a dog knows how. She will be in many of the pictures of the kids playing together in the family photo album. She will feature in the family's home videos, as the children become teenagers and go to high school. In their hearts, Molly will continue to be part of the family, even after old age takes her from them."
-taken from Little Mongrels by David Darcy