Worthless Me :(

This happened during my school exam holidays. I was alone in the house during day and our house was in a big compound surrounded by wall. I never locked the gate and one day my dog friend gave me a surprise visit. I felt something special about him at the very first sight, though I was a little apprehensive as I never had a dog. He watched me for some time, in between wagging his tail. He moved nearer to me, and made few full circles around the chair I was sitting. I was a little frightened and raised my legs to the chair, fearing he may bite. Then, he looked at me and made some gestures with his head and he sat there facing me. I felt friendly and decided to offer him some food. I got some fish, and still apprehensive, took a long handled cleaning brush too. While he was eating, I touched him and he returned a quick look and continued with the fish. I was just standing watching him with the brush in my hand.

Suddenly he made a quick move and caught hold of the brush with his mouth. We both pulled, but he knew the tricks, finally I had to let it go. He put the brush on ground stood on it with his front legs, looked at me and then moved some steps back. He wiggled and gave a gesture, to me, which appeared like, ok score 1 let us continue. I remained same, while he was encouraging me to take that brush again, wagging his tail and moving his front legs. A minute later I took the brush and yes, I was correct, he wanted to play. We played, he did that again. Soon we became like close friends and did this tug of war game with more things like brooms, umbrellas, thick ropes and he even tried that once with my text book, lucky I got that back in one piece. He used to visit me daily during the day and continued that till the day, my grandma came to stay in our house, next week.

She came in the evening, and I told her about her my new friend. The people in my place have a superstition that if you welcome and adopt a stray dog, that would bring bad luck to one of the family members. She started a fight that I can’t have him. She frightened me with so many stories and accused me for being indifferent, she somehow won it. Finally with much sadness I accepted not to let him in the compound, but I should be allowed to feed him daily. The next day they made meat curry in my house and took some pieces and washed it and kept for him, he always loved his meat without spices. He came by 11 in the morning and for the first time saw our gate closed and waited outside looking for me. I walked towards the gate, followed by my grandmother and he started wagging as he saw me.

He started pushing he metal grills and started banging his head. Our gate had a small door with in, just big enough for a man to get in and its lock was loose and he almost opened that. So I had to forcefully push it with all my strength, while my heart sunk. He knew that was no game, and my grand mother was yelling “ look at that mad dog, throw stone at it”. May be five minutes or so, it stopped he stood there looking at me. Crying I put some of the meat pieces outside through the grill. He just looked at them and then continued to look at me. Once more he made an attempt to get in. I put the entire meat I kept for him outside.


He again just looked at it and then my face, straight in my eyes, he didn’t eat even single piece. Finally, he banged his head two times on the grill and plowed sand and made a pile over the meat I offered. He gave me a final look, no man has ever looked at me with so much integrity, and I am sure no man will ever again. Then he ran away and disappeared. I could n’t sleep that night, I went searching for him the next day, but, worthless I never again met the priceless him. He never wanted food, he wanted a friend, he was never a beggar, always a friend,
he was priceless, I am worthless.