NOBODY LOVES ME
by
Suzy Zeller
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PUBLISHED BY:
Nobody Loves Me
Copyright © 2010 by Suzy Zeller
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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NOBODY LOVES ME
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“Nobody loves me.”
The small dog, the color of warm chocolate with four white paws that looked like he was wearing mismatched socks, sighed mournfully as a large tear rolled down his cheek. “I wish somebody loved me. I wish I had someone to call my own.”
“But who could love me? I’m not a beautiful dog. My coat is matted and rough. I’m not a particularly clever dog. I have no special talents. I can’t do tricks like the dogs in the circus. I can’t guide blind people like seeing eye dogs. I can’t pull a sled through the snow, and I’m not brave or strong or big enough to be a guard dog. Who would want to love me?”
Another large tear appeared and started to slowly make its way down his other cheek.
The small chocolate colored dog had sunk so deep in his own despair that he hadn’t even noticed that the winter sky had grown dark and the wind was whipping up into a real storm. He needed to find a place to sleep where it was warm and dry.
Up ahead he saw a white farmhouse. The soft lights shining from the inside gave the house an air of peace and tranquility.
“Perhaps there is a barn close to the house where I can find shelter for the night.”
Passing in front of the house in search of the barn, he stopped to look inside the large picture window. He sat there for a long time ignoring the increasingly cold and howling bitter wind.
A farmer sat in his chair by the fire reading the newspaper. A large golden haired dog with a long, shiny, silky coat was stretched out by the man’s slippered feet. They both looked peaceful and contented.
The farmer reached down to caress the dog behind her ears and murmured softly, “You’re such a good girl. I’m lucky to have you.”
The dog raised her head slowly in response to his voice and wagged her tail as if to say, “I’m the lucky one.”
The small chocolate colored dog sat and gazed longingly at the scene inside the farmhouse. “I wish that were me. If I could have one wish come true, I would want to be inside by a fire with someone who would love me and care for me.”
He shuffled off slowly towards the barn to find shelter from the cold night air. He was tired and hungry and feeling very sad and alone. The barn sat in darkness behind the farmhouse. Quiet reigned. All the animals had been fed and bedded down for the night.
The dog slipped in through a small opening where a board had become loose and gave him just enough room to wriggle through. He peered in the dark and heard the quiet, rhythmic breathing of the dairy cows, the plow horses, and the hens. All was still.
He found a small, broken bale of hay in a corner of the barn. He lay his head down and wished out loud, “If I could have one wish, it would be that someone would love me.”
*****
At that very moment, the smallest star in the heavens looked down upon the small chocolate colored dog with the ragged coat from where she sat in the shadow of the Moon.
“Oh, Mr. Moon, Mr. Moon,” she cried excitedly, “did you hear? Did you hear what that small dog wished for?”
“Stellina, someone on earth is always wishing for something,” Mr. Moon said rather impatiently. “But the stars have been wished upon so many times they have no wishes left to grant.”
“I know,” Stellina said, in her small, quiet voice. “But I am the smallest star in the heavens and sit in your shadow. No one on earth has ever seen me. No one has ever wished upon me.”
“And no one will ever see you to wish upon you,” shrieked a large and brilliant star named Ursula. “You silly little star! You want to grant a wish. That’s impossible.” Her taunting laughter filled the nighttime sky, which had become as black as the inside of a witch’s purse.
The other stars joined in her laughter. “How could anyone wish upon you? No one can see you. Not even the wisest nor the richest person on earth can see you, Stellina. No one can,” Ursula bellowed.
Stellina listened to her words and the mocking laughter of the other stars.
“I will find a way,” she said to herself softly. “I will find a way to make the small dog’s wish come true. I must.”
Mr. Moon glared at Ursula and the others who had joined with her in ridiculing the little star.
He smiled kindly at the little star. “Stellina, we really don’t know if wishes come true because a star is wished upon. A wish might come true simply because it was meant to happen.”
“Whether or not I can grant him a wish, the small dog wants someone to love him. His wish will come true,” Stellina practically snapped back.
“Maybe I’ll just have to make it happen.”
*****
The small dog awoke suddenly in the middle of the night and sensed something was very wrong. Thick clouds of smoke filled the barn making it difficult to see or breathe. The cows were mooing, the horses whinnying and the hens squawked and flapped their wings frantically inside the hen houses. What was happening? Why was the barn filled with smoke? Was there a fire?
The dog slipped out through the small opening and ran towards the farmer’s house as fast as his legs would carry him. He knew he must let the farmer know there was a fire in the barn so that he could save the animals trapped inside.
He ran to the back door of the farmhouse and barked and howled furiously.
“Get up. Get up.”
All of a sudden the door flung open and the farmer stood there glaring at the small dog. “You don’t belong here. Go on home and let me get some sleep.”
The small dog understood that the farmer was very angry and he wanted to turn and run. But he knew he couldn’t leave the animals in the barn. He kept barking. His eyes pleaded, “Follow me. Follow me.”
*****
Suddenly the farmer saw billowing smoke in the distance rising from the barn roof. The barn was on fire! He ran inside and called the Fire Department. Then he threw on his jacket over his pajamas, pulled on his boots, and raced towards the barn, with the small dog yapping excitedly at his heels.
The farmer reached the barn and flung open the large doors. He went in and quickly opened the doors to the horses’ stalls, the latches on the hen houses, and the large metal bars that held the cows tightly secured. The animals streamed out of the smoky barn towards the safety of the pastures.
Fire engines roared into the driveway with flashing lights and sirens blaring. The firemen jumped out, readied the hoses, and pointed them towards the barn to put the fire out. But something was wrong.
There was an awfully lot of smoke, but there weren’t any flames. There didn’t seem to be any fire. Nothing was burning. They looked at the barn in amazement and then at each other dumbfounded. Where was the fire?
“This is the oddest fire,” exclaimed th
e Fire Chief. “It seems to be all smoke and no fire.”
He frowned. “But that’s not possible. You can’t have smoke without a fire.”
“But what could have caused all that smoke?” asked the farmer. “It sure did smell as if there was a fire. I know I smelled smoke, or at least I think I did.” He scratched his head thoughtfully as if trying to remember. “It’s all very strange.”
They all went into the barn and looked for any sign of a fire. There was none.
“Very strange,” said some. “Very mysterious,” said others.
“How did you discover the smoke?” the Fire Chief asked the farmer.
“A small dog’s barking woke me up from a deep sleep and he wouldn’t stop until I opened the door to shoo him away. That’s when I saw the smoke. There was smoke, a lot of it, but come to think of it, I didn’t see any flames.”
“Very odd,” said the Fire Chief.
“To have smoke but no real fire,” said the farmer. “Very strange. If I hadn’t seen the smoke with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
The farmer looked down at the small dog who hadn’t left his side. “Here’s the little fire alarm,” he said laughingly. “I’m sure he thought it was a fire too with all that smoke. Fire or not, he’s a hero for saving the animals.”
The small dog was so proud. A hero. A real hero. He never thought anyone would think of him as a hero. Heroes were big and strong and smart. Or so he had always thought.
The farmer looked at the small dog curiously. Why had he awakened the farmer to alert him to the fire in the barn when his own dog was still sleeping peacefully in her bed?
She had not been disturbed by all the noise and commotion caused by the mysterious fire in the barn. The farmer shook his head thoughtfully. “How is that possible?” he asked himself, as if expecting an answer to his own question.
*****
After the firemen left in their shiny red fire engines, there were no longer any flashing lights or sirens to break the stillness of the night which had settled once again over the tranquil farm. The animals were safe and snug in the barn for the remainder of the night. Snowflakes fell lightly, dusting the earth with a soft white powder.
As the farmer walked slowly towards the farmhouse, the small dog followed him at a distance. The farmer opened the front door, and holding it open, said to the dog, “It’s starting to snow. Too cold to sleep outside tonight. Come in, you must be hungry.”
The small dog entered cautiously. It was clean and bright and very warm in the kitchen. He hoped his paws weren’t too wet and muddy. The farmer placed a bowl of food down for him. He ate hungrily, then came and sat by the farmer’s chair. The man leaned down and scratched the dog behind the ears.
“I think you found yourself a new home if you’d like to stay.”
The small dog wagged his tail as if to say, “Somebody does want me. Somebody loves me.”
*****
High up in the sky nestled next to the moon sat Stellina, smiling contentedly and humming softly to herself.
Mr. Moon looked over at her and said, “Why Stellina, you seem very pleased with yourself. What is it?”
“I have some good news. Do you remember the small dog I told you about? The one who thought no one would ever love him because he wasn’t beautiful or clever or brave or strong. He found someone to love him. He has a home.”
Mr. Moon looked startled. “He found a home? My, his wish came true very quickly. That’s very unusual, Stellina. Tell me, little one, do you know how his wish came true?”
“Well,” said Stellina, “there was a big fire in the farmer’s barn with a lot of smoke.”
Her eyes grew as round as saucers. “A lot of smoke. More smoke than even I could have ever imagined. The small dog woke the farmer and all the animals were saved. He was a true hero.”
“Stellina, do you mean to tell me that there was a fire in the barn last night and that small dog is responsible for saving all the animals?”
The little star nodded. A teasing smile twitched the corners of her lips and mischief twinkled in her eyes.
“Isn’t that amazing?”
“Absolutely amazing,” said Mr. Moon. “I’m sure you had nothing to do with setting the fire, did you little one?”
He frowned. “You know it’s against the rules to influence the outcome of a wish in any way.”
“Fire?” said Stellina innocently. She shook her head. “I promise you, Mr. Moon, I had nothing to do with the fire.”
“Just the smoke,” she said softly to herself as she nestled into her corner next to Mr. Moon. “Just the smoke.”