Listen

            As I trot along the dirt path I notice her.  Not just a girl.  Something was special about her. When our eyes met I couldn’t stay long. My instinct was to run RUN RUN RUN. That’s all I have ever known. When I see something new or just a human I’ve never interacted with, I need to run. Last time I trusted a human I ended up in a cage all alone. Then out in the unknown to fend for myself. My name is wild because of what I’ve become.

            I ran until I could feel that comforting feeling of safety. I tried as best as I could to remember her face. She had a sweaty face t-shirt and jeans. I don’t know how it is I’ve never seen her before. I’ve seen everyone. There all the same, First time they see me they ask other people about who I am/where I have come from. Next they try to get close to me. Of course that never works. I don’t trust any of them. Who knows what they will do. I laded down for a while and when I got up to stretch I noticed Sadie’s car. Big, and, Black, however her family was just any normal one, or so I thought. They tried to get me to come inside, to eat, to even come close. Nothing worked. Every time someone even tries to get close to me I can’t help but run. It’s survival. However they had a dog. For me she was my only play mate. A vital part of my day, without her I got bored, and would start to wander around, getting myself into lots of trouble.

            Sadie comes outside bounding energy. We wrestle and then the girl she’s back. I only see her as a sliver in the corner of my eye. Now I’m alert, nothings stopping me from running at any moment. They talk for a while. The girl says “come’ on Sadie lets go for a walk”. Her eyes meet mine. Bam! I’m gone just like a ghost. I hear them saying that a lot. As the walk continues I walk slowly behind them. Wondering still who she is and why she is taking Sadie for walks all of the sudden. Anyways she looks back at me once or twice. Each time it’s the same I get scared and run back to my safe haven in the woods. The walk ends and she ties Sadie up to a maroon post. We play for about 20 minutes or at least it seems. Then she opens the door something in her hand. RUN! I knew I couldn’t trust her she was a fake a lie I was a fool to even believe anything. She puts it down. Whoa like a shock wave I’m hit with this amazing smell. Food. Another thought that controls my actions. I don’t know if this is safe but it’s been days without food. I need it. I have to have it. She goes back inside and watched from the door. I lean in and take a bite. Back I run back. Nothing’s happened I look around up then down side to side. No one has moved I can’t hear any footsteps. I eat more again I repeat this process of eating moving, looking, and then eating more. All gone my foods gone, oh well I got a great walk good food and I potential family. No. Don’t get your hopes up I tell myself. She opens the door looks into the bowl and says “good boy”. I’ve never heard anyone say that before. I want to believe so hard that she different. And maybe she is just maybe. She unties Sadie and she swims back to her house. I don’t enjoy swimming so I don’t follow my canine friend. I go back to my spot in the woods and keep thinking maybe, just maybe.

By Ellen Meyer

3^rd hour

“Listen”

What if one day you saw this animal and you instantly felt a connection? It was fait that you met but you couldn’t even get close enough to pet him. The book Listen tells the story of a girl who feels mixed emotions about her summer.

          Early in the year she was in a car accident her best friend’s brother was driving the car. Now she must get back in shape before school starts again. Sounds easy except one problem; one day when Charley is walking she spots a dog. Not just any dog something was so special about him. He was wild beautiful amazing and yet so dirty, grimy, and hungry. She feels she must take care of him. Charley calls this the “taming”. She attracts him with her neighbor’s dog, Sadie.  Charley loves to play with Sadie and over time he follows them when they walk. She is able to get him to eat but never close enough to touch.

          Until one day when she is walking Sadie and Sadie decides to grab her walking stick. She falls to the ground thump. Coyote (this is the name she gave him) comes to her aid. She lays there untouched. Suddenly she feels Coyotes black cold nose on her pale cheek. She opens her eyes and stares up at him. He bounds away, of course he doesn’t go far yet she will always remember the first time they touched.

          She has only 1 parent, her father. She hardly ever seems him anymore because he works so much. Her mom was an amazing photographer. She took incredible pictures of the great outdoors. On a trip to the rainforest her plane went down. She is now faced with the challenge of going on in life without her mother. However she has a nanny, Sarita. She thinks that Sarita doesn’t really care about her as long as she’s home and fed. As the book continues you learn a secret about Sarita that you never saw coming.

Charley faces challenges as she continues her summer. Her best friend Amy went away for the whole summer with some girl that charley doesn’t like and hardly knows. she was so excited to see Amy all summer long and when plans change she is hurt and doesn’t expect any of Amy’s letters, emails, of texts. This is ok with Charley because she has a new friend, Coyote. He is teaching her how to let go without forgetting. And one night Coyote does something that Charley never expected he would ever do. However the next day he is gone. Just like that. Charley is very sad and depressed she feels he may never come back again.

The book Listen is a story that anyone can love. It has many lessons about life and stories that could happen to anyone. This book is very easy to relate to for me because I love my dog so much and maybe too much. When coyote disappears I feel her pain because if my dog ever got lost or ran away I wouldn’t know how to go on. The connection between my dog and I is a lot like the one of charley and Coyote. The title “Listen” really fits the book because charley learns how to listen, in so many ways. She stops even to listen to nature tell its story. When charely listens to her heart she realizes that pushing memories about her mom away isn’t right she should remember her in all the good things she did. And when Amy comes back she is ready to Love Learn and Listen.