One

One summer day, at the ranch, the mother was on the porch, watching her young, three-year-old son play in the yard, kicking a ball around. The father came home in his pickup truck. He was greeted with a kiss from his wife and a hug from his son. He then said he had a surprise as he reached into a box int the back of his pickup truck, where he produced a German Shepard puppy. The young puppy grew up with the son, as they played outside together, watched the snowfall together, cuddled by the fire together, and watched cartoons on the television together.  They went trick-or-treating together, had the Thanksgiving turkey together, and opened Christmas presents together. As the boy grew up even more, he went to school, leaving the dog to stay home and keep on guard as the boy would come home in the afternoon off the bus, the dog waiting for him at the end of the driveway. As the days and weeks turned into months, the boy slowly stopped playing with the dog after school until the day he came home, and fell off the bus. The dog was left home waiting anxiously as the boy was taken to the doctor. The boy never came home and the dog grew restless. One later day, the mother and father took the dog to the boy at the doctor. The dog was sad that the boy couldn't play anymore, until he had gotten better. The dog heard a strange beeping noise in that room, which after the boy had pet hi, then became a long and monotonous tone. The dog began to whine, trying to get close to the boy, but the doctor asked the father to hold him back, as he had to prepare the boy's body. The father had to force the barking and whining dog outside. The dog was brought home, the mother and father crying. The dog did not cry. Instead, he waited for the bus, only for it to drive by and not stop. The dog was brought for the when the boy would be laid to rest.  The dog was whining softly as he knew where the boy was, and where he was going. Afterward, the dog stayed by the fresh mound of dirt, lying in sadness.