Jack

• Samantha Heaney, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2016

As I, David Leach, stared out the window I felt my heart fill with joy as I saw a little boy walking his dog. It looked just like my old dog Jack who died years ago. This is his story.
Jack was Mary’s dog, an 86 year old woman who lived across the street from me. I saw her every morning pondering the town with her little puppy Jack, who was named after her husband who had died the year before. I went to her house every evening and she would tell me stories about her dog and showcase all the tricks he could do. I longed to have a dog but all my mother could afford was a guinea pig. I did love that guinea pig, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t the same.
Late after school one night, I came home from school late because Mr Democh my Year One teacher, wanted to talk about something I didn’t understand. As I skipped my way home I dropped to the floor crying as I saw a stray cat demolishing my little guinea pig. That night mum and me were snuggled up on the couch and my mum promised me a new guinea pig from the store.
That morning I stretched out my arms and woke up ready to go to the pet store. I rushed into my mother’s room and jumped onto her bed and asked if she was ready to go, but she was quietly sobbing to herself. I asked her what was wrong and she said she didn’t have enough money for my guinea pig. This made me so sad that I went outside and balled my eyes out. All of a sudden I felt a soft fur rub against my skin and to my surprise when I looked up it was Jack. He had a scroll in his mouth as I reached in to get it, I had to wipe the slobber off. The note read:
Hi David
This is Mary. If you are reading this then my dog is the smartest dog in the world and I am also dead. Wait, maybe I should explain. I trained Jack to give you this note when I die. Here is why. You are now the owner of Jack, thanks for spending time with me. You made me laugh and I appreciate that.
Love, Mary
I felt miserable because I loved Mary but then I remembered that the note said that I now owned Jack. I explained it to my mum and she was upset that Mary had passed away but happy for me as I was now able to have a pet. For many years I loved my little Jack and we made lots of memories together until his time came to be reunited with Mary. He was a special dog, he was my dog.