A Short Story...

A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND

“Amber, where’s Runner?”
“Outside, mom.” I smiled and waited for her to continue.  “You should bring him inside, honey.”
I nodded, brown hair swinging behind me like a curtain as I turned toward the back door.  I pushed it open, and headed into our backyard, leaving the door open behind me.

“Amber ?”
“Yes, Mom?”
“Close the door, please!”

Sighing, I closed the door and ran outside, staring up at the tall trees that fill the ravine in our backyard.  It was early October, and a bit chilly, so I pulled my Hollister sweater down over my head extra tight.

“Runner!” I shouted, glancing around the ravine.  “Come here, boy!” 
A strong gust of wind blew by, making me shiver.  “Runner! Time to go inside!”
I took a few steps into the ravine, grabbing at the trees for balance. “RUNNER!!!!” I screamed into the wind. Peeking over the steep side of the ravine, I admit I was starting to get worried, he usually came by the first call.

I raced to the front yard, getting desperate. “Runner! Where are you, boy?”

Still no sign of the big, cuddly German Shepherd. Runner was pretty hard to miss.
I turned to go back inside, feeling lost and angry at myself for not finding him.

“MOM!!!”

“Honey, calm down. I’m right here, what is it?”

“Mom, Runner’s gone.”

She spun to face me.  “Amber Rosenfield, what in the world are you talking about?”
I was starting to feel shaky now.

“He...he’s not there, mom. I looked everywhere, and I called him at least 3 times.”

She bit her lip, something she always did when she was nervous.  “Well, honey, I guess I’ll go look, then. But you’d better stay here, it’s getting dark out.”

She returned a few minutes later, her face solemn.  “Honey, I’m sorry, but you’re right. Runner’s not there.”  I guess I must have had that look on my face, because she quickly moved into her Hero-of-the-Universe mode.

“Amber, it’s going to be alright. We can make some posters and put them up around town, and I’ll call the newspaper and see if we can get a posting in the Missing Pets section.” She heaved a sigh.

My face lit up with newfound hope.

“Can we make the posters now?” I asked.  At first she seemed undecided, but then she smiled.  “Yes, I suppose that would be ok, since I’m not busy right this moment......”
So we got to work making the posters, and when we were done, we drove around town in Mom’s Toyota to hang them up. Here’s what they said:

 MISSING: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS DOG?

If so, please contact Amber Rosenfield @ 555-932-4158

Thank You!

The next day, I raced home from school, anxious to find out about Runner. But mom just shook her head, looking nearly as depressed as me.  I could hardly believe it. Nothing! How could no one have found him?!
The next day, still a big NOTHING. So I waited, and waited some more.  Two days later, I got a call about Runner from a boy named Joshua, saying that he’d found a German Shepherd loose on his street and he thought it might be Runner.

I sent him my address so he could come and show me the dog, and we met up as planned.  There was just one problem: the dog wasn’t Runner.

The days passed by quickly, and I didn’t get anymore calls.  It was soon Halloween, and I was getting more and more discouraged.
On Halloween night, my friends Courtney and Rachel came over so we could go trick-or-treating together. We always bring Runner with us, and it wasn’t the same without him.

I returned at 9:30, carrying a bag filled to the top with sweets.
Mom greeted me at the door.  “I’ve got quite a surprise for you, Amber....” she said, smiling suspiciously.

As I sat down on the couch to sort through my candy, I heard a loud bark.

“RUNNER!!!!!” I cried.

No trick—it was really him!!