Moving on.

It took me several years, many counselling sessions, and a whole lot of whinging to get over Tommy’s betrayal. Around the time I was about to turn nine, my mum and dad decided that it might be good for me to have another animal to take my mind off Tommy. So, for my ninth birthday, I received a tiny, black-and-white puppy. As I watched it roll around on the kitchen floor, my dad informed me that it was definitely a girl, and commanded me to give it an appropriate name. Ignoring his sarcastic overtones, I knelt down on the floor and beckoned to the puppy to come towards me, which it did. It put its front paws on my knees, and in one incredibly fast movement, jumped up and stole the bobble out of my hair.

I wasn’t very amused, but everyone else was. The puppy held fast to my bobble, as I chased it around the kitchen yelling, “Come back! Gimme my bobble, you wee rascal!”. And so, my puppy had a name. Rascal. In the next few weeks, Rascal learned to live up to her name by escaping from the yard – often returning with a stolen doughnut or sausage roll – and capturing as many of my brightly-coloured hair bobbles as possible.

Despite her misdemeanours, Rascal and I soon became fast friends, much like Tommy and I had, years before. When I wasn’t at school, I’d be with her, taking her for walks or playing with her. Once, she missed me so much she even came to visit me at school. I was so proud to find her sitting outside the school gate, waiting patiently for me to get out. Everyone around was admiring her lovely manners, her shiny black-and-white coat, and her sparkling brown eyes.

I was pretty sure my affection for Rascal was reciprocated, until, one day, she was quite simply gone. When I got home from school, her collar was in the yard, but there was no sign of her. The gate was locked. It was a mystery – like Left Behind for dogs. The thought that Rascal had been raptured and gone to doggy heaven without me was unbearable. I wanted to be where she was. I wept, bitterly, for about three days, prompting much laughter from my insensitive dad and brothers.

To this day, I still have no idea where Rascal went. If anyone knows, could they please leave a comment? Thanks.