In an small old town, there was a white two story house with a big porch on the front. In this house, there lived two humans and two dogs. The humans were Mommy and Daddy and the dogs were two golden retrievers . One was a girl named Bjork and one was a boy named Mark. For as long as Bjork and Mark could remember it had always been this way. Lately Bjork and Mark had noticed Mommy and Daddy whispering a lot while glancing at them.
“I think something is up . Mommy and Daddy keep whispering and looking at us . I’m scared,” Mark said to Bjork
Bjork trotted over and sat down next to Mark. “It’s okay Mark. You’re scared of everything. Mommy and Daddy wouldn’t let anything bad happen and I am with you.”
“I know,” replied Mark. “Still it makes me nervous not knowing what is going on.”
“I think it is something exciting,” said Bjork as she laid down with a happy sigh.
Later that day, Daddy and Mommy told Bjork and Mark that they were going to leave but would be back with a surprise for them. “It’s going to be an exciting day,” they said as they walked out to the front porch with Mark and Bjork following them.
“We won’t be gone long,” Mommy reassured them as She and Daddy walked out of the house and got in the car.
Bjork hopped up on the bench which was her second favorite place in the whole house. Since she was short, she could see out the windows easily when on the bench. She could also keep a watch on all the comings and goings in the neighborhood.
“See,” said Bjork to Mark. “ I told you it was something exciting.”
“They didn’t say it was exciting,” sighed Mark. He was standing in front of the bench. He was taller than Bjork and could easily stand and rest his head on the window ledge. He stared out the window “Surprises can also not be good things.”
Bjork and Mark watched silently as the car moved further and further away. Soon they couldn’t see the car at all .
“I’m nervous,” Mark finally broke the silence.
Bjork laughed . She wasn’t laughing at him. She was trying to calm his anxiety and let him know he didn’t need to be so afraid. Somehow it did comfort Mark. “Oh Mark. You are nervous about everything. It’s okay though. I know it’s just the way you are. Mommy and Daddy would never do anything bad for us.”
“Thank you Bjork. You’re always there for me,” Mark said with a gentle wag of his tail.
Finally, Bjork and Mark heard Daddy and Mommy’s car . They were only gone a couple of hours but it felt like days and days to Bjork and Mark. Bjork ran to the porch and hopped up on the bench. She was hoping to see them the minute they got to the driveway so she could spot the “surprise” right away. She had her ears perked up and a big smile on her face.
“I’m so excited! Whatever could it be? Are you excited Mark?”
Mark had resumed his position in front of the bench with his head on the window ledge and his nose pressed against the window. “I don’t know . Does excitement feel like being sick? Cause I feel kind of sick to my stomach. I don’t know if that is excitement, nervousness or all the grass I ate today. I am trying to eat healthier as I am worried about my future health. I heard that grass…”
“They’re here !” squealed Bjork. “Sorry Mark. You can tell me all about it later. I promise. Can you see what’s in the car?”
Mommy and Daddy pulled into the driveway which passed along the whole side of the house and ended at the garage in the back. As they slowly passed the porch, Bjork and Mark spotted at the exact same time , a Golden Retriever staring back at them from the rolled down backseat window.
“Oh no!” Mark gasped. “ They already have us. Why would they want another one? Our family is perfect just like it is.”
“Maybe he or she needs a home and some love and we have both of those things. Don’t worry Mark. It will be great.” Bjork was grinning and wagging her tail.
They heard the car shut off and the car doors open and close. Then they heard foot steps and paw steps and voices as Mommy and Daddy and this new dog got closer to the front of the house. And then….. they saw him. He was on a leash that Daddy held and he was looking at everything.
He wasn’t a little puppy but he wasn’t fully grown either. He didn’t know where he was going and Daddy kept saying, “Slow down there big fella,” and “This way”.
Bjork jumped down from her bench so she would be ready to greet him. Finally, Mommy and Daddy and the new golden retriever walked up the steps and through the door onto the porch.
Everybody just stood there starting at each other. Bjork was the first to move. She walked up to the new dog and sat down.
“Hi. I’m Bjork. That’s Mark back there .” Mark had turned around and was watching but hadn’t stepped forward at all. “Do
you have a name?” asked Bjork.
“My name is Hitchens.” The newcomer backed up a little cautiously
“Hitchens. I like it. I am 3 and Mark is 2. How old are you?”
“I am almost a year old,” said Hitchens distractedly as he looked around. It seemed like such a pleasant place. They were standing in a big screened in porch that had a thick fuzzy rug that covered half of the porch floor, a sturdy wood and iron bench positioned so you could sit on it and see out all the windows and pots and pots of beautiful green plants on a high wooden table at the other end of the porch. There was a door into the house and then you could go up the stairs or right through another door to go into the rest of the first floor of the house.
Mommy and Daddy watched to make sure everyone was okay and then walked into the house. Bjork followed them and Mark also started walking toward the door. Hitchens didn’t know what to do so he just stood still.
Bjork stopped and looked over her shoulder and past Mark and said, “Come inside Hitchens. We will show you around.”
Hitchens hesitated and then started to follow. He had to walk by Mark who looked at him and then quickly looked away when Hitchens stared curiously back at him. It was hard to tell who
was more nervous.
Bjork was just a little shorter than Hitchens and Mark was just a little taller. Bjork had thick curly fur that was a white and gold color. She had huge paws and thick legs and a stocky body. Her eyes were brown and sparkled with life. They had droopy eyelids with long lashes giving her the look of a puppy. Her head was wide with a short muzzle. All this gave her the look of a sweet bear cub.
Mark had thin but long hair. It was a deep reddish color. He was tall and slender. His eyes were brown with bits of gold color. They were wide and always looking around. Even his head was slender and his muzzle was long.
Hitchens’ appeared to be almost a mix of Bjork and Mark. His fur was thicker than Mark’s but not as thick as Bjork’s and his color was a gold and red mix. He wasn’t as tall and skinny as Mark or as short and stocky as Bjork. His head and face were even a mix between the two. He had dark brown eyes set in a not so wide and not so thin head. His muzzle was also not so short and not so long.
Hitchens stopped just as he got to Mark . They both stood there. Bjork nudged Mark.
“Um.. Hi.. I’m Mark. Are you here to stay?”
Bjork gasped. “Mark! Don’t be rude.”
Mark hung his head a little and said, “Sorry. It makes me nervous when I don’t know what is going on. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
Bjork gave Mark a kiss on the cheek and said, “Oh Mark. Everything makes you nervous. Now can we all just go into the house please?”
Mark followed Bjork and Hitchens followed Mark. Mommy and Daddy were in the living room. Daddy said to Bjork and
Mark ,when the three of them walked in, “Okay. We are going to let the two of you show Hitchens around and explain the rules of the house.”
Bjork led the way and did most of the talking as the three of them walked around the house. It was really one big square with the living room, kitchen. dining room and bathroom making up the square. She showed him the comfy furniture and told him , much to his disbelief, that he can sit or lie down on any of the furniture at any time unless Mommy or Daddy or company needed to sit there. She showed him the dining room where Mommy or Daddy fed them their breakfast and dinner.
“Sometimes you have to remind Mommy and Daddy to feed us. They have a lot to do and can get busy. Eating on a regular schedule is very important for your health,” added Mark.
“Okay” answered Hitchens.
Bjork shook her head a little. “ Oh Mark. It is nice of you to think of reminding Mommy and Daddy but they have never forgotten to feed us. They would never let us go hungry.” Hitchens felt relieved.
She showed him the bathroom. It had an all tile floor. Bjork explained that this made it a cool place to sleep when it gets really hot.
“And that’s the bathtub.” Mark interrupted and pointed to a big oval bowl with a curtain around it that took up a lot of the room. “We get baths in it sometimes but also it’s the safest place in the house in a thunderstorm. Have you ever been in a thunderstorm?”
“I think so but I guess I don’t really remember.” Hitchens wrinkled up his face trying to remember.
“Don’t scare him Mark. You have never been hurt in any storm. We are always safe besides they don’t happen very often.” Bjork smiled and started to walk away.
“I know” persisted Mark “but they I think its always good to know where to go to be safe and I heard on t.v. once that the bathtub is a safe place to hide in a storm.”
“You’re right Mark.” Bjork reassured him. “It’s always good to know.” She winked at Hitchens who couldn’t help but smile a little.
They moved to the kitchen and Bjork showed him the water bowl. It was the biggest, deepest and shiniest bowl Hitchens had ever seen. It was full of cool water. Looking at it, Hitchens realized how thirsty he was. He started to lick his lips. Mark noticed Hitchens staring at the bowl with his tongue hanging out. He couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You can drink from it if you are thirsty,” said Mark.
“Are you sure?” Hitchens asked, looking very hopeful.
“Of course. Go ahead.” laughed Bjork as she looked at Hitchens and saw him staring at the bowl with big wide eyes and his tongue hanging out. “ You look so funny,” she giggled.
Hitchens caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water and started to laugh at himself too. This made Bjork and Mark laugh even harder. As he bent down to take a drink, Hitchens realized that he liked making them laugh. He drank and drank the water that tasted as good as it looked.
“Have you always lived here ?” asked Hitchens when they were all back in the living room. Bjork and Mark looked at each other and then back at Hitchens.
“Since we can remember,” answered Bjork. “ I lived here for a little while before Mark but not very long. You were so little when you came home with Mommy and Daddy, “ she smiled at Mark.
“I don’t remember ever living anywhere but here with Bjork and Mommy and Daddy,” was Mark’s answer.
“Did you come from the same place ? I mean… are you like brother and sister?” asked Hitchens.
He was a little afraid of the answer. He had lived many different places in his young life and always felt like the outsider. He dreamed of someday having his own family with his own Mommy and Daddy and maybe a brother or sister or one of each. He was afraid that this place was too good to be true. That once again, He would be the outsider.
“Are you kidding?” said Mark. “We don’t look anything alike.”
“Well to be fair Mark, not all brothers and sisters look alike; but I don’t think we are related in that way. I mean I know Mommy and Daddy got us from somewhere but none of that really matters. We have been together for so long now. We love each other, care for each other and do almost everything together so, I would say yes. Yes we are brother and sister,” stated Bjork.
Mark wagged his tail. “Well when you say it like that … I agree. Bjork has always been there for me and taught me everything . I guess I’ve never really thought about it before but Bjork is definitely my sister.”
Hitchens looked at them and said “I hope I have a big brother and sister someday.”
They spend the rest of the day showing Hitchens around and teaching him things like not to chew on plants or rugs or furniture or shoes or anything in the house except what Mommy and Daddy give them. They showed him how to tell Mommy and Daddy when he has to go outside. They showed him where their yard stops and starts and all the things a dog needs to know.
Later that night Mommy and Daddy were in the kitchen talking to each other. Soon they called Bjork and Mark to come in to the kitchen. They started to talk to the two dogs.
Hitchens couldn’t quite hear them and he so badly wanted to know . He just couldn’t bear it if he had to leave a place again. Especially this place. It was better than any home he had ever imagined. He sneaked around to the other door to the kitchen. He made sure they didn’t see him but from here he could hear them better. Suddenly he heard his name mentioned in all the talking. He held his breath.
“…and since it seems to be going so well, we want Hitchens to
live here all the time. What do you two think about that?” Daddy said.
Bjork wagged her tail so hard it thumped on the floor. “I think it would be great. He’s so nice and he’s funny and seems so kind. I like him. Plus he seems to fit right in and needs a home.”
She looked at Mark. He looked at Bjork and then Mommy and Daddy. Hitchens held his breath waiting to hear what Mark would say. They all waited. And waited. Hitchens thought to himself “I can’t hold my breathe much longer…”
Finally Mark said , “Well he is nice and I think it would be so scary not to have a real home. I would be terrified. I think he should stay too.”
All the breath Hitchens was holding back came rushing out of him in one big happy “Yahoooooooooooo!!!!!!” Everyone turned to see Hitchens standing in the doorway with the biggest and goofiest smile on his face. Everyone burst out laughing with him as he ran around jumping and shaking his head in joy.
“I get to stay! I get to stay!” He yelled. Out of breath, he went and laid down by Mommy and Daddy and Bjork and Mark. “The .. best… part,” he said in-between catching his breath,“is now… not only do I have…. a mommy and daddy…. I have a big sister…. and a big brother!” Bjork and Mark wagged their tails and laid down next to him. Giving him kisses they said at the exact same time “ And now we have a little brother.”
