Chapter 1

The fire was crackling in the fireplace with brightly glowing embers scattered haphazardly on a thick bed of dusty, gray and black ashes. The smell of the burning wood permeated the air in the old, wooden house that was badly in need of repair. Suspended over the fire from a swinging iron bar was an old, cast iron black pot that contained the dried remnants of a thick potato soup that had earlier been prepared for supper. In the corner of this small two room house was a faded brown and blue upholstered chair with flattened cushions and torn seams. The fragile condition of the chair mirrored the weak and frail condition of its owner who was an old man living alone since his wife had passed away years before. He had been a farmer during his younger years and lived in a remote part of the countryside, but now he grew whatever he could to feed himself for he was in the winter of his years. To the passerby, this charmingly rustic farmhouse was ideally situated in the verdant countryside that served as a living canvas for a painting of blue and yellow wildflowers, clusters of trees, green grass and gently rolling hills whose mantel of colors changed with the seasons. Seen through different eyes, this terrain was nothing more than a barren and empty wasteland onto which the old man’s gaze turned sadly every morning and every evening with ritual sadness and loneliness.

This chilly but clear spring evening after supper, one of the children belonging to a family that lived in the village brought a puppy on his bicycle to the old man as a gift to keep him company. This little puppy weighed only 2 kilos and was delivered in a small basket to the old man’s doorstep with a note attached to a string that was tied loosely around the puppy’s neck. The note explained how the little dog came to be born from small mixed breeds and that the family in the village could not afford to keep him. The child knocked on the door but there was no immediate reply. The child knocked again but this time with impatience. What the child did not see was that the old man had dozed off in the chair and was awakened from a light sleep by the noise at the door. By the time the old man had been able to pull himself out of the chair and walk with his cane to the door, the child and his bicycle were long gone. The old man looked down at the unexpected package on his doorstep and read the note. A wave of mixed emotions surged through his stiff body. On the surface, he felt a sense of despondency at the thought of having the burden of another mouth to feed and bereft of energy that he knew he needed to conserve for himself with little or none to spare for others. Deep down, however, a wavering sense of happiness, as unsteady as a candle flickering in the wind, began to appear for one simple reason. The innocent, hopeful yet anxious expression on the puppy’s face revealed his own needs and dependency that were mirrored in the eyes of this little dog.

The joy that had been locked away for so long behind the cobwebs that had been spun in the emptiness of the old man’s heart began to blossom again like the crocuses that peak through the snow in winter, and these warm feelings eventually outgrew his apprehensions. His newly discovered happiness was tempered, however, with unexpected shadows of despondency when his arthritis made it difficult for him to do simple things such as picking up the puppy first thing in the morning and holding it in his arms or playing tug-of-war with a stick. During those occasional moments, his face carried the sorrow of one whose heart was filled with the dark reminder that his strong, vigorous days were behind him and tears of sadness filled his eyes. Yet, as we all know, the sweetness of life is often the silent and stronger companion of bitterness. So, when the old man’s tears were finally dry, he glanced down at his feet and he marveled at the vision of this tiny, scruffy-looking puppy lying all curled up and resting his head on the man’s worn out shoe. As he reached his hand down to touch the puppy’s head, he felt the warmth and contentment radiating from this small, fragile life and it filled the emptiness that had lived in his heart for too long.

Early the next morning as the sun came streaming through the dingy windows of the bedroom, the old man was awakened by this little puppy bursting with energy as he licked the old man’s face and wagged his tail so hard that it looked as though it were going to fly off. As he brought his morning coffee with him over to the chair, he slowly sat down, sipped from the steaming cup and took a long look at this little dog who was lying down by his feet and chewing the laces on his shoes. He began daydreaming about all of the things he wanted to teach the dog about life, such as fishing in the river, planting vegetable seeds in the spring, getting water every day from the well and watching the sun set each evening heralding the day’s end. He imagined the paths they would walk together during the day and the comfort they would share at night. With these dreams in his mind and the miracle of an unexpected love in his heart, he gazed at the puppy with tufts of hair hanging over his big brown eyes, his slender face, black nose, and black wavy hair shooting out in all directions, and it was then that the man decided to name the little dog Scruffy. So with both of them settling comfortably into the routine of life in the countryside, the two inseparable companions began to embrace life together and welcomed the spring season into their lives.

Inspired by his newly found happiness with Scruffy, the old man revived one of the rituals of late spring which was duck hunting that, when successful, provided the best meals that the man had ever eaten. His ability to shoot with accuracy had diminished over the years, but he managed reasonably well considering his age. On those occasions when the two companions returned to the house empty-handed, they were still invigorated by the hunt and rewarded with the beauty of the day. If they returned with a well-earned prize, the old man would roast the duck over the fireplace until the meat was tender and juicy and the skin was crisp and flavorful. During this cooking process, Scruffy became so excited with the anticipation of this luxurious meal that he would run back and forth in front of the fireplace without taking his eyes off the delicacy that was turning on the spit. When the duck was cooked, the old man would remove it from the fireplace and put it on a platter. Meanwhile, Scruffy would jump up and down, wag his tail, and become so exuberant that he would occasionally fall down and bump his little chin on the wooden floor. Not one to be deterred, Scruffy would pick himself up and continue jumping up and down until he was offered the first bite of duck. The two companions would devour every morsel of the bird except the bones which were set aside to make a broth from the well water and the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, parsley and thyme that grew in the old man’s garden. Life tasted sweeter to the old man these days as he and Scruffy shared their love for each other while performing simple, every day chores.

Chapter 2

One day while the old man was planting seeds in his garden in anticipation of the summer and fall harvest of vegetables, Scruffy was darting about the garden in an irregular pattern with his gaze up at the sky. Scruffy appeared anxious and kept murmuring a soft, seemingly frustrated whimper under his breath as he ran while his paws tore into the earth that had been cradling the newly sown seeds much to the complete exasperation of the old man. Finally, with his patience worn thin and his nerves frayed, the old man threw up his hands and ordered Scruffy to stop what he was doing and get out of his carefully tended garden. Scruffy was torn between the temptation of continuing to prance about the garden following a little white butterfly and the inevitable reality of obeying the old man’s plea to stop this frenzied and bizarre activity immediately. While Scruffy was deftly attempting to satisfy both at the same time, much to the annoyance of the old man, Scruffy lost sight of where he was running and he fell on a sharp, three pronged metal gardening tool used for weeding. Scruffy cried out in pain largely due to the shock of the accident and the initial pain that he felt. The old man hurried over to Scruffy, cradled the puppy in his arms and spoke soothingly to comfort him. After a few minutes, Scruffy’ stopped crying so the old man took the opportunity to take a look at the puppy’s leg. Fortunately, it was not a serious wound, but the old man tended to him nonetheless and took Scruffy inside the house where he applied alcohol and a medicinal dressing. The old man slowly looked around the house to find something to cover the dressing. He was at a loss to find even an old piece of cloth, until he thought of an idea. He held Scruffy in his arms while he crossed the room and pulled an old threadbare sock out of a drawer. He then sat in his upholstered chair where he gently tied the sock around the puppy’s leg making sure that it was not too tight. The garden and the tools outside had been left just as they were when the accident occurred. The old man held Scruffy in his arms until the puppy fell fast asleep and neither of them moved for the rest of the night.

The next day the old man decided to go hunting so that, if he were lucky, both he and Scruffy would eat well for a couple of days. Scruffy was limping and in no condition to the leave the house. So the old man sat Scruffy down and explained to him what his plans were and that he intended to return after a few hours. Scruffy understood the sentiment, but not the words, and he grudgingly accepted that he would have to be left behind. Despite Scruffy’ whimpering complaints, the old man retrieved some ammunition from the cellar before he put on his jacket and his hat and took his gun down from the wall. As he began to open the door, he turned back and saw a very sad but very cute face with eyes begging him not to go. The old man gave him a smile that came from the heart and turned and walked away, closing the door behind him for what was to be the last time.

Chapter 3

Scruffy remained patiently in the house that day as he was asked to do, waiting for the old man to return. The hours passed slowly as he watched the angle of the sun’s rays moving across the window from right to left, diminishing in their warmth and fading in their strength. The looming shadows cast against the floor gave warning of the disappearance of another day. The room became colder and darker. Still no one came through the door. As the room colors changed from earth tones to shades of gray, the mood changed from empty to lonely. As evening approached, Scruffy heard his empty stomach growl, but he was still holding on to the belief that soon he would eat dinner with the old man when he returned, as it was their custom to always eat together in front of the fire after the sun went down. Scruffy had never been alone before in his whole life. As he lay on the floor covered by a cold blanket of silence, he was thinking of how he had grown so accustomed to the comforting routine of eating with someone who loved him. He remembered how the old man would prepare supper for the two of them at a wood burning stove or by the fireplace. Sometimes the dinner was soup made from vegetables or potatoes from the garden and sometimes, when they were lucky, they would have fish or meat from duck or hare. When supper was finished cooking, the old man would bring the cooked meal over to the wooden table. Using a large spoon or a slightly bent fork, he would always serve a very small portion of everything that was cooked onto an old, beaten up tin plate that Scruffy knew belonged especially to him. The meals didn’t vary too much and they certainly weren’t what you would call fancy, but it really didn’t matter because they were together. When supper was over, the old man would take the plates to a bowl filled with well water. Before he washed them, he would fill the little puppy’s water dish with clean water, and then he would slowly stoop down to put the water dish on the floor. After the two plates were washed, they were put away for the night onto a shelf until the sun awakened life in the countryside the next morning.

At first Scruffy thought that his happiness came from the habits that he shared with the old man, such as getting water from the well, watering the vegetables, washing clothes in a bucket of suds and hanging them on the line to dry. But then Scruffy thought about this a little more and he realized that his happiness came not from what he did during the day but from the person with whom he spent the day. He then understood that it was the tenderness in the old man’s tired eyes, the smile on his leathered face and the warmth of his touch that Scruffy loved and really depended upon for his happiness. Although the old man’s worrisome absence drained the joy from this little puppy, the memories of this special love that he shared filled his heart but couldn’t take away the ache that he now felt.

Feeling listless, Scruffy drifted over to his water bowl, but there were only a few remaining beads of water left clinging to the bottom of the dish which the puppy licked in his vain attempt to appease his growing hunger. He could sense that something was terribly wrong, but he was at a loss as to what to do. He paced around the room a few times and then curled up in front of the darkened fireplace and fell asleep. A few hours later, he was awakened from a night of bad dreams and restless sleep by the singing of morning larks and the sunrise that appeared just over the horizon against a pink and silver sky. As he looked around the room where his fears of the loss of his companion were sadly confirmed, Scruffy thought of his hunger and he was sadly aware that something really had happened to the old man because they had never before been separated.

Finding an inner strength and resolve from someplace inside of him that he didn’t know even existed, Scruffy was determined to find a way out of the house, so he put his little nose to the ground and began his customary habit of sniffing the entire floor area hoping to come up with an idea. He was slowed down by some remaining discomfort in his leg, but he tried not to think about it and developed a new walking rhythm that put less of a strain on his soreness. He became a little discouraged after he checked out the living area of the small house and he couldn’t find a window left open or a door left ajar. But still determined as ever and vowing that he would never give up hope, he continued sniffing the last part of the living area before reaching the bedroom door when he discovered that the hatch to the cellar was left open. Then he remembered that before the old man had left on his hunting expedition, he had pocketed some ammunition that was always kept with his gun cleaning kit in the cellar along with his garden tools, canned vegetables and preserves. Scruffy had to contain his excitement as he descended the rickety, old steps made of pine being careful to avoid the pieces of broken and splintered wood along the way, until he finally reached the dirt floor. Being so tiny, he first looked up before he looked around so that he could figure out where he was. He first saw the wooden work table on which was scattered an old dirty cloth and some work tools. Then as his eyes roamed around the cellar, he saw the shelves on which were stored cans of food lined up like little toy soldiers, several liters of lamp oil, sandpaper, glue and some extra wicks for the lamp. Then he saw the broken down, rusted, old bicycle with blue paint and a pathetically flat tire leaning against one wall of the cellar by the second set of cellar steps leading up to another hatch that takes you to the garden outside. All of a sudden Scruffy realized something so important that it made his knees weak with relief … he realized that he could actually see! This meant that there was light in the cellar and, since the old man wasn’t there with his oil lamp to provide the light, Scruffy knew that the source of this light was the sun and that meant that there was indeed a way out!

Chapter 4

Scruffy walked to the second set of steps leading out to the garden and made his way out of the cellar one step at a time. The cellar hatch leading to the garden had been left open by the old man on the day that Scruffy hurt himself and it was never closed after the accident. Squinting from the bright sun that by now was shining brightly in the sky, Scruffy looked around for something to eat and drink because he was weak from hunger and thirst. He walked over to the vegetable garden to see what he could find. As his eyes fell upon a pile of potatoes waiting to be planted in the earth, his mouth began to water and he rushed over to what he thought was a familiar sight. He sank his teeth into the first, big potato that he saw and it made a funny crunching sound. He remembered potatoes as being soft and tender and steaming hot inside, but not crunchy, hard and tasteless. This was his first lesson in the culinary arts, but he was in no position to be finicky, so he chewed and swallowed what he could. Next, he tried eating some onions, shallots and garlic cloves that had been set aside for planting on the day of the accident, but these tasted too strong for his sensitive little palate, so he left those behind on the tilled earth. Although Scruffy loved tomatoes and courgettes in his supper, the only part of those delicacies that remained in the garden were the seeds that the old man had partially planted, so Scruffy had to dispel any dreams that he may have had about his vegetable broth. Scruffy came to the end of the garden patch, and was disappointed when he found that there was nothing left to eat.

By now, he was terribly thirsty, so he doubled back to where he had seen the watering can used by the old man to water his newly planted seeds, and happily found that there was still some water left inside when he gently nudged it. Now, the big question posed by this little puppy was how to get at the water to satisfy his thirst. He first circled the watering can to see if there were some way to open it. Having no luck there, Scruffy decided that the only way to get at the water was to tip the entire can over and drink as fast as he could when the water poured out. So he jumped up and pushed the can over using his front paws. He fell down on the can and bruised his chin as he fell, but there was no time to lose. He quickly lapped up the precious liquid as fast as he could until nothing more dripped out. He was still thirsty as he watched the last drops of water sink into the ground and become one with the earth.

Scruffy then looked around and knew that it was time to move on. There was nothing left for him here at the house except warm memories of a brief life that he cherished with his companion. He packed those sweet memories into the diary of his mind and knew at such a tender age that his experiences of love were the key to this diary that also unlocked his heart. He glanced back over his shoulder one last time before he continued down the road in the direction of the sun toward his undisclosed destiny.

Chapter 5

Scruffy decided to take the dirt road that was so familiar to him from his former days spent with his beloved companion even though he didn’t know where it would ultimately lead. Along the way, there was plenty of water for him to drink from the fresh water stream that flowed in the same meandering direction that he took. And when he was tired, Scruffy would frequently stop and rest under the cool shade of the trees, where sometimes he would find berries to eat from the bushes nearby. He had learned what was edible and what was poisonous from watching the birds when he went fishing with the old man. Now, this fleeting and playful pastime of bird watching and berry sampling became a serious, life saving resource for him that he quickly put to good use. Scruffy also found some nuts and seeds along the way that helped to stave off his hunger and give him a little energy so that he could continue his journey.

At the end of the first day of traveling, Scruffy was understandably weary, and he needed to get some sleep. He left the well-worn path of the road that by now was unfamiliar to him because he had walked so far on his first day, and he headed for a group of trees by the stream where he would rest for the night. The sun’s rays were beginning to disappear and he knew that he would get very cold if he didn’t find some protection from the cold spring night air. Since there was no house or shelter of any kind to be found in the area, Scruffy decided to make a hole in the ground similar to a little cave as his terrier ancestry had been accustomed to doing, although for slightly different purposes. Rotating his front paws at a furious speed, he threw loose dirt back between his legs creating a mound of soft earth suitable for nesting ducks in late spring. A few sneezes were the only ill effects he suffered from this frenzied activity, but this little black dog was a sight to behold. He was completely covered with finely textured brown dirt that clung to his matted black hair which still stuck out in all directions, as usual.

Scruffy wearily climbed into his hole, curled up as tightly as he could and fell fast asleep. Hours later, Scruffy awakened to a cloudy day feeling sore muscles, hunger and thirst. He drank water from the stream, but as he looked around there were no berries, nuts or seeds to eat. He was so hungry, he didn’t know how he was going to find the energy to continue on his journey, so he sat down by a rock and started to cry. One of the morning larks, who had lived in the area for a long time and knew the natural environment very well, overheard this sad little cry and flew to a tree branch nearby to see what was the matter. The bird took notice of the puppy’s weakened condition, dirty appearance and loneliness with no companion in sight, and the bird quickly realized what had to be done. He took off from the branch and flew to other trees in the area, singing with great agitation in his voice. Other birds in the area rushed to the tree in which the lark was singing and they joined together to become a chorus of voices. Then, the entire flock of birds flew up to one of the silvery pink clouds where they seemed to disappear. About ten minutes later, the birds returned to a tree branch that was right above the rock where Scruffy sat wondering what was to become of him. Scruffy felt a bump on his head which made him stop crying. He looked around, but there was nobody there. Then he felt another bump, and another, and another. By this time, Scruffy was getting a headache so he moved away from the rock to stop being pummeled when he noticed an olive on the ground. He sniffed it, and then put his tongue to the silky smooth skin of the fruit. He thought this was interesting, but he wasn’t sure if it were edible. So he pushed it with his nose along the ground to see if it would do anything, as puppies are prone to doing. The olive didn’t move. It was too small to be a ball to play with, he thought, and it was too soft to be a stone, and too fragrant to be a piece of dirt.

Shaking his head with complete exasperation, the morning lark realized that the puppy had to be shown what to do with this olive as well as all of the other olives that his companions had dropped on the ground for him. So with a slightly snooty air and limited patience for these supposedly mundane matters about which the bird was convinced that the best bred animals should be informed, the lark flew to the ground and started to peck at the olive with its beak, trying to show Scruffy the conventional use to which this delectable food should properly be put. Scruffy was a bit startled when the lark flew to the ground, and he backed off defensively to keep a safe distance while watching the lark. The lark took one of the olives in his beak and tossed it in the direction of the little puppy as if to encourage the puppy to imitate what the bird was doing. Scruffy remembered the advice given by the old man during one of their fishing trips. He was told that anything the birds eat is safe for him to eat and, therefore, not poisonous. So, Scruffy bit into the flesh of the olive and tasted its juices and … gulp! … swallowed the pit! The lark watched this faux pas and just shook his head in abject disapproval. Scruffy saw the bird’s reaction, sat down, cocked his head to one side and looked quizzically at the bird. All of the birds in the tree laughed and tittered, but the lark on the ground gave them a sharp look, so they immediately held their beaks. The lark shook his head again, heaved a deep sigh and stared straight into the little puppy’s eyes as if to say "Watch me and I’ll show you how to do it properly!" Meanwhile, the chorus of birds had gone silent, and the lark took another olive from the ground, pecked at the flesh and left the pit. Then the bird tossed an olive toward Scruffy for him to try again. This time, Scruffy put the olive between his front paws, tore off the flesh and cast the pit aside. The lark gave the little puppy a condescending nod of approval, and then returned to the tree where he rejoined his friends. Scruffy was starving, so he quickly ate all of the olives on the ground that were brought by the birds in the tree. He was so grateful for this meal that he turned toward the direction of the tree to thank the birds, but they were gone. He then looked up in the sky and saw the birds flying away. He could see the graceful movement of their wings against a background of pink and gray clouds from which he momentarily imagined that he saw the silvery green leaves of an olive tree.

Chapter 6

With the renewed strength that Scruffy derived from this olive feast and fresh water from the stream, he continued on his journey in the direction of the sun. By midday, a truck filled with vegetables came down the lonely road and saw the little puppy walking on the side. The driver pulled over and stopped. He got out of the car and went over to see if he could help Scruffy, but Scruffy stepped back out of fear. The driver spoke soothingly to the little puppy and offered him a ride into the village by the sea where he was going. Scruffy was tired and unsure about whether he would ever make it on his own to the village, so he decided to let the driver put him in the back of the flatbed truck where he sat during the bumpy and dusty ride into town.

According to the location of the sun in the sky, the driver arrived in a little village by the sea in mid afternoon where he unloaded his vegetables at a market in the middle of town. While the driver was carrying boxes into the market, Scruffy stayed in the back of the truck anxiously wagging his tail because he wanted to jump down, but the distance was too great for him. Some children who were playing in the street saw the little puppy and ran over to pet him. They adored Scruffy who welcomed their embraces and kisses because he instinctively knew that children are possessed of good hearts and intentions, especially when they are loved in return. The children quickly carried Scruffy down from the truck and ran around the corner to an open field where they ran and played with the little puppy until he fell to the ground with happy exhaustion.

Scruffy reveled in this outpouring of love that he had missed terribly since the last days he had spent with his beloved companion. And the little puppy had certainly never experienced the vibrant and youthful enthusiasm that radiated like sunshine from these children. The children inherently sensed that this little puppy who was covered in dirt, tired from his long journey and without a place to call home, had confronted the same challenges that they had experienced in their lives and it was with this generosity and camaraderie of spirit that they welcomed the little puppy into their hearts and their loving care. And, needless to say, Scruffy was utterly delighted to be there and endeavored to show his appreciation to each and every one.

The first afternoon that the children and the little puppy spent together went very quickly, and soon it was time to think about dinner and going to sleep. On this special occasion in honor of this new little puppy in their lives, the children collected a wonderful meal of cooked potatoes and some kind of meat that Scruffy had never tasted but loved nonetheless. He ate it in the wonderful companionship of the children and, after dinner, curled up by one of the boys named Grigoris, and fell fast asleep by his side.

The next morning, the children went to get some bread for themselves and the little puppy, and they saw a familiar lady walking out of the bakery. She ate the honey cake that she had just bought as she walked down the street on her way to work. This lady was young and very beautiful and she lived alone in an apartment above the bakery. Her name was Helene and everyone in the village loved her. She had lost her parents and her brother several years before, so she was all alone in the world except for her friends with whom she spent much of her time when she was not working at the office. But, still, the children overheard the baker telling his wife one day that Helene was very lonely when she returned to her apartment every evening with nobody to talk to or share her life.

The children gathered together after breakfast and came up with an idea. They devised a plan that would enable them to be able to continue to share their love with the little puppy, provide Scruffy with a life filled with love and at the same time offer a gift to Helene that would make her very happy. So, they decided to put the first step of the plan into action the next morning.

Chapter 7

Early the next morning, Grigoris was waiting by the door of the bakery while the rest of the children were peeking around the corner of the building trying to stay out of sight. They had agreed that their plan had to be quiet and virtually unnoticeable to the people in the village, so they elected Grigoris to represent them in the first phase of their operation. Helene, as was her usual custom, came out of the bakery at 8:00 a.m. eating her honey cake before going to work. Grigoris bumped into her, excused himself and in the accident found that he had dropped his lucky red handkerchief on the street. Helene, who was a very polite and kind lady, offered to pick this up for Grigoris thinking that she had caused the accident. She picked up the handkerchief and returned it to Grigoris who took it gently between two fingers and wished her a good day. Helene went to work and Grigoris rejoined the children and Scruffy who had been waiting for him around the corner.

Grigoris was careful not to remove the lady’s fragrance from the handkerchief with his hand, so using his two fingers in which the cloth was lightly grasped, he offered the handkerchief directly to Scruffy who sniffed it, took it gently in his mouth, then tossed it into the air and caught it with his teeth. He loved playing with his new toy and he thought that this one smelled just like the jasmine that had come into early bloom in the village. He frolicked with this handkerchief and pranced around with his nose in the air and his little tail wagging with excitement. The children knew that their idea was working perfectly, so they decided to continue with phase 2 of their well-conceived plan.

When Helene returned from work in the afternoon, it was her custom to buy her fresh bread for dinner at the bakery before it closed. The children were expecting her, so they entered the bakery after she did and pretended to be customers. They waited patiently behind her while she stood in front of the counter ready to pay for her bread. Meanwhile, one of the children carefully tucked the little red handkerchief into the side pocket of her coat making sure to let most of the sweet smelling hanky dangle out. All of the children except one left the bakery before Helene had paid for her bread. The remaining child lifted Scruffy out of a brown paper bag in which she had surreptitiously brought the little puppy into the bakery. Then she, too, left the store quickly leaving Scruffy to wonder where his companions had gone. But Scruffy remained by the familiar fragrance of the handkerchief hoping to get a chance to play with it again. By this time, Helene had bought her bread and was ready to return to her apartment.

At this point, Scruffy became terribly confused and began to panic. He had been left alone again and this brought back a rush of sad memories, so he decided to stay close to Helene, who didn’t even realize that he was by her side because this little puppy was so quiet. Helene took her apartment key out of her purse and she went up the stairs to her apartment door. She inserted the key and suddenly heard a small bark. She looked down and saw this adorable, black little face with a dirty nose. She smiled and said hello to him. She looked around and no one else was there. She opened the door to her apartment and Scruffy rushed inside where the room was warm and had the faint aroma of jasmine that had been left behind from Helene’s perfume. Helene welcomed the little puppy into her flat and put the bread down on the table. She knew that the first thing she must do is to look for an identification tag on the puppy to find out to whom he belonged. She found absolutely nothing around his neck or tattooed on his ear. The next order of business for Helene was to give this sweet puppy a good cleaning in her bathtub, so she brought out her shampoo and put warm water in the tub. Then she picked up Scruffy and she could feel his little heart beating wildly. This was going to be a new experience for him and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. She gently lowered Scruffy into the warm water and held him close to her the entire time that she soaped him down and rinsed him off. After the rinse, Helene picked up a soft, blue towel from the towel rack in her bathroom and she carefully wrapped Scruffy in it, all the while cradling him in her arms. Scruffy remembered back to the time that the old man cradled Scruffy in his arms after the little puppy had hurt himself on the garden tool in the countryside. It was at that moment while looking into Helene’s eyes and feeling this same kind of love swirling around in the little puppy’s heart that Scruffy knew he had finally found a new home.