Lydia- The Pet Communicator (Wattys13- Finalist!)

Lydia- The Pet Communicator

Lydia- The pet Communicator

Prologue-

It was the final day of my board examinations. I was left with two main exam papers, Physics and Chemistry, and I needed high scores on both to achieve my goal, which was to become a top veterinarian.

I loved animals and their innocence. It killed me to see them helpless, especially when they were ill or injured, as they couldn't express their feelings easily within human society. Because of this, I wanted to treat them, help them, and give them all the love I could.

“Good morning, Lydia. Ready for the big day?” my mom asked, kissing me on the forehead.

“Good morning, Mom.” I nodded and grinned widely, displaying my white teeth. My lips quivered, though, which meant I was extremely nervous.

“Aww, I know you can do it. You’re my little star! It’s your dream, and we’re all with you,” she replied, ruffling my hair.

I nodded and carried on munching my fruit salad as quickly as I could. I still had to still check up on my other family, which was waiting for me in my backyard; those family members were my pets.

I’d started this animal shelter at the age of nine with the help of my father. Fortunately, he loved animals too, so he’d always help and support me. At present, we had an Abyssinian horse, which had been disowned by my cousin three months back; two German Shepherds, which had been found with injuries at different locations; one poodle who had been disowned; two Birman cats; and four Dutch rabbits. Clearly, every animal here had their own story.

When I was walking out the door to check up on my pets, I felt a tight grip on my wrist. Taken aback, I glanced up at my mom, who was glaring at me furiously. “What?” I asked, and she loosened her grip.

“Don’t waste your time out there! We’ve already called the nurse from Blue Cross to check up on them. This is your exam, for God’s sake!”

“But Mom…”

“No buts!” She scowled.

“Grace, let her go. She needs their blessing too,” said my dad from behind her.

My mom rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh. “Fine, do whatever you both want. Who listens to me anyway?” She walked into the kitchen angrily.

My father pulled me into a hug and kissed me on the forehead. “I’m proud of you. You have a big heart, and God always helps those who help others.”

I got up on my tiptoes and kissed my father on the cheek. "Thank you for being with me, Daddy.”

I hurried into the backyard, then checked up on all my pets. “‘Wish me good luck, guys!” I said before I left. As I headed on my way, the horse neighed, and the dogs barked in response. I accepted their blessings along with my family’s.

When I reached the sidewalk, I retrieved my chemistry notebook from my shoulder bag and set off for school. It was a ten minute walk to school from home, and I preferred walking whenever I had exams so I could go through my notes without distractions, as well as enjoy the cool morning breeze.

I’d almost gotten to school when I heard someone calling my name from behind me: “Hey, Lydia, wait up!”

I was about to turn around and see who it was, but before I could, my eyes fell on a puppy stuck in the middle of the road adjacent to me. His legs were trapped in a piece of trash that seemed too heavy for him, and he had no way to escape from it; in the distance, I could see a truck coming at full speed.

My heart was telling me to go and save the puppy, but my mind was telling me to leave him behind, since I was almost late for my exams.

No, I can’t let him die! I thought.

I dropped my textbook and ran into the road. After quickly freeing the puppy from the trash, I watched as he ran over to the sidewalk, safe and sound, and I smiled with satisfaction to see him out of trouble.

But the truck driver hadn't slowed down. Perhaps he hadn't noticed me down on the ground, since I’d gotten on my knees while saving the puppy. At any rate, before I could make a move, it was too late—the truck hit me on the spot.

I felt a powerful force crash into my head, along with a wave of pain.  Everything became blurry, the sound of people around me began to fade, and I couldn’t move. Soon I was in a dark world of my own, with pure nothingness surrounding me.

 After six months…

Ouch, my head hurts. Why the hell do I feel so weak? My whole body feels heavy. Where am I? This blue dress, these wires, these machines, the smell of medicine around me… Heck, I must be at a hospital!

“Mom! Dad! Can you hear me? Anyone here?” I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry. I couldn’t move, either, which frustrated me immensely.

I didn’t get any reply right away, and all I could hear were noises that I suspected were coming from a bird. Looking over at the window in my room, I saw a pigeon perching on the sill outside, saying, ‘Cooo-coooo-coo.” I ignored it, though, as I was too busy looking for an emergency bell somewhere near to me.

“Great! I found some sticks for my nest. What a lovely day!”

Who said that? I thought, confused. There’s no one else in my room. Creepy!

“My new babies will be so happy to have a new home. Now it’s time to look for some food.”

I blinked several times. My heart was beating rapidly, and I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs and run out of the room, even though I couldn’t move—my whole body was stiff and weak.

Where was this voice coming from? It had been so clear...

“Hush, my baby on the treetop. When the wind blows, the cradle will rock…”

The sound was coming from the left side of my bed, over by the window. Was there someone outside the window? I didn’t see anybody through the glass, so that couldn’t have been it.

Was it...the pigeon?

“You. Pigeon,” I said, still lying in bed. “I can hear you. Can you hear me? Speak up!”

The pigeon skewed his head in my direction and hopped closer to the window, his red-orange eyes fixed on me.

“Idiot!” the pigeon cooed and flew away.

Since when do pigeons talk to humans?

Just then, a nurse came in. At first I was scared, and my body started trembling out of fear.

The nurse was very pretty. She placed a hand over her gaping mouth when she saw me, and it looked like she was surprised that I was awake.

“Good morning, dear. Good to see you awake. How are you feeling?” She smiled and sat beside me.

“I’m fine, but can pigeons talk?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They can't. Why are you shaking? Just a minute, dear, I need to call the doctor. Be right back,” she replied and rushed out the room. Did I just scare her?

I closed my eyes and was soon fast asleep.

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 Hope you enjoyed the prologue, chapter one is waiting for you :) Please read further to know what happened next, as the prologue won't tell you everything ;)

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