The Story of Little Joseph and His Master

Prologue 11

Joseph definitely preferred milder food. This morning, he went with his owner to a restaurant for breakfast and ordered a bowl of spicy rice noodles, but it made his nose bleed right away. Sitting beside him, his owner watched as Joseph used up a ton of tissues, trying to stop the bleeding, but it just wouldn't stop. His stomach was burning too.

His owner gently patted Joseph's head, then had him lie down and placed a damp towel over his forehead. "Feeling better, sweetheart?" 
Joseph, in a low voice: "Much better, thank you, Master." 
Yet, Joseph felt time dragging on, restless and uneasy. The whole afternoon, he couldn't bring himself to do anything.

After making sure Joseph was okay, his owner went back to writing. Joseph, lying alone in bed, felt incredibly lonely. Outside, it began to rain softly, and the fresh, damp smell filled their room. Joseph sat up and reached for his cold phone.

The phone was as icy as Joseph's fate sometimes felt. He often pondered his unpredictable and uncontrollable destiny when he was alone. Before his owner adopted him, life had been rough. He had been raised by a man who hadn't been genetically modified, who constantly mistreated him with verbal abuse and insults.

Joseph still carried the scars from those days. It wasn't until he met his owner that he began to feel some sense of peace. Despite now having his owner and the world that came with him, Joseph still often felt like his fate was beyond his control, as cold and distant as the rain outside, as frigid as his phone.

But luckily, Joseph had met his owner. The moment he did, it felt like a radiant glow warmed his soul, like the sky itself had melted away into light. His owner's warmth had thawed Joseph through and through. Joseph always considered his owner the most important person in his life, alongside his precious ones.

While waiting for his owner, Joseph started playing on his phone. He logged into the Bubble app and started chatting with Silver Rain.

Joseph: "Hey Silver Rain, how's it going lately?"

Silver Rain: "Terrible. It's homework, homework, and more homework every day! I hate school so much!"

Joseph: "Hang in there. You'll get through high school. Keep going, make friends, and use your free time wisely to have some fun with them."

Silver Rain: "Yeah, I want to, but there's just too much homework. It's overwhelming."

Joseph: "I'm really sorry to hear that. I don't have the best advice, but try to make the most of your time, develop some long-term hobbies, and make sure you get enough rest."

Silver Rain: "What about you? How have you been?"

Joseph: "I had spicy noodles this morning and ended up with a nosebleed. Just my luck! I guess that's the price you pay for trying new things. My owner always tells me I should experience things I haven't before, to give everything a try. But trying new things comes with its risks, right? My emotions have been all over the place lately. Sometimes I'm really happy, and other times, I feel really low."

Silver Rain: "Don't worry. Be brave, keep trying, and keep moving forward."

Joseph felt a bit comforted: "Yeah, you're right."

By then, his owner had finished making dinner. Joseph's parents weren't home that night—they'd gone to a banquet—so it was just him and his owner. He stepped out of his cold, empty room and hugged his owner, feeling the warmth radiate from him. That warmth made Joseph feel so much better.

Then, they sat down to eat the hot rice together. As Joseph sat in his chair, he said: 
"Master, I love you!" 
Owner: "Mmm, I love you too!"