---Chapter 1---
I remember when I saw the first light. I remember when the light faded. And I remember everything inbetween.
I remember the good times, the bad times, the sad times, and the hard times. I remember when I saw you for the first time. I remember you holding me in your arms. I remember everything.
---
I grew up in a small town in North Dakota. I was born Feburary 3rd, 2000. When I was young, my breeder, Greg, used to call me "Trouble" because I used to get in a lot of....trouble. Even though I was the runt of the litter, I was always Greg's favorite.
He was a kind and caring old man, who lived with his loving wife, Grace. They were madly in love with each other. One thing bonded them tightly together, and that was their love for dogs. So they went out and bought two dogs, my parents, Bugsy and Peaches. They named my dad Bugsy because he, well, he had bug eyes. My mom was Peaches because that was her favorite food. To me, she smelled like peaches too, so the name fit well.
When I was a pup, I loved to play hide-and-seek with my five other brothers and sisters. I always hid in the same place, they haystack in the barn. They could never find me and I was always the overall winner. I imagined a life with my siblings and Bugsy and Peaches forever. I thought it was my home.
My family was wonderful. I enjoyed my puppy years a lot. I had much fun in teasing Petunia, a cow that I had made friends with. I enjoyed causing mischeif and trouble where the chickens were. I loved terrorizing the horses with a simple "Boo". But most of all, I lived to play tricks on my siblings.
Katie "Curious" was the youngest, she was tannish-brownish. Heidi and Harold "Shadow Twins" were black, and they were the second-youngest. Then there was Max "Big Boy" my eldest brother. He was white, almost a pure white, and all of us looked up to him. I was the second-oldest, my nickname was "Trouble" but my real name was Charlie. I was "as golden as sunshine" as Grace called me.
We all loved to play tricks on each other, but sometimes, we went a little too far. One day, when Grace and Greg were at the market, Max told me that there was a dog biscuit for me at the bottom of the creek. It was super hot and I was starving, so I believed him. So all five of us went down by the creek. I jumped in, and immediately felt the fast current and the cold rush of water. I panicked, I didnt know how to swim! The water took me as all of my siblings stood wide eyed. I was pulled under, and after that everything went black.
I woke up a little while later, back in the barn. Was it all a dream? No, it wasnt. I realized my fur was still damp. Katie was passing by and saw that I was conscious again. She hurried over and when I asked what happened she said simply "Max saved you."
I didnt say anything after that. When Grace and Greg had found out what happened, Max didnt get any supper that night. He had apoligized to me at least a million times that day. Afterwards, we stayed far away from the creek.
---
When we were about eight weeks, we were able to stop feeding off of Peaches and able to eat our own food. That was when everything changed.
It was June when Greg put his sign up at the local veternarian. It said "Free Labrador Puppies Need a Good Home. Call 1-543-358-6745 if interested or email us at greg&gracebreeding@yahoo.net." There was also a picture of us individually with our names under them. After that, people started flooding in. We were kept in a little pen big enough for all of us, and we did how we usually would, play and bark and eat.
People came every single day. Our pen was crowded. Some would pick us up and kiss us and hug us. Most were children. I didnt know what they were doing at first, but I soon learned.
Katie went first, luckily we had time to say goodbye. Peaches and Bugsy went first, and then it was the rest of ours' turn. She was sold to a young child and her divorced mother. They loved her though, so it was a good sale. I was sad to see Katie go, but as time passed I learned to live on. I remember what happened though. Katie was so sad to be leaving all of us,she didnt want to go. She was young and she didnt know. Then the little girl picked her up, and you could see the happiness in Katie's eyes. She would have a great life, I just knew she would.
About two weeks later, Heidi was noticed by a rich man and his wife and kids. Greg talked them into buying Harold too. The family was very rich and so they offered money to Greg, but he refused. The man shrugged. Heidi and Harold were sad, but at least they had each other to comfort. And I knew, just by the looks of it all, that Heidi and Harold would grow up to be very happy, yet spoiled dogs.
It was a month later, and it was me, Max, Bugsy, Peaches, and Greg and Grace. I was happy with my breeders. They were a nice elderly couple. They decided to keep the rest of us. I was glad, I couldnt imagine leaving Max or my parents or my breeders. Max seemed pretty happy too.
---
It had been three long years since Grace and Greg decided to keep us. I was now a young adult dog. Max was middle-aged. Bugsy and Peaches were old. Greg and Grace had aged too. Now they had "grandchildren" as they called them. Their names were Jade and Justin. They would come over frequently and play with us all.
Justin would play monkey-in-the-middle with us and it was always Bugsy in the middle. He could never seem to get out. Me and Max would be on one team, and Peaches and Justin on the other team. I loved playing that game.
Jade was a different story, she liked to play hide-and-seek. I liked this game, but not as much. Max loved it though. I wasnt as good at the game as I used to be, because there was no haystack anymore. There wasnt even a barn.
In the few years that had passed, Greg and Grace had bought a new, regular house out in the suburbs, next to their children and their grandchildren. They ended up having to sell Petunia, and all the other cows. They had to sell all of their farm animals.
I remember going to sleep those nights, I had felt so safe. Not anymore.
---
Okay guys so what do you think? I know it's short, but I couldnt think of anything else, I had a "writer's block". Anyways, comment and vote!
