“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn…is to love…and to be loved in return”

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away, there lived a girl. Not an extraordinary girl with super powers, but a simple girl with simple wants and simple pleasures.

For instance, she loved to stare at the waning moon for hours and hours and as the waxing moonlight fell upon the waters of the sea, she felt satiated. Life continued. And one day, all of a sudden, she fell in love. She didn’t know how it happened or why it happened. The beautiful buttercups in the fields seemed to sing and dance that day, delirious with hope, joy and pleasure. Even the otherwise haughty sun seemed to look down at her and smile. Yes, she fell in love. Not in the obvious way, though. She had found a little puppy on the street- a new-born puppy, barely able to stand up without support. As she looked at its brown eyes and soft fur, tenderness swept over her and she knew that there was no way that she could leave the infant to fend for itself. She looked around for its mother and remembered what her grandmother had said: Little puppies that were sure to die were always abandoned by their mothers. A wave of pity swept over her. She decided to bring it home and take care of it.

 All her life, the girl had been lonely. She had had no siblings and her friends had envied her, saying that she was an only child. She had decided to be a mother to the puppy-a sort of guardian angel-someone who would look after the puppy because it had no one to care for it. Little did she know that the puppy would come to love her too.

She named her puppy ‘Barney’ after her favourite cartoon character. They frolicked in the sun all day long, played ‘catch and catch’ together-Barney would run and fetch the ball while the girl patiently waited for Barney to return. When her grandmother passed away, Barney was the one she turned to for solace and comfort. She would cuddle up against Barney and Barney would lick her. One look from Barney would be enough to melt her heart completely.

 One day, after a long day at school, the girl returned to find her father in a very foul mood. As tears streamed down her cheeks in anger and defiance, Barney sat down beside her-licking her face gently...and as she hugged Barney, she forgot everything else…all the pain and hurt…all the agony and anguish…and all was forgotten and forgiven.

      Barney, she thought, had infinite patience and an inexhaustible desire in listening to her tales. He would sit for hours and hours in silence, listening to what she had to say. Sometimes, she wondered how Barney could love her unconditionally. Unlike other puppies, he wasn’t even greedy-he would never try to eat her food unless she gave it to him. Sometimes she wished he were human. Then he could talk to her too. Life went on happily till that ill-fated day. From that day onwards, the girl’s life was never the same again.

Amidst torrential rain and thunder, the puppy died. Suddenly. As suddenly as the girl had fallen in love with it.            Without a loving look or a goodbye. It was as if the fates had ordained it. It died cradled in the girl’s arms.

The girl’s eyes glistened with tears but she refused to let them stream down her cheeks. She would not. She could not. She could not accept the fact that she had loved- and lost.

It was evening. The chirping of the birds seemed like cloying melody to the girl’s ears. Slowly and silently, she went near the little puppy and realized that he was dead-gone forever. She picked it up and covered with the most beautiful leaves that she could find, selecting them carefully, so that their softness would be comforting to her beloved friend. And then, she allowed herself to shed a tear or two. The tears wouldn’t come at first, but when they did…they wouldn’t stop.

“The loss of a friend is like the loss of a limb…time heals the anguish of the wound, but the loss is never returned”

Many years have passed. And she has loved, and lost. She has never forgotten her little friend…but she has made new ones, even though she knows that one day, she may have to lose them too...but she’d rather feel the hurt than live her entire life without understanding and experiencing the power of love. Barney has left an indelible mark in her memory. She still misses him, but whenever she thinks of him, she remembers the hot summer afternoons when they frisked and frolicked together. And whenever she thinks of him, she smiles, thanks him for all that he has taught her, and prays for his safety in the other world.

So you must be wondering how I know so much about this girl. Well, that’s only because this girl is me. Thank you, Barney. Thank you for loving me, and thank you for teaching me how to love. I will never forget you and everyday that I wake up, I say a silent prayer for you. I do miss you a lot...and then I remember the way you wagged your tail and flopped your ears, and looked at me imploringly when I scolded to you for chasing squirrels. Thank you for your support, thank you for your strength. And as I write this, I know you’re an angel…smiling down at me from heaven...And wagging your tail reproachfully, because I scolded you for chasing squirrels.