After l.o.s.i.n.g his wife and son, Burt, 91, had given up on miracles.
At 91, every step was careful, and every breath reminded him of the long life he’d led… mostly alone.
When a sound drew his attention, the morning fog hung low, blanketing the street in pearl gray. A barely audible moan came from a rain-soaked cardboard box on the roadside.
Inside, a small black and white puppy shook, its eyes wide and imploring. A crumpled letter was pinned to the package, reading, “Take care of him!”
Burt took the puppy in his shaky hands, slipped it into his coat, and went home.
He named the puppy Sebastian. It was the name Martha had always intended to give their second child before fate intervened.
Sebastian filled Burt’s somber abode with surprising delight and booming barks from the first day.
For two years, they were inseparable. Sebastian became Burt’s motivation to get up, go outside, and smile again.
Then came the awful Thursday in October.
Sebastian had been behaving agitated all morning, his ears perking up at something only he could detect. The local stray dogs were boisterous that day, with their cries echoing from the old park near the high school.
Burt later discovered that a female dog in heat had lured several of the local dogs to the location. Sebastian kept running to the window, moaning gently and pacing near the door.
Burt was not very concerned at first. Sebastian had always been well-behaved and never wandered.
When Burt let him out into their enclosed yard as usual, the dog dashed to the furthest corner, standing alert and listening for faraway barks. Burt went inside to prepare their meal, and when he called Sebastian 15 minutes later, there was no response.
The gate was ajar. Burt discovered a mail in the mailbox. But Sebastian was not to be found. Had the mailman left the gate open? Panic gripped Burt’s chest as he scanned the yard, yelling Sebastian’s name with growing urgency.
When his neighbor Tom came over with news of a dead puppy on the roadway, Burt felt the ground slip beneath his feet and his heart broke into a thousand small pieces.
The missing posters he placed throughout town revealed their own story of love and loss:
“MISSING: SEBASTIAN. Beloved family member. Black & white dog with star-shaped patch on chest. Reward: A home-cooked meal & endless gratitude. Contact: Burt, Door No. A31, Maple Avenue, Oak Street.”
When no one contacted, Burt pushed open the huge doors of the police station, clutching Sebastian’s favorite chew toy in his quivering hands.
One of the officers chuckled. “Maybe he found himself a girlfriend!” he remarked, eliciting snickers from his coworkers. He turned away, his cane scrapping on the linoleum floor.
Burt’s hopes dimmed two weeks after Sebastian went missing.
He was sitting in his armchair, looking at the empty dog bed in the corner, when his rotary phone rang.
Officer Charlie spoke rapidly, with excitement in his voice. “Mr. Burt? I’m off duty, but I was hiking in the woods near Old Miller’s property, and I heard barking coming from somewhere below the ground. There’s an abandoned well out there… it’s been partially covered with boards, but there’s a gap. I think… I think you should come out here.”
When they arrived in the woods, he discovered Charlie waiting with ropes and flashlights.
“Woof! Woof!” The familiar bark echoed from the well, uplifting Burt’s tired spirit and filling his heart with hope.
Burt collapsed to his knees, tears flowing down his cheeks.
When they eventually got Sebastian up, he was thin and muddy, but still alive. He’d most likely been surviving on rainwater at the bottom of the well. When they set him down, he ran directly to Burt, nearly knocking the old guy down with the force of his affection.
“Sebastian,” Burt whispered, still holding his dog close. “I thought I’d lost you forever, just like I lost them.” His voice broke at the last phrase, and Officer Charlie knelt alongside them, placing a soothing hand on Burt’s shoulder.
“Young man,” he said, gripping Charlie’s hand, “thank you so much. You have no idea what you’ve just returned to me.”
The next evening, Burt’s modest cabin was packed with more people than it had seen in decades. True to his word, he made a feast that included his unique pot roast, Martha’s apple pie recipe, and all the fixings. Officer Charlie attempted to deny the reward, but Burt insisted.
Later that night, when everyone had gone home, Burt sat in his armchair, Sebastian curling up at his feet. The dog had been bathed and examined by a veterinarian, who found him dehydrated and hungry but otherwise unhurt. They termed it a miracle.
That night, for the first time in two weeks, both man and dog slept soundly, knowing the other was exactly where they belonged.
The post Abandoned Puppy Becomes the Angel a Grieving Old Man P.r.a.y.e.d For appeared first on Timeless Life.
