Rescue

August 27th.  It was a Monday night and a cool summer evening.  It was on the streets of Beijing that I was found.  Crawling out from underneath of a car, large people surrounded me and dragged me away from familiarity, food, and my family.  I felt the awful feeling of being torn away from all that I knew and thrown into a box with a towel.  No on heard my cries to be taken back.  I felt helpless, alone, cold, and hungry.  This lady makes soft noises to me and seems to love me even though she doesn't know me.  I was given tuna, water and a towel to sleep on.  I cried until I couldn't cry anymore.  I slept.

I am hungry.  I am in pain.  I feel sick.  So many people are interested in me.  They pick me up, throw me down, place me on cold, hard surfaces and push me around with their feet.  Why? Why am I in this situation? What did I do to get this?  And then, finally things get quiet.  I can feel something coming over my head and then it gets dark.  It is darker than I have ever known and quieter than I could ever imagine.

You see, my short life has consisted of noises, dirty floors, sickness, and never knowing when I would get my next meal.  I was born on August 1st and left to survive on my own.  Left alone to survive in a scary and busy world.  I have managed to find small bits of food (not ever enough) and search for warm, dry places to rest my little head.  I have lived never knowing if I would have to fight for my life.  I have had to run away from fast moving things only to find out that other members of my family are no longer alive when I turn around.  I finally wandered into an area that was safe. I called it home.  Home was a large collection of plants, grass, and rocks.  I slept here. I lived here.  And now I am living in a box surrounded by darkness and quiet.

I will sleep until the lights are turned on...