Sophie Chin sat up tall in the long soft green grass that was surrounded on three sides by tall leafy trees. On the fourth side the grass ended and a steep rocky slope made its way gently down to a beautiful bright blue stream that ran swiftly along its way to its next destination. The deep blue sky was dotted by wispy white clouds. Birds circled overhead, looking for wormy snacks in the tall grass; while butterflies, accompanied by bees, danced in dandelions and wildflowers that grew anywhere they wanted all around this enchanted place. Sophie slowly made her way down the hill side which led to the babbling brook, all along taking in the sights and sounds of nature as she took each step. It was indeed the single most beautiful spot she had ever laid her old round eyes on.
As she reached the stream and looked down in the water, she did not see the reflection she expected… instead there was another face looking back at her. It was a familiar face but not a face she was familiar with. She thought she knew this face but hadn’t see it in quite a while… at least not in years. She scrunched up her nose and squinted her eyes as she stared, even harder, at the face in the water. Oddly enough, this face in the stream did the same back to her. It was then that her brain recognized the stranger in the water… it was her own reflection but not the reflection of the Oldest One who was staring down into the water. The face that looked back at her was a different her, one from a lifetime ago, one that was young as springtime and as beautiful as any Japanese Chin had ever been.
“YOU… you are me?” she said to her own reflection in the stream, “and I am… YOU!”
“Indeed she is you, my child,” confirmed a strangely familiar voice from behind Sophie. “But it’s not the you that you’re used to seeing. In this place one only sees the you that a life inside their shell… not what time and the Real World has done to them.”
The Sophie in the water was soon joined by another face, this one oddly familiar as well but not at all. Standing beside her was another Chin, equally as beautiful as her own reflection in the stream. Sophie knew that face, she had seen it in her brain… no, that wasn’t right… she thought she had seen it once when she was at the Old Brown House, sitting on the big red deck. She had some much trouble remembering the mostly true stories from her own life, many of them had not been visited in so long that they were hiding out in her brain, waiting to leave her head all together. That face… it was oh so familiar and the voice echoed in her ears, she knew it too. It was at that second that Sophie’s ears and eyes got together and solved the puzzle that was stuck in her brain. She smiled from ear to ear, her eyes lighting up like they had huge glowing stick behind them. She slowly turned from the stream and looked directly to her left to confirm her answer.
“Auntie May… it IS you,” gasped Sophie. “It is you, isn’t it… just as you were all those years ago when I sat with my brothers and sisters around your shell. I do remember this face from the mostly true story of the light behind your eyes going dim.”
Sophie’s Auntie May smiled back at her and slowly nodded her head, “Yes, my child,” she confirmed. “It is indeed your devoted Auntie.”
“But… how?” Sophie asked herself, her Aunt and whoever else was listening around them.
May shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head to one side, “Some things, my wise old girl, are a mystery… even to me. It is you who has summoned me here, to this place. I did not call you or request we meet here by this stream. I am here because you made it so.”
Sophie’s head tilted to match her beloved Aunts and she had a confused look on her face, “Auntie… is this the place that you go when the light behind your eyes goes dim? Did my light go dim? Is this what happens next?” Sophie asked, not afraid to hear the answer.
“Oh no child,” comforted her Aunt. “The light behind your eyes shines brightly. So brightly, in fact, that it lead me here to be with you.”
“Then I do not understand why we are here in this place,” admitted the bewildered Chin.
Another familiar voice spoke from behind the two Chin’s, who still sat staring at themselves in and out of the stream. This was a powerful voice of authority that both of them knew immediately, “Sophie Chin… we are not anyplace except in the space behind your eyes and in front of your brain. You have called us here to help you answer a question that is so large; you feared you could not fit it inside of your brain very much longer.”
The two Chin turned around and both smiled and ran to the figure standing in the grass who waiting for them to notice he was there. Once at his feet, they stared up at him in awe of his arrival.
The shadow of the man peoples cast down over the small dogs, almost swallowing them up in its enormous size and width. Sophie Chin slowly spoke his name in a loud whisper, as if she needed to hear those words in her own ears to make them real, “The Round Man…”
“Hello Father,” spoke May to her special one. “I was hoping you might join us here... wherever here might be.” She smiled up at the only Father she had ever known as he sat down in the grass next to the pair of Chin.
The Round Man reached out to his fur daughter and picked her up, holding her on his sizeable lap… all the time rubbing her years and petting her back. He reached down to Sophie, holding his hand so that she could smell his scent and understand he meant her no harm. Sophie smelled the strangely familiar scent of the Old Brown House on his hand. She had that smell locked in her nose and brain, it was everywhere she wandered inside of the Yard that Goes on Forever. That scent was in the chairs, the couches, the rooms and even the air in and around the Old Brown House. This was the marking scent of her pack… this was the smell of the beginning. Sophie knew she was very safe and that all three of them carried a common thread of life within their shells. Simply said… they were family. Without ever having met him before, Sophie instantly knew that she and the Round Man were… devoted.
The Round Man tickled Sophie under her furry chin and smiled down at her, “Sophie, this place is in your brain. You’ve taken the scenes and sights from the mostly true tales in you’ve told and created this safe place for us to gather and talk. I am sure we have answer to the question in your brain… but we cannot answer what you have not asked, my child.”
“But I have no idea why I am here, or why I called for you both,” Sophie answered honestly. “I have no memory of how I arrived at this place, or even what happened before I got here.”
“Tell me, my child, are the last things you remember seeing?” asked her Auntie, who was still enjoying the attention of her Father. “Perhaps those thoughts will help us figure out how to help you.”
Sophie took herself back to the events of the past day. She remembered the horrible storm… she remembered being taken to the place below the Old Brown House… she remembered telling the mostly true tales of the past, tales of the Round Man and time long gone… she clearly remembered the faces of Butch and Mamie, her Chindren… she remembered the next morning and she remembered not feeling right because…
“BUTCH!” she shouted out, loudly. “Butch is missing! He left the Yard that Goes on Forever on his own!” she panicked and gasped, “SOMEDAY!!” she shouted, “SOMEDAY was waiting for him… waiting for me… just outside of the fence in the Real World, OH NO! Butch!!!” She sat for a moment, her eyes filling with tears as the thoughts from the horrors of the morning rushed back over her like the shock of a cold rain on her back. “NO… NO, Oh please NO… the strange man peoples with the rope on a stick. He was coming for me, coming at me… I didn’t know what to do! I had to find Butch but this peoples would not leave me. He chased me through a strange yard… he called me names… he cornered me… he tossed his rope at me, over and over and over,” she stopped for a moment, struggling to remember what happened next. It appeared her brain had tried to stop her from finding that mostly true tale for some reason. She searched her brain very deeply and with great conviction. She knew it was important to all of them that she located this piece of her puzzle.
May and her Father provided support and comfort to Sophie as she struggled to find the last piece of information they needed. The Round Man cupped her face with his very large hands and softly looked into her watery, round eyes, “Sophie… you cannot live those moments again,” he started. “You can only remember them. It does you little good to speak of what you could have done differently, for you will never have that opportunity. We only live each moment of our lives one time. We all make choices and find our way based on what we know, what we can see and what we truly think will be the best decision. We use the lessons and stories from our past to help shape the next chance we have, the next choice, the next decision. It is no easier to change a moment you have lived than it is to un-eat a Chin Dinner you loved so you can eat it again. Both are very impossible and both are impossible for a reason. We learn things, good and bad things, and with these things come knowledge and the ability to grow from that experience. If we are wise enough, and often we are not wise enough, we know not to make that same error again. This is all just part of our lives here in the Real World, my child.”
Sophie looked into the eyes of this very wise peoples, finally truly understanding the lessons in the tales her Auntie had told her all those years ago… finally able to feel her connection to this Round Man, first hand. Sophie looked over at her Aunt, who was now curled up in a ball on her Fathers lap.
May opened her eyes and slowly nodded her head, “And now, my young one, you see the wisdom in the words of the Round Man.” She looked up at her Father, then back to her Niece. “I will tell you though… after the 100th lesson you learn, they do become a bit tedious.”
“May!” objected her Father.
“It is true, Father,” she confirmed, “At some point, all the wisdom runs together and you start to hear something that sounds like “BLAH, BLAH, BLAH” in your brain. All you can do is hope you can pull the important things out from between the “BLAH” or it will be lost forever.”
The Round Man sighed deeply and rolled his eyes. Sophie laughed at the pair, one a very round and very smart peoples… the other a very small and very smart mouthed Japanese Chin. You could see the love of the ages pass between these two mythical but very real characters. She felt very conflicted feelings as she watched them continue to spar with each other over the silliest topics. On one hand she felt happy that she could witness their dedication and caring first hand but on the other side, she felt a pang of jealousy towards their relationship. She had never loved or had a close bond with a peoples, ever, in her life.
“Let us walk for a moment,” requested the Round Man, no longer trying to reason with his hard headed fur child.
“Indeed,” agreed Auntie May. “I have found that sometimes a simple walk will help you locate that which you have lost… often without even knowing you’ve found it!”
Sophie thought for a moment about what her Auntie has said, knowing that it didn’t make sense to her at that time but understanding that its true meaning would likely be revealed as they walked and talked.
The trio strolled along the banks of the endless blue stream in silence, at first, watching the fish spin and dip in the rolling waters. Sophie wondered what it must be like to be a fish and live in an underwater world. She was curious what a fish would eat for its Chin dinner and where that dinner was cooked, as it didn’t see the underwater Real World has many places where a fire for making the dinner would be possible.
“Its funny how silence is sometimes the best sound when you are with ones you truly love… isn’t it”, stated the Round Man in a mock question designed to lead into another statement, “and at the same time… silence can be deafeningly loud when you simply need to hear the voice of someone you truly love.”
Auntie May rolled her round Chin eyes and sighed, “My Father! Always with the riddles and long winded ways of saying the simplest things. Say what you mean, Father” she looked over at Sophie Chin and continued, “What he is trying to say is that we can walk here for Chin hours or days if that is what you want, my dear. However, at some point, you must speak the words that will unclog the question in your brain and return you to the Real World.”
“But I don’t know what words to speak,” stated Sophie Chin honestly, “There is something missing from the front of my brain, some event or happening that is keeping me here. I know there is something I must do, something I must realize, something I must know. Once I find that thing, then maybe I can continue on my journey.” She stopped, bent down, picked up a rock in her mouth and tossed it into a quiet spot in the stream where the waters were very still. As she did, the rock went below the water with a “KERPLUNK” sound causing circle after circle of small waves to push outward from its impact point and away from the center. Sophie Chin tilted her head at the ripples in the water. “Did you see that, Auntie”, she asked? “The weight of the rock causes one big splash that made a noise but then…”
Auntie May continued her statement, “then the waves that were created under the water caused many smaller changes in the water that travelled further away from the center than the big splash.”
“But what does this really tell us”, asked the Round Man who knelt down and picked up Sophie Chin, holding her close to his chest and kissing her lightly on the top of her round head.
“That in life…” started Sophie, looking up into the eyes of the Round Man, eyes that glowed brightly with his light, “… in life it’s not only about what you see when you make a splash…” Sophie’s face went from confused to content as she found the answer to the question stuck in the front of her brain, “… in life it’s not only what you see when you make a splash, what’s even more important is all the things that are impacted AFTER the splash… THAT’S IT!!! THAT’S IT, ISN’T IT!!!???” She smiled and jumped out of the arms of the Round Man and back to the very green grass next to the deep blue stream.
“Yes, my child,” confirmed her Auntie who stood by her Father’s side, “Each ripple carries and impact to anyone in its wake. As the ripple travels further from the center, you lose sight of it. Really you have NO idea how many people or things your ripples impact.”
“But always remember Oldest One,” interrupted the Round Man, “You still are responsible for the ripples and their impact… even if they travel very far from the place where the splash created them. This is the power of every choice you make. Sophie, it’s what you DON’T see that holds the biggest results of your efforts.”
Sophie Chin’s smile quickly faded, “I understand now… but why is that important to me? What does THAT lesson matter now, here, in this moment? Why do I need to know that now? “
“Time will reveal when this lesson learned is realized, my beautiful niece,” said Auntie May, who walked over beside her devoted one and hugged her tightly with her tail, kissing her nose and face.
Sophie looked at her Auntie and frowned, “You’re leaving me now, aren’t you Auntie?”
“Our time here is done, Sophie” Stated the Round Man. “Your question has been answered and you no longer need us to guide you. It’s time you went back to the Real World and finished this adventure.”
“But we’ve had so little time”, cried out the small dog.
“Time is endless, my child”, Auntie May stated softly. “We will be with you in your heart and brain, always… and… we will be waiting for you once you are done here in the Real World.”
Sophie noticed the bright colors around her started to fade to a dull gray, the figures of her Auntie and the Round Man began to turn into a bright white light and disappear.
“You have much to do, Sophie, may miles to travel and many adventures lie ahead of you”, the Round Man smiled as his figure vanished before her eyes, he continued, “I am so envious of the adventures you are going to live.”
Auntie May winked at her niece and nodded her head in the knowing way that only she could show, “I love you, dear one… I love you and miss you every day. YOU are the leader of the pack of the Round Man; YOU hold the key to the future of our clan. I am so proud of you…”
As the figures bright white light began to dissolve and the bright colors turned to gray, Sophie was confused and frightened. “What do I do now? Where am I going????? WHAT IS NEXT?” She shouted over and over again.
The Round Man’s voice echoed in Sophie’s head as he disappeared completely from her brain, “All you do is wake up… wake up, old girl… wake up… just WAKE UP… “
“…WAKE UP, YOU OLD DOG… WAKE UP!!!” shouted an unfamiliar and very unfriendly voice that replaced the voice of the Round Man. Sophie Chin shook off the fog in her brain as the gray all around her turned to a single bright light. She squinted her round eyes tightly as she tried to figure out just where she was and what was happening. The voice continued to provoke her, “You gotta get out of that cage dog. I’ve got miles to travel and I have a nice new place to put you while you wait for your Mommy and Daddy to come and get you…”
Sophie slowly turned her head and looked around. From what she could tell, she was in the back of a specially made glass box on wheels, this one was build with cages all around the back walls to hold animals. Sophie has seen cages before but had never been inside of one… at least until NOW! Her brain started to tell her the missing part of the story she couldn’t remember. It appeared that the funny dressed peoples man with the rope on the stick had trapped her and placed her in this cage then drove her to a big stone building. As she sniffed the air around her, she discovered that this place smelled of sadness and loss. This was NOT the kind of place that she ever wanted to see. If THIS was the Real World, she didn’t want any part of it.
As she reached the stream and looked down in the water, she did not see the reflection she expected… instead there was another face looking back at her. It was a familiar face but not a face she was familiar with. She thought she knew this face but hadn’t see it in quite a while… at least not in years. She scrunched up her nose and squinted her eyes as she stared, even harder, at the face in the water. Oddly enough, this face in the stream did the same back to her. It was then that her brain recognized the stranger in the water… it was her own reflection but not the reflection of the Oldest One who was staring down into the water. The face that looked back at her was a different her, one from a lifetime ago, one that was young as springtime and as beautiful as any Japanese Chin had ever been.
“YOU… you are me?” she said to her own reflection in the stream, “and I am… YOU!”
“Indeed she is you, my child,” confirmed a strangely familiar voice from behind Sophie. “But it’s not the you that you’re used to seeing. In this place one only sees the you that a life inside their shell… not what time and the Real World has done to them.”
The Sophie in the water was soon joined by another face, this one oddly familiar as well but not at all. Standing beside her was another Chin, equally as beautiful as her own reflection in the stream. Sophie knew that face, she had seen it in her brain… no, that wasn’t right… she thought she had seen it once when she was at the Old Brown House, sitting on the big red deck. She had some much trouble remembering the mostly true stories from her own life, many of them had not been visited in so long that they were hiding out in her brain, waiting to leave her head all together. That face… it was oh so familiar and the voice echoed in her ears, she knew it too. It was at that second that Sophie’s ears and eyes got together and solved the puzzle that was stuck in her brain. She smiled from ear to ear, her eyes lighting up like they had huge glowing stick behind them. She slowly turned from the stream and looked directly to her left to confirm her answer.
“Auntie May… it IS you,” gasped Sophie. “It is you, isn’t it… just as you were all those years ago when I sat with my brothers and sisters around your shell. I do remember this face from the mostly true story of the light behind your eyes going dim.”
Sophie’s Auntie May smiled back at her and slowly nodded her head, “Yes, my child,” she confirmed. “It is indeed your devoted Auntie.”
“But… how?” Sophie asked herself, her Aunt and whoever else was listening around them.
May shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head to one side, “Some things, my wise old girl, are a mystery… even to me. It is you who has summoned me here, to this place. I did not call you or request we meet here by this stream. I am here because you made it so.”
Sophie’s head tilted to match her beloved Aunts and she had a confused look on her face, “Auntie… is this the place that you go when the light behind your eyes goes dim? Did my light go dim? Is this what happens next?” Sophie asked, not afraid to hear the answer.
“Oh no child,” comforted her Aunt. “The light behind your eyes shines brightly. So brightly, in fact, that it lead me here to be with you.”
“Then I do not understand why we are here in this place,” admitted the bewildered Chin.
Another familiar voice spoke from behind the two Chin’s, who still sat staring at themselves in and out of the stream. This was a powerful voice of authority that both of them knew immediately, “Sophie Chin… we are not anyplace except in the space behind your eyes and in front of your brain. You have called us here to help you answer a question that is so large; you feared you could not fit it inside of your brain very much longer.”
The two Chin turned around and both smiled and ran to the figure standing in the grass who waiting for them to notice he was there. Once at his feet, they stared up at him in awe of his arrival.
The shadow of the man peoples cast down over the small dogs, almost swallowing them up in its enormous size and width. Sophie Chin slowly spoke his name in a loud whisper, as if she needed to hear those words in her own ears to make them real, “The Round Man…”
“Hello Father,” spoke May to her special one. “I was hoping you might join us here... wherever here might be.” She smiled up at the only Father she had ever known as he sat down in the grass next to the pair of Chin.
The Round Man reached out to his fur daughter and picked her up, holding her on his sizeable lap… all the time rubbing her years and petting her back. He reached down to Sophie, holding his hand so that she could smell his scent and understand he meant her no harm. Sophie smelled the strangely familiar scent of the Old Brown House on his hand. She had that smell locked in her nose and brain, it was everywhere she wandered inside of the Yard that Goes on Forever. That scent was in the chairs, the couches, the rooms and even the air in and around the Old Brown House. This was the marking scent of her pack… this was the smell of the beginning. Sophie knew she was very safe and that all three of them carried a common thread of life within their shells. Simply said… they were family. Without ever having met him before, Sophie instantly knew that she and the Round Man were… devoted.
The Round Man tickled Sophie under her furry chin and smiled down at her, “Sophie, this place is in your brain. You’ve taken the scenes and sights from the mostly true tales in you’ve told and created this safe place for us to gather and talk. I am sure we have answer to the question in your brain… but we cannot answer what you have not asked, my child.”
“But I have no idea why I am here, or why I called for you both,” Sophie answered honestly. “I have no memory of how I arrived at this place, or even what happened before I got here.”
“Tell me, my child, are the last things you remember seeing?” asked her Auntie, who was still enjoying the attention of her Father. “Perhaps those thoughts will help us figure out how to help you.”
Sophie took herself back to the events of the past day. She remembered the horrible storm… she remembered being taken to the place below the Old Brown House… she remembered telling the mostly true tales of the past, tales of the Round Man and time long gone… she clearly remembered the faces of Butch and Mamie, her Chindren… she remembered the next morning and she remembered not feeling right because…
“BUTCH!” she shouted out, loudly. “Butch is missing! He left the Yard that Goes on Forever on his own!” she panicked and gasped, “SOMEDAY!!” she shouted, “SOMEDAY was waiting for him… waiting for me… just outside of the fence in the Real World, OH NO! Butch!!!” She sat for a moment, her eyes filling with tears as the thoughts from the horrors of the morning rushed back over her like the shock of a cold rain on her back. “NO… NO, Oh please NO… the strange man peoples with the rope on a stick. He was coming for me, coming at me… I didn’t know what to do! I had to find Butch but this peoples would not leave me. He chased me through a strange yard… he called me names… he cornered me… he tossed his rope at me, over and over and over,” she stopped for a moment, struggling to remember what happened next. It appeared her brain had tried to stop her from finding that mostly true tale for some reason. She searched her brain very deeply and with great conviction. She knew it was important to all of them that she located this piece of her puzzle.
May and her Father provided support and comfort to Sophie as she struggled to find the last piece of information they needed. The Round Man cupped her face with his very large hands and softly looked into her watery, round eyes, “Sophie… you cannot live those moments again,” he started. “You can only remember them. It does you little good to speak of what you could have done differently, for you will never have that opportunity. We only live each moment of our lives one time. We all make choices and find our way based on what we know, what we can see and what we truly think will be the best decision. We use the lessons and stories from our past to help shape the next chance we have, the next choice, the next decision. It is no easier to change a moment you have lived than it is to un-eat a Chin Dinner you loved so you can eat it again. Both are very impossible and both are impossible for a reason. We learn things, good and bad things, and with these things come knowledge and the ability to grow from that experience. If we are wise enough, and often we are not wise enough, we know not to make that same error again. This is all just part of our lives here in the Real World, my child.”
Sophie looked into the eyes of this very wise peoples, finally truly understanding the lessons in the tales her Auntie had told her all those years ago… finally able to feel her connection to this Round Man, first hand. Sophie looked over at her Aunt, who was now curled up in a ball on her Fathers lap.
May opened her eyes and slowly nodded her head, “And now, my young one, you see the wisdom in the words of the Round Man.” She looked up at her Father, then back to her Niece. “I will tell you though… after the 100th lesson you learn, they do become a bit tedious.”
“May!” objected her Father.
“It is true, Father,” she confirmed, “At some point, all the wisdom runs together and you start to hear something that sounds like “BLAH, BLAH, BLAH” in your brain. All you can do is hope you can pull the important things out from between the “BLAH” or it will be lost forever.”
The Round Man sighed deeply and rolled his eyes. Sophie laughed at the pair, one a very round and very smart peoples… the other a very small and very smart mouthed Japanese Chin. You could see the love of the ages pass between these two mythical but very real characters. She felt very conflicted feelings as she watched them continue to spar with each other over the silliest topics. On one hand she felt happy that she could witness their dedication and caring first hand but on the other side, she felt a pang of jealousy towards their relationship. She had never loved or had a close bond with a peoples, ever, in her life.
“Let us walk for a moment,” requested the Round Man, no longer trying to reason with his hard headed fur child.
“Indeed,” agreed Auntie May. “I have found that sometimes a simple walk will help you locate that which you have lost… often without even knowing you’ve found it!”
Sophie thought for a moment about what her Auntie has said, knowing that it didn’t make sense to her at that time but understanding that its true meaning would likely be revealed as they walked and talked.
The trio strolled along the banks of the endless blue stream in silence, at first, watching the fish spin and dip in the rolling waters. Sophie wondered what it must be like to be a fish and live in an underwater world. She was curious what a fish would eat for its Chin dinner and where that dinner was cooked, as it didn’t see the underwater Real World has many places where a fire for making the dinner would be possible.
“Its funny how silence is sometimes the best sound when you are with ones you truly love… isn’t it”, stated the Round Man in a mock question designed to lead into another statement, “and at the same time… silence can be deafeningly loud when you simply need to hear the voice of someone you truly love.”
Auntie May rolled her round Chin eyes and sighed, “My Father! Always with the riddles and long winded ways of saying the simplest things. Say what you mean, Father” she looked over at Sophie Chin and continued, “What he is trying to say is that we can walk here for Chin hours or days if that is what you want, my dear. However, at some point, you must speak the words that will unclog the question in your brain and return you to the Real World.”
“But I don’t know what words to speak,” stated Sophie Chin honestly, “There is something missing from the front of my brain, some event or happening that is keeping me here. I know there is something I must do, something I must realize, something I must know. Once I find that thing, then maybe I can continue on my journey.” She stopped, bent down, picked up a rock in her mouth and tossed it into a quiet spot in the stream where the waters were very still. As she did, the rock went below the water with a “KERPLUNK” sound causing circle after circle of small waves to push outward from its impact point and away from the center. Sophie Chin tilted her head at the ripples in the water. “Did you see that, Auntie”, she asked? “The weight of the rock causes one big splash that made a noise but then…”
Auntie May continued her statement, “then the waves that were created under the water caused many smaller changes in the water that travelled further away from the center than the big splash.”
“But what does this really tell us”, asked the Round Man who knelt down and picked up Sophie Chin, holding her close to his chest and kissing her lightly on the top of her round head.
“That in life…” started Sophie, looking up into the eyes of the Round Man, eyes that glowed brightly with his light, “… in life it’s not only about what you see when you make a splash…” Sophie’s face went from confused to content as she found the answer to the question stuck in the front of her brain, “… in life it’s not only what you see when you make a splash, what’s even more important is all the things that are impacted AFTER the splash… THAT’S IT!!! THAT’S IT, ISN’T IT!!!???” She smiled and jumped out of the arms of the Round Man and back to the very green grass next to the deep blue stream.
“Yes, my child,” confirmed her Auntie who stood by her Father’s side, “Each ripple carries and impact to anyone in its wake. As the ripple travels further from the center, you lose sight of it. Really you have NO idea how many people or things your ripples impact.”
“But always remember Oldest One,” interrupted the Round Man, “You still are responsible for the ripples and their impact… even if they travel very far from the place where the splash created them. This is the power of every choice you make. Sophie, it’s what you DON’T see that holds the biggest results of your efforts.”
Sophie Chin’s smile quickly faded, “I understand now… but why is that important to me? What does THAT lesson matter now, here, in this moment? Why do I need to know that now? “
“Time will reveal when this lesson learned is realized, my beautiful niece,” said Auntie May, who walked over beside her devoted one and hugged her tightly with her tail, kissing her nose and face.
Sophie looked at her Auntie and frowned, “You’re leaving me now, aren’t you Auntie?”
“Our time here is done, Sophie” Stated the Round Man. “Your question has been answered and you no longer need us to guide you. It’s time you went back to the Real World and finished this adventure.”
“But we’ve had so little time”, cried out the small dog.
“Time is endless, my child”, Auntie May stated softly. “We will be with you in your heart and brain, always… and… we will be waiting for you once you are done here in the Real World.”
Sophie noticed the bright colors around her started to fade to a dull gray, the figures of her Auntie and the Round Man began to turn into a bright white light and disappear.
“You have much to do, Sophie, may miles to travel and many adventures lie ahead of you”, the Round Man smiled as his figure vanished before her eyes, he continued, “I am so envious of the adventures you are going to live.”
Auntie May winked at her niece and nodded her head in the knowing way that only she could show, “I love you, dear one… I love you and miss you every day. YOU are the leader of the pack of the Round Man; YOU hold the key to the future of our clan. I am so proud of you…”
As the figures bright white light began to dissolve and the bright colors turned to gray, Sophie was confused and frightened. “What do I do now? Where am I going????? WHAT IS NEXT?” She shouted over and over again.
The Round Man’s voice echoed in Sophie’s head as he disappeared completely from her brain, “All you do is wake up… wake up, old girl… wake up… just WAKE UP… “
“…WAKE UP, YOU OLD DOG… WAKE UP!!!” shouted an unfamiliar and very unfriendly voice that replaced the voice of the Round Man. Sophie Chin shook off the fog in her brain as the gray all around her turned to a single bright light. She squinted her round eyes tightly as she tried to figure out just where she was and what was happening. The voice continued to provoke her, “You gotta get out of that cage dog. I’ve got miles to travel and I have a nice new place to put you while you wait for your Mommy and Daddy to come and get you…”
Sophie slowly turned her head and looked around. From what she could tell, she was in the back of a specially made glass box on wheels, this one was build with cages all around the back walls to hold animals. Sophie has seen cages before but had never been inside of one… at least until NOW! Her brain started to tell her the missing part of the story she couldn’t remember. It appeared that the funny dressed peoples man with the rope on the stick had trapped her and placed her in this cage then drove her to a big stone building. As she sniffed the air around her, she discovered that this place smelled of sadness and loss. This was NOT the kind of place that she ever wanted to see. If THIS was the Real World, she didn’t want any part of it.