Sitting in the dog pen, I began to wonder. Does my owner love me? It has been so long since she put me in. I began to spiral down a rabbit hole of negative thoughts.
“Have you forgotten about me?” I barked the moment she appeared in my line of sight. She muttered words I couldn’t quite understand under her breath and walked away again. I huffed, frustrated, and started pacing.
This cage was small. No toys. Just a bed and a bowl of water. Even the pet shop was better than this.
Maybe… maybe I didn’t need her.
The thought was dangerous, but it pulled me in. I glanced up at the top of the cage, then toward the backyard door swinging slightly in the wind. My eyes landed on a small hole I had accidentally made earlier when I bumped my head.
Beyond the fence... is the forest! I remembered seeing it from the car—a blur of dark green and mystery. Maybe I could find my way back to the pet shop. Or maybe explore the world and the city! That sounds wonderful!
I looked from the ceiling to the cage wall. My legs tensed. Here goes nothing.
SCRAT!
I blinked. My paws were skidding across the wooden floor, outside the cage! I did it! I was free!
Without hesitation, I scrambled to my feet and bolted toward the backyard, my paws thumping against the floor.
“Ace!” my owner shouted, her voice panicked as she rushed after me.
“Bye-bye! I’m going to live my own life!” I barked back. I reached the same fencing I hit my head on, and rammed my body again, creating a larger dent, enough to fit me.
Quick! The owner is outside too!
Breathing out, I squeezed, wiggled, and pushed out of the bottom of the fence just as she touched my tail!
Now, what should I do? That thought was quickly shut down by another. Don’t regret your actions! Cause she will put you back in the cage. Hear! She is coming to catch us! And so I ran deeper into the forest in zig-zags until I was sure that my owner, now ex-owner, couldn’t catch me.
Tired from the intense run, I sat down, catching my breath. But now, I didn’t know what to do after running away.
What will you choose to do?