• The Blue-Eyed One

    Now the story that you are about to hear has nothing to do with the

    title, yet it has everything to do with the title. Let me explain, there

    once was a young boy, about the age of eleven named Christopher

    whose father was never around. He kept crying to his father saying,

    “Daddy Drake, may I have a pet? I do not have a companion to talk

    to for you are always gone. May I please have one father.”

    “Are the servants not enough?”, Daddy Drake retorted in his deep

    sophisticated manner of speaking.

    “No Father, I want a pet to talk to. May I have a horse, cat, or dog

    even? I will take care of it and the servants just have to feed it. I will

    take a mutt even!”, pleaded lonely, lonely Christopher.

    “Very well then, but if this animal gets to be trouble then it is out of

    the door with ‘em. Are we under stood young man?,” he addressed to

    his son giving him a rare half smile and squinting one eye at him, “I

    will be departing in the morning to London. I will be back in precisely

    four months. If you can find a dog and train him to be obedient then

    you may keep the dog of your choice. If not… well you heard what I

    said earlier.”

    Christopher was elated. He could not believe that his father would

    let him have a dog. When his father left that morning he set out to

    find a dog, starting with the local merchants. He couldn’t find a dog.

    Finally he came upon an elderly woman who was blind in one eye,

    fore it was glazed over into a powdery bluish color, had hair of snow

    white, and she was crippled. “M’ am, do you have any idea where I

    might find a dog?”, he gingerly asked the woman.

    “Yes, my fine young lad I do. Have you been near the river? There

    is a man whose dog recently had pups. Tell him Lynn sent you to him.

    He is a fine young chap”, she spoke as though it was hard to

    breathe, as though she was sickly, but her demeanor seemed so

    lively, joyous, and a bit cunning.

    “Thank you kind woman and here are five shillings for your

    trouble”, he spoke placing the five coins into her hand and closing

    her cold, wrinkled fingers marked with the toils of life around the five

    luke-warm pieces of metal. He set off to find this man by the river. He

    found him about tea time, with his beautiful bluish-grey dog at his

    side. When the dog looked up at him it had the most beautiful crystal

    blue eyes that he had ever seen.

    “What ye doin’ her’ boy?”, the tall, muscular man with brown hair

    and eyes said pulling out his pile, leaving a smoke ring around his

    head that looked much like a Christmas wreath.

    “Lynn sent me sir. She said that ye dog recently had pups. I would

    like to buy one from ye. I am willing to pay up to seven pounds.”,

    Christopher spoke in a way in which he thought his father would have

    said.

    “I have but one left and its tail is a wee’ bit longer than usual. Is

    that a problem lad?”, Christopher shook his head no, “Well I’ll go an’

    get it. That dog is worth only five pounds”. He brought the dog out

    and Christopher fell in love with her. It had the beautiful crystal blue

    eyes of its mother and a glossy black coat that in the fading sunlight

    shimmered a bluish-metallic tint. She had a bright pink tongue and

    seemed to smile when she looked at you. Christopher paid the five

    pounds and took the pup away from her mother only after she was

    able to say goodbye.

    As he walked down the long, rocky path, going uphill on the lush

    green slope in the fading daylight of the sundown he clutched the

    pup tightly in his arms. He looked upon the sun as it sank below the

    horizon and said to the pup, “This sunset is beautiful, just like you my

    friend. I think I will name you Aurora, after the beautiful dawning of

    the sun.” She looked up at him with her bright eyes and blissful dog-

    like smile and yipped quietly.

    He was able to train the dog with the few months he had. By the

    time his father returned she was well trained and highly obedient.

    Daddy Drake was impressed and allowed Christopher to keep her as

    long as she behaved. Aurora and Christopher did everything

    together. She brought much joy, companionship, and respect in her

    twelve years. When she died, the boy, who was now a man of twenty-

    one, cried. He said, “This beautiful blue-eyed dog kept me going. For

    that I thank her.” Those words were written on the headstone and her

    remains were placed at the foot of where his body would one day lay.

    So you see that we all have our dreams and purposes. The boy

    found comfort in this dog, and the dog found a companion and friend

    to be with always. The blue-eyed pup was the boys crutch to get

    through hard times. crying heart