It was already 11.30 p.m. and there was still..........the day I first saw Lucky and suddenly, I felt alive again.

It was already 11.30 p.m. and there was still no sign of my parents. I took the two speckled puppies into the kitchen. They had been scratching the door for quite some time. I put some milk into two bowls and poured some cornflakes. In no time, the puppies lapped up everything and were eating out of the same bowl.

Suddenly, I heard some dogs fighting and I hurried to the window. I could not see anything but I could recognize Lucky's rage. I stood rooted to the ground, listening and praying for the fight to end. I was really worried for Lucky as there had been news about a mad dog which had been haunting the villagers the past month.

Then, I swung into action. I went out and switched on the spotlight outside. I caught my first glimpse of the howling battle. It was Lucky all right and he was fighting savagely with another dog as big as he. They leapt and snarled, their bared teeth gleaming white, each refusing to back away. Then, suddenly, the dog jumped onto Lucky, its jaws clamped down tight on Lucky's throat. That was my chance. I grabbed my hockey stick and dashed towards them. I hit the dog as hard as I could, at least a dozen times. I couldn't see a thing, blinded by my own tears. Then I realized that all the growling and snarling had hushed. Lucky was the first to move. He struggled up to lick my hands, wagging his war-torn tail. Then, to my horror, I saw that the dead dog was the mad dog that everyone had been talking about.

By this time, my parents and sister had come home. I told them what had happened. My dad put his arms around me and quietly said that we might have to put Lucky to sleep. "But Dad, he has saved our lives many times. We can't..." I cried. "We'll have to, son. We just can't take the chance."

That night, after we had buried the mad dog, it became clear to me that my father was right. We couldn't take the risk. The next day, my father called someone and they came to take Lucky away. I felt numb as I waved goodbye. Days went by and I couldn't seem to get over it. I couldn't sleep and I couldn't eat. A mere thought, a name, a bone, a bowl was all it took for a fresh flood of tears. My mother tried to talk to me about it. Everything she said made sense to me, let time heal the pain, I will forget and learn to love again. My sister, Lin, told me, there were still the two puppies which we hadn't even named yet. Yes, but they were not Lucky and never will be.

The pain lasted for another week or so. It was an unstated rule in the family that no one should mention Lucky's name. I went about my life as usual. I went to school and I did my chores at home. Yet, I couldn't forget the pain. It was as if a part of me had died with him.

Then, something happened that jolted me back onto my path again. My father had told me to clear the garage. I knew he wanted me to take my mind off my pain. While lifting a huge cardboard, I heard some whimpering behind a box. I lifted the box and I saw the most beautiful sight on earth. Minnie was nursing her six little puppies and she held out her paw to me. I took it and patted her. Right then, I began to feel better. I remembered what my father had said, "Sometimes, life may seem unfair and bad but it is only some of the time. Other times, life is good. A man cannot afford to waste all the good parts worrying about the bad parts." And this was the good part, watching new lives being brought into this world. It also brought fresh memories of the day I first saw Lucky and suddenly, I felt alive again.

Summary: When I heard some dogs fighting, I went to check. Lucky was fighting with another dog. I was worried about it being the mad dog. I grabbed my hockey stick and dashed towards them, hitting the dog repeatedly. When it ended, I was horrified to see that it was indeed the mad dog. When my dad said that we had to put Lucky to sleep, I objected but to no avail. I felt numb when they came to take him away and suffered for more than a week. Although I tried to carry on as usual, I could not get over the pain. Then, one day, while clearing the garage, I saw Minnie and her puppies. I suddenly felt better again. I was reminded of the first time I saw Lucky.