Sid Story - A heartwarming tale of friendship PDF

MERRY HAD KNOWN SID all her life. Even when Merry was a baby, Sid was there, peeping over the edge of her cot. When she was learning to walk, he walked with her. When she was old enough to run, and play with balls, he was there too. When she went to kindergarten, he brought her backpack to the door,...

MERRY HAD KNOWN SID all her life. Even when Merry was a baby, Sid was there, peeping over the edge of her cot. When she was learning to walk, he walked with her. When she was old enough to run, and play with balls, he was there too. When she went to kindergarten, he brought her backpack to the door, and then later, her schoolbag. But by then it was heavy, and he simply pushed it along the floor. Her mother and father would smile before saying that Sid was a naughty dog, because he had a little game where he hid important things, like shoes and newspapers, behind the bookcases. But Merry thought Sid was perfect. You could tell from the way he smiled and ran and held himself when he walked, that he thought he was perfect too. But recently, Merry had noticed something strange about him. He angled his head in the usual way when she called him, but looked around as if he weren't sure where the call was coming from. Sid always met her when she came home from school. One day she was feeling tired and flat. She just couldn't handle fractions. Tania, who sat next to her in class, had called her stupid. Jake, her older brother, didn't say that, but he said that fractions were easy, which was saying the same thing, really. But Merry knew Sid would perk her up. He didn't care anything about fractions. He cared only about her. When she opened the back door he would make a rush at her, ears dangling, jumping up, happy and excited to see her. Recently, he'd been slower in coming. And this day he wasn't there at all. It gave Merry a sick feeling in her tummy. He was *always *there. Frantic, she rushed around the house, and found him asleep in the kitchen. She stroked his ears, and strangely, he growled, before stepping slowly out of his basket for his usual cuddle. That night he was slow in getting into bed with her as well. She lay, curled up, with his warmth at her back. She cried into the pillow, wetting the edges of her dark, curly hair. Sid just didn't seem the same. \* \* \* At school the next day, Merry thought about it. Maybe Sid didn't love her so much anymore. But he had known her nearly all his life. And what had she done wrong? Anyway, dogs weren't like that. It must be something else. Then she thought of something her father often said: 'Pay attention.' Sid looked the same. He ate his meals and he wasn't getting thinner. His eyes weren't runny or anything. But there was something half-hearted about him. 'And exactly where are you, Meredith?' asked her teacher. 'Would you like to join us for story time?' 'Yeah, Merry,' whispered Tania. \* \* \* When Merry got home, she tried not to expect Sid to be there waiting. And he wasn't. She sought him out. Again he was fast asleep, curled up into a messy-looking ball on the lounge. This time she watched for a while, not wishing to startle him. When he woke up, he thumped his tail and looked up at her lovingly. That night she didn't get straight into bed. Instead she turned Sid's face so he was looking right at her, got into bed and called to him, but kept banging on the bedhead at the same time. He jumped up straightaway and lay down beside her. He licked her hand. In the morning Merry waited until Sid had wandered into the kitchen, and then she called his name when she was directly behind him. He kept plodding on. This time she knew. At breakfast she waited until her mum was looking at her. 'I think Sid's gone deaf.' 'Oh dear! Surely not? Well, I suppose he *is* getting to be an old dog.' 'How can he be old?' asked Merry indignantly. 'He's only a few months older than me!' Her mother looked thoughtful. 'Lately, when I call him, he isn't rushing for his food like he used to do.' 'He's been getting bad-tempered too,' added her father. 'Why, only yesterday, he snapped at me when all I was doing was walking past.' Jake smirked. 'I wouldn't worry. Squirt will do anything to get attention.' (Jake always called his sister Squirt.) 'No,' said their father. 'She's *paying* attention.' He turned to his wife. 'Maybe Sid snapped because he didn't hear me coming. He might've got a fright.' Everyone stared at Sid. He was wandering around under the table searching for crumbs. \* \* \* After school, Merry and her mother took Sid to the vet. The surgery was full of uneasy-looking cats and dogs, and even a bird, who would all rather have been elsewhere---especially the bird. They were making a terrible noise. But Sid sat quietly in a corner. The vet checked him all over and then he examined his ears. 'To be certain, he would need to have a specialist test with electrodes. But it's hardly necessary. I'm sure you're right. Well spotted! You could do your own test at home,' he added. 'Just bang two saucepan lids together and see how he responds.' 'Can he have a hearing aid?' asked Merry. 'Sadly, no.' 'Or one of those implants?' asked her mother. 'If it doesn't cost the earth.' The vet shook his head. 'Just try to keep him safe. Remember, he doesn't hear cars or bikes or even other dogs anymore.' They nodded, but in a preoccupied way. On the way home in the car, Merry sat with Sid in the back seat and cuddled him. There must be *something* she could do. At his dinnertime, she made sure he was looking at her. Then she held out her hand to him, her palm open, as if there were something in it. Then she closed it again into a fist. She moved backwards towards his bowl, making the same movement with her hand. After a few tries he came running for his meal, just as he had done before. The next day, when he'd finished eating, she checked that he was watching her. Then she clapped her hands, made a clicking motion with her fingers, and got him to follow her outside. She fussed over him, and gave him a treat. She used the same gesture to bring him back in. She still talked to him as if he could hear. But she felt anxious about him. Lying in bed that night, listening to him gently snoring, she wondered what she could do if she were ever behind him, and he couldn't see her. What if she needed him to stop? The next day she tried flashing her red torch ahead of him. She knew it would work better on dull days, although the torch beam was strong. It took a lot of time and patience, and skill on her part. But eventually he turned around and sat still. 'Clever boy,' Merry said, messing up his fur and again giving him a favourite treat. From then on she carried the torch in a pocket everywhere they went. One miserable dark day, full of rain clouds, Merry was lying on the couch, reading her book. She was so lost in it that she forgot to check on Sid. He wasn't lying at her feet or elsewhere in the room. She looked in his basket. It was empty, except for his squeaky yellow ball. She started to panic. Maybe he had got out and was in the garden. She raced outside. He was sniffing at the base of a peppermint gum. Now he was wandering out towards the driveway. She felt for the torch in her pocket. 'Sid!' she called. 'Sid! Sid!' Someone was taking the car out. She could hear it revving up. It would be her dad---he always revved the car like that. Now it was idling smoothly. Sid was padding peacefully out towards the back of the car. Merry flashed the torch, but its beam fell short of him. She ran faster, and the beam dropped over his head. The car was about to move, and Sid was still padding forward. Desperately, she tried again, and this time the beam fell in front of him. Obediently, he stopped dead, and turned around. The car jolted past. \* \* \* At dinner her father looked across at Merry. 'Sid seems much brighter and more alert. You've done a great job with him.' He groaned. 'How would I have felt if I'd run him over!' 'Sid wouldn't have felt too good either,' said Jake. Sid was looking at them each in turn, his tongue lolling out happily. Jake looked at the dog and then at his sister. 'If Sid is 6/10ths happier than he was yesterday, and he is\ 100 per cent happy today, what was his happiness score yesterday? As a fraction.' Merry stared at him, but said nothing. 'Okay, you don't have to be good at everything, Squirt.' He patted her affectionately on the back. 'Well done!' Merry smiled. She felt good. Then Jake turned to face Sid and made a thumbs-up sign. After all, Sid had turned out to be rather clever too.