The Christmas holidays were fast approaching, and we had ordered many gifts online. So, when the doorbell rang, I was sure some of the packages had arrived. I ran to the door and swung it open, but no one was there. I sensed something and looked down, only to find a beautiful calico kitten (杂色猫) sitting there, looking up at me with big, intelligent eyes. There was no way that she could have rung the doorbell by herself, was there?

We figured that someone had found the kitten somewhere and left her there, and then rang the doorbell and ran away. They accurately guessed we would welcome an additional family member and take care of her.

My husband called her our little angel, so we named her accordingly. She had a calm aura (气质) about her as she walked straight into our home and hearts, fitting in perfectly. It seemed as if she was always meant to be in this big house with us. She was an old soul and turned out to be the perfect companion. Always by my side, she was more like a puppy than a kitten. Wise beyond her years, she enjoyed wandering through the tunnels and mysterious rooms as much as I did, but with much less fear. Angelica the calico was courageous.

So, I took a page from her book and decided to be brave, too. There was an underground stone cellar (地窖) I had been eager to explore. The only way in was down a rickety (摇晃的) ladder to its murky depths. I guessed it was an old root cellar, probably twelve feet deep.

I had promised my husband that I wouldn’t explore dangerous areas unless he or someone else was around. Though I knew I was stretching it, I figured that Angelica would count as my companion. I was ready to explore this cellar, and so was she.

I equipped myself with a good flashlight and warm clothes, and carefully started down the rickety ladder while Angelica was looking down at me from above. Faint crack and sudden crash were what I could remember.

“You should get a dog.” my therapist (治疗专家) said. A dog? I couldn’t even look after myself. I took a deep breath and carefully considered the idea of welcoming a canine (犬科的) friend into my life. This seemed like too easy a solution to the fact that I couldn’t leave the house without bursting into tears.

Adopting an animal during the height of the pandemic was far from easy. When I found Simba, his adoption profile made him out as the perfect puppy. I filed out the paperwork and had a few weeks to prepare for his arrival.

When he came home, it became increasingly obvious that Simba didn’t understand “no”, “stop it’ or “don’t do that”. He was the worst-behaved dog I’d ever seen. I was beginning to doubt my therapist’s advice.

At home, I found him sitting on my bed comfortably. Jumping from the sofa to the tea table was his favorite game every day. He fought tooth and nail to get a bite of my meals and ate anything that fell on the floor. What was worse, dog waste and urine were seen everywhere, which annoyed me most. But his curiosity and vigor really impressed me. Training him to behave well kept me busier than I’d ever expected.

I decided to start taking him for walks. I could barely leave the house before, but my heart couldn’t say no to Simba. Simba showed me what bravery looked like. He didn’t stop to consider every possible outcome of a situation. He simply went for it. If there was a dog at a park, he would run toward it. He always leapt forward and explored the unknown by sniffing here and there unless I called him. He loved adventure. I found myself mirroring his behavior after a while, jumping out of bed without a second thought. I began to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

Ten minutes later, Simba and I were walking in the nearby park.

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As time went by, I found myself totally changed.

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It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The rivers and streams were long gone back into the earth. If we didn’t see some rain soon, we would lose everything. It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and saw the best miracle (奇迹) in my life.

I was making lunch for the family in the kitchen when I saw my six-year-old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He was obviously walking with a great effort trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again toward the house. I went back to make sandwiches, thinking that whatever task he had been doing was completed.

Moments later, however, he was once again walking toward the woods. This activity went on for over an hour. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey.

He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked, very careful not to spill (洒出) the water he held. I stepped closer as he went into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much greater purpose, I thought. As I came closer, I saw the most amazing sight. Several large deer stood in front of him. Billy walked right up to them, I almost screamed at him to get away. A huge buck was dangerously close. But the buck neither threatened him nor even moved as Billy knelt down. And I saw a baby deer lying on the ground, obviously suffering from heavy loss of water and heat exhaustion, lifting its head with great effort to drink the water in my boy’s hands.

When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house.

This time I joined him, with a small pot of water from the kitchen.