But Lily is a brave and courageous warrior. She was born in the deep South where the weather is always hot and humid. She spent much of her youth there with her family and others of her kind. Life was great for Lily and the city she lived in, but sadly, things were about to change.
A destructive storm, a category five hurricane, ravaged Lily's city. Winds reaching two hundred miles an hour tore through homes and buildings as if they were made of paper mache, and flung vehicles and boats around as if tossed by an angry child. Lightning strikes touched down all over like spider legs, causing explosions and fires wherever they landed. Even sheets of rain continuously pounded down, causing some areas to be drowned in up to five feet of water, with others closer to ten. The storm lasted about thirty hours, but the misery it caused lasted for months.
If Lily thought that the storm was bad, the aftermath proved to be much worse. First, there was the awful silence that hung over the city. Then, as the power came back on, the sirens blared endlessly day and night, robbing everyone of any chance to sleep. Food and clean water were scarce, bringing out the worst in people. As the water receded from the city streets, bodies from all over began to appear. The sirens had finally stopped, but the drone of flies and rats feeding off the dead bodies was even worse, and the stench of death made eating what little food there was hard to bear. Finally, after a week or more of this, the rescue came, and Lily was but a mere shadow of her former self.
And the horror of it all did not end there. Lily found herself crowded into a small area with others of her kind, all scared and not knowing what would happen next. The smell of death was replaced by the stench of urine and feces; food was tossed about and quickly gobbled by those who had the strength, and fresh water was fought over, causing even more death. Lily thought that this was going to be the end for her; her family and friends were gone. She thought for sure that this was the end when finally, fortune smiled upon her. She was offered an opportunity to leave these surroundings, but it meant leaving her home forever, and she took it.
Lily was taken thousands of miles to the north, and it was here that she finally met the Hamiltons. They were a family of four, and they informed Lily that they were going to be her sponsors. Even though things were looking up for Lily, there were many hurdles to overcome. The first was the weather. This far north, the weather was much colder than Lily had ever been used to. On top of that, Lily had never experienced snow before, and it took time for her to adjust to the new climate. Then there was the panic that Lily felt whenever she heard sirens or thunder and lightning, but the Hamiltons did their best to comfort her and reassure her that things were not as bad as what she had been through before. The Hamiltons also made sure that Lily got the medical care she needed and had a healthy diet and plenty of exercise so that Lily was once again back to her warrior strength.
On Lily's part, she had to adjust to being part of a new family. It took time, but because of the love and compassion that the Hamiltons showed her, she began to warm up to the family and started to be part of them. She shared long walks with each of them and was a good listener when each member of the family shared their hopes, dreams, and even secrets. Lily took it upon herself to be the family's protector and guide them from any danger; as it turned out, Lily had each member of the family's name tattooed on her heart.
Time passed, and the Hamiltons' children grew up and were ready to move out on their own. Lily was sad to see them go but greeted them warmly whenever they came back home. The Hamiltons' parents had also gotten older, and even though this meant that they were alone, Lily spent more time with them, going on long walks and amusing them. Sadly, this also meant that Lily herself had gotten older, and the signs of aging were definitely showing. Lily found it harder to walk and was getting short of breath, but the Hamiltons did their best to make it as easy as they could for her, pausing longer on their walks to let Lily catch her breath and even helping her up and down the stairs. It was sad for all of the Hamiltons when Lily took her last breath, for much like Lily, the Hamiltons also had Lily's name tattooed on their hearts.
Now, I know I haven't mentioned this before, but Lily was a canine companion. There are many animals out there who are unfortunately displaced from their homes due to weather, fires, earthquakes, and even wars, but we as a species can do our part to minimize the damage done to them. If any of you can find it in your heart to find a forever home for these poor creatures, you will find that the love, loyalty, and companionship they give you in return will come back to you tenfold. And you will also have their names tattooed on your heart, for your heart will become that much bigger.
____Mystikos Samaritan____
