The Adventures of EMMA

By Richard Spinney

When William meets Emma, she is famished, dehydrated and barely alive, having run away from an abusive owner. Although a vet suggests putting the dog down, William takes her into his household, along with his wife and two huge dogs.

As the months pass, Emma gains more confidence and independence. After Emma regains her strength, she is excited to explore her new surroundings. She ventures out on her own. Upon seeing her return one day, William turns to a visitor and concedes, "That's Emma being Emma."

Each adventure is a new experience for Emma, whether it is by herself or accompanied by William or William's wife Molly and one of the dogs. Emma learns that every person brings new perspectives and lessons. If you look beneath the surface, you will see the true heart of a person. Some people are unkind like her former owner, while some people are really special like William and William's friend Elijah and other people whom she meets along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684982851

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Copyright © 2022 Richard Spinney

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First edition published by Newman Springs Publishing 2022

Man with Camera photo by Victoria J. Dauphinee

Stethoscope photo by Annette and Lee Smith

Alaskan Malamute photo by Allen Stehle

ISBN 978-1-68498-283-7 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68498-284-4 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-68498-285-1 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To the various relatives and friends who did not tire reading and rereading the drafts of The Adventures of Emma and offering their honest opinions and corrections

Meeting William

The morning sky was still pink when I first heard the sounds of automobiles along the road in the distance. I was exhausted. I had chased two rabbits the evening before, and both got away. I hadn’t eaten a decent meal in ages. I was so hungry my stomach no longer growled for food, and I was thirsty. My last drink of water came from a small puddle I had found between the roots of a large tree near the edge of the woods.

I dozed off and on. I was too tired to lift my head when I heard another sound of a motor. This vehicle was closer than the others I had heard earlier. The noise was not coming from the road. The motor abruptly stopped. I heard a door slam shut and a man cleared his throat. This sound was too close. I raised my head to peer over the grass. The grass was too tall to see over and too thick to see through. I sat up and saw a man standing by his pickup truck in the field. He was facing in my direction, looking over the field and looking at a sheet of paper in his hands.

Despite my sitting still and blending in with the yellow grasses, I could tell he saw my head and shoulders. I remained motionless. I could see that he was curious about me. At first, he did nothing, and then he called out, Here, boy! I didn’t answer. I didn’t move. I’m a girl for one thing, and I don’t trust men, not after all I have been through. He whistled to me, and I sat still. I was curious about this man. He seemed different from the last man I knew only several days ago. This man seemed kind.

He walked to the front of the truck. He whistled again, leaned forward a little, and patted the upper part of his leg. He wanted me to come to him. He slowly approached me. We were a long ways apart, and the woods were close behind me. If I had to run, there was safety behind me. I stood up. He took another few steps and stopped. He was still a comfortable distance from me. There was an area just ahead of me where the grass was shorter. I walked there, and I stopped to watch the man.

The man took another few steps. I could see the expression on his face. He had been smiling, but when he saw me in the open, his expression changed. It was a look of concern. Wow, he said quietly to himself. You’re just skin and bones. You must be starving. He whistled again and called to me. He leaned over a bit and patted his leg as he had done before. C’mon, he said softly. It looks like you could use some help.

I stood my ground. I wasn’t going closer to him—or more accurately, I wasn’t getting further from the safety of the woods behind me. He continued to walk slowly toward me until he had covered over half the distance from his truck. I lowered my head and looked behind me and then back at him. He slowly took another few steps and said, It’s okay, boy. I’m not gonna hurt you. He seemed sincere and sounded gentle, but I wasn’t ready to fully trust him.

I took a step backward and looked to the trees again. I knew my escape route. He stopped and said, You look like you’ve not eaten in weeks. He turned his head toward the truck and called back to me, You stay here. I’ll get you some food. Then he turned and walked back to the truck and drove away.

Seeing him depart, I turned back to the bed I’d made in the grass and lay down. A field mouse scurried by so close I could have snapped it up, but I was too tired from standing up to watch the man. I dozed a bit in the warmth of the sun that slowly rose higher in the sky. Time passed, then I heard the truck. I raised my head. The truck was somewhat closer this time. That troubled me.

I sat up and then struggled to stand up. I had a hard time to keep my balance. Although I felt really weak and tired, I walked to the opening in the grass. I watched as the man carried some items toward me. He followed the same path as he had made earlier. He got to the place where he had stopped before. He was getting too close to me, and I turned my head to look at the woods.

He stopped and said, Here. I have some food and water for you. He knelt down.

I heard hard food being poured into a bowl and then water was splashing. C’mon, he said. Here. Here’s some food and water for you. C’mon. He still spoke quietly, gently. He wasn’t impatient. He was encouraging and didn’t raise his voice or speak sharply.

He was crouching, and I could see him smiling. His eyes were bright and friendly. I stood still while watching him. After several minutes, I saw him sigh.