When was my first journey? This question conjured up a scene in my head.
I was in second grade, and I was standing in a whole new town with our Shiba named John. And it was getting dark.
One Sunday afternoon, I decided to go across a large intersection that I had never crossed alone in my life so that I could discover the town beyond it.
What lies ahead of this road where cars and trucks are constantly about? Maybe I’ll discover an amazingly fun park or playground, a toy store where I’ll find cool things… I’ll find that and tell my friends about it. Also, I thought my parents would be proud of me if I was able to go far on my own.
But I needed a company so I decided to bring my favorite buddy, John.
I can recall how my heart was thumping as I waited for the light to turn green to cross that big road. Would I be able to come back if I crossed over to the other side? The thought did freak me out. So when the lights turned green, I said, “Ok, John, let’s go!” and I mustered up the courage to speed through the crossing.
After John and I were on the other side, we continued walking through this new town, straight down, while picking out points to remember for the path home. We came across a high street bustling with people. We weaved through the crowd and continued on the road when we discovered that we were at the end of a high street with no crowd.
By this time, John was panting and looked to be thirsty, and I asked this lady in front of a stationery store for some water. “Would you like a glass of water for yourself?” she said and brought a glass of water. When I brought the cup over to John, she shouted, “Don’t use glasses for dogs!”
“I’m sorry and thank you,” I said, as I returned the glass and left the store.
Everything in this new place was fascinating, and John and I continued walking, curiously looking around. We were having a good time.
It was after about an hour. I began to feel tired and said, “John, I think we should go home now.” I turned around and started on the road we just came from and I thought I’d be able to go home fine. So I thought.
But no matter how far we walked, I couldn’t spot the marks that I memorized. It was getting dark and John and I were officially lost. I suddenly felt this surge of sadness and sat down to hug John.
Then, a kind lady came and said, “Where are you from?” I told her my name, my school, and the fact that I came from the other side of that big road. She asked for my phone number and called my home. “Your mom is coming to get you now. You’ll be fine,” she said and gave John and I some sweets.
After a bit of wait, I saw my mom, in an apron, rushing towards us. She asked, “What are you doing all the way out here?” I cried and answered, “I wanted to know what’s on this side.”
John consoled me by licking my hands.
John and I started on our way home with mom who came to our rescue.
I just wanted to know what was there. That’s what got me to start walking. It was scary but fun. This was the first journey of my life.
