Murphy never got mother's love. He was carelessly dumped at a construction site, which became the One-Month-Old's home for 3 days, before a worker from the nearby adoption centre spotted him. The worker brought him in, cold and hungry, fed him and gave him shelter. It was after he was cleaned and bathed the following day, that the staff noticed his deep brown eyes and sharp features. The doctor said he was authentic Canadian. Since he had golden hair which looked like a potato dried in sun, he came to be named as Murphy.
As her grandfather passed away, Mr & Mrs Dinkins felt the need to have a companion for their 8 year old daughter, Morrigan. With both parents working, he was the only friend to little Morrigan. But now, she was lonely and sad. So the parents thought, it would be a great idea to get her some company- adopt. Besides, her birthday was just a month away. A companion to play with would be the best gift to a lonely girl on her 9th birthday.
The Dinkins visited the adoption centre in their area. It would be justified to call them 'The lucky Dinkins', because they found Murphy. He was young, playful and adorable. His naughty ways actually caught Mrs Dinkins' eye and she instantly found him to be cute. So it was decided.
It was Morrigan's birthday and she was tad excited. Mr Dinkins told her she'll be having her birthday gift in the evening. It was going to be a surprise, so could not be revealed. But Morrigan behaved exactly like a desperate 9yr old and kept guessing. After much coaxing, papa gave her a clue- "The gift would drive away your loneliness, darling!"
She wore her best dress, and had her school friends over. She had the best party and the best of gifts, but she kept waiting for mommy-papa's gift. Her mom drove her to the adoption centre to get Murphy after the party was done with. Some errors in the documentation in the adoption process had caused the delay. Morrigan waited in the car, shaking with excitement, as mommy went in to bring her a gift. When she returned with Murphy, Morrigan was overjoyed. "Oh I love you so much, mother!" she said. She kept cuddling with little Murphy on the back seat until they drove back home. She showed papa her new companion and told him how lucky she was to have him. They tried feeding him the birthday cake but he just littered over and ate none, for he was too small.
Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Murphy was growing up with Morrigan. Murphy's new favourite toy was Morrigan's old hockey stick, which he found lying in the attic. Morrigan made new friends at school and kept busy with them all day. Murphy made the hockey stick his new companion. He chewed at it when his teeth began to grow and played with it all day until it was worn out. Morrigan's excitement about Murphy had died out. She was now more interested in her school friends than Murphy. She said he spoiled her toys. Yet she took care of him, now more like a duty.
Some years passed by and Murphy grew up, never leaving the side of his hockey stick. Morrigan would soon be a teenager. She spent more time outside than indoors. The Dinkins decided to move to another city so that Morrigan could get the best of education. After all, they wanted to settle in life and buy their new house. A mansion was built soon and they decided upon the final date.
The problem was Murphy. Morrigan no longer liked taking care of him. She sometimes had to stay indoors to take care of him. She hated him because he demanded her time. That made her irritable because it only meant missing out on fun times with her schoolies. Neither did the parents make any time to look after him in their busy work-schedule. As paradoxical as it may sound, the blessing in the form of Murphy some years ago, had now become a burden for the Dinkins family. And so they say, you have to change with the times. But only for the good; why, none said that.
They all had a master plan. Mr Dinkins took the initiative to carry it out. It was finalised and agreed upon. Mrs Dinkins was not okay with the idea initially, but there wasn't any other option. She had to let go.
One week before the decided day, Mr Dinkins took the hockey stick and got into the car. Murphy followed, spotting his favourite toy in papa's hands. Mr Dinkins drove him all the way to the forest which was fifty miles away from their home. When they were deep inside the forest, Mr Dinkins did what one would imagine only in his wildest nightmare. He let Murphy out and threw his favourite toy as far as he could. Murphy innocently thought, papa was playing with him and went off to fetch it. Mr Dinkins then sped his car as fast as he could and drove home. Murphy was abandoned.
Murphy heard the car and rushed after it. It was fast, and moreover, very far. He kept following the car as fast as he could, for so long that his legs were tired and he was exhausted. But yet, his love for his family kept him going, completely unaware of the fact that it was them who had abandoned him. He slowed down a bit and finally stopped for water. The voice of the car's engine became more and more distant and finally vanished. Murphy started to feel something- lonely. He kept wandering. All this while, he missed, what he thought was, his family. He remembered the good old days, when Morrigan loved him so much, invited her friends to show them 'her' Murphy. Nostalgia overwhelmed him. There had been a point in his life when loved the family more than he loved himself. The Dinkins' family had become his world. And so he kept wandering, hoping to get back home. When tired, he would sit, drink water and carry on. He ate no food, because he had never learnt how to find food in the forest. After wandering for six days with no food at all, he felt really tired and lied down. He was wondering if anyone remembered him and the fun times they had. At least Morrigan.
Next day, the Dinkins reached their new home. All posh and new, excitement and happiness. Everyone forgot about Murphy, including Morrigan. But not for too long. She opened the day's newspaper and in a corner, she saw a small news item with Murphy's photo. And then she did remember Murphy and the fun times they had, but only with tears in her eyes and regret in her heart. He still had the hockey stick with him. He'd kept it as a token of Morrigan. And maybe had had her smiling face in front of his eyes during the last few moments of his life.
If Murphy was a human, he would've understood the cruelty with which he was treated. Maybe found his way back home, or taken a revenge. At least he wouldn't have had love for his 'abandoners' till his last breath. But he did. Because he was only a dog.