The boy stumbled through the winter woods, shivering. His lips were blue, his legs barely holding him up. He was looking for any kind of shelter when he came across an old cabin. A fire was burning inside, and a stranger was cooking soup. The man took the freezing teenager in, never suspecting that this random act of kindness would turn both their lives upside down. Because in a few days, the boy would find something in an old dresser that would make his heart pound. This story proves that sometimes, fate itself leads us to the ones we thought we’d lost forever.
Leo Miller was walking home from school, taking his usual shortcut through the old city park. The fourteen-year-old’s backpack was heavy with textbooks, and all he wanted was to get home and do his homework in peace. From behind the old maintenance shed, he heard loud voices and a cruel laugh. Leo stopped, listening. Over the rough shouts, he could make out a pitiful yelp—someone was hurting an animal. He peeked cautiously around the corner and saw three teenagers, maybe sixteen, kicking a small stray dog. The dog was lying on its side, injured, its eyes wide with terror.
“Come on, let’s finish this mutt off,” a red-haired kid in a leather jacket sneered.
Leo felt a knot of anger tighten in his stomach. He was never a fighter; in fact, he tried to avoid conflict. But he couldn’t stand by and watch them torture a defenseless creature.
“Hey! Leave him alone!” Leo shouted, stepping out from behind the shed.
The older boys turned, looking the skinny kid in his school uniform up and down with contempt.
“Well, look what we have here. A hero,” the tallest one drawled. “Get lost, kid, before you get hurt.”
“I said, leave the dog alone,” Leo repeated, trying to keep his voice from shaking.
The redhead walked right up to him and shoved him in the chest. Leo stumbled but kept his footing.
“What are you gonna do about it, shrimp?”
The redhead shoved him again, harder this time. Leo fell, hitting his elbow hard on the pavement, but scrambled back to his feet.
“Stop it! Just leave him alone!” He stood between the bullies and the dog.
The teenagers exchanged a look, apparently deciding the stubborn kid wasn’t worth the trouble.
“You’re an idiot, getting beat up for a stray,” the redhead spat. “Let’s go, guys.”
They walked off, still laughing loudly and glancing back. Leo waited until they were out of sight before approaching the injured animal. The dog was alive, but badly hurt. Leo gently scooped it into his arms. The mutt didn’t even struggle, seeming to understand that this person meant no harm. The boy pulled all the money he had from his pocket—fifty dollars he’d been saving for a new video game. It was just enough to cover a taxi to the veterinary clinic.
At the clinic, a kind, older veterinarian in a white coat examined the dog carefully.
“It’s a good thing you brought him in when you did,” she told Leo. “A little longer, and it might have been too late. No broken bones, but he has a deep gash that needs stitches.”
“Will he be okay?” Leo asked, his voice filled with worry.
“He’ll be fine, don’t you worry. You’re a good kid. Not many would risk getting into a fight for a homeless dog.”
Leo left his phone number and asked them to call with an update. With no money left for the bus, he had to walk home. He didn’t get back until almost six-thirty.
The large suburban house greeted him with a cold silence. In the spacious living room, Brenda, a well-kept woman of thirty-two with cold eyes, sat on the sofa. Next to her, her three-year-old son from a previous marriage, Kyle, was playing. On the coffee table were plates with the remains of dinner; apparently, his stepmother had only fed herself and her own child.
“Been out messing around again?” Brenda shot Leo a disdainful look, noticing the dirt stains on his jacket sleeve.
“I was saving a dog,” Leo answered honestly. “Some older kids were beating it up.”
Brenda rolled her eyes.
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