Author: Yashonil Shukla, Class XI F
The Johnsons were busy with their so called happy yet tiring life. But now they decided to spend a night at a restaurant and take a break. It was Jason who suggested visiting Byrow’s which was the most popular restaurant these days among the crazy people of Monister City. It was famous for its weird experimentations.
When they grabbed their seats, Emilda read the menu. It read ‘Poodle Hot’, ‘German Shepherd Stew’, ‘Pomeranian Eyeball Crunchies’, etc. The choice became a matter of debate among Rita, Avaro and Jason. Mr Johnson and Mrs Johnson (Emilda) were dumbstruck!
Soon the poor waiter became the target of their very pointed questions, but he defended himself well. He said that since it was the International Dogs’ Day, in memory of their owner’s dog Lucy, they just renamed the actual dishes in the menu on the names of dogs with the Lucy Veg Platter becoming the USP of their menu.
Once all the volcanoes of confusion erupting in the minds of the Johnsons subsided, they placed their respective orders but Emilda was still confused. One of the dishes read ‘Libya Sausage’ with red chilli chutney’ Emily stopped. Her mind went into flashback.
In the mind’s world, one can reach any spot in the entire universe without much stress and so did Mrs Johnson. She went to her childhood and felt her little white furry Labradore – Libya! Her eyes were blue with a pinch of naughtiness in them and a shine never seen in anyone’s eyes. And no doubt, her favourite food too was indeed – sausages!
Libya always used to stay with Emilda. She used to poke her nose into Emilda’s ear and bark whenever she wished to play with Emilda. A unique habit never observed in other pet dogs. When Emilda was eight and had to face two bomb blasts during World War II, it was Libya who had warned her and her family members by pointing and barking again and again towards the ceiling of their house. When her family was poverty stricken, Libya learnt how to stand on her hind legs and even used to dance, earning quite a lot of shillings from the rich class.
Unfortunately, Libya left the world by the time Emilda’s parents earned quite a fortune and Emilda also forgot her as she got busy with her University life. After being married and spending sixteen long years with her husband and her family, Libya was nearly out of her mind.
But today, this very moment, she was full of regret and despair at having forgotten Libya. When they departed from Byrow’s she donated five hundred dollars for the dog’s caring Association which was supported by the Byrow’s.
