Dear Editor,
Imagine that you’ve been invited to go on a car ride with someone you know and trust. You’re excited and really looking forward to getting away and seeing new scenery. You ride and ride, wondering why your friend is so quit, but maybe he or she is just enjoying the ride as much as you.
After a while, you become anxious. Your friend is too quit, hasn’t smiled and seems to be looking for something rather than enjoying the scenery. “What’s going on? We’ve never been here before Why are we slowing down?”
The car stops. Your friend looks at you and tells you to get out of the car. You ask, “Why? What have I done? No! Please don’t leave me!” But he says nothing, just drives away and leaves you standing there.
When he’s gone, you realize you didn’t take time to pick up your wallet, so you have no identification or money, don’t know where you are or where you might find help. It’s chilly; you’re wearing only a thin jacket since you thought you’d be in the car. There are no houses around that you can see, so all you can do is pick a direction and begin walking. You seem to have been left in the middle of nowhere.
Brrr! It’s so cold! You don’t’ know for certain if it’s the weather causing you to be cold or whether it’s because you’re frightened. You can’t find any sort of shelter for the night. Maybe if you curl up against a tree you can stay a bit warm until morning.
Morning finally arrives; you didn’t sleep well. The warmth of the sun feels good, although it’s still cold. Maybe you can find someone to help you, so you begin walking and walking. You see some houses! Walking becomes running. Help at last! Or so you think.
Man! People can be so mean! You try to tell them what happened, but they don’t’ seem to understand. Instead, you’re chased with a broom, shot at with a pellet gun, sprayed with a water hose (that was cold!) and told to go away, get out of here, you aren’t wanted.
You don’t understand. You haven’t done anything bad. You haven’t hurt anyone. You’re so hungry and thirsty. Why did your friend do that to you? What will you do? No one will help.
***
This scenario should happen to every heartless person who put an animal out and drives off. I’ve witnessed these animals chase the vehicles of the persons who leave them, then every other vehicle which passes, which is absolutely heartbreaking. They are lost and confused and have nowhere to go.
Sheila Brooks
Columbia
