向红

Though it is one of the faded memories of my life today， there are times when I remember its face clearly， especially its eyes. As it had yellow spots on its eyes we called it Spotty. It would have been a stray1 dog until it came to me.

I was seven years old. My dad had just got transferred2 to Nasik. We had shifted into a rented house. It was raining very heavily on the day we moved.

I went out and felt a cool wind on my face. It was a cold dark night. We had our meal and went to sleep.

In the midnight， I heard a loud thud3 outside the main door. I took courage and peeped4 out through the window. There was a small dog lying on an old rug5 which my mother had put outside the door. It was wet and shivering6. At first， it was difficult to see the little one. It had a black body which was darker even than a black rain cloud. It was the yellow spots on its eyes， which made me discover it.

It was trying to get inside the curved rug to avoid the chilling7 air outside as I could see only its head outside the rug.

I saw that the flowerpot kept on the window sill had fallen down. I felt pity for the poor soul. I went in and came out with an old towel. I went near the innocent one and held it in my hand and wiped it till it had become dry. I took it inside and made a bed for it with a woolen rug and a small pillow. It seemed very comfortable in its new bed as it went to sleep immediately.

The next morning， everyone in the family came to know about the unusual guest. “Shall we keep it with us？” I questioned my mom.

Like any other parents would， my parents first totally refused my idea but I and my sister convinced8 them to keep Spotty.

Slowly Spotty got easily mingled with everyone and became one of the family members. We got used to all its small habits and pranks9.

Days passed on and one evening when Spotty returned from its long walk， it was very tired. It came to my room and sat near me. It was then I saw that its hind leg was injured and was bleeding. I called out my mother and she quickly tied a bandage10 around its leg and gave it food to eat.

I was very upset. But the next day， Spotty was up to its usual pranks though it limped a bit. After this incident， my relation with Spotty became closer. I really admired it a lot for its courage.

Almost a year later， one midnight， we heard Spotty barking breathlessly. We came out and saw that it was barking continuously heading somewhere. After some time， Spotty became quite. I patted it on its back and came inside.

The next morning， my heart skipped a beat when I didnt see Spotty. I searched for it in each and every corner but it was nowhere. And this time it had gone and would never come back. I cried and waited for it. We waited for one long week. But there were no signs of it.

Then one day， my dad got transferred to Mumbai. We shifted back to Mumbai. What would have happened to Spotty？ Would it have died？ These were the only questions in my mind， but they all remained unanswered forever.

虽然如今我已经不太记得那段时光，但是有时我还是会清楚地记起它的脸尤其是它的眼睛。因为它的眼睛上有黄色的斑点，所以我们叫它“斑点”。在遇到我之前，斑点本是一只流浪狗。

那年我七岁了。我父亲刚刚调任到纳西克。我们把家搬到了租来的房子里。我们搬家那天，雨下得非常大。

我开门出去就能感觉到一阵冷风扑面而来。那是一个寒冷而漆黑的黑夜。我们吃了饭，然后就去睡觉了。

午夜时分，我听到大门外一声巨响。我鼓起勇气，透过窗户向外看去。有一只小狗躺在我妈妈放在门外的一张旧地毯上。它浑身湿透了，身体颤抖着。一开始很难察觉到这个小家伙。它的身体是黑色的，甚至比漆黑的雨云还要黑。是它眼睛上的黄色斑点让我注意到了它。

它试图把自己卷入地毯里以抵挡外面的寒冷空气，而我只能看到它的头露在地毯外面。

我看到窗台上的花盆掉了下来。我觉得这个小家伙很可怜。于是我回屋，拿了一条旧毛巾出来。我走近它把它捧在手里，把它身上擦干了。我把它带进屋，用毛毯和一个小枕头为它铺了一张床，它似乎在新床上很舒服，很快就睡着了。

第二天早上，家里的每个人都知道了斑点的存在。我问妈妈：“我们能把它留下吗？”

像其他父母一样，我的父母开始不同意我的这个想法，但最后我和姐姐说服了他们让斑点和我们一起。

慢慢地，斑点和我的家人相处越来越融洽，成为家庭成员之一。我们也习惯了它所有的習性和恶作剧。

几天过去了，一天晚上，斑点走了很多路，回来时，它显得非常疲惫。它来到我的房间，坐在我旁边。那时，我看到它的后腿受了伤并且正在流血。我叫了我妈妈，然后她迅速将绷带绑在它腿上，给了它吃了一点东西。

我看着它那个样子非常伤心。但是第二天，尽管它一瘸一拐，但它还是像往常一样同我们恶作剧。在这次事件之后，我与斑点的关系变得更加亲密了。我非常钦佩它的勇气。

差不多一年之后的一个午夜，我们听到斑点气喘吁吁地吠叫。我们出来发现它正在不停地朝某个地方叫。叫了一段时间后，斑点便安静下来了。我拍了拍它的背便回屋了。

第二天早上，我心很慌因为斑点不见了，我到处找都没看见它。这次它已经走了，而且永远不会回来。我哭着等了它一个星期，但没有它的消息。

有一天，我的爸爸调回了孟买。我们搬回了孟买。斑点怎么了？它去哪里了？它死了吗？我脑海里一直盘旋着这些问题，但永远没人能回答我了。