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=Exposition/Inciting Incident= = = I got my Golden Retriever, Bernie on a windy March day of 2000 in Greenwood Lake. He was the sweetest dog you ever met. He was big, furry, and calm. Bernie had long bright gold fur and the cutest face ever. Everyone who met him fell in love with him. He was so kind he wouldn't hurt a fly. We had him for seven years when he had his first seizure. I was home with my grandma and my younger sister. Everyone else was out that night. My mom and dad were in New York having dinner. Bernie just collapsed and started breathing heavily and shaking. "Grandma!" I called. "What’s wrong with Bernie?" "I don't know. Call your mother", replied my grandma. I called my mom and she said to feed him, so, we gave him food and water. I gave him some treats. Then it got really bad. It was so sad that I could not look. I was so scared and so was my sister. Bernie was yelping and running all over the place. He was as loud as gunshots going off everywhere. He kept falling and then getting up again. We called my mom again. She said to call our good friends down the street because they are really nice and they are good with dogs. So then, we called them and they said they would be over. When they got there, they watched to see what Bernie did and then they called my mom and dad and said they would take him to the pet hospital in Fairfield. They took him there and my parents came home from dinner early and met them at the hospital. When my parents came home, they told my sisters and I that Bernie had to stay in the hospital for a few days to see what the problem was. A few days later, when Bernie came home, I was so happy to see him again. Then, I saw that there was a bald spot on his stomach and on his paw. It was white and you could see his skin. "Mom, why are there two bald spots on Bernie?" I asked. "Well, the vets needed to take an x-ray of his stomach and they needed to shave the hair away so that they could see into him with an x-ray. They shaved his paw because they needed to put an IV in him. His hair will grow back soon." My mom replied. "What's an IV?" I asked. "It's a needle that transfers medicine into Bernie's body." My mom answered back.

WHAT DOES THE DOG LOOK LIKE? WHAT KIND OF FOOD DID YOU GIVE HIM? HOW WAS HE ACTING? WHAT DID THE SHAVED SPOTS LOOK LIKE? WHAT DID THE IV LOOK LIKE?

=Rising Action= = = Every now and then Bernie had little, minor seizures but on September 15, 2007, it was the worst seizure of all. My two friends and I slept over our other friend, Lucy's house. Lucy's mom was taking me and my other friends home in the morning when I got a text from my mom that said, "Go in the house through the front door." "Okay", I texted back. At first, I didn't think anything from it. When Lucy's mom pulled up in front of my house, with her big, dark blue, Ford Explorer, my mom and little sister were sitting on the front stairs crying. Before I got out of the car, my mom yelled to me that my other friend, Sarah who also slept over Lucy's house, was going to stay over my house for a little because her mom was out. Sarah is my best friend ever. A friend is a band-aid to a cut. We have known each other since we were one year old. When I got out of the car and I saw my mom and sister crying, I was pretty sure I knew what happened. I could smell it in the air that something bad was going to happen. It made me get really afraid. I looked up and it looked to me like the trees were upset too and drooping down in sadness. I walked up to my mom and she told me that Bernie was having really bad seizure right now and that he is suffering really badly. She said he is having trouble breathing. Then my dad came outside and told me that we may have to put Bernie to sleep. Sarah and I immediately started sobbing. Then, I knew I had a rough time ahead of me.

WHAT DOES THE FORD EXPLORER LOOK LIKE? WHAT DID THE DOG LOOK LIKE HAVING THE SEIZURE? WHERE WAS THIS ALL TAKING PLACE?

=Climax= "Don't go inside, you don't want to see him like this," said my mom. "I have to, Mom, please. I will look for just a second." I replied to my mom. "Okay, but come right back out and be careful because he might bite you, he doesn't quite know what he is doing," my mom answered. As soon as I went inside, I saw Bernie shaking like crazy and it made me cry even more. He was breathing heavily. He was also yelping and twitching. The sound was piercing and loud. While all of this was going on, my older sister was having a guitar lesson. Her guitar teacher is named Dave. Dave is really kind. He is tall and bald. Once my dad told him what was going on, he got up and tried to do anything with Bernie that would help. Then, my dad said to my sisters and I that he was going to go to the vet and bring Bernie so they can put him to sleep. Right then, I wanted to die myself. Then, they had to figure out a way to get him into the car. Bernie was a big, blonde, boy who weighed over 150 pounds. So, Dave and my dad got a large towel and dragged Bernie onto it. They picked it up while my mom held Bernie onto it so he wouldn't tip over and fall. They walked outside to the car and put Bernie into my dad's trunk of his car. "Say goodbye to Bernie," my dad said softly. "Okay," all of my sisters replied in tears. I hugged him, kissed him, and pet his soft fur one last time. After we said our goodbyes to Bernie, we walked inside crying hysterically. I had tears running down my bright red, puffy face. We watched our mom, dad, and Bernie pull out of the driveway in my dad's Lexus. Then, Dave left, saying sorry for what happened to Bernie. After, Sarah and I went upstairs into my room. I couldn't stop crying for my life. Sarah was still crying too. Her face was all red with tears falling down her cheeks. I was so upset cause I knew I would never see him again. We sat on my bed and I couldn't even speak. Sarah talked to me for a while, trying to make me feel better. She told me not to throw in the towel because it wasn't the end of the world. She told me to stay calm and that she was always going to be there for me.

HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN LOOKING AT THE DOG? WHAT KIND OF CAR IS YOUR DAD DRIVING? WHAT DOES YOUR ROOM LOOK LIKE? WHAT DOES SARAH LOOK LIKE WHILE SHE IS CRYING?

=Falling Action= For an hour or so, Sarah and I were sitting on my high, bright pink, green, and yellow bed. I was laying down on my comforter with my eyes closed and tears running all down my face. "It's all right. Don't worry." Sarah commented. "I can't help it. I really want Bernie to live." I answered. "I will help you through it." Sarah said calmly. "Thanks." I replied back and hugged her. We sat a little longer waiting for my parents to return. While we were waiting for them to come back, Sarah's mom came over with hot chocolate for my sisters and I. I thought that was really thoughtful. I hugged and thanked her. The hot chocolate was so good and melted on my tongue. All of a sudden we heard, beeeep! Beeeeep! My parents were home. As they walked in, I saw my mom was crying. I ran up to her, hugged her, and I started to cry even more, which I didn't think was possible because I was already drenched in tears. "Come sit", my dad told my sisters and I. We walked over with our mom and we all sat on the big, green couch. He talked to us about how it was the right thing for Bernie and how it was better for him to be put to sleep because he was in too much pain. I listened closely and understood everything. Then he told us something that I would never forget, "if you love something, sooner or later you're going to have to set it free." I knew it was true but I didn't want to believe it at the time. I was too upset. Right then, my parents, sisters, and I all formed a group hug. Then, Sarah and her mom joined in too.

WHAT WERE YOU LAYING ON? YOUR PILLOW? YOUR BLANKETS? WHAT KIND OF HUG? WHAT DID THE COUCH LOOK LIKE? HOW DID IT FEEL TO SIT ON THE COUCH?

=Resolution= When Sarah was about to leave, she said one last thing, "Don't worry, we will get through it together and I will always be there for you." "Thanks Sarah!" I replied as I hugged her. "You're a great friend that I know will always be there till the end." Then, Sarah left and I went to the bathroom to look in the mirror and wipe the tears away. My eyes were so swollen, they looked like they were going to fall out of it's socket. My eyes were small and wrinkled. I was so sad that I cried all night, which turned into all the next day. Whenever I saw a picture of Bernie, I started to tear. Whenever someone said something about Bernie, I started to tear. I couldn't stop thinking about him. Everything was different without him there. Whenever I dropped food on the floor, he was always there in a flash to eat it. I had to get used to him not being there. I also had to get used to him not sleeping in my room anymore. Every single night he would come upstairs and lay down in between the two beds. I missed him so much and had a hard time living without him. Bernie can never be replaced. I still miss him to this day and will never forget him. I have his ashes, leash, and collar to remember him by. The night after he died, my family and I kept smelling Bernie. He had a specific smell that stood out and you knew it was Bernie. Also, Sarah is there to help me through hard times whenever I need her, and not just with Bernie. To this day, Sarah and I are still best friends. I then realized that friends help each other through hard times, friends always stand by each other, and that's exactly what happened.

WHAT DID YOUR EYES LOOK LIKE WHILE THEY WERE SWOLLEN? WHAT DID BERNIE SMELL LIKE? WHAT KIND OF TEARS?