Shadowless

When I was a kid around 5 years old, my parents brought a mongrel dog
back home which we would fondly call Cookie. Cookie was a puppy during
that time and she grew up to be a petite sized dog. Cookie was a really
affectionate dog, but it was mostly fierce towards strangers but is able
to sense when a person is a friend. Most visitors who came to my house
would remember this dog because of its friendly nature, even people who
wouldnt take a second look at dogs couldnt turn away from Cookie.

Cookie was a real fighter. She survived various illness and she survived
several fights she had with my other dogs and she fought with stray dogs
that wander too close to my compound as well. In most of the fights she
would lose because of her small size but that never really deterred her
from fighting on. After each fight she would be bleeding, but never profusely.
She would usually limp slowly to a corner at my car porch and lick her
wounds. We never really had to send her to the vet because the next
day itself she would be up and running again, fighting again.

The sad part is I had this dog for so long, I thought I would see her end,
but that was not to be. Around late 2007 Cookie suddenly disappeared,
without a trace. We tried looking for her around the neighbourhood,
calling her name helplessly but she was no where to be found. I remember
that day well, my maid prepared dinner for the dog, but couldnt find her
anywhere around the house. After our unfruitful search, I went back to
my room to sleep. I remembered it rained so hard that night, filled with
thunder and lightning. I couldnt sleep that night, thinking she was out
there alone in the dark cold night. I never prayed so hard before.

Till this day, what happened to Cookie remains a mystery to me. Its sad
really because I never really took a lot of pictures of this dog. Infact, my
memory of how this dog looks like is starting to decay. Sigh, but Ill never
forget how strong this dog was despite its small size. The thing is, sometimes
I would ponder about what had happened to her. Might she still be alive?
Was she taken? Was she roadkill? I guess I'll never find out. You must
think that Im a real fool for having such feelings towards a dog, but I dont care.
I fight for what I feel is right and what I truly love. The image above is how
she looks like to me in my memories now, roughly anyways. Ill never forget
you Cookie. =)