Julia was a 15-year-old girl who lived with her family in a small town. Her family was a close-knit one which consisted of her mother, father and Julia's two younger sisters. They also had a dog named Bruno. Bruno had been with them for a long time and was a playful dog. He was gifted to Julia for her sixth Birthday and she used to love him dearly. Julia used to play with Bruno every day and took him for walks.
This slowly started fading away as Julia became older and got busier. She never had time for Bruno. Whenever Bruno wanted to play with her, she always refused and never paid attention to him. Bruno loved Julia and was attached to her as he was her birthday present and had spent the most time with her. Bruno felt sad whenever Julia did not play with him and started feeling low. Julia’s parents used to take Bruno for walks but did not have enough time to play with him. Julia’s sisters were young and were not very attached to Bruno. Although Julia did not have enough time for Bruno, he always waited to play with her and was excited to see her.
Once, Julia’s parents had to go out for a few days and told Julia to take care of herself, her sisters and Bruno. Julia was used to taking care of her sisters and Bruno as being the oldest sibling, her parents trusted her. Her parents left and Julia and her sisters were getting ready for school. Julia packed their lunches and the bus came to take them. After school, her sisters went to their grandparent’s house as they left earlier than Julia. Julia usually came home at 3 pm but that day had to stay back for band practise at her school.
As soon as she reached home to her shock, Bruno was lying down on the ground. Usually, he was excited to see Julia and waited to play with her but this time, he did not even get up to meet her. Julia instantly knew something was wrong as Bruno was a very playful and happy dog. She decided to wait for a few hours before taking him to the vet but when he didn't come back to his usual self, Julia got worried and took Bruno to the vet. The vet took Bruno in, examined him and told Julia that Bruno had fractured his leg and he would need to get surgery done immediately. Julia was shocked and worried as her parents were not around and she knew she had to do everything herself.
Julia rushed home and called her parents. Her parents said that they would try to come back as soon as possible, which would be only after two days. However, Julia could not wait that long and decided to ask for help. She went around her neighbourhood asking for help as she needed an older person to help her take Bruno for his surgery. Finally, a friend of Julia’s mother agreed to help and they took Bruno for his surgery. Julia was anxious and could not wait for Bruno to be out. Bruno was out and his surgery had gone successfully. Julia thanked her mother’s friend and they went home with Bruno.
Julia’s mother’s friend then taught Julia a very important lesson- “We never understand how important things are to us until they are taken away from us” she said. She explained to Julia that Julia did not understand how important Bruno was in her life until he fell ill and was not behaving like himself. Julia loved Bruno but understood only later what a major role Bruno played in her life even though he was just an animal. She now realised that she should give more time and importance to Bruno.
We often take people in our life for granted. We do not pay much attention to them as we know they will always be there for us. We should learn to appreciate them and prioritise them. Animals play a huge role in our life as they are faithful and learn to adapt to us. We should value them just the way they value us.
Julia and Bruno
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