"Dadda!!" I heard from the crib behind me. My heart dropped as I looked down upon the puppy I was calmly administering an autopsy to when I heard her! My Pearl,my little girl,had finally beaten the odds that were against her for so long! I remembered the animal almost too late. I covered it's body with a cloth,wiped my hands off a bit and turned to smile down at my daughter. Pearl lay silent,as always once she'd gotten my attention,her heavily scarred little body was slick with sweat from her fever breaking at last.

My assistant,a very...interesting..young woman by the name of Melinda,was thankfully not there to intrude upon our highly needed bonding. I lifted Pearl from her crib..God,I couldn't help the tears,she was so small for her age. Why had this innocent child been cursed in such a way? She'd have those scars forever. Of course,nothing could hurt Pearl's sweet disposition..could it?

She squirmed as I fed her for the first time in a full year. As she finished her bottle,I could see horror in her eyes. For only a moment I wondered why,then I saw. Something had moved the cloth from the dissected puppy,and unwittlingly I had turned her towards it. Pearl was staring at it in disbelief. For the first time in my life,I felt pity towards a dead creature. Then I jumped...had that corpse just barked?