Chapter 3

After waking up from two hours of sleeping; the skies were dark, the moon was full, and stars shine, I felt that I wasn't myself since I received the diagnosis. I felt that my life was fading away, regardless of someone or something helps me. Balto was fast asleep as he was moving. I got up and headed towards the dunes. The tide was out as the water reflects the nightlights. I stared at the skies and questioned why am I here.

Since I lived in Anchorage for the most part of my life, I had a perfect family, life, and health. However since I moved out, my body was poisoned from pneumonia and how the world changes in time. The unfortunate events has clouded myself with melancholy and hamartia. Dropping down to my knees in tears of dew.

"Why are you letting me suffer?" I asked out loud as I was searching for blame. "I had everything until I have this disease... what do you want with me?!" Since my sadness turned to anger.

"I tried to do good in this world... caring for my family... loving them... tried to have a good life... you decided to take it all away from me!"

I started to rip my sleeves and my shirt. The cold no longer bothers me as I was near brink of death as I was being controlled from the sound of silence and my ego. I reached for a knife that was in my back pocket. The knife was sharp, but short, I started slowly cut from my left hand, until I made a sudden impale to my chest. As I took the knife off of me, I screamed in pain and fell back onto the snowy sandy dunes.

My body feels colder like ice than it was before, the stars began to fade into black. I'm unable to move any part of my body, and everything turned black. Normally I would know that I would be going to Hell since I had sliced and stabbed myself for suicide. At first, I saw a bright light until everything went black once again.


My eyes began to open... first I thought I was rescued again as my suicide was just an attempt. I tried to stand up, but I fell. I decided to crawl blindly until I felt wet that was from water. I dumped my face into the water for five seconds and resurfaced. My eyes became clear and the skies were blue as I survived for a brand new day. I looked around and I was still in Nome. The ocean was smooth as the tide was still out. Glancing at the water, without noticing a difference. I saw a reflection of myself as an grayish animal.

"What?!... I'm..." I panicked repetitively. I saw my hands are paws, my legs, my ears are long and pointy, walking on four legs, and of course having a bushy tail.

"I'M A DOG!" I said to myself out loud. I didn't have any idea what had happened to my human body.

"This is ridiculous, there's no way this reincarnation!" I protested.

"Your right." a voice came.

"Who said that?" I asked the mysterious voice.

"Let's just say for now that I'm your conscience." the voice came back again.

"What's happening to me?" I asked.

"I come to understand you have done a selfish act." the voice said with disappointment.

"I don't understand it... I'm sure you don't understand it, I was upset and lived under a curse." I protested.

"I understand your frustration, but you'll have a second chance." the voice said.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"Just find yourself." the voice said before fading away.

"What do you mean 'find myself'?! I didn't do anything wrong!" I yelled and sighed.

I guess I knew this would be unusual because I'm dog, but I could first start head over to work. When I was heading to the post office, I hear more chattering and talk, which local dogs and sled dogs were talking. Supposedly, it sounds more delusional than hearing the mysterious voice earlier. Wen I arrived to the post office, I saw the sign said "Closed" and forgot because today was Sunday.

Since the post office is closed, I'll just stroll around Nome. I thought to myself.

Feeling much warmer from the fur coat was better than feeling cold and human. A scent came from somewhere, I guess I should know that dogs could have better smell. I followed the scent and my nose began to feel warm and smell was meaty. Finally, the scent was from the butcher shop, the butcher was cooking some meat by the fire place. Bits of saliva was coming out of my mouth and my stomach was making hunger sounds. I slowly walked towards the backdoor entrance where he was cooking. I tried to speak to the butcher, dumbfounded, spooking the butcher and he reaches the butcher's knife. In a calming matter, I tried to make slow and cautious approach, but the butcher was shouting and slashing his blade back and forth. At one point, I opened my mouth that showed my sharp teeth. The frightened butcher made a close slash nearly making a cut near my nose. I gave up and ran away from the butcher shop.

"Half mutt!" The butcher shouted.

I didn't catch his words since I ran fast that I didn't look back and later founding myself in a alley. The sweat didn't even get to me, but fleeing for my life was another from breaking a sweat.

"I guess it's harder to find food than a human could easily." I said.

Hiding in a empty large box, hungry, scared, and alone. Living a dog's life was more difficult, but being human was another side story to it. I decided to fall into a short nap before I could come out to the world.


In about a hour, waking up from hearing chattering. I thought humans might be near by or a romantic date to find a perfect quiet spot. However, I smelled to find out they were dog and a half breed scents. The crunching snow from paws and chattering noises were coming close. I tried to scoot back, but since I took much space, I couldn't even move.

"You couldn't have done more or better." a feminine voice came while talking.

"I know Jenn... but a loss life could take a toll." a masculine voice followed.

I saw one dog that had red and white colors on her fur coat. However, the another dog was familiar and I tried slowly moved my head to find see who it was. It was Balto.

"Balto... you done what you can do. Don't take this to your fault." Jenn added. If that was her name.

"I can't even try to sleep what had happened to him, also trying to get rid of what I had saw that poor man has done to himself." Balto regretted. As I was eavesdropping, he was talking about me... I guess I wasn't alone after I ended my life.

"You should try to rest and tomorrow would be a better day... goodbye Balto." Jenn said with a cheerful smile.

"Goodbye Jenna." Balto said as he was still in grief. He went to an empty spot and sat there. "Why? Why would you do such a thing?"

His head and ears were down. I thought it would be an opportunity to just reveal myself, but I couldn't just rush immediately. I made a quiet exit out of the box and started to walk until I bumped into a bottle that fell and broke. Balto's head and ears raised as he heard someone was nearby. I hid behind a pile of empty boxes without being traced and found. He started to sniff the air and the snow to find a scent. He went over to the box where I was hiding and sniffed with his nose.

"Someone's here, but not from here." Balto said to reveal a scent that was close to mine. I slowly emerged out from the behind with my head peaking out. He continued to smell the around the alley and saw my footprints... or I meant to say paw-prints. He started to smell the paw-prints and following the scent. I hid my head again, but not to quick enough of him to saw a small glimpse of my head. I was surrounded and had no where to escape. He was close and I had no choice, but dashed out and try to make a run from him.

"Wait!" He shouted.

I continued to run and managed to escape from the alley until I saw Balto following me fast. I tried to make some turns to cut him off, but fail. When we were at the fishing docks, I turned around and found him nowhere on site. I continued to run fast like a sled dog until I reached outside of Nome towards my final resting place. I was out of breath and I thought of congratulating myself from being a fast runner.

"Whew... I guess I lost him." I sighed and took a few breaths.

"Don't bet on it." a voice came that was Balto behind me that made me jumped. "You didn't have to run. I was just trying to talk to you."

"For what?!" I yelled.

"Well I knew you were here and second I followed your scent." He explained.

I sighed with disappointment. "You're not from here aren't you?" He asked.

I looked up at him and nodded.

"I suppose you're like me." Balto added.

"I'm a half-dog and half-wolf?" I asked.

"A pedigree." he joked.

I lie down on the snow and didn't know what else to say or do. With my options were red and dashed out.