After losing his wife and son, 91-year-old Bert stopped believing in miracles. But everything changed when a puppy, abandoned in a cardboard box, came his way. Two years later, when the same dog went missing, Bert, trying to find it, discovered a miracle far greater than he could have imagined.
The autumn wind rustled the leaves as Bert shuffled down the familiar path to the church, his weathered cane tapping against the pavement. At 91, every step was deliberate, and every breath was a reminder of the long life he’d lived…mostly alone.
The morning fog hung low, shrouding the street in a pearly grey blanket, when a sound caught his attention. From a rain-soaked cardboard box on the curb came a barely audible whimper.
Bert’s arthritic knees protested as he bent down to examine the box. Inside, a tiny black and white puppy trembled, its eyes large and pleading. Taped to the box was a crumpled note: ‘Take care of him!’
The old man’s heart, hardened by decades of loneliness after losing his wife Martha and their son James in that terrible car crash, softened at the sight of the helpless creature.
‘Well,’ he whispered, ’apparently God works in mysterious ways.
Bert took the puppy in his trembling hands, hid it in his coat, and returned home. The church could wait… That little soul needed him more.
He named the puppy Sebastian. Martha had always said that was what they would name their second child, but fate had decreed otherwise.
The baby’s gentle eyes reminded him of Martha’s kindness, and the name was just right. ‘I hope you like me, baby!’ said Bert, as the puppy wagged its little tail.
From that day forward, Sebastian filled Bert’s quiet home with unexpected joy and cheerful barking.
Sebastian grew into a handsome dog with a distinctive white star-shaped spot on his chest. He got into the habit of bringing Bert his slippers every morning and sitting beside him at afternoon tea, as if he knew exactly what the old man needed.
For two years they were inseparable. Sebastian became an excuse for Bert to wake up, go outside and smile again. The dog would wait by the window when Bert went grocery shopping and wag his tail so much that his whole body would shake when the old man returned.
Their evening walks became an integral part of neighbourhood life, the hunched figure and his faithful companion moving slowly but contentedly through the twilight streets.
That dreadful October Thursday came.
All morning Sebastian had been acting restless, his ears perked up for something only he could hear. The neighbourhood strays were particularly active that day, their barking coming from the direction of the old park by the high school.
As Bert would later learn, a female in heat had attracted many of the local dogs to the area. Sebastian would dash to the window now and then, whining softly and twitching his tail as he paced near the door.
Bert wasn’t too worried at first. Sebastian was always obedient and never wandered.
