POPO (Part I)

Puppies come in many shapes and sizes. Some are fat and fluffy. Some are slim with stringy fur. Some are big and some are small, but all come with 4 legs. Well, almost all...meet Popo.
Popo was born in a big city. A city where a lot of cars look like bumblebees and where the buildings seem like giant trees that touch the clouds. His mother was very beautiful. She had flowing red-brown fur that shone like the sun, dark eyes with curly eyelashes, and a bark that sounded like a song. Life was happy until the master threw Popo's mother out. The master's wife was having a baby and she didn't want her anymore. So out in the streets Popo's mother went, not knowing that she was having a baby, too...Popo.

It was raining that day when Popo's mother lost her home. She walked for many hours until she found an abandoned lot where many old bumblebee cars that had no wheels where dumped. Soaking wet from the rain, she went inside one of the bumblebee cars and it became her new home. For many days she went to and from the bumblebee car as she searched for food from the many garbage dumps that lined the big city. Then one day her belly ached. She couldn't stand up from the car seat where she had laid for the night. She was howling in pain. She knew something special was coming. And after much hardship...there was Popo. His mother looked at Popo and she was happy. He was her special little boy. She tucked Popo close to her and gave him warm milk.

Popo was special because he only had 3 legs. He was a white puppy with black spots all over his body. His mother never made him feel different from the other puppies. She would tell Popo to play with them and always reminded him to be nice. She was a very kind and loving mom. But Popo was never welcome with the other puppies. They would tease Popo and call him names. Sometimes they would push him to the ground and step on him with their 4 paws. Popo only had 3.

One day, Popo went to the sandbox to play with the other puppies. The sandbox was the place where the puppies often played, jumping and running around in the sand, playing chase and other fun games. Popo often tried to join in but he could not keep up. He would always stumble and land on his face. The others would always laugh when this happened. Today, one of the puppies saw Popo coming. He and his friends huddled together and planned a bad plan against Popo. When Popo got near the sandbox, the puppies pushed him down into the sand and started jumping on him. Popo was getting hurt and he was begging them to stop. One of the puppies landed on Popo's leg and it broke. Popo passed out from the pain.

When Popo woke up, he was in a place surrounded by white light. He let out a whimper but soon forgot why. His broken leg was not broken anymore. He looked around and saw that he was in a very nice place. He was laying down in a green grassy meadow where flowers of many colors popped out of the ground. There were also trees whose leaves were deep green and whose trunks were deep brown. Popo never saw a place so beautiful, a place covered with white light. Suddenly, there appeared by his side a huge lion. Popo fell back and he became very afraid. For Popo, Blabbus was a giant cat. He remembered his mom telling him to stay away from cats for they were dirty animals, without manners, and mortal enemies of their kind. Popo was shaking when Blabbus spoke, "How are you, Popo?". Popo tried to speak and after a few moments he said, "Please, don't eat me." Blabbus let out a hearty but gentle laugh, "I would never do that, Popo. But it is you who may be hungry. Come, I have prepared a picnic for you." Blabbus then took out a piece of red and white checkered cloth from his pocket and when he spread it out on the ground there were all sorts of delicious food on them. Popo was amazed. He wondered how all that food could fit in the lion's pocket. "Where am I, sir?", Popo nervously asked. Blabbus looked at Popo with those big piercing eyes and with love in them said, "You are in my home, Popo. Come, let us enjoy the picnic I have prepared for you. After, I shall tell you why you are here." Popo was hungry, and he and Blabbus ate.

When they had finished eating, Popo was not so afraid anymore. Blabbus seemed so kind. It reminded him of how he always thought a father should be. The father he never knew and had. He didn't seem to mind that this creature was supposed to be his enemy. Right now, he was his best friend. Blabbus then spoke, "Popo, I have been watching you since you were born. I was there when your mother was all alone as she gave birth to you. She was a good mother. She took care of you the best that she knew how. She taught you to be kind. I saw how you were hurt by the other puppies who had 4 legs. I saw every one of those times when they laughed at you, threw dirt at you, and pushed you to the ground. And I saw that in spite of that, you always remembered how your mother taught you to be kind even to those who hurt you. Now, Popo, I have taken you here in my home to be with me forever. No longer will you be different from the other puppies, for here every young one is like you." Then from behind a small hill nearby came puppies, kittens, piglets, chicks, joeys, and all kinds of other young animals. All of them were special. Some had only 3 legs, like Popo. Some had missing ears, some had beaks that were too short, some had only one eye, some had no tail...but all of them were happy. They had wonderful smiles on their faces and they were shouting joyfully as they went out to meet and welcome Popo. Popo's eyes widened, his heart beat faster, and his face brightened. He now had friends. Friends that were like him. Popo was happy.