Lucky Crying For His Ghostly Owner

This incident happened to me 12 years ago, when I was a teenager living in the Bronx NY. I was taking a walk on a Saturday with my father. My dad made it a habit to walk through areas that seemed deserted and lonely. I'm sure it was not safe but I never gave it a second thought because I always felt safest with my dad.

As we were walking, from the distance we could see something tied up to the fire hydrant. Whatever it was it was large but very limp and still. As we approached it we could see it was a badly beaten dog. He was chained up to the fire hydrant with a metal chain. We could tell its breed right away, a German shepherd. He was bloody and had burn marks on his body. Our hearts broke instantly. We could not understand how a person could so badly abuse an animal. This had to be a soulless monster!

My father started to approach the dog slowly and to our surprise he was wagging his tail. My father removed the chain and picked him up and carried him home. My father nursed him back to health. We fell in love with him and decided to keep him and call him Lucky because we were lucky to find him despite his condition. He was a wonderful dog, so protective of us, so loyal and loving. He was very friendly and loving to my father and I but if others approached him on the street and petted him during our walks he seemed so uninterested and wanted to just continue on our walk and not be bothered.

A few years later my father and I moved to another apartment, not at all far from where we previously lived, just a few blocks. It was across the street from a cemetery. I always hated that we literally lived right across the street from it but what could I do. On a Friday, shortly after moving in to this new neighborhood, I came home pretty late after seeing a late movie showing with my friends. It was 1:15 and I remember because as I was fumbling through my book bag looking for my house keys I took a glance at my watch that I had earlier thrown into my bag. When I walked in I noticed my dad was gone and assumed they called him in last minute to work the night shift. My assumption was right because has I headed into the kitchen to get something to drink I saw a note on the fridge "Called in for night duty, don't forget to walk lucky! Love Dad.

I headed for the leash and Lucky ran to me with excitement with his ears pulled back and his tail wagging. He loved his walks. I don't walk by the cemetery at night, it's too creepy but I was so tired and wanted him to do his business quickly so we can go back up and the avenue up where I usually go to walk him are long avenues; I was in no mood to walk that far. So I reluctantly stayed near the cemetery but across the street from it. As I was walking I saw a blocks worth of broken glass on the floor and I was afraid Lucky would step on it and cut his paw so I had to cross the street to the side of the cemetery. Though the cemetery is blocked off with bars it's still very eerie and disturbing.

As I was walking and waiting for Lucky to finish his business my eyes were wandering through the cemetery. From where I stood I could see the stones of the dead buried there. I was reading the names and the year they came and left this world. There was not a soul outside.

Finally he had finished and I was heading back home which was no more than a block away. I was still on the same side of the cemetery when I heard someone call for Lucky. I turned around and saw a little girl inside the cemetery behind the bars. When Lucky saw her he started crying and trying to run towards her. The more lucky cried the louder she would call him, "Lucky, Lucky, Lucky" Her cries for him seemed sad like she was calling his name and crying at the same time. I was so frightened and tried to pull Lucky away and head the opposite direction. He was very strong so he started dragging me towards her and the closer I got to her I noticed I was able to see right through her.

I yelled "Lucky, LETS GO RIGHT NOW" I pulled with all my strength and dragged him away from this transparent little girl. As I was running away I heard her yelling, Lucky please don't go, don't leave me. Lucky wanted to be with her so bad, as if he knew and loved her. I ran home with him and hurried upstairs.

I was unable to sleep that night and Lucky sat by the door the whole night; he seemed sad and didn't want to be bothered. So unusual for him because at night he would always cuddle near me on the couch or follow me into my room and find a place near me on my bed. Since I was unable to sleep that night I started thinking of the possibility of that ghostly little girl once being his owner, or the little girl of the cruel owner that beat and tortured Lucky and left him for dead chained to a hydrant. Maybe she was killed by an accident or by the hands of her parents who so soullessly beat and burnt the dog I now call Lucky.

Or maybe she has no connection to Lucky and is just a sad lost soal looking for something or someone. If so why did Luckly so desperatley want to be with her when he shows no love or interest for anyone except me and my father and why did he seem so withdrwan and sad that night when I dragged him back home.

Needless to say I have never walked Lucky near that cemetery again, I walk the extra few blocks away from that cemetery no matter how tired I might feel.