Strelka, My Best Friend’S Dog

By Kenneth Anueyiagu

Alvins General Studies teacher Mr Greg loves telling his pupils stories in his lessons. Alvin and John his best friend enjoys Mr Gregs stories. One day, he teaches about pets. Alvins and his friends desires to have a dog pet is planted.
Alvins father who is a banker is not as rich as Johns father who is a business man. Johns father buys him a dog. Alvins father says no. He does not believe in pets. He thinks his son should focus more in his studies than have an object of distraction.
Alvin thinks his father does not love him but his mother has a contrary opinion. She impacts values into her son and her baby girl Gold, Alvins younger sister.
In Mr Gregs class, John and Alvin find a name they think befits Johns Alsatian dog, Strelka. Strelka is the name of the historic dog that was the first living creature to move round the earths orbit 18 times and was recovered alive.
Alvin leaves his house without his parents consent to go play with Strelka. One day, Strelka escapes from her kennel. She gets missing for days. She gets found among stray dogs. She becomes violent and bites Alvin.
Alvin runs home and his parents wash his wound with soap and water and drive him to the hospital. He gets anti-rabies vaccination. Strelka is infected with rabies, gets quarantined and dies on the 9th day.
John and Alvin cries but John gets another female dog from his father, calls her Strelka still. Not long after, John gets a male dog and calls him Argus after the name of the legendary Odysseuss dog. Strelka and Argus have 5 puppies Alvin call pupniks after President J F Kennedys pupniks. Alvin is glad to be given one of the puppies and his father does not object.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Jun 7, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456879990

Kenneth Anueyiagu

Kenneth Anueyiagu started writing short stories at age 9. His passion for writing grew as he grew older. He loves expressing his emotion in writing; writing about what he loves and also what he hates. He trained as a Microbiologist at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria and had Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Dundee, UK. He is married to lovely Debbie who lives with him in Jos, Nigeria where he works as a lecturer.

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Copyright © 2011 by Kenneth Anueyiagu.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011903491

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4568-7998-3

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4568-7997-6

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4568-7999-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

0-800-644-6988

www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

DEDICATION

This Book is dedicated to my children.

CHAPTER ONE

I ran out of the class as soon as the bell rang. It was break time. I ran to the swings so I could be the first to play on it. All of the pupils in the King’s Children School loved the swings more than the see-saw, the slide, and other playing devices on our playground. Most times, it is only those of us in primary six who played with the swings. We don’t allow small children in nursery and lower primary classes to come close to it. We gang up and bully any child who sticks to his guns in playing on the swings.

Of the five swings, I had taken the best one by the time my friend John came. ‘Hey, John, what’s up? I came before you today,’ I said, panting as I swung up and down.

John climbed on the one next to me. ‘Is it not because you submitted your book before me? You know I can run faster than you.’ He started to swing. John can run very fast. He outran me each time we were in a competition.

‘Hey, Alvin, let’s see who is going to climb higher.’ John threw a challenge at me as he increased his speed on his swing.

‘Wait, wait, John,’ I protested. I wanted us to start at the same time. John always loved to win in a competition, though preferred to give me the first place in any thing we did together.

John continued. I stopped swinging. ‘If you don’t stop, I will swing slowly.’

John stopped. ‘OK, at the count of three. One…’

‘No. I will be the one to start the count,’ I objected.

‘I will count. You know I’m older than you. The older should be the first.’

John was just three months older than me, but we were of the same height. It was Mommy who made him know that he was older than me. He came to my house, one Saturday afternoon, during our primary three long vacation to visit me. Daddy was not at home, so we had time to play the computer game. While we were still playing the game, Mommy called us for lunch. I ate from the same plate with my friend John while my younger sister Gold ate alone. After eating, we were to pick one piece of meat each; there were two pieces in the plate. Then Mommy said, ‘The eldest should take the first piece. John, how old are you?’

‘I am eight years old,’ John replied.

I was hoping to hear something on the contrary. I wanted to pick the first piece of meat. Now John said he was eight and I was eight too. ‘Mommy, I am eight years too. Who now should pick the first piece of meat?’ I asked Mommy.

‘Don’t worry, Son, I know what to do. John, can you remember the month you were born?’ Mommy asked John.

‘Mommy, let Vin take the bigger meat,’ Gold interrupted. She called me Vin.

‘No, honey. I will do the right thing. And whenever you are in the position to make a choice between two things, decide for the one that is right, OK?’ Mommy was good in making use of every opportunity to teach us at home. She smiled at Gold, who concurred.

Gold was six and cool-headed. She wasn’t as stubborn as I was. She was Daddy’s pet. She didn’t disobey when an elderly person gave her an instruction. She just ate her food quietly and watched us with a masked interest.

I was not happy that Mommy was asking John this question. It looked as if Mommy wanted John to take the bigger meat.

‘Ma, my mommy said I was born 29 February.’

I was very angry. I knew John will pick the big piece of meat because I