Spirit

by Ellen Miles

  “Time to go out!” Lizzie said again, loud enough for Buddy to hear. As soon as Spirit heard the jingle of Buddy’s collar, he perked up. He broke into a trot and stayed right on Lizzie’s heels, almost tripping her.

  Is it time to play? With the other dog? Hooray! I love to play. Are we going outside? That’s even better! I can’t wait!

  Buddy met them at the door, and both puppies barked in excitement. The moment Lizzie let them out, they began to wrestle and chase. Spirit could not have been happier!

  Lizzie smiled as she watched them from inside, but she was still concerned about Spirit. He was so full of energy and joy when he was outside playing with another dog. Why was he so quiet and mopey inside? It didn’t make any sense.

  “Hey,” Charles said, coming into the kitchen. “Where’s Buddy?”

  “He’s in the yard with Spirit,” Lizzie said without turning around.

  Charles came over to watch out the window. He giggled when Spirit began to roll on his back in the snow, sliding down one of the drifts. Buddy reared up on his hind legs and then dropped onto Spirit, nipping at the white puppy’s tail.

  “German shepherds are supposed to be smart, right?” Charles said. “So maybe you should find out if he could be a service dog or police dog. Or he could do search and rescue. He did track you down all the way across the park, right?”

  Lizzie was surprised she hadn’t thought of that. She had been so focused on how much Spirit liked to play with Buddy that she had only thought of him as a family dog—a family dog who needed another dog in the family.

  Still, Charles was right. Spirit had shown signs that he might have a natural instinct for helping, just like Champ. He had known Eli was in trouble and had tried to seek out help. Plus, Spirit had stayed close to Eli and Mr. Leckner while the EMTs were busy, but had also seemed to know he should keep out of the way. Those were all good instincts for a working dog.

  “That’s a great idea, Charles,” Lizzie said. “Spirit is super intelligent, and he has a really willing and helpful personality.” Lizzie looked out at Buddy and Spirit in the snow. She could just picture Spirit wearing one of those colored vests that indicated the dog was at work. A bright blue or orange vest would look amazing against his pure white coat.

  Since the two puppies were still enjoying themselves, Lizzie went upstairs to the computer to research some organizations she could call. She knew that training programs took several months, and the programs were very picky; they took only the best dogs, the ones who could prove they were intelligent, brave, and calm. Lizzie believed Spirit could pass any of their tests. Couldn’t he?

  By the middle of the week, Lizzie had a routine. She let Spirit and Buddy outside as soon as she got home. That way, they had plenty of time to play before it got cold and dark. Spirit loved to play in the yard with Buddy, but he still seemed bored and lonely when he was in the house.

  Days had passed since Lizzie had called the police department, the service-dog training center, and the Search and Rescue Dog Association. She had left messages everywhere. Now she was waiting to hear back. She was sure that Spirit was the kind of dog who needed a job, who wanted to work and feel useful. She crossed her fingers and hoped that one of the organizations had a spot open for the smart white pup.

  On Wednesday, after she let the puppies outside, Lizzie started to make a snack. She took one of Mom’s granola bars from the tin and poured a glass of milk. Charles walked in as she was putting the milk back in the refrigerator.

  Her brother went straight to the back door and opened it. “Buddy! Spirit!” he called.

  “What are you doing?” Lizzie asked. “I just put them out.”

  “I have to do my reading homework,” he said. “I need Buddy.”

  Lizzie rolled her eyes and left the kitchen in search of Mom. She was upstairs, working at her desk. “Mom! Charles is calling the dogs, but I just put them out.”

  Mom looked up and shook her head. “I know Spirit likes to play,” she said, “but you know how Buddy and Charles love to read together.”

  Lizzie sighed. By the time she got back to the kitchen, Charles and Buddy were already in the other room. Spirit walked over to his bowl and gulped some water. “Hi, Spirit,” Lizzie said, patting her leg. The puppy ignored her, heading for the living room instead. Lizzie followed him.

  Charles was nestled in the beanbag chair with Buddy. They looked cozy. Spirit gazed at them with his deep brown eyes. He began to whimper.

  Is it snuggle time? I want to snuggle. Where is my boy?

  “What is it, Spirit?” Lizzie asked, stroking the puppy’s back. “Do you want to sit and read? We can do that.” Lizzie grabbed a book and sat down on the floor next to the puppy, leaning against the couch. Spirit got down on his haunches, but he didn’t cuddle with Lizzie. He stared at Charles and Buddy, whining quietly. Lizzie read out loud. She scratched Spirit behind the ears. She tried to get him to climb into her lap. No matter what Lizzie did, she could not distract him from the other two, reading cozily in the chair.

  When the weekend came, not much had changed. Spirit was full of energy whenever he was outside with Buddy, but he was the opposite as soon as he came into the house. Lizzie didn’t want to leave him for a whole day. Still, she wanted to see Mariko. They had a project to finish. “Can Mariko come over?” she asked Mom. “We still want to make that maple syrup candy.”

  “That sounds delicious,” Mom said, “but also messy. Promise me you’ll clean up the kitchen when you’re done?”

  Lizzie agreed.

  Dad, Charles, and Buddy left after breakfast to run errands. Mariko arrived soon after that.

  “How’s Spirit?” she asked while taking off her fancy snow boots.

  “He’s okay,” Lizzie said. “I’m still waiting to hear from all the organizations I called.” Hearing his name, Spirit appeared in the front hallway. He seemed to perk up when he saw Mariko.

  “Hey, Spirit,” she said, approaching him with her hand stretched out. “Remember me? How are you, boy?” Mariko sat down in the middle of the floor and pulled the puppy into her lap for a hug.

  “He really likes you,” Lizzie said, noting how content Spirit looked. The puppy rubbed his head against Mariko’s sweater and looked up at her with those deep brown eyes.

  I remember you from my house. You’re so nice. You are good at snuggling, too.

  “And I really like him,” Mariko said. “I also really like maple syrup candy. I brought all the stuff. Want to get started?”

  Mariko had gone on a camping trip where her family took a “sugaring hike” and had learned all about how to make maple syrup. As the two girls pulled out pans and measuring cups, Mariko told Lizzie all about it.

  “Most people think of maple syrup as being something that says ‘winter,’ ” Mariko began. “It has a warm, sweet taste that seems nice and cozy, but the truth is that sap doesn’t start flowing in the maple trees until the first signs of spring.” Mariko was good at talking while she worked. Lizzie thought that she sounded just like a tour guide. Mariko was already busy stirring the maple syrup on the stovetop. “When the temperature gets above freezing, the sap moves through the trees again. That’s when people put the taps into the tree trunks, so the sap will drip out.”

  “Yum,” Lizzie said, thinking about how cool it was that maple syrup came straight from nature.

  “Double yum,” said Mom, who had just come into the kitchen. She sniffed the fragrant steam coming off the pan. “Is it done?”

  Mariko held up the hand with the candy thermometer in it. “Not quite yet,” she said. “Anyway, sap is, like, ninety-eight percent water. It doesn’t taste like much of anything. The syrup makers have to boil it down for hours and hours until most of the water evaporates. That’s when it becomes syrup. It takes forty gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup!”

  Mom stood with the refrigerator door open, listening. “That’s interesting. I don’t think I ever knew that,” she said.

  Mariko nodded
. “They do it in a little cabin called a ‘sugar shack.’ ”

  It was Lizzie’s turn to stir now, and her arm was already tired. Mariko explained that they didn’t want the syrup to stick to the bottom of the pan, or else it would burn. Eventually, the maple syrup started to boil.

  “Once the thermometer reads two hundred forty degrees, we let it cool,” Mariko advised. “Then we pour it into molds, and then we let it cool more.”

  Lizzie was used to baking with Mom, but working on the stovetop with hot liquids was new. Mom never would have let Lizzie pour boiling hot candy, but Mariko seemed like a pro. Mariko’s mom had given Mariko permission to let her use the stove at Lizzie’s house.

  “The good news is that it’s still cold outside,” Mariko said as she lifted the pan to pour the frothy syrup. Mom steadied the tray of heart-shaped molds. “So we can let the candy set in a deep bank of snow. That’s the old-fashioned way to do it. It needs to get pretty cold.”

  “That is good news,” Lizzie agreed as they carried the mold outside. “Is there also bad news?”

  Mariko nodded. “Yeah, that it’s still cold outside. That’s been rough on Eli. All this snow and ice means he’s still stuck inside. I feel awful for him. Nora said he can’t play with his basketball team or anything. He usually builds snow forts and goes sledding all winter. He’s getting really bummed out.” She sighed.

  Later, as Lizzie and Mariko carried the cooled candy back inside, Lizzie had an idea. “Hey, maybe we should take some of our maple syrup candy to the Leckners’ house to help him feel better,” she said.

  Mom came into the kitchen. “I think we should talk before you make any plans to visit Spirit’s first family,” she said. “We don’t want to bother them when they’re so overwhelmed.”

  “It’s okay. My mom already talked to the Leckners,” Mariko said. “They’re expecting us.”

  She explained that Mrs. Miyano had offered to send over dinner because she knew Mrs. Leckner was trying to finish her project, and take Eli to doctors’ appointments, and go to Nora’s gymnastics meet. They were one busy family.

  Mom was convinced. “As long as you aren’t intruding, I suppose it’s all right,” she said.

  “We won’t even go inside,” Lizzie assured her. Then she paused. “Can I take Spirit?” she asked. “Buddy’s been out with Dad and Charles all day, so Spirit could really use the exercise.”

  Mom said yes, and Lizzie rushed to get the leash. She was relieved. The walk would be so much more fun with Spirit. Plus, she really wanted the Leckners to see him again and remember what a great puppy he was. Maybe she could explain how he was super rowdy only when he was around his siblings.

  Spirit’s mood improved as they crossed the park. “We’re going on a visit,” Lizzie said. Spirit began to hold his tail higher as he jogged along next to Lizzie. He even started to tug on the leash as they neared his old house.

  Mrs. Miyano met them on the sidewalk. She held a long glass dish with foil on top. It looked like lasagna to Lizzie. Mrs. Miyano also had a cotton bag over her shoulder. Two long, skinny loaves of crusty bread stuck out of the top. She noticed Lizzie admiring them. “There’s a salad in there, too,” she said.

  Lizzie’s mouth watered, and she wondered what her family was having for dinner.

  “Our candy turned out great,” Mariko said. She added the heart-shaped sweets to Mrs. Miyano’s bag. She and Lizzie had wrapped them up with a yellow bow at the top. “It’s just the right creamy color,” she told her mom.

  “Good work, you two. Now, let’s go,” Mrs. Miyano said with an approving nod. She strode toward the Leckners’ porch with purpose. She pushed the doorbell and waited.

  “It’s still broken,” Mariko noted. “I guess they really are busy, if they haven’t had time to fix it.”

  As soon as Mrs. Miyano knocked, they heard a bark from the other side of the door.

  Spirit barked right back. His tail began to wag in its swishy, circular way. He ran right up to the door, reached out with a paw, and gave it a scratch.

  That’s my mom. I’m sure of it! I’m so excited to see her again.

  “Steady, boy,” Lizzie said. She wondered if it had been a bad idea to bring him. What if she got the puppy’s hopes up? What if he acted too rowdy?

  As soon as the door opened, Mitzy slipped out. Spirit began to yip with joy. Mitzy barked, too. She reached out her nose and gave Spirit’s whole face a giant lick. Spirit ran in circles all around her. He even ducked under her belly a few times and popped out on the other side with a playful yip.

  “Easy, Spirit,” said Lizzie.

  But Mr. Leckner didn’t seem to mind. “Spirit! It’s good to see you again,” he said. He crouched down to give the puppy a good pet before he even said hello to Mrs. Miyano and the girls. When he stood back up, he gave the Miyanos and Lizzie a kind smile. “It’s good to see all of you, too.”

  “Hello, Hank,” Mrs. Miyano said. “We brought you some dinner. It’ll be very easy to heat up when everyone else gets home.” She held out the casserole dish with both hands. Once Mr. Leckner had a good hold, she looped the handles of the cloth bag around one of his thumbs.

  “This is really too much,” he said, looking embarrassed. “We’re already so grateful for all you’ve done. Especially you, Lizzie.” He then looked right at her. “It’s such a great thing you and your family are doing. We really appreciate that you’re going to find the right home for Spirit.”

  “We’re happy to help,” Lizzie said. “He really is a special puppy.” By now she was on her knees, petting Spirit and Mitzy at the same time.

  “Lizzie made a bunch of calls to different places to see if Spirit might be a service or police dog,” Mariko said. “Can you imagine if your puppy was trained to help with search and rescue or something like that?”

  “That would be pretty amazing,” Mr. Leckner admitted. He excused himself so he could put the food on a nearby table. When he came back, he knelt down again to play with Spirit. “This guy was one of my favorites in the litter. He was so cute. He loved to play with his brothers and sisters. They’d get so rowdy!”

  “Sometimes sibling puppies are like that,” Lizzie said. “That’s why the Crowners changed their minds.”

  Mr. Leckner looked thoughtful. “Sometimes people do that.” He paused, and then added, “Sometimes people change their minds.”

  Lizzie held her breath, waiting to hear him say that he had changed his mind, and that the Leckners wanted Spirit back. But he was silent. “What about the families that took the other puppies?” Lizzie asked hopefully. “Maybe one of them would like a second one. They could keep each other company.”

  “I wish,” Mr. Leckner said. “We’ve actually already called them all. I took care of that after Eli got back from the hospital and things calmed down a bit. No such luck.”

  Lizzie tried to hide her disappointment.

  “Don’t worry, Hank,” Mrs. Miyano said. “Things will work out.”

  “The Petersons will find Spirit the perfect forever home,” Mariko promised. “They always do.”

  Lizzie tried to smile. It was nice that her friend had so much faith in her. She looked at Mr. Leckner. She could tell he was trying to be hopeful, too. As she stood to go, a pile of books on the hall table caught her eye. “Hey, I recognize those books,” she said, hoping to change the subject. “Those are my brother’s favorites.”

  Mr. Leckner turned around. “Those are Eli’s,” he said. “He just rips through those graphic novels, especially when he’s stuck in bed all day. Not too much else to do.”

  “They’re pretty good,” Lizzie said. “I’ve read them all, too.”

  Lizzie needed to tug a little on the leash when it was time to go. Spirit was not ready to leave. Mr. Leckner had to do the same to Mitzy’s collar.

  “Maybe you could bring Spirit by again,” Mr. Leckner said. “For a visit. Before he goes to his forever home.”

  Lizzie thought she noticed a wistful note in his voice. �
�Of course,” she said. “He’d love that.” A tiny hope began to take hold inside her. Maybe Spirit’s perfect forever family was his first family.

  The visit to the Leckners’ house really stuck with Lizzie. She thought about their family a lot. Of course, she was disappointed that the Leckners’ lives were so busy. She wished that they could keep Spirit, but she understood their decision.

  She thought that her family and their family had a lot in common. After all, the oldest Leckner kid was a girl. There was a younger brother, and they were expecting a third child, too. Plus, they obviously liked dogs.

  She had also been thinking about what Mariko had said about Eli. Lizzie felt bad that he was stuck inside with nothing to do. She decided to go to the library and check out some books he might like. She knew of another graphic novel series, similar to the one Eli and Charles loved so much. She just hoped some of the books were on the library shelf.

  Lizzie stopped at the library on her way home from school the next day. She couldn’t believe her good luck. The library had all the books in the series in stock. That never happened! Lizzie took it as a good sign, and she checked out the whole series. She couldn’t wait to take them to Eli.

  Lizzie had always heard that good news came in threes. On her way home, she wondered what other good things might happen. One, she had the whole afternoon free to play with Spirit and Buddy. Two, she had found all the books she had wanted at the library. That left the possibility that one more good thing—number three—was still to come. She crossed her fingers, hoping that one of the organizations had called. Finding out that Spirit had a spot in a training program would be the best news of all!

  Lizzie had convinced herself that Spirit would be an excellent working dog. The night before, Spirit had come to the rescue yet again. The Bean had caught his hand in a cabinet door, and it was Spirit who had rushed to find someone who could help. Then, after Mom had come running, Spirit stayed with the Bean until his hand was free. Spirit even licked the Bean’s ear to distract him. The Bean thought it was hilarious. He giggled when Spirit’s cold, wet nose hit his cheek. He didn’t even cry when Mom cleaned out his cut. Mom had said Spirit was “a real lifesaver.”