My New Big Brother
For my new big brother, ShibaPawz.
Strange things were happing at Sci's house. The three-year-old Golden Retriever puppy noticed that the family minivan had several boxes in its cargo bay. He thought that his family was in the process of moving, and when he asked about it, his mother, Tammy, said "It's a surprise." and provided no further details. They remained there for days, and Sci couldn't see them from his car seat. He could only wonder what it might be.
"Is it a spaceship?" he asked.
"It's something a lot more exciting than that." said his father, Howard.
When they were eating dinner that night, his Howard whispered to Tammy "I think it's time we tell him the good news."
"We have something to tell you." said Tammy. Sci looked at them in excitement. A carrot slice dropped out of his mouth and he strating wagging.
"You're getting a new brother tomorrow!"
"Really?" he asked, wagging even faster than before.
"He's four months older than you, and he'll be sharing your room, so I want you to be nice to him. He's going to be your big brother."
Sci didn't know what to say. This was both thrilling and terrifying news. He hadn't even seen this new brother, and now they would be living together. "I hope he's nice to me..." said Sci.
"He's a very nice puppy." said Tammy. "I'm sure he'll love playing with you!"
"Is he in one of those boxes?"
"That's his furniture." said Howard. "He needs a bed, a high chair, and a car seat. Just like you!"
"And toys?"
"You'll have to share your toys, but that's an important lesson that everyone has to learn."
When he went to bed that night, Sci had a dream about his big brother. He was massive, taller than even Tammy and Howard, and horded all his toys. "I'm your big brother!" he said. "So you don't get any of these!"
"But I was here first! Those are mine!"
"Not anymore!"
The big brother hit Sci with his tail, sending him flying out the window and into a nearby park. He went to play on the seesaw, but as he was about to get on it, a giant hand pulled it out of the ground. "Big brothers don't share." he said, picking up all the other playground equipment soon afterward. He then started to crush Sci under his foot, and Sci woke up screaming. He ran to Tammy and Howard's room, tugging on Tammy's arm. "Mommy! Mommy!" he said. "He stepped on me!"
Tammy woke up. "What happened?" she asked.
"My big brother was a giant and he stepped on me!"
She sat on the edge of her bed and held Sci close to her. "You just had a bad dream." she said. "No one's going to step on you."
"But I'm scared."
"Having a new family member can be scary. I was scared when I saw my Golden Retriever puppy for the first time."
"What puppy?"
She ruffled his ears. "This one!"
He giggled as his ears were tossed about. "You were scared?"
"Yes. I was scared about you. But then I learned that being scared is okay. It's just what we do when he have new family members. But then we realize that there was nothing to be afraid of."
"So my big brother isn't scary?"
"He's not scary at all! He cute! Just like you!"
Sci felt a little better. "I like cute things."
"Let's get you back to bed..."
She carried him back to his bedroom and tucked him in. "There's nothing to be afraid of." she said.
They drove to the orphanage the next morning. Sci held Tammy's hand, waiting to see his new big brother. Thirty minutes later, a Shiba Inu puppy followed one of the orphanage workers into the waiting room. Sci strated to hide behind Tammy, and the Shiba Inu puppy hid behind the orphanage worker. "Go on." said the worker. "Say hello to your new family."
He started to show himself very slowly. Sci started to peek from behind Tammy's legs. He slowly approached his new brother. "Hello." he said. "My name is Sci."
"My name is Shiba." he responded.
"You're my big brother now."
"And you're my little brother now."
Shiba hugged him and started wagging. "Little bro..."
Howard installed a second car seat in their minivan, and as they drove home, Shiba said "I love my little bro."