Prologue
The tall green grass rushes over my skin, my bare feet sink into the soft mud. My blond hair flows behind me as I run faster and faster until everything turns into a blur. The hot sun burns down over the field, while the wind blows softly over the top of the tall grass that is almost ready to be made into hay.
“Harper!” A woman’s voice is carried by the wind. I laugh, my eyes close and I fall forward. I roll over onto my back and stare up at the blue sky and white puffy clouds that are floating by. She finds me and lays next to me. Birds fly over us and the clouds move faster and faster across the sky, chasing each other until they disappear over the trees.
“It’s a cat,” I say excitedly, pointing at a cloud. I point out its ears, its nose and its mouth.
“I think it’s a dragon.” I look at her because it is clearly a cat. “Tilt your head.” I do and I can see a dragon spitting out fire at all the other clouds. I can see its big body, its wings and it’s long nose.
“I see it.” I tilt my head the other way and see a wolf, running through the clouds.
“It’s all about your perspective. Sometimes if you look at something from a different angle, you will see it differently.” I nod, pretending to know what she is talking about, they haven’t exactly taught me that in kindergarten.
It’s been an hour, or what I think has been an hour and then I hear the car pull up in our dirt driveway. I sit up quickly, which startles my mom who had had her eyes closed. Her pale skin stands out against the blue dress she is wearing, and she looks extremely tired. It’s the first time that I have noticed this.
“Harper! Abi!” His voice booms across the field. We stand up, she grabs my hand and we race across the field. His arms are open, so I race into them. He lifts me up into the air and swings me around.
“Happy Birthday Harp!” He puts me back on the ground. He smiles and pulls something out of behind him. “Six is a big year so your mom and I had to get you something big!” I jump up and down to try to see what he was hiding behind him. He turns around and brings out a box from the backseat of his car. He places it on the ground and it moves. I step back.
“Open it!” My mom steps forward and looks at me happily. The box makes a noise and continues to move. I reach out and with one finger lift up a flap. A face peeks through and looks at me with big eyes and floppy ears.
“A puppy!?” I screech. I get closer to the box and scoop up the little dog. It's golden brown fur shines in the sunlight and blows in the wind. I pull it close and it licks my face. I smile.
“It’s a girl and a Yorkshire terrier, what are you going to name her?” My dad is smiling as he says this.
“Pickle!” His name is Pickle!” I squeeze him close and kiss his nose.
