Birthdays were always a special day for me, and I looked forward to them throughout the year. However, my parents didn’t fancy celebrating birthdays. But there was one person who shared my enthusiasm – my grandma, Nana. Nana was a strong, positive, and lively person who possessed boundless energy, similar to mine. I always eagerly anticipated her gifts, often more than my own birthday. My mother believed birthdays weren’t meant to be celebrated elaborately. “It’s a day to give thanks to God Almighty and your parents for your existence,” she’d say. “Without them, you wouldn’t be here.” Grandma would counter her argument, “ You should thank her for choosing you as her mom. I know what I would have missed if she hadn’t chosen you!” This exchange would often happen between them.
On my 14th birthday, I woke up to the melodious voices of my parents and Nana singing for me. After hugging and thanking them, I rushed to unwrap my gifts. But I noticed something was off – there were only two boxes instead of the usual three. Who hadn’t gotten me a gift? I soon discovered the boxes were from Mom and Dad, containing my favorite book and a colorful dress. But where was Nana’s gift? I felt a pang of disappointment, and tears began to form in my eyes considering the fact that I waited. That’s when I saw Nana walking in with a little puppy.
It had been a week since Nana left Jasper in my care. At first, I wasn’t thrilled about having a puppy, but I was taught not to reject gifts from elderly ones because they have more wisdom than I could ever have. Mom said I would eventually find out the reason why Jasper was given to me. I didn’t play or talk to Jasper, despite his efforts to connect with me. In fact, I was upset when I found out he had played with my favorite toys and scattered my room. Mom had to intervene and send Jasper out of my room. Days passed, and Jasper stopped coming to my room. But one morning, I was frantically searching for my notebook, which contained my weekly assignment. Mom helped me search, but we couldn’t find it anywhere. Just as we were about to give up, Jasper appeared with my notebook in his mouth. I was overjoyed. I hugged and kissed him.
From that day on, Jasper and I became inseparable. We did everything together – eating, sleeping, playing, and even doing chores. I allowed him to play with all my toys, and we played fetch together. I began to hear him talk,mom wouldn’t believe but I did. When I was feeling down, Jasper would bring his leash, encouraging me to take him for a walk. When Jasper fell ill, I was worried sick. I checked on him every hour, and Dad took him to the vet. Thankfully, Jasper recovered quickly. Grandma visited us after hearing the news, and I thanked her for giving me the best gift ever – Jasper. He wasn’t just a pet; he was my brother.
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Ehijokwu Chinenye Favour is a talented Nigerian short story writer, poet, and spoken word artist. She is a member of Hilltop Creative Art Foundation, Abuja, and a student of Golden Gate Pentagon College. With a passion for creative storytelling, Chinenye enjoys coining words to craft stories that are not only imaginative and engaging but also relatable. This unique approach has helped her develop a distinctive voice that resonates with readers.
Chinenye’s work has been recognised nationally and internationally. Her notable achievements include being a finalist in the National Creative Writing Competition 2023 and winning the Gold Award in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023. Her writing has also been published in Upwrite Magazine and Writers Space Africa, and she was long-listed for the African Writers Awards.
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Read – The Magical Pet-Keeper – A Children’s Story by Abdullatif Khalid – Uganda
