(exposition)

    I hated that dog.

    Ever since he came, Mom and Dad always gave him treats, petted him, and took him on walks. They have so much fun with the dog that I sometimes feel left out. It seems like they love him more than with me.

(conflict introduced)

    Dinner was ready, and they told me to put away my toys, but I wanted to play some more.

    "Why do you always tell me what to do?" I yelled.

   "You never tell that dog what to do. But I have to listen to lots of rules. It's not fair! I hate you!" I ran to my room, not hearing what they said.

(rising action)

    The dog followed me, wagging his tail.

    "Go away!" I said. It came closer, looking at my favorite toy truck. He picked up my truck, running away with it in his mouth. 

    I felt both sad and mad. The truck was mine, and he shouldn't get to have it. I ran after him as he went out the front door.

    I ran as fast as I could, calling at the dog.

"Give it back!" I yelled. He kept running, my toy truck bouncing in his mouth. I followed him through the trees and the dark until he finally stopped in a park.

    I grabbed my toy from its mouth. "Bad dog!" I said. The truck was dirty and wet from his mouth. I was so angry I threw the toy on the ground.

    "I don't want this toy anymore!" I yelled. "It's ruined!" The dog looked at me, not knowing what he did wrong.

    Then, I looked around and found out I didn't know where we were. I never visited this park before and started to feel scared. I couldn't find a way back.

    “Look at what you did! Now we're lost!" I screamed. The dog looked at me with sad eyes. I tried to get him up to leave, but he wouldn't move.

    Then I remembered what I learned at Sunday service: treat people the same way you want to be treated (Smith 212). I felt that I should care about others as much as I care about myself (Miller).

   "I'm sorry," I said in a soft voice, "I shouldn't have yelled at you. Come on now, let's find the way home." My dog wagged his tail.

    Suddenly, my dog started barking at the bushes. Hisss! A snake came toward us. It made me so scared I wanted to run away, but my dog wouldn't leave. Then, I understood that humans and animals need to work together as a team (Wikle).

    Together, we kicked, barked, and screamed until the snake finally left us alone. We were happy that we won the fight, but also tired and dirty.

    As I walked, the cold wind made me shake. We tried to look for help and find our way home, but nobody was around. I started to feel alone and began to miss home. I wished that I wasn't so mean to my parents and listened to what they said (Mark). I wanted to tell them I was sorry, but I didn't know if I would ever see them again. I hoped that they were looking for me and still loved me even after what I said (Teon).