(Written by a high school student under the penn name John)

          I remember clearly the day my aunt told me that when she returned from Shanghai she would have a dog for me.  I was in kindergarten that day and so excited that it was impossible to concentrate.  I could hardly wait for the class to be over, and when I saw grandma waiting for me, I rushed to her and shouted, "Has the dog arrived?  Where is she now?"

          My grandmother smiled and said, "It's in our home."

          "Yi-Ha!  Let's get there quickly!"

          On the way, it seemed to be taking such a long time that I walked faster and faster and grandma said, "Please don't go so fast.  I can't keep up."

          When I was finally home, I opened the door and saw a little dog with golden hair looking at me with big eyes.  "Oh, my god!" I shouted with happiness.

          The dog ran to my feet and while she was sniffing at them, I said, "Your name is Ci Ke.  Can you remember that?"

          Ci Ke raised her head and looked at me with her tail wagging as if she understood.  I'm sure she didn't know that Ci Ke in English means "killer".

          From then on, she became a member of the family.  She was such a clever dog.  At first, she didn't know where her toilet was, and when she'd make a mistake, grandfather would tap her on the bottom and point to the balcony saying, "That's your room and your toilet, too, but you can sleep in here."  Ci Ke would look at him and then rub against his leg.  That always made grandpa smile and say, "You little puck!"

          After supper on summer nights, we'd take Ci Ke outside, as she enjoyed running on the grass and playing with the other dogs.  She was very strong and none of them could get the best of her when they'd fight.

          When I moved to Beijing, I had to leave her at their home.  She took my place and my grandparents treated her as I'd been treated.  She was a second me.

          One year when I visited them, she bit me, and my grandparents were very angry.  She got a couple of slaps in return, and the next morning she wanted to be close to me.  It was her way of apologizing.

          Ten years have passed now, and she is still living happily in my grandparents home.  I visited there during the Spring Festival and found her to be much older.  Her days may soon come to an end, but I'll try my best to make them as beautiful as I can