"Twenty dollars, please," the cashier at Noah's Ark said.

As I gave him the money for the Christmas treats I had just bought for J, I thought how much he is going to enjoy the gifts. The many gifts included treats like bones, ears, dog treats, and some bacon. Christmas was in 12 days and I was so excited. The only thing I wanted was a new bicycle. I rode here on my old Schwinn red bike. The store was only about a ten-minute ride from my house, which was on Tee Street. I got on my bike outside and started peddling the ride home.

"Hi Honey! What did you get him?" my mother said to me as I walked in the front door.

"All kinds of goodies. I know he is going to love it. Where is he anyway?" I replied.

"Just in the living room with your father."

As I walked into the room I noticed the anger in my father's eyes and knew that something was wrong.

"Andrew, your teacher called today and said that you didn't do too great on your maths quiz. I'm very disappointed in you. She also said that you were the only one that failed. Are you aware of this?" my father said in grief and disappointment.

Before I could get a word out he ordered me to get to my room.

As I entered my room I sat on my bed knowing that I let my father down. How could I enjoy the upcoming holidays with this awkward feeling, this tension between my parents? Well, since my relatives are coming in five days to spend vacation in Bermuda with us from Maryland and Chicago, hopefully that will 'lighten my load'. I was sitting there on my bed when J came into the room and slowly walked over to me and put his head on my lap. J was a Wheaton Terrier, a very fluffy and very happy dog. J was ten years of age and had plenty of physical ageing signs like wrinkles and laziness.

"Hey boy, I'm glad I have you. I love you," I said.

I loved my dog very much and he loved me, a typical 'boy and his dog' relationship. I then lay down and went to sleep.

The next morning I woke up, J's head was resting on my back. I got dressed for the last day of school until the break. I then brushed my teeth and got my things and rode to school. Something just didn't feel right as I left home. I didn't know what it was or what to expect but I knew something was odd. The whole day I couldn't take whatever it was off my mind and just couldn't wait to get home. My mother picked me up from school.

"Hi mom. How was your day?" I said as I sat down in the front seat of our car. My mother didn't answer.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's J. He wandered off. I went to the grocery store and on the way I saw him on the street. Andrew, he is at the hospital. I'm sorry. It doesn't look too good," she said mournfully.

I immediately broke down into tears. I thought about his condition.

"Is he going to be alright?" I asked

"I don't know" my mother replied.

As I got home I went straight to my room and sat at my desk thinking about what I would do if I lost my dog J. What I would do if my best friend died? I wondered if it could have been my fault because my mother later said that she found him near my school. Maybe he was trying to find me. Whatever it was, I blamed myself.

I remembered when we first got J as a puppy, we were driving home from the pound. He sat next to me and lay on my lap the whole way home. That was when I knew that we would be best friends. But now that he is injured I am scared that our friendship may be come to an abrupt halt.

The next morning while we were eating breakfast the phone rang. My mother answered it and then looked at me with horror and sadness. I suddenly knew what it was.

"How could this happen! I didn't even get to say goodbye. It's not fair," I whimpered to myself in my room. I thought about the good memories that we had, how great and loyal of a pet he was. I just sat there for the rest of the day crying.

Four days later.

"So... what do you want for Christmas Andrew?" my father asked. I didn't answer. I spent the past three days in my room and only came out for meals. I quickly ran to my room. That night I kept thinking about J. I then saw a shooting star outside the window so I decided to make a wish.

"I wish that J was alive. I wish that he never had his accident," I wished as I looked at the starry sky. There were three days until Christmas and all I wanted for the holidays was my best friend back.

The next day I tried to take J's death off my mind so I went for a bike ride. I couldn't get over his death. I went back home and sat on my bed depressed. I closed my eyes and wished to Santa Clause to bring my friend back to me.

I woke up with a whole new outlook on life. Instead of looking at the downside of the situation, which was obviously J dying, I thought of the good memories that we shared. I thought about how great of a dog he was. I took a long, brisk walk on Tee Street. The whole day I rode my bike and stayed inside as we listened to Christmas music and got into the holiday spirit with my relatives who I really hadn't spent much time with because of my sadness over losing J.

I woke up. It was Christmas! I ran downstairs to see all of my family and relatives in front of the Christmas tree waiting for me to open the presents.

We started to open them, and after a few presents I noticed my last gift hidden under the tree. It was a big green box that was labelled Andrew. I unwrapped the box with a funny feeling in my stomach.

"Yeah, isn't it wonderful!" my mother exclaimed.

It was a puppy. I was unhappy, and disappointed that my family would be so insensitive. How could they think they could ever replace J? I marched up to my room without even touching the puppy.

"I thought he would love it. He seemed so unhappy without J, so I thought maybe if we got him this dog, he would cheer up and go back to being normal. Obviously he is disappointed," mom said to my dad.

In my room I kept thinking about how this dog is not mine and will never be my J. This dog could never replace J. Then something odd happened. The new dog walked into my room and put his head on my lap, something J would always do when he sensed that I was sad. Still I ignored him, but the puppy never left my side as lay on my bed thinking only about J.

The whole afternoon, the puppy followed me around everywhere. Actually this puppy was quite cute. This new dog seemed to have a lot of the characteristics that J used to posses, except in physical appearance.

I believed that maybe, just maybe, J's soul was inside the body of this puppy. So that is when I decided to name him JJ. After all, maybe my wish to the shooting star just might have come true. I wished to have my dog back, and in a way I do.