Finn slammed his phone onto the table and immediately regretted it. Even though he just got his one thousandth job application rejection letter, he also only had that much money in the bank. This meant that, no matter how frustrated he felt, Finn could not afford to replace his phone. After getting laid off a year ago, Finn had been applying to jobs nonstop, but finding nothing. He even started a business selling websites a few months ago, but he could not manage to get many clients. Every day he felt purposeless and useless, and the uncertain future scared him.
Finn decided to drive around to clear his head. As he was cruising on Good Hope Road, a sign in front of a house caught his eye.
LOST DOG, ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS REWARD FOR ANYONE WHO finds my GOLDEN RETRIEVER Charley!
With one thousand dollars, Finn thought, I could pay my rent with some left over. Well, I guess today I have a purpose. Here I come, Charley!
As Finn continued to drive on Good Hope Road, which intersected with Joy Avenue, he saw a girl standing by the road. She was frantically waving at passing cars, trying to get someone to stop and pull over. No one seemed to want to, though, and Finn soon found out why. As he stopped at the traffic light, he got to take a closer look at the girl. She had a black eye, a couple bruises on her face, and a lump on her forehead. She looked bedraggled and tired, her clothes had food stains on them, and her hair was tangled and flying every which way. Fearing that the girl might be on drugs, Finn quickly looked away, turning the opposite direction onto Voyager Street as soon as the light changed.
Voyager was a windy, residential street. It intersected with many small streets at strange angles. Finn had to constantly compare his surroundings with the map on his phone to ensure that he was heading the right direction. Finn hoped that Voyager Street would eventually snake its way back to Good Hope Road so that he could continue searching for Charley. Unfortunately, the street soon reached a dead end, and Finn saw that both the gas in his car and the battery on his phone were running low. Instead of turning back, though, Finn parked his car and got out. He started going from house to house, knocking on doors to see if anyone saw Charley. Yet not one person would answer his knock, and soon Finn found himself hopelessly lost.
Finn was standing in a courtyard, with houses on either side. Suddenly, a teenage boy jumped out from the bushes, followed by two ferocious-looking dogs. Finn was about to walk away when the boy kicked him hard in the groin, causing Finn to double over. As he fell, Finn’s phone dropped out of his hand, and the boy quickly took it. Ignoring his pain, Finn shouted, “Give back my phone!” and got up to chase the thief.
Finn was glad that he had been running every day since his layoff, for the boy was tireless. After flying down Voyager Street, he wound his way through Thimble Avenue and dashed down Thorns Lane. In his recklessness the boy tripped over a branch and fell headlong into a garden of roses, crying in pain as the thorns pricked him. Finn took the moment to rush ahead, jump on top of the ry, and snatched his phone back from the thief. He quickly snapped a picture of the boy, who was beginning to get up from his thorny bed.
“Who are you and why did you take my phone?” Finn said.
“Because I can,” the boy said menacingly, and gave a command to his two ferocious companions. The two dogs reared up on their hind legs, growling at Finn. “Give back the phone, or I will let them loose on you.”
Though Finn did not much care for dogs, he hated to see these two dogs being trained to attack people. Taking out a pack of beef jerky from his pocket, Finn gave some to the two dogs and they instantly became friends with him. Instead of staying with their owner, the two ferocious dogs began following Finn, nuzzling him for more jerky. Finn laughed in triumph, while the boy cried uselessly to the dogs, “Attack! Attack!”
After giving the dogs the last of his beef jerky, Finn walked back up Thorns Lane to Thimble Avenue. Using the last 2% of the remaining battery in his phone, he used an app to help him find his car. After stumbling up and down Voyager for half an hour, Finn finally saw it. He knew he had no choice but to follow the road back toward Joy Avenue, where the girl stood.
When Finn reached Joy Avenue, he found that the girl was still there waving at cars. He rolled down his window and called, “Hey, do you need help?”
The smile that spread across her face was so filled with joy and gratitude that Finn felt a knot of guilt in his heart for refusing to help earlier. To Finn’s surprise, the girl was also now petting a dog who seemed as unkempt as her, with matted fur caked with dirt. Finn shuddered at the thought of admitting this dog into his car. However, after taking a closer look at his own disheveled appearance and another at the girl’s joyful smile, that thought melted away too.
“What is the dog’s name?”
“This is Charley. I am Amelia. He is like me in that we both got lost.”
“Charley!” Finn said incredulously. “Did you know that there is a reward for Charley?”
Amelia and Charley got into the car. Amelia looked confused for a moment, but then said, “No. How much?”
“one thousand for the person who finds him.”
“One thousand would pay my rent and some more,” Amelia said. “I am about to be evicted from my place because I haven’t been able to pay rent for a couple of months. Last night I also got robbed and lost my phone and wallet. But you helped me. Do you mind sharing the reward?”
“Not at all, if it keeps both of us from being homeless. And I also think I know who robbed you.”
“A boy, about fifteen, with two ferocious dogs?”
“Yes. The dogs are all right, but we must report the thief to the police before he hurts anyone else.”
As they reached Charley’s house, the dog began panting in the car with excitement. He knew that he was finally home.
When Finn knocked on the door this time, it was answered immediately. The man who opened the door was wearing a police uniform and chomping down on a fig bar. “Oh Charley, where have you been buddy!” he said as soon as he saw his dog, who jumped onto his chest.
“Thank you both so much,” he said after a while of happy reunion, “for bringing my boy back. I have the check ready for you.”
“We also want to report two robberies,” Finn said. He and Amelia then gave the officer all the details of how they were each mugged. “I know the boy,” the officer said after taking a look at the picture. “I am his probation officer. We’ll get everything taken care of, and you will be sure to get your phone and wallet back, young lady.” Amelia and Finn both nodded thanked the officer, satisfied.
In this way, Finn, Amelia and Charley all found their homes, and a thief was caught. Finn accomplished his purpose for the day.