Today is my birthday, but it doesn’t feel like a special day at all. My name is Doll, and I’m a homeless dog. I don’t have a cozy bed to sleep in or a loving family to call my own. Every day is a struggle to find food and a safe place to rest, but today feels particularly hard. It’s my birthday, and no one has even noticed.
I woke up this morning on the cold, hard ground, curled up under an old, torn blanket that someone had left behind. The streets were quiet, with only a few people hurrying by, too busy to pay attention to a stray dog like me. I watched them with hopeful eyes, wondering if anyone might stop to say something kind or even just smile at me. But no one did. They all seemed to be in a rush, not knowing that today was supposed to be a day of joy for me.
I wandered through the streets, hoping to find something to eat, but my heart wasn’t really in it. The hunger I felt was nothing compared to the emptiness in my chest. I passed by a bakery, the smell of fresh bread making my stomach rumble, but I knew better than to linger. The shopkeeper had shooed me away before, and I didn’t want to cause any trouble. I continued walking until I found a quiet spot in an alley, away from the noise and the people who didn’t care.
I lay down on the ground, resting my head on my paws, feeling the weight of loneliness press down on me. My fur was dirty and matted, and my body ached from sleeping on the hard pavement night after night. But today, the physical pain wasn’t what hurt the most. It was the feeling of being forgotten, of being invisible on a day that should have been special.
I tried to think of happier times, but they were hard to remember. The memories of having a home, of playing in a warm yard, and of being loved were distant and faded, like a dream that slips away the moment you wake up. Now, all I had were the streets, the cold, and the loneliness.
As the day went on, I kept hoping that someone would notice me. Maybe a kind stranger would stop and give me a pat on the head, or even just say “Happy Birthday.” But the hours passed, and no one came. The sun began to set, casting long shadows across the alley, and I knew that soon the night would fall, bringing with it the chill that always made it hard to sleep.
I curled up tighter, trying to make myself as small as possible, wishing that I could just disappear. My birthday had come and gone without a single person acknowledging it, and I felt more alone than ever. I knew that tomorrow would be just another day of surviving, of looking for food and shelter, and of hoping that maybe, someday, things would get better.
But for now, all I could do was lie there, alone in the dark, feeling the sadness settle in my heart. My name is Doll, and today was supposed to be my special day. But instead, it was just another day of being forgotten.
