Dolly didn’t know when her birthday was. Time had lost all meaning in the desolate world she inhabited. Her days were a monotonous cycle of pain, hunger, and fear. The scars on her face were a constant reminder of the cruelty she had endured. Her left eye was swollen shut, a permanent fixture of her disfigured visage.
She remembered a time before the pain, before the fear. There were flashes of warmth, of gentle hands and soft voices. But those memories were like distant stars, twinkling tantalizingly out of reach. Now, her world was a harsh, unforgiving place, where survival was the only goal.
Today was different, or so she thought. A flicker of hope ignited within her, a spark in the darkness of her existence. Perhaps it was the extra-bright sunlight filtering through the abandoned building where she sought shelter, or maybe it was simply the passage of time. Whatever it was, it gave her a brief respite from despair.
Dolly spent most of her day in a quiet corner, her body curled into a protective ball. She was wary of people, their sudden movements and loud voices triggering a primal fear. But today, she found herself longing for human contact, for a touch that wasn’t accompanied by pain.
As the sun began its descent, casting long shadows that seemed to mock her deformity, Dolly closed her eyes. In the darkness of her mind, she dreamed of a world without pain, a place where she was loved and cherished. She dreamed of a gentle hand stroking her fur, of a warm lap to curl up in.
When she opened her eyes, the harsh reality of her existence hit her with full force. She was alone, injured, and scared. But even in the depths of her despair, a tiny ember of hope continued to burn. Maybe one day, her dreams would become reality. Maybe she would find a home, a family, and the love she so desperately craved.
For now, she would endure, her spirit unbroken. She would survive, one day at a time, hoping that her birthday wish – a life free from pain and fear – would one day come true.
