Ten-year old Adrianne couldn't feel anything but the disappointment of life. Nor could she see through the veil of sadness. She sat, her head cocked to one side, chin in her hand. She was about to lose her best friend. No pause button could delay the outcome. As delicately as they could, her parents relayed the news. Lion would have to be put to sleep to ease the unbearable pain he was suffering.
No particular pedigree was listed on his papers. But she didn't care. The moment their eyes locked, he lowered his head and noticed her disability, then looked back up at her and smiled.
As she sat thinking, she recalled that Lion had served her faithfully over the past six years. He was the most fierce protector she could have asked for. Why couldn't his heart be as fierce as his loyalty.
It was the last week before his scheduled appointment.
They sat together one rainy day staring out the window, enjoying each other's quiet company. Lion turned, his gait unsteady as he walked slowly toward to the opposite side of the room. There, another canine rested.
Lion placed his head on top of the other dog, hoping that Adrianne would accept him as he already had. The younger pup lay quiet, merely staring at her.
Glancing from one to the other, Lion returned and sat close to Adrianne. He leaned against her leg. She felt the warmth of his tongue against her hand. He barked softly, then closed his eyes, urging her to do the same as they usually did on lazy weekends outdoors. Together, they would experience all the world in her small universe had to offer.
After a few moments, he noticed that her tear-stained hand smelt like salt.
She thinks her world will end because I am, he thought. She sees herself attempting to navigate an uncertain future. He nudged her hand and felt it tremble.
I want to tell her that the world is still full of wonders she will miss if she continues to look down through tears. I need her to gaze up at the sky and feel the wind against her cheeks, then navigate through the park without me if she so chooses. Wonder at the change of seasons and smell of approaching rain.
I lean my weight against her legs to reinforce anchoring. Not to keep her from falling this time, but to ground her. I look up at her, letting my tail give one last soft thump. My work with her is done, I want to say; but her work she will intertwine with in the world is just beginning a new phase.
I wish I could tell her one last time softly. The world is not ending because I will no longer be a part of it.
He had spent a decade shielding her from the cruelty of the world. Now, he needed her to see its beauty and accept what was already written in his book of life.
Lion let out a soft sigh, his tail giving one last thump against the floorboards.
Now he needed her to promise she wouldn't lock herself away in the dark. To promise that she'd open her heart again to someone deserving like the youngster waiting in the corner. That young one was ready to learn how to protect her just as fiercely as he had.
Lion needed her to give him a chance to bond. Not in the same way they had; but with a new connection of feelings, respect, and mutual trust.
He wanted to tell her not to weep for the end. To remember and be happy they shared the journey. He wanted to tell her to keep moving forward, carrying his loyalty in her heart until she passes the leash to a new protector.
For my current collage project, I wanted to portray the relationship between a young girl and her ailing canine who's a service animal. The young girl is dealing with the dog's incurable illness. The whimsical photo I discovered of a young girl with her chin in her hand fit perfectly with my design. I also included a micro story about their journey and remembrances.
The contest I'm submitting this entry for is Let's Make a Collage - A Contest for All Creatives on Hive - Round 253 - ✨80 HIVE in the Prize Pool!.
Below are my steps in which I utilized Canva, my design program, to blend the different type images. I leave with you my procedures which began with a blank, white canvas. I then added layers of elements in accordance with my upgraded Annual Pro Membership that includes tools to remove backgrounds, resize, filter, duplicate, and reposition items as required. Perhaps of all the tools, the ability to remove backgrounds thereby creating transparencies of the images is crucial to the blending process.
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The images I included in my design are listed below.
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| Item | Contributor | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dog with tongue out-Contest #253 Image | @quantumg | Link |
| Abstract cream cone background | Public Domain Pictures | Link |
| Whimsical female with hands under chin | Pixabay | Link |
| Hand of a woman of color | Pixabay | Link |
| Black Angel | Pixabay | Link |
| Hanging Ball | Pixabay | Link |
| Green and purple butterfly | Pixabay | Link |
| Blue Jay | Contributed to #LIL by @redheadpei | Link |
I share with you my completed collage:
Thanks for taking the time to view my post. I hope you like my collage project.
Good luck everyone with whatever your endeavors.
SUPPORTS THESE COMMUNITIES:
SOURCES: a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins. b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins. e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines f) Thumbnail Image created by me in Canva. g) "Flames." What is Apophysis 2.09. https://flam3.com/
English is my native language. If translation included, I use DeepL to assist my readers. Thanks for your patience an understanding.
