Diamonds are Forever

I saw my dog's eyeball on the ground this morning. Okay, I didn't, but my brother did, and he was so upset that he cried.

He's ten and bigger than me and isn't supposed to cry, so I knew I had to stay in the car.

Mom hit Diamond with the car, but I think he was okay. Diamond is our dog, and boy is he smart. We taught him to play Uno this morning. He sat outside the window of our house and we set his cards up in front of him and he points a paw at the card he wants to use. He gets it right usually, but he is just a beginner you know, and so I win most of the games we play.

Diamond walks to the bus stop with us every morning. This morning Mom took us to school because she was going to talk to my class, so we went in the car instead of on the bus. I like it better when Mom drives anyway, because there's this kid down the street who has a crush on me. He follows me around and bothers me, and my brother and his brother tease me about it. I tried to tell him to leave me alone, but boys just don't listen. My brother says I'll end up marrying him. I know I won't.

I don't know where Diamond went. When I got off the bus this afternoon he wasn't at the end of the street waiting for me. He usually is. I called and called for him, and then I figured he must be out in the field. We have this big field in our yard and I like to play in it. My brother says a monster lives there, but he only comes after eight-year-old blonde girls named Renate. I don't believe him, of course, but I let him think I do. When I was five, he told me the car would come alive and eat me. I believed him then, I was such a child. I've grown now though. I still like to do the things he does, so I try to keep him happy.

Once we wrapped my Barbie doll in newspaper and set her on fire. Then we buried her. I didn't know why we had to bury her. My brother said it's just what you do. I figured it was so Mom wouldn't know we had destroyed Barbie. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but Mom found out when I told my aunt. She got mad at me. My aunt asked how I was enjoying the doll she gave me for Christmas and I told her I enjoyed the fire part the best. She doesn't give me Barbie dolls for Christmas anymore, which is good because I hate the things. I want more Transformers, but they say those aren't girl toys.

My brother said that Diamond's eyeball was on the ground. He's going to need his eye, so I'm going down the street to find it. How's he supposed to see without it? I can't understand why everyone seems so upset. My brother is crying, and says I won't see Diamond anymore. I told him of course I would, -I'm- not the one who lost my eye. He just looked at me and kept crying.

Mom came in my room and told me that Diamond ran away. I'd run away from this place too. If he's not careful my brother might try to wrap him in newspaper and set him on fire.

If you see a dog with one eye running around the neighborhood, tell him that I love him. Tell him I'll let him win at Uno if he'll just come back and play again.