佚名/Anonymous
“你们听见声音了吗？”老狗呼喊道。
其他的狗都跑到狗屋门口，去确认是否有什么人来“领养他们”。
“对不起，”老狗对他们说，就在说话的时候老狗的耳朵耷拉了下去。“我甚至可以发誓我确实听到有人说，瞧他有多聪明伶俐啊！现在是圣诞节了，咱们把他带回家好不好？”
“你—定又是在做白日梦了，老东西，”旁边狗屋里的狗说，“不管怎么说，让人家当作圣诞礼物带走，没有什么值得高兴的。我们都体验过这样的事情，但看看我们现在不还是这个样子吗！”
“哪怕就一次，我想体验—下一只温暖的手来触摸我的头，”老狗说，“我想吻去一张满是伤心的脸上的眼泪。我想偎依在炉火旁，而不是呆在这冷冰冰的水泥地上，待在这里使我的骨头酸痛。”
其他的狗对他说：“老东西，你只能在梦里找到那个你想象的地方。”一听他们这么说，老狗把身子蜷缩起来，叹了口气。
汉克的妻子刚刚去世一年，那种思念的痛苦丝毫没有减退，时间都凝固了。
他现在年纪大了，孤零零一个人，期盼得到安慰，而他明白不会有人能够再次赋予他安慰。妻子不在身边陪伴，他的生活会是什么样子？
汉克的食品橱里差不多空无一物了，虽然他不想外出，可他明白最起码也得去买些最基本的物品……他在小巷上慢悠悠开着车，要是在高速公路开车，对他来说可是件很有挑战性的事情。
忽然，车子发出嘎嚓声，后来是噼啪声，最终发动机停工了。他连汽车行驶所必需的燃料都给忘了！因此他把车停在路边，看到附近有一幢建筑物。他满怀希望地走过去，希望他们能让他打个电话。
他来到一个办公区域，按了服务铃，但是没有人出来。他向外走时，看到另一扇门，但没有看到门上挂着的牌子——“员工专用”。
正当汉克要走出来时，他听到不同种类、活蹦乱跳的狗发出的狂吠声。他这才明白自己不经意间来到了狗的收容所。
他慢慢地沿着水泥走廊向前走，想找到一位工作人员。
老狗就安静地坐在汉克右边的第三个狗屋里。老狗为什么会兴奋呢？任何人都不会要它。可他感觉到一种需求，情不自禁地给出一个友好的目光，轻轻地摆摆尾巴。
汉克接近老狗的窝，停了下来。为了站稳，他抓住狗屋的钢丝网。这时，他感到一只湿润的鼻子，蹭他患有关节炎的手指，他立刻感觉到一种慰藉，这是他一年来第一次体会到的。
正在这时，一个威严的声音突然传到汉克的耳朵里，他被吓了一跳。
“先生，对不起，您不可以到这个地方来。”她说。
幸运的是，汉克不清楚他已经到达“终点区”——被抛弃的狗集中在这里，等待结束生命。
老狗又一次轻靠和亲舔着汉克，他低头看到他平生见到的最让人心碎的乞求目光。
汉克不顾工作人员让他离开的要求，他问工作人员他能否更近些看看这条狗。工作人员的态度发生了很大的转变，严厉的表情不见了。她强迫自己装出那样一种面孔，只是为了这份她讨厌的工作。
她把老狗拿出来，刹那间——曾无比失落的两个灵魂——发现了点燃希望之火的动力。
汉克的食品橱现在满是食物，壁炉里温暖的火焰噼里啪啦地响着，一回想到同伴们说的“只能是在你的梦中”的那句话，老狗就开心地微笑。老狗合上眼睛，它享受着汉克一边小声吟唱“在天堂般的宁静中睡吧”，一边轻抚他的头。
终究是圣诞节呀！
“Did you hear that”the old dog shouted.
They all ran to the front of their kennel doors to see if someone was coming to“pick them”。“Sorry，”he said to the other dogs as his ears fell down from their perked position.“I could have sworn I heard voices saying，‘Isn’t he cute It’s Christmas，can’t we take him home with us’”“You must have been dreaming again old man，”said the dog in the cage next to him.“Anyway，what’s the big deal about getting picked up as a Christmas gift We’ve all been through that routine and look where it got us.”
“Just once，I’d like to feel the warmth of a hand stroking my head，”said the old dog.“I’d like to be the one who kisses the tears off a sad face.I’d like to curl up next to a fire instead of this cold concrete.It hurts my bones.”
He curled up and sighed as the others said，“The only place you’re going to find that is in your dreams，old man.”
Hank’s wife had only been gone a year but the pain was as fresh as if time had stood still.
He was an old man now，alone and longed for the comfort that he knew no other person would ever be able to give to him again.What would his life become without her by his sideHank’s cupboards were close to bare now and，although he didn’t want to go out，he knew he should at least pick up the basics.He drove slowly down the side streets for freeway driving had become too challenging.
Suddenly，the car started chugging and sputtering until finally the engine quitaltogether.One of the basic needs he forgot was fuel for the car！So he coasted over next to the curb，spotting a building within walking distance.Hopefully，they’d let him use their phone.
He walked into an office area and rang the bell for service but no one came.He spotted another door going outside，failing to notice the sign posted“Employees Only”。
As Hank walked out，he was overwhelmed by yaps，barks and insane jumping from dogs all sizes and shapes.He then realized he had unintentionally gone to the dog shelter.
Slowly he walked down the concrete aisle looking for an attendant.
Three kennels down on the right，the old dog calmly sat there.Why should the old dog get excited No one would want him.But，he sensed a need and couldn’t resist offering a kind look and a gentle wag of the tail.
As Hank neared the old dog’s cage，he laced his fingers through the chain link to steady his gait until the first feeling of comfort he’d remembered in over a year came from a wet nose and lick across his arthritic fingers.
Just then a voice of authority sounded and Hank jumped.
“I’m sorry，sir，you aren’t supposed to be in this area！”she said.
Luckily Hank didn’t know he had walked into the“final area”where unclaimed dogs were scheduled to be put down.
There went the nudge and lick thing again.Hank looked down to the most pleading eyes he’d ever seen.
Ignoring the attendant’s order to leave，Hank asked if he could see the dogcloser.Her demeanor changed completely and her sternness melted away.She had forced herself to be this way so she could do the part of her job she despised.
She brought the old dog out and instantly the two souls—once so lost—found reason to hope.Hank’s cupboards were now filled，a warm fire crackled and the old dog smiled inside as he remembered“only in your dreams”。Closing his eyes he felt Hank’s hand stroking his head whispering“sleep in heavenly peace”。
It was Christmas after all.
