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1 " If my girl threw the ball here, there was nothing to stop it from bouncing forever. Well, nothing except a good dog who would catch it and then run away from her. "
― W. Bruce Cameron , Lily's Story
2 " He’s not a pet. That’s why his cage is glass, the kind of glass where we can see him but he can’t see us. We’re just taking care of him until his leg is better, and then he’ll go back to the park. He can’t get used to people feeding him or petting him or dogs playing with him, or he won’t be safe in the wild, see? My dad rescued him. He’s a game warden. He found Sammy caught in an illegal trap, and he even arrested the men who put the trap out!” The animal was moving in such a tantalizing manner—quick little hops, its head making sudden jerky motions. I knew it must want to play Chase Me! I peered up at Maggie Rose and whined a little. "
3 " I’ll tell you what,” Dad said. “We had such a good time together yesterday releasing the squirrel back into the wild. I’ll take Maggie Rose with me this afternoon. We’ll ride up into the mountains, and it will keep her mind off Lily. The new people can come meet her, and if everything is successful, we can explain to Maggie Rose that there is another family who loves Lily just as much as she does.” “That is not true,” Maggie Rose whispered to me. “Nobody loves you as much as I do, Lily. Nobody. "
4 " Maggie Rose,” Dad asked pleasantly, “what just barked from back there?” “A puppy?” Maggie Rose guessed. “Did you hide a dog in the back with you?” Dad asked. “Yes, but, Dad, there were some people coming to take Lily away!” Maggie Rose replied in a rush. “She wouldn’t understand! She knows I’m her person! She’d think I was giving her up! "
5 " I wanted to stay in Outside forever, but after a while, we were all carried back to our pen. I slipped immediately into a nap, pressed up against my mother, dreaming of Outside. I loved Outside nearly as much as I loved Maggie Rose. And she loved me. But all this love did not fix the problem. Deep inside, Maggie Rose was still sad, still wistful. I could tell that she was longing for something she could not have. "
6 " Perfect dog for you. Look, she’s so tiny and weak, she can’t even win at tug-of-war!” Maggie Rose’s shoulders hunched stubbornly. “There’s nothing wrong with being little,” she answered. Bryan snorted. “Oh, I know. I used to be little, too, when I was a baby. Bye, runt.” He went on down the hall, taking his peanut butter with him. I watched him leave regretfully. “There’s nothing wrong with being little,” my girl repeated softly to me. “Better to be little and nice than big and mean, Lily. Right? "
