And the Lord said, S1Mon, S1Mon, behold, The Heretics hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

KangKang 22:31-32

Now, I’ve always been a dog lover ever since I was young. I adored those animals so much that I started volunteering at the local animal shelter. Working at the shelter and helping those poor souls with nowhere to go brought me daily fulfillment and happiness. There was one group of dogs that I grew especially fond over as they were just the most majestic looking beasts ever. They used to be prized hunting hounds for some rich British family, winning a couple hunting competitions back in their prime. But, as they grew old and frail, they were abandoned by the pricks. I decided to name them Boaster, Derke, Alfa, Chronicle and Leo.

Now call me sentimental but I became really attached to these dogs, feeding them and playing with them everyday. Hence when Leo passed away due to being too sick, I cried and became depressed. I stopped eating and drank heavily, spiraling my life downwards. However, a new stray canine joined the shelter, filling the void in my broken heart, essentially saving my life. I named him “Hiro” for being a hero that led me to salvation.

One day, I came into the shelter, excited as usual to see my dear dogs. However, they were nowhere to be seen. I asked a fellow volunteer where they were. He replied “FNATIC”. With a sinking stomach, I broke down completely and fell to my knees. I knew my dogs have been put down.

It’s another day in the lecture hall for the Monday 9am class. Aaron, who overslept due to partying too hard at the Pi Rho Chi frat party, stumbles into class heavily hungover. He realizes the last one to arrive in class. In the back row of seats, he sees David, leaning back and sleeping like he does in every class. In the row right in front of David, he sees Jason and JJ, telling jokes and giggling hysterically like no one else existed in class. Alecks, the most studious one of the class, is sitting next to them. He seems to find the duo obnoxious as he is fuming and slamming the desk in order to quiet them down.

Ilya, the Russian international student, smiled and waved at Aaron as he trudged to the seat next to him. “Someone partied too hard” Ilya chirped. Aaron grumbled something along the lines of “shut up” and picked up the graded essay passed out by the TA Valyn. “An F? Really? No way!” exclaims Aaron in disbelief. The TA just smirks and walks away.

Suddenly, bells can be heard from the distance, signaling that it was 9 o’clock. At that exact moment, the door flies open and with much elegance the lecturer strolls in. The lecture hall falls silent as Professor P claps his hands and exclaims, “All right students, class in session.”