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Prologue

 

Andrew Foworthy crawled through the darkness and rain. The cold soothed his bruises from the latest beating delivered by his foster father. The young child didn't know such abuse was abnormal since he'd never known life any other way. Abuse and neglect were Andy's norm.

Moving across the backyard, he squeezed through the neighbor's fence. Too late, he remembered the ferocious mutt that ruled the property. The dog was upon him in an instant, teeth barred, growling inches from Andy's face. He ducked his head under the hot breath of the canine.

For one minute, then another—the child shivered under the territorial fury of the animal. Still growling, the dog nuzzled Andy, perhaps seeking a reaction. Passively, Andy remained still. The only thing worse than his foster father's fists, he imagined, were the slimy teeth of the neighbor's mutt.

Finally, the canine stopped growling and sniffed at Andy's damp clothes. Through the rain, the animal had smelled the stick of jerky Andy had stolen from his foster brother. He figured it was a fair trade if the beast didn't eat him alive. Tearing the stick in two, Andy shoved one half into his own mouth, then fed the other half to the dog.

Andy felt confident enough to continue his slow crawl after that. He had to get out of the rain. The animal sniffed at his clothes for more food as Andy climbed through the opening of a dog house. The dog followed him inside the small enclosure and licked his face.

"You stink!" Andy wiped his face, but the cold forced him to tolerate the smell of the wet fur and rancid dog breath. He wrapped his arm around the animal as it settled with a groan next to young Andy.

Toward dawn, Andy woke to his own cries. No, it had just been a dream. He was safe with the angry dog. The canine licked his salty tears, and Andy snuggled closer to the only friend he's ever had. In those quiet moments, he name the dog Asia. At school, he'd learned that Asia was on the other side of the world. Asia was the farthest place he could think of away from there. If only he could go to Asia . . .