<p>The dog howled, echoing the crashing thunder that followed in its wake, and Alex shivered. He was soon lost in his thoughts and his hand continued to carress his dog unconciously, almost mechanically. He thought about the dog's hair fibers, how they were bound together over and over to make his dog's fur. Suddenly, his hand was snagged on something in his dog's hairy mane. He looked at his fingers, to discover a ring, a beautiful silver ring with an aquamarine jewel in the center. It glinted at him, reflecting the flash of lightning that filled the room at that moment. He untangled the ring, and, placing it on his finger, was surprised to find it fit perfectly. Peering closer, he saw something in the center of the aquamarine jewel. His dog suddenly sprung up, thrusting the ring into the trashcan. As the trashcan tumbled through the open window onto the ground below, spilling its contents on the sidewalk and the hobo that lived there in the moldy cardboard box, Alex let out a cry. He jumped out the window, his dog following, spraining his ankle; he landed on top of the hobo. Alas, no sooner had he pulled himself off the hobo, brushing banana peels and lobster shells off of his clothes, when he saw the hobo pick up the ring out of its nest of 2-week-old Chinese food takeout. With his ankle he could not run, so he sent his dog after the hobo, the hobo fell, breaking his pelvis. The ring bounced out of the hobo's hand and flew through the air--but the dog saw it, and jumped for it. He caught it, but a disastrous event happened- he swallowed the ring.</p>
<p>Alex spotted his dog running towards him and a smile broke out on his face. Alex became confused, asking himself, "Where is the ring?" To Alex's amazement, the dog answered him in a voice that rang as clear and true as--well--a human's. The voice said,"Alex, this is the ring. I am a magical ring, forged 7 billion years ago, and destiny has brought us together."</p>