Holly's Rendition

The Good Samaritan and His Dog

One day my master and I were getting ready to travel to Jericho from Jerusalem. It is quite a long way to walk, but my master made sure that he had enough water for both of us. My master is so good to me, why just yesterday he said “Barnabus” (that is my name, it means encourager) “you are a most loyal companion” that made me feel so proud. Anyhow the next morning we left and I made sure to stay right by his side the whole time. When we got out of town in the middle of nowhere, three men came out from behind a big rock, and began to beat up my master. I started to growl and bark but they wouldn’t stop. I looked at the three men, and then with all my strength I bit the one who was telling the others what to do. He yelled and picked me up and threw me. I hit my head against a rock, and then everything went black.

When I woke up few minutes later I saw a terrible sight. My master was lying on the side of the road bleeding and he looked half dead. From what I could tell the three men beat my master, ripped his clothes, and stole all of our stuff. I went and went and laid down beside my master, I was so tired, but I didn’t dare fall asleep, I wanted to be awake to protect my master, just in case those men came back. About twenty minutes later a priest came walking down the road. I know it was a priest because he was wearing the clothes only a priest is allowed to wear. He looked at us, and then just walked by on the other side. I was thinking “how rude of a priest to just walk by! “ A little while later, another man came down the road. When he came upon us, he looked at me and said, ”sorry little fellow I can’t help you right now, I’m to busy” I was thinking “ you are to busy for a dieing man?” I had just about given up I was almost asleep, when I heard foot steps. I looked up and saw a man with a donkey coming down the road. When the man came upon us he stopped and helped my master up upon his donkey, then the kind man dressed my master’s wounds. In an hour or two we were in Jericho. The kind man paid for a room in an inn. The nice man stayed the night, but in the morning he had to say good bye. My master thanked him before he left. The nice man gave the inn keeper two silver coins and said “if you spend more than that on the hurt man, I will pay you back the next time come through town”. What a nice man! I do not have thumbs since I am a dog so I could not shake his hand but for his kindness to my master, I gave two wags of my tail.

Written by Holly Brown