William and the Senator's Daughter
THE STORY
Very few people know
about a long time ago
when a dog ....
was a witness to History.
It was in the month of July
when a family from Capri arrived in Rome
to take a one day tour of the city.
A mom and dad,
and a brother and sister,
were walking down the avenue,
and the family brought with them
their dog named William
so he could enjoy the city too.
They walked around Rome and took in all the sights:
The Tiber River,
the Senate Forum,
and the ancient city gates.
But when they reached the Colosseum,
there were so many people packed in,
the family was separated from William.
They called his name,
but it was all in vain.
William was nowhere near them.
The family kept looking for William
they didn’t want to leave Rome without him.
The family grew afraid.
They could only stay for the day,
and they had to get back to their boat on time.
But in spite of all their trying,
they simply couldn't find him,
and the family had to leave William behind.
William tried to find his family,
but he was in a very large city
with people around every corner.
William looked high and low,
but everywhere he would go,
he would only see a stranger.
The day grew long
and even though he was young and strong,
William felt he might be in danger.
William wandered around the town,
and as soon as the sun went down,
he saw the city come alive with light.
The city seemed friendly with a happy sound,
But William’s family could not be found
Even though he kept looking both left and right.
So on the edge of the town
where no one else was around,
William found a safe place to spend the night.
William was tired as he found a place to lie,
and fell into a restful sleep
as the wind played a lullaby.
The night passed quickly,
and with it came the dawn,
and the sun rose majestically in the sky.
And with the light of day
starting on his way
William set out to see what he could find.
The first place he found was the market
where everything was for sale.
with people talking, and walking and shouting.
Someone almost stepped on his tail.
William looked up and saw a bird
perched inside a cage.
A buyer was talking to a seller,
arguing and arguing about how much to pay.
Suddenly, the cage was knocked to the ground.
The door flew open and the bird flew out.
The little bird looked at William and said,
“You look like you might be lost,
but don’t be afraid; it’ll all be OK.
I’ll be glad to show you the way out!”
William said to the bird, “Lead on, kind sir,
and I will follow gladly.
And when we're clear
of the confusion here,
will you help me find my family?”
Then suddenly the people cleared the street.
Everyone got out of the way,
and off in the distance, William could see some chariots heading his way.
Then trumpets began a fanfare
the people began to cheer.
The people waved their arms in the air,
for Caesar was about to appear.
The chariots drew close,
and they were all passing by
when suddenly one of them stopped.
And a beautiful young girl
to William's surprise
reached down
and picked William up.
“You look like you’re lost, you poor fellow.
And you can't find your family.
But you can stay with me,
in luxury
and I’ll help you find your way home.”
The bird looked over at William and said,
“This is your lucky day,”
Then the bird waved goodbye,
and in the wink of an eye,
the bird flew away.
She took William to the palace
where she gave him food and water.
“You’ll be safe here,” she said with good cheer,
“for I am the Senator’s daughter.”
They played together for quite a while.
She made William laugh and smile.
“I’d love for you to be my own
and stay with me where I live.
But I know your family cannot rest
Till you are once again back with them.
But I’ll take good care of you
as if you were my own,
and we’ll keep looking every day
until we find your home.”
William was happy
as she set him on the ground,
and he spent the rest of the day
taking a look around.
William could see the palace was big,
and it would take a while
to explore something this size.
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William walked round a corner,
and much to his surprise,
he was staring at not one,
not two,
but three pairs of eyes!
The eyes belonged to three Persian cats
in a parallel stance
who began to dance.
The cats said to William,
“Catch us if you can!”
And William playfully chased the cats
as around the palace they ran.
William thought to himself,
"This is all new to me.
Its exciting and different, and I'm enjoying myself
But I really must find my family.
Night fell on the palace
When people suddenly started to yell,
“Fire, fire! Rome's on fire!
Ring the fire bell!”
Caesar’s name was Nero.
William could see him walking,
carrying an instrument outside the palace
while people were running and shouting.
And while Rome was filled with fire,
William watched Nero
playing his lyre.
William and the Senator’s daughter
both were afraid.
William thought of his family
who seemed so far away.
The senator’s daughter held William,
and told him not to be afraid.
And though many parts of Rome burned down,
the palace itself was safe.
Days went by
and the month of July
turned into the month of August.
And though he never forgot his family,
William enjoyed life in the palace.
Then one day, the Senator’s daughter said,
“I’m going to take you with me.
Today, we’ll sail across the water
to a beautiful Isle in the sea.”
When they got to the dock,
William could see
a wooden ship
ready to sail the seas.
As they were boarding the ship,
William looked back at a view of the city,
And to his surprise,
on a tree nearby
his friend the bird was sitting.
William said, “Come with us!
We’re taking a small vacation.”
With a happy sound,
the bird flew down,
and so the bird sailed with them.
They sailed for many hours
across the Mediterranean Sea.
And when they got in port,
William said to himself
“These sights and smells are familiar to me.
I think we might be back on the Isle of Capri.”
William’s heart jumped with joy
and sang with every beat.
He knew at last
there might be a chance
to find his family!
Then the Senator’s daughter said,
“Today will be a fun day!
There’ll be sunshine and music and laughter.
We’re going to be in a parade!”
The parade reached the center of town
while William looked all around.
The music played at a lively pace
as William looked at every face,
straining his eyes to see
hoping to find his family.
And lo and behold,
proud and bold,
four people ran out from the crowd.
When he saw the mom,
the dad,
the girl
and boy,
William felt ultimate joy
and even barked out loud.
The bird told the Senator’s daughter
when she saw the family too,
“You won’t be alone, if William goes home,
for I can stay with you.”
William looked at the Senator’s daughter
and quickly licked her face.
“Thank you,” he said, “for taking me in
and always keeping me safe!”
And he said to the bird,
“Thank you too!
I’m going to miss both of you.
But you will always know where I am.
Come and visit whenever you can.”
The family said to the Senator’s daughter,
“The dog you have is our own.”
And she said as she handed him over,
​
“I would have loved to have kept him.
He and I became good friends,
But from the moment I took him in,
I knew he’d find his way home!”