Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. >More Therapy by edithdick More Therapy - Chapter 7 I don -(TM)t care what Dr. Crowe called it, it was clearly a dog collar. It even had the extra hook where you could attach a leash to it. I suspected that she had the thing custom made. When I got home that night, I started reading one of the books on training yourself to be bling while my mom made us dinner. It talked a lot about making sure that everything had a place, and that you have to practice putting things in their proper placed every time you are done with them. Otherwise, you will spend hours looking for something you need right now. One good thing about packing everything for a cross country trip is that you have to eat all of the ice cream in the house before you go. So after dinner each night, my mom and I got to eat one thing from the ice cream shelf in the freezer. As happy as that made me, I was still overly stressed about Dr. Crowe -(TM)s idea. That night, before I went to bed, I took the long scarf she had given me and tied it to the bed. I tied the other end to the hook on the dog collar and put it on. I hoped that, when Sophie got up to play tonight, she would realize that she was tied up and go back to bed. Or at the very least, her tugging on the thing would wake me up. Unfortunately, that didn -(TM)t work. I still felt like it was a dream, but I was becoming more aware of what Sophie was up to. It really felt like I was a passenger in someone else -(TM)s head. Sophie got up and didn -(TM)t realize the leash was there. When she got to the end of it, I felt it tug on our neck. *OUTCH* I thought. I Sophie tugged two more times before my knot came loose and then she was free. She wandered around my bedroom looking at things for a while. I could feel what she felt. My pajamas made her feel itchy for some reason. She started pulling them off one by one until we were naked. Then I felt what I can only describe as joy. Like the way a six year old feels Christmas morning. Sophie was happy and wanted to go play. I had no control of this situation. I could only watch as Sophie fiddled with the door. I had locked it, and she was having trouble figuring out how to open it. After a few minutes, she figured it out and we headed down stairs. The house door has one of those handles that automatically unlocks when you open it from the inside. The thought that, had my dad bought a different kind of lock that lets you out but remains locked after, I would have been waking up locked out of my house naked every morning. That thought made me shutter. I could hear Sophie -(TM)s thoughts as we ran through the neighborhood. Cars drove past us and she didn -(TM)t care. Some even honked their horns, which caused Sophie to hide in the bushes for a few minutes until they were no longer in sight. I could tell that it was the sound of the horn that scared her, not of getting caught or anything. She also didn -(TM)t shy away from people. We came across Mr. Fitzpatrick walking Benny again. Sophie stopped to play with the little schnauzer. And not play the way a person plays with a dog, but the way dogs play with one another. Getting down on our hands and knees and pouncing. Mr. Fitzpatrick thought it was a delight to see me naked and playing with his dog. After several minutes, Sophie decided she had more places to visit and promptly got up and ran away. I heard Mr. Fitzpatrick say -Nice to see you again, Annie. -, as we left. Next, we were at the playground. Images of me and Craig playing here as kids floated in my mind. It was a strange experience though, because it was Sophie remembering those thing, I just was aware of them. We started on the swing set. I had long since outgrown everything here, but Sophie didn -(TM)t seem to notice. We swung on the swing set. We went down the slide. We went on the merry-go-round. Everything I had done as a kid, Sophie was doing now. I lost track of time, she just kept running around and playing like I was still a little girl. Suddenly she stopped and looked around. She heard it before me, but soon Andrew, Josh and Billy had arrived at the park. They were a couple of years younger than me, but we had been friends for quite a while. They were expecting to find her here. -Annie! - I heard Josh yell, followed by Billy and then Andrew. For her part, as soon as she heard my name, she went running happily as can be straight toward them. When we caught up to them they all hugged me, or hugged Sophie at least. She wanted to run, but was waiting for them to do -- something. Josh took her arm, -Annie -- I know you said you -(TM)re not yourself at night. Let me know if you need my help. - Sophie looked at him like he was insane. No thought, just surprise at what he had just said. Suddenly, Billy touched my right breast and said, -You -(TM)re it! - and took off running. All three boys took off and Sophie chased after then. I could tell they wanted to get caught, every time they got too far ahead, they would turn around and wait for her. Within 30 seconds, Andrew was -~it -(TM) and Sophie was running the other way. For some reason, the game was Sophie against the boys as they all started chasing her. It seemed the goal was to see which one could catch her. The winner got to touch her breasts and then it was her turn to chase them. This was a very naughty game of tag! After about 10 minutes or so, everyone was exhausted and rolling on the ground laughing with each other. Once they rested, they began tickling us. I am very ticklish, and I really hate it when people do it. Sophie, on the other hand, loves being tickled. For me, this was the ultimate torture. I could feel myself being tickled, but instead of trying to get away or stop it, she just kept raising her arms and laughing her head off. I could do nothing but lay there and be tickled while Sophie was in charge. Inevitably, as happened whenever Craig used to tickle torture me, Sophie peed. Once she started spraying all over the place, the boys jumped back to keep from getting any on them. -Annie, Gross! - exclaimed Andrew. Billy on the other hand thought it was hilarious. Pulling out a paper towel, apparently, this was not the first time Sophie had peed, Billy said, -Here. Let me dry you off. - As he got closer, Sophie began growling. -Careful, - Josh warned. -She -(TM)s gonna bite you again. - I could see what Sophie was thinking, and I didn -(TM)t blame her. If he touched my pussy again, he was going to get bit for sure. Again? I was starting to remember this happening before. I remembered biting his arm and the other two had to save him before I drew blood. I heard a car coming. At first, I wasn -(TM)t paying attention to it, as I expect cars probably drove past here all the time, but it wasn -(TM)t driving past. Instead, after 30 seconds or so, it had turned in to face the park. Its headlights were almost shining toward us. I heard one of the boys say -Run - and they all sprinted into the woods. Sophie wasn -(TM)t afraid. I could see she was just curious as to who else was here to -~play -(TM) with her. I was suddenly terrified as Sophie began jogging toward the car. I don -(TM)t think they could see us yet, but in a few seconds we would be right on top of them. Worse, depending who it was, they might be on top of us a minute later. -~STOP -(TM) I screamed in my own head. Of all the things that had happened tonight, what frightened me the most was that she listened. Sophie was somehow aware of my presence in her head, and she listened when I told her to stop. The car was still moving closer. We were almost in plain view of their headlights. I wanted to tell her to run, but was afraid she would misinterpret that and run toward the car. While I was thinking of how to word my next command, someone grabbed our arm and pulled us into the woods. If I was in control, I would have screamed. But since it was Sophie, she bit whomever it was really hard. -Ouch! Annie, stop. It -(TM)s me, Josh. - He said in a rumbling whisper. Sophie went from anger to joy without a moment of hesitation. I swear it was like she hadn -(TM)t seen him in a year and was so excited to be reunited. Sophie jumped into Josh -(TM)s arms, causing us to tumble to the ground. I heard Josh grunt as we landed on top of him. -Shhh! - Josh said. Sophie knew that command. We all ducked down and watched as the car began driving donuts around the grassy field in the park. They were there for 15 minutes messing around before peeling out and back onto the street. Billy and Andrew were long gone, but Josh stayed with us until it was over. He then escorted us back to my house. -Do you want me to walk you in? - Sophie gave him a tight hug, smashing my boobs into his face in the process and then bounded into the house without a sound. She then crawled into bed and fell asleep. The funny thing is, when she fell asleep, so did I. The next morning, I lay in bed for a while remembering everything that I had experienced. Did Sophie really hear me or did she stop on her own? I had no way to know. At least it felt as though I had gotten more sleep. I -(TM)ve no idea what time we got home last night. I was trying to decide if it was more stressful being aware of what Sophie was up to or just waking up naked and covered in mud without a clue as to what had happened. Thinking about what might have happened if whoever was in that car had seen us left me trembling in fear. I decided to get up and at least wash my sheets and get cleaned up before my mom say how filthy I was. She still thought I was wetting the bed each night. There was going to be another full day of sorting and packing after breakfast. Once I was out of the shower and dressed, I went down to have breakfast. My mom had made us oatmeal with blueberries and cream on top. -What -(TM)s the matter, Annie? You look like you -(TM)ve seen a ghost or something. - My mom said as soon as I sat down to eat. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on how I was feeling. It took a second to realize that I was still scared by that car in the park. -Mom. I don -(TM)t want to move to New York. I really need to keep seeing Dr. Crowe. - I said. -I know you do, honey. We -(TM)ll find you a new therapist when we get there. I think your father has already started searching for a good one. - She tried assuring me. -Isn -(TM)t there anyway I can just stay here while you and dad move to Syracuse? - I asked. Sweetie, you can -(TM)t live alone. Remember what happened at the mall? Who would look after you? - She asked. -No, not by myself. Why can -(TM)t I stay with Dr. Crowe? - I continued. My mom laughed at that. -I really don -(TM)t think that Dr. Crowe wants one of her patients going home with her. - -I think she will. She said I am a fascinating case. She wants to study me. What better way to study me than at her house? - I pressed. -Annie, no. Don -(TM)t get your hopes up on something like this. Syracuse has plenty of therapists, and you will be fine there. - My mom said firmly. -But mom, just ask her. Please. She told me she owes Dad a favor. Have him ask her. Please. - I begged. -Stop whining. I said no. If you keep pressing on this, you -(TM)ll be working through lunch today. - She told me. I could hear the anger in her voice as she spoke. I was mad too. I knew if they asked, Dr. Crowe would say yes, but if she won -(TM)t ask then I -(TM)m screwed. I lowered my eyes and pouted while I finished breakfast. Maybe I could call my dad later and ask him to call her. I could usually get him to do small things for me by sitting on his lap and smiling. But he was across the country, so I would have to try and be cute on the phone somehow. After breakfast, we went to my dad -(TM)s study. He had a lot of books for us to pack up. We could only add the books to the boxes. Once the boxes were full, neither of us could lift them, so we had to pre-stack the boxes first and add books. I had never noticed it before, mostly because I don -(TM)t come in here and I never looked at his book shelf before, but my dad had seven books all written by Dr. Sheila Crowe. I had no idea she had written so many books. All of these books were on psychology, self-control and behavioral therapy. My dad was a physics professor, I have no idea why he had so many books on psychology. I asked my mom, but she didn -(TM)t know about them either. It took us most of the day to finish packing up his office. After that we decided to take a break for the night. My mom said she needed to go shopping, and I wanted to go see Josh. After last night, I owed him one. -Annie! - He said when he saw me. -Did you -- - he started and then lowered to a whisper, -want to talk? - I took his hand and walked us away from his house. -Josh. - I said when we were far away from any other people. -You have to keep this to yourself. Don -(TM)t even tell Billy or Andrew. - -Okay, I won -(TM)t - he agreed. -Promise? - I asked. -I promise. For real. Just you and me, okay? - he said. I nodded. -Do you remember last year when -- Tabitha had me walk around the neighborhood on a leash? - -Of course! - he exclaimed. -Hush, let me finish. - I scolded. Why did he have to be so loud? -At that time, I was seeing a therapist who was helping me with some body image issued I had. - -Body image? Your body is fantastic! - he said. -Quiet! - I whispered furiously. -Enough of that. Let me finish. She was using hypnosis on me. - Josh looked like he wanted to jump in, but I could see him bite his tongue to keep from blurting something stupid out. -Without getting into too many details, one of the things she hypnotized me to do was to -~accept -(TM) things that were happening around me more easily. Tabitha took advantage of that, and was very abusive to me. She made me believe that I was her pet. Even though she never called me a dog, under hypnosis, I -~accepted -(TM) that this was normal and believed that I was her dog. She even had a name she gave me. - I said. -Oh, I remember. She called you Sophie! - he said. -Are you okay? - When Josh blurted out the name Sophie, I could suddenly feel her in my head. She clearly recognized Josh and wanted to play. I felt dizzy as I was trying to maintain control of my own brain. My clothes even started feeling itchy. After about a minute, I steadied myself and was somehow able to push her to the back of my head again. -I -(TM)m fine, but please don -(TM)t mention her name right now. - I said. Josh nodded, but still gave me a questioning look as I continued. -I thought that this was dealt with last year, but -- I -(TM)ve had a lot of stress lately and -- - I still wasn -(TM)t sure if I wanted to say this, but he had helped me last night, so I thought I owed him this at least. -You see. When that was happening, I actually believed that I was -- well, you know who. - Josh nodded again, but now he looked very concerned. -Lately, at night, she has resurfaced. She waked up in the middle of the night and strips me naked and then goes outside to play. Do you understand? - I asked. -That makes so much sense now. You -- she doesn -(TM)t speak. She just wants to play games and run around like a lost puppy. - He said slowly. -Do not tell anybody about this. Even my parents don -(TM)t know. I am seeing a psychiatrist and trying to get this resolved. I just wanted to tell you because you -- helped me last night. - I said. -You remember last night? - he exclaimed. -Yes, last night I was sort of a passenger in Sophie -(TM)s head. Sorry for biting you, by the way. - I said sullenly. -It still hurts! - Josh said, and raised is arm up so I could see a perfect half circle on his forearm that would perfectly match the same of my teeth. At least it didn -(TM)t look like I broke the skin. -Sorry. - I repeated. Josh nodded. -So what now? - -I don -(TM)t know. My parents are moving us to New York in a couple of weeks. If I can -(TM)t get out of it, I am afraid what will happen. Sophie has my childhood memories, from what I can tell. If she wakes up in a strange city, who knows what she will do? - I saw as Josh -(TM)s jaw dropped. -You -(TM)re moving? - -I -(TM)m trying to get out of it, but uh, yeah. >I guess either way I am moving. Hopefully I can stay near here and keep seeing Dr. Crowe. - I said. -But right now, I don -(TM)t know. - I didn -(TM)t realize that I was dropping a bomb on a close friend until I saw him reel back and start crying. I cried too. A lot of anxiety and stress had really suppressed the sadness I was feeling about leaving my childhood home. I would miss Josh -- and Billy and Andrew and a dozen other people. I have him a big hug and we cried together for a while. Eventually, I went home to some happy news. -She said okay. - My mom said as I walked into the house. -Who? - I asked. -Dr. Crowe. She told your father that, if you want to stay here instead of move to Syracuse with us, it would be okay for you to stay with her. - My mom said flatly. -Mom, I -- thank you for asking her. - I said and began crying. It suddenly felt like a 1,000 pound weight had just been lifted off of my shoulders. -What did dad say? - -Nothing. I told him about your bed wetting issue and how you have been so stressed out over this move. I mentioned that you asked to stay with Dr. Crowe and -- he called her. While I was still on the phone, he just added her to the call. - -He did? Then what? - I asked. -She sounded -- amused, when he asked if you could stay with her, she laughed softly and then said, -~of course, Annie is welcome to stay as long as she likes -(TM). - I gave my mom a big hug. -I love you mommy. I love you so much! I need to stay here for a while, but I love you and daddy more than anything in the world! - -I know honey. We love you too. Just, get better soon so you can come stay with us some more. I -(TM)ll miss you more than anything! - she said. We hugged for a long time. More Therapy - Chapter 8 -Are you sure you want to do this? - My dad asked. -No. - I admitted. It had been more than a week since Sophie went out for one of her little walks. Dr. Crowe told me that it was being caused by stress. It also might have been because of how exhausted I was. My mom and I had to pack up the entire house by ourselves, since my dad had just showed up this morning driving a moving truck. At least he brought a couple of college guys with him to load everything up. It was now 3:00 PM on Monday, and they wanted to get to Bakersfield before stopping at a hotel for the night. Dr. Crowe -(TM)s office is only open on Tuesday and Thursday, so they were dropping my off at her townhouse. It turned out that she only lived a few blocks from me, so I could still hang out with my friends this summer. -Daddy, - I said, barely holding back my tears. -Mom, I don -(TM)t want to do this -- I need to though. If I don -(TM)t stay here and keep seeing Dr. Crowe, I am terrified what might happen. - -We understand. - He said calmly. My mom had been hugging me all day, my dad was less of a hugger, but when we finally said goodbye, we hugged for a long time. Then they got into the moving truck and I watched them drive off before I headed into my new home. Dr. Crowe was smiling at me when I rang the bell. -No need for that, if you -(TM)re going to live here it -(TM)s best I get you a key. - She showed me a bedroom with a twin sized bed, and a large round, flat cushion on the floor in the corner. -You can leave your bag in here. - She said. After that, she showed me the rest of the house, what there was of it. She had a bedroom that had been converted into a recording studio. -I record a weekly podcast and a radio show in there. Best not to disturb me on Mondays and Wednesdays. - She said. -I understand. I can be quiet. - I assured her. It all looked expensive, whatever it was. -While you -(TM)re living here, there won -(TM)t be any need for you to keep your weekly appointment, since I will be giving you regular care all week. - She continued. -That makes sense. - I said slowly. -How would you like to work two days per week instead of just Thursday? - She asked. -What about Becky? Doesn -(TM)t she want her hours back? - I asked. How she could live on one day a week, I had no idea. -Oh, she -(TM)s retired. I was going to have to replace her either way. - She told me. -Okay, I can work both days then. - I said. -Great! That -(TM)ll save me from having to bring a temp in tomorrow. - She said cheerfully. After that we sat and ate dinner together. Her diet consisted of steamed vegetables, steamed chicken breast and a small bowl of white rice. It was practically tasteless. I could see why she was so thin. She barely took in any calories. After dinner, I helped her wash the dishes and put everything away. -Well, - Dr. Crowe said casually, -I think it -(TM)s time I met Sophie. - -What? - I asked. -In order to treat you, I also have to treat her. You might as well get it out of the way. - She said. I could see her pulling a length of rope from a hook behind the door. As she approached me I realized, -Is that a leash? - I asked. Not that I wasn -(TM)t expecting this at some level, but I had just gotten here. -Best to be cautious until I understand what I am dealing with. - She said. I watched as she pulled out a pair of padded leather gloves and proceeded to put them on. -But how do you want me to --? - I asked. -I suppose, the safest thing is to start with a blindfold. - She told me. -Then you can strip. That will give me time to put the leash on you before you remove the blindfold. - Of course, I was still wearing the collar. Even though I had not heard a peep from Sophie for a while, my experience at the mall made me realize that if she were to get out at the wrong time, she might get lost or arrested or something and who knows what would happen to me? I would have preferred to get settled before opening this can of worms, but I was a guest in Dr. Crowe -(TM)s house, and I didn -(TM)t want to start my stay here by being argumentative. I went to my suitcase and pulled out the long scarf she had given me. I folded it in half and then proceeded to tie the blindfold around my eyes. Next I stripped off my clothes and neatly placed them back into the suitcase. Fortunately, I had been practicing doing things blindfolded for the past could of weeks and was getting good at basic tasks. Subconsciously, I even counted the steps from the door to the suitcase. Smoothly, I retraced my steps, now fully nude except for the blindfold. -Good girl. - Dr. Crowe said. -Do you think you can walk to my voice? - It wasn -(TM)t that hard, though I had no way to accurately gauge. I estimated that I stopped about 3 feet in front of her. -Okay, now take off the blindfold. - She told me. I took it off. I was staring at her. I felt my body tense in anticipation. It was really hard not to close my eyes out of fear and habit, but I forced them to remain open. -How do you feel? - Dr. Crowe asked. -Nervous. - I admitted. I could still remember what had happened at the mall, and it was twisting my stomach into knots thinking about it. -Okay, I want you to look straight ahead. - She told me. That was not a problem. The idea of lowering my eyes to see my own nakedness was repulsive to me at the moment. Just then, Dr. Crowe took a step to her left. When she did, for a moment I thought that there was a naked girl standing behind her. It only took a moment to realize that she was standing in front of a floor length mirror and I was now staring at myself. I panicked, but too late. I could feel the walls closing in around me. My vision darkened until all I could see was a dark red. It darkened deeper into a purple. Suddenly, I felt myself being carried around the room. Not carried -- I was running in circles. It took a minute for me to gain access to my eyes. I could hear Sophie -(TM)s panicked thoughts. She didn -(TM)t know this place. The collar and leash were on her, but she had jerked away so hard that the leash had slipped out of Dr. Crowe -(TM)s hand. Sophie was running away from Dr. Crowe and looking for an exit. Twice, it looked like Dr. Crowe had us cornered, but Sophie was quick and leaped around her. Finally, she saw the exit and bolted out the door. I could hear Dr. Crowe chasing after us, but Sophie was too fast. Once we were outside, we sprinted for longer than I ever thought possible. Sophie didn -(TM)t have clear thoughts, but the emotion she felt I fully understood. Home. After Dr. Crowe was no longer in sight, Sophie slowed to a jog. At this point, I had wished that I left my shoes on, as I could bare feel my feet pounding on the sidewalk as we ran. We passed by a lot of people, I didn -(TM)t recognize any of them, but there was still this feeling of -- I -(TM)m naked in pubic again! It was still daylight out after all. Worse yet, we were not even headed back toward my house. It hadn -(TM)t occurred to me that Sophie might not be able to find my house. We really weren -(TM)t that far after all. All I could feel from her was the emotion of home. She was desperate to get there. Suddenly, I heard a coherent thought, -~Sophie is a bad girl -(TM). That thought repeated over and over as we ran through the street. I wanted to tell her to stop. Or to turn back. Or something -- I just didn -(TM)t know how to communicate with her. I felt so pitiful about her. She was crying now, and I wanted to cry too. More neighborhoods. This one felt somehow familiar. Suddenly, Sophie stopped. She looked around frantically. The house we were standing in front of appeared empty. No cars in the driveway, the grass had overgrown all over the yard. But still, it was familiar. There was a fence around the yard, with a rusty gate. It creaked as Sophie pushed it open. Tears filled our vision as I heard her continue to repeat, -~Sophie is a bad girl. -(TM) We went to the back yard and that -(TM)s where I saw it. We were standing outside of an old dog kennel. The dog house inside wasn -(TM)t real tall, I knew from experience that if I ducked down, I could fit inside. It was empty. This place was empty. Sophie began to howl. We were home, but Tabitha was long gone. -What are you doing there? - I heard a familiar sounding woman -(TM)s voice ask. I felt Sophie panic and she immediately lied down on the ground. She wasn -(TM)t hiding, she was scared of being beaten. She recognized the voice quicker than I did. -I asked you a question! - Heidi demanded. She had now followed us through the rusty gate and was standing over us. Sophie looked up at her for half a second and then put her eyes back down. -Who are? Why are you naked? - Heidi asked, some of the anger draining from her voice. -Annie? - Sophie lay there trembling. Heidi reached down and picked up the leash. -Sophie? - Sophie looked up, I felt hope in her heart as she suddenly had a strong desire to do whatever Heidi wanted her to do. Sophie wanted to be a good girl again. It was the only thing in the world she wanted. -Come on. - Heidi said. Walking us out of the yard. -Tabitha doesn -(TM)t live here anymore. - Sophie was so happy that Heidi was taking her for a walk again. She wanted to show how good she could keep up. As we got to the street, Heidi said. -Stop. - Sophie stopped. Sophie was a good girl. -Look, Annie, um, Sophie. Look, Tabitha moved away because of what happened. Both of us got into a lot of trouble because of you. - She started but changed to, -I -(TM)m sorry for what we did to you back then. I -(TM)m sorry for how things turned out. It just -- what happened to you? Did you escape from the loony bin or something? - She asked. Sophie looked at Heidi with a beaming smile. That feeling of home was everywhere. -You can -(TM)t stay here. And you can -(TM)t stay with me. Where did you come from anyway? And who put this collar on you? - Heidi asked. Sophie, of course said nothing. Heidi took the time to look at me. Something about the collar caught her eye. Suddenly, she pulled out her cell phone and made a phone call. -Hi, is this Dr. Sheila Crowe? - Heidi asked. I could hear someone speaking on the other side, but couldn -(TM)t make out words. -Hi Dr. Crowe. Do you know anything about a naked girl running around with a dog collar and a leash? - Heidi asked cautiously. -Oh, well -- I can bring her to you. - Heidi said. -Where are you now? - -Okay, hold on. I -(TM)m punching the address into my phone. Okay, see you then. - After she hung up, Heidi picked up the leash again and said -Let -(TM)s go. - Sophie was so proud. She walked so well. Tabitha had trained us to only walk as we were instructed. Heidi wasn -(TM)t as good at giving the instructions as Tabitha had been, but Sophie didn -(TM)t care. She was happily going for a walk. Sophie is a good girl! That last thought came from me. Heidi was following the turn by turn navigation on her phone. We were walking back a different way from the way we came. I was starting to worry that Heidi had called the wrong person until I suddenly realized that we were heading to Dr. Crowe -(TM)s office. Dr. Crowe was waiting for us outside. She waited as we approached. I could feel Sophie -(TM)s emotions becoming conflicted. She clearly recognized Dr. Crowe, but was with Heidi now. Sophie was feeling -- confused. -Annie, where did you run off to? - Dr. Crowe asked me. -She answers to Sophie. - Heidi said flatly. -I think you know that. - Heidi was tall for a girl. Tall and broad. Dr. Crowe was closer to my height, 5 -(TM)3 - and very petite. If the size difference intimidated Dr. Crowe, there was no sign of it. -And you are? - Dr. Crowe asked her. -My name is Heidi. - She responded. -Ah, so that is where she went. Looking for her old master. - Dr. Crowe said. -She was looking for Tabitha. She moved. So Sophie began howling and waking up the neighborhood. I just happened by and recognized her is all. - Heidi said. -Well, thank you for returning her. May I? - Dr. Crowe asked, holding her hand out. Heidi handed out leash over to Dr. Crowe. She then looked at me and said, -Sophie, listen. Tabitha is gone. I -(TM)m not your master. You now belong to Dr. Crowe. Do you understand? - Sophie lowered her head and began to whimper. -Sophie, listen. Do not come looking for me to Tabitha again. I mean it. You stay! Understand. - Sophie met Heidi -(TM)s gaze for a second, and then nodded. I had not seen her do that before, but it seemed to be what Heidi was looking for. Heidi turned back to Dr. Crowe. -Is she going to be okay? - -Eventually. - Dr. Crowe said. -She had a long road to recovery, but eventually she -(TM)ll be okay. - Heidi then turned and left without another word. -Let -(TM)s go home, Sophie. - Dr. Crowe said. We walked back to Dr. Crowe -(TM)s house. Sophie walked well, but she was not so proud this time. If I had to guess, she felt bad for running away. Or maybe she was fearful she would be punished over it. If that was what she thought, well -- she was right.