25 November 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2932: invisible dog

Photo by the author, Deeann D. Mathews

“I love that we all get to play with your dog Goody,” seven-year-old Amanda Ludlow was saying to best friend eight-year-old Gracie Trent, “but I was wondering if it might be nice if I could find a way to get an invisible dog, because Papa and Grandma are always telling me, 'we feed children, not pets.'”

Gracie considered this.

“Nope,” she said. “Two good reasons, and one is easy. Visible dogs love rolling in visible dirt, and leaving behind visible poop that isn't always so visible. So, your invisible dog would be visible one good dirt roll later, and then there's all that actually invisible poop to think about.”

“Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!” Amanda said. “Never mind!”

“The other thing is, you gotta learn the Jubilee way of looking at things like this,” Gracie said. “I didn't ask Mom and Dad for my dog or cat. Goody was thrown to me by your grandfather after his dumb owner thought letting his dog run up on your yard was a good idea.”

“And then had the nerve to run up himself to say something even dumber after Papa defended us – I mean, just dumb, because Papa doesn't discriminate!” Amanda said. “He dog-walked that guy so hard! Goody deserved so much better and you're it!”

“And then my cat Goldie was looking for a home and came in once I had her basket right,” Gracie said. “So, that was that. All that is because the Jubilee way of looking at things is, you're always gonna have what you are supposed to have when you are supposed to have it, so you just have to be ready.”

“Your Grandma Jubilee is kinda different from your Stepforth grandparents,” Amanda said, “but real nice, and that actually sounds real smart!”

“Listen, I didn't adopt y'all to some dumb brown bonus grandparents,” Gracie said. “We don't do dumb over here – OK, Milton does, sometimes, but he's getting better, too!”

“I feel like your brother Milton is going to be a great world explorer if he can just live until ten years old, just like my brother George,” Amanda said. “I pray for him to make it like I do George … just a few more months of praying!”

“Yeah, sometimes you do have to pray your folks through – all of my grandparents say that kind of stuff too,” Gracie said. “But that's the other thing about your grandparents. The Jubilee way of looking at your situation is that yeah, they do feed children, not pets – that's what your grandparents collect, because they collected you, Edwina, George, Andrew, Robert, Eleanor, and Grayson out of all your foster care situations.”

Amanda thought about this.

“Oh yeah … but … uh … does this mean instead of us getting a dog like I was asking God for, we got our cousin Glendella as a new sister?”

“Yep,” Gracie said. “That's what's going on, Mandie.”

“The Jubilee way of looking at things is kinda weird,” Amanda said, “but I kinda like it, because I like Glendella a whole lot more than I would like a dog!”

“All my grandparents are on this here,” Gracie said. “God hears our prayers and picks the best answer out, and when we don't know what that is to pray for, He just picks it out for us. You wanted a dog and y'all got Glendella. That's what Grandma Jubilee calls the upgrade pick.”

“Yep,” Amanda said, “and that way, I ain't gotta die three different ways because Papa, Grandma, and Edwina find out about the invisible poop – thank you, Lord, for the upgrade pick!”