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Credits
Title: Adoption Poster: Milo!
Author: ©︎usubaorigeki
Year Created: 2023This article is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 License. In addition, content created by the authors, translators, or editors of this article is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 License unless otherwise stated.
"Content" includes text, images, sound, music, video, software, code and other information.
HELLO!! MY NAME IS MILO!!
Milo suddenly bursting out of the darkness with a booming bark!
Please Become My Master!
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I'm looking for a good and loving home in the Three Portlands-Boring area. What? You can't see me? Nope, I'm right here. I'm a ghost because I'm dead. Try looking through your video recorder or camera, if you like! You'll see me cheerfully running around. I hope you'll laugh and forgive me if I end up to startle you with some frightening footage, I don't mean to offend you! Though I'm a ghost, rest assured that I don't haunt or curse anyone! My greatest joy is spending time with my master. I just want to play with you when you're happy and be there for you when you're sad. Not to boast, but I'm smart enough to know how to care for people's feelings. |
I sometimes unwittingly trigger all sorts of spiritual events; for instance, I may cause a poltergeist phenomenon in my sleep and mess up your room, or leave vivid red footprints on the windows and ceilings of your house. At times, I may attract things. When the front door is knocked wildly and yet no one is there, when something is stirring in the dark, when your eyes meet theirs, call my name! Then play with me and everyone else! This is a great chance to make friends, Master! I don't like to be alone. So please don't chain me up or put me in a doghouse outside. Well, even if you do, I'll probably enter the house on my own since I can phase through walls and doors. Also, I don't really need food, but want a snack at a specific time every day. I can feel your love for me more that way. |
Important Things About Me!
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Notes From My Foster Parents!
Milo is a lively boy whose mere presence gives you the energy you need to live! But maybe a little too energetic at times. While playing with my beloved son, Levi, Milo ended up possessing him! My heart almost stopped when I saw my son laughing out loud and spiderwalking around the room while all the lights were flickering. I mean, my mom saw the scene with me and actually fainted from being so startled.
Levi wants to play the possession trick as many times as he can, but his grandma has been very much against it ever since. That's why we can't adopt him. I'm really sorry, Milo…
~Susan Ropp
I was having a dream, in which I was walking through a dimly illuminated tunnel with this terrible stench. I was at a loss, but there was a light a little further in, so I was moving forward, relying on it. I had no doubt that I was going in the right direction, because the stench became a nice flowery fragrance and the battered asphalt gradually turned into a nicely paved one.
But just as I was about to reach the light, I heard Milo barking behind me. It sounded like he was calling me, so I headed back. As I went backward, I could smell a pungent ammonia-like smell, sticky goo was dripping down from above, all I could see ahead was a red glow, and there was an ominous roaring sound. I somehow was not worried, however, probably because I kept hearing Milo's barks.
The next thing I knew I was on a hospital bed. Yes, Milo guided me back when I was wandering between life and death after a work-related accident. I’m truly grateful to him. …But I have lost the ability to move from the chest down due to my spinal cord injury. Milo is an energetic dog; he would surely feel constrained under my care. I don't want to leave him, but I still hope that he will find a better person than me. Please, please take care of him on my behalf.
~Keon Gerety
I was more of a temporary caretaker on Keon's behalf than an actual foster parent. The accident was unfortunate, but he didn't die and that's all that matters.
Anyway, Milo is really a good boy. When I want him to be quiet, he keeps patient; when I decide to play with him, he runs around through walls and ceiling, causing all kinds of spiritual phenomena. He really plays as much as he can. Well, it may be a bit frightening for those with weak hearts, but I was totally fine with it since I work out every day.
But I felt like he was a little too obedient. The moment I told him to stop playing, he would just stop. Maybe that's the only thing I don't like about him, he could be a bit more selfish. …I don't know what happened to him before his death.
~Nina Gerety
Milo is a stray dog rescued in 2012.
For more information or adoption:
Address: 31st North Deerway Avenue, Three Portlands
Phone: (503)-555-0187
Email: etis.snoitulosefildliwsnosliw|ofni#etis.snoitulosefildliwsnosliw|ofni
Void: Wilson's Wildlife Solutions!⁂wilsons-wildlife
Sent by: Eve Whitfield
Recipient(s): Anders Wilson
Date: 2023/5/03
Dear Wilson's Wildlife Representative
Hello, this is my first time contacting you.
My name is Eve Whitfield, from Three Portlands.
I have been reading your adoption posters for Milo for a while now, and I would like to adopt him if there are no other prospective foster families currently discussing the matter.
The main reason for this is frankly that I have wanted to raise a dog since I was a child. This may not be a longing or a dream, however.
I once let a dog die.
I have a deep desire to atone for that. I am deeply sorry to trouble you, but I would appreciate it if I could visit you there on a day that is convenient for you so that we can discuss the details of the situation, the conditions of transfer, and other things about the adoption.
I have never made such an inquiry before, and I know it might not be appropriate to send my thoughts one-sidedly via e-mail out of the blue. But I wanted to express my sincere wish to become a foster parent, and also felt that I should not hide anything from you, so this is how I ended up doing it. I apologize for that.
Once again, I hope you will consider the matter of my wish to become a foster parent.
Eve Whitfield
Sent by: Eve Whitfield
Recipient(s): Anders Wilson
Date: 2023/7/12
Dear Anders
Thank you for everything. I have become quite accustomed to living with Milo. He is a really docile boy, which helps me a lot. A lot of things have happened, but the Nearly Head-Only Person and the uncommunicative Lady-Who-Drags-Her-Insides are now all Milo's friends. Lately, it seems that everyone's favorite pastime is to sneak into a fluffy pile of laundry.
Anyway, to cut to the chase, I went to that place the other day. As it turns out, I was right.
Milo was the dog I had left to die.
I told you this once, but since I learned something new when I actually went there, I'm trying to recap a bit.
In my childhood neighborhood, there was a house that kept a dog, which was Milo before his death (apparently his name was Tucker at the time). His owner, an old man named Guilfoyle, was a bit of a strange person, and my mother was told not to get too close to him.
But then I was very young and very curious about Milo at that time. Every time I passed by the house, I greeted him. Milo was friendly and tried to get close to me, even though I couldn't touch him because his chain was so short.
In hindsight, it was obvious that something was off. Milo was very skinny, his legs were stained black, and he stank a bit bad. Milo had been neglected.
I heard that some people had witnessed Milo being kicked and thrown stones at by Mr. Guilfoyle. I think he was not getting enough food under such conditions. He was always outdoors, even when it was raining, covered in mud, and probably had no care for his feces. He was on a short leash, no freedom, no physical activity, no chance to have his nails trimmed. He may have already been ill with some disease at that time.
One day I went to see Milo as usual and he was not there. I called Milo really quietly (I don't remember what I called him then). But there was no response.
Instead, an angry-looking Mr. Guilfoyle came out. I was so intimidated and couldn't even move. But I mustered up the courage to ask. "What happened to the dog that was over there?"
Right at that moment, as if something exploded, he started shouting and yelling at me with a ferocious temper. I was so scared that I cried, I don't even remember how I left there, but I think I was being one-sidedly yelled at for quite a long time.
When I recalled that a little while later, I realized what I had done.
I didn't want to be scolded for violating my mother's word to stay away from Mr. Guilfoyle, so I kept it all to myself, despite the fact that I had noticed that something was obviously wrong with Milo.
If only I had been brave enough to do anything about it then. If I had contacted the police, animal control, or a shelter like WWS, Milo might not have died. Anders, you kindly said that I was too young and I shouldn't be blamed, but I don't think that's the case.
Since Mr. Guilfoyle has already passed away now, I don't know what actually happened to Milo. No matter what happened to him, what I did would still be the same.
I left Milo to die.
Look at this photo. Milo may have forgotten, but coming to that place probably reminded him of his previous lifetime. This was the first time that Milo, who would normally appear bright and clear, collapsed into a sludge like this.
To be honest, I am not sure how life with Milo will be from now on. Now Milo keeps deteriorating even more than in the photo, becoming a reddish-white lump drifting in the air and losing his original form.
I will continue to live with Milo. It is the only atonement I can make.
Eve Whitfield
Sent by: Eve Whitfield
Recipient(s): Anders Wilson
Date: 2023/7/18
I felt like it appeared in the kitchen so I took a picture.
It wasn't there.
I took pictures again and again, thinking that there was no way it could not be there, but it was not there.
Anders, like you, I thought Milo was not a good guard dog. But I was wrong. We are not scared of ghosts because they are ghosts. We are scared of them because of their hostility and the harm they can do to us. Milo was properly protecting me from those things.
When it first appeared I thought it was Mr. Nearly Head-Only again. I feel a presence, look toward the kitchen, and nothing is there. As I was repeating this sequence, I saw through the window an old man with a normal, fully-formed body walking slowly toward my house, looking at me.
Somehow the sight scared me, and I thought about running away, but for some reason I couldn't move.
When I came back to my senses, nothing could be seen on the other side of the window, and then the door was banged violently and repeatedly. And it was screaming "Open up!" while rattling the doorknob. Perhaps I was too frightened to think straight, I felt I had to follow its order. I opened the door and saw a scary-looking old man standing there, and I knew the moment I saw him.
It was Mr. Guilfoyle.
His cheeks twitched and then he started yelling something. I was thoroughly intimidated, like I used to be, and I crouched there with my ears covered and my eyes shut. I don't know how much time passed after that. At some point, everything suddenly got very quiet.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked around to make sure nothing was there. He was nowhere to be found. I went back into the kitchen to try to calm down. Nothing was behind the window either. I drank a glass of water and turned on the TV. As I did so, I heard Milo barking behind me.
I turned around with relief and saw an eye. Mr. Guilfoyle's face was so close to mine that my entire sight was occupied by his eye. It seemed to slowly grow larger, disregarding the size of his face. It was wriggling and distorting, expanding as it pushed away his nose and mouth. And it was weeping. His eye seemed to be appealing for something. It could be an elusive sadness, an uneasiness that makes everything look doubtful, an anger that can't be unleashed, or a frustration of being hated. I was almost going crazy with the inexpressible horror in his disturbing gaze.
But I managed to say out loud, "Help me. Milo, help me."
I think my voice was really small and faint. But Milo came to me. He burst in between me and Mr. Guilfoyle. I could see him clearly even without looking through the camera. I was able to escape from that eye at that opportunity. As Milo came forward to protect me, his legs seemed shaky and frightened, but he was firmly facing forward.
Then Mr. Guilfoyle yelled, as if to command something, and Milo stiffened for a moment. But he made a tremendous bark as if to inspire himself, and at the same time he instantly moved in front of Mr. Guilfoyle's face and pushed him down.
Mr. Guilfoyle was gone before I even knew it, I guess he disappeared right before he fell to the floor. I couldn't resist crying as I hugged Milo, who was approaching apologetically. When Milo licked my cheek, I somehow felt warm even though Milo was supposed to have no body temperature.
As I'm writing this e-mail, Milo is once again only visible through the camera. But he seems to have recovered a bit.
I apologize for sending you a sudden e-mail late at night. I'll talk about this on the phone tomorrow. And if possible, I would really appreciate it if you could come to that place with me.
Eve Whitfield
Sent by: Eve Whitfield
Recipient(s): Anders Wilson
Date: 2023/7/21
Dear Anders
Thank you so much for yesterday. I really appreciate you being present at that place and that moment. It was very reassuring.
Since a day has passed, I have once again tried to sort out the details of that day. I'm sending it by this e-mail, as I also have a personal matter to ask.
Right after the incident, it seemed to me that Milo wanted to go to Mr. Guilfoyle's old house. It turned out to be more than just my assumption; once we got there, Milo started barking while digging in the dirt near the front door. With the help of the people from the Wilson's, I dug it up, and as you did see, it was buried in a not-so-shallow depth.
Milo's physical body was resting there.
Naturally, it was already reduced to only a skeleton. And a short chain was still wrapped around his neck.
Following that, the people from the Wilson's called in various experts, and the process of collecting the bones ended up taking a whole day. While doing so, I could see that Milo's spiritual body began to deteriorate into a ragged mess. Perhaps it was because he once again understood that he was dead, it was obvious to everyone that he was rapidly weakening.
Gradually becoming dirtier and emaciated, Milo eventually collapsed on the spot and stopped blinking. He was writhing slightly and seemed to be breathing, but his body continued to crumble apart. It was hard not to look away as he swelled with gas and then shriveled, rotted, and decayed, but I knew I had to see it through.
Milo ended up like this because I had left him to die.
As the bones of Milo's body became visible, Mr. Guilfoyle was standing next to him without me realizing it. He was not as frightening as I had seen him that day, and was muttering something in a very small voice while staring at Milo.
When Mr. Guilfoyle reached out his hand, Milo suddenly lifted himself up and made a gesture as if he was going to bite him. But he stopped it at the very last moment and leaned his body against Mr. Guilfoyle's chest, with Mr. Guilfoyle also closing his eyes and gently embracing him.
And then, with a sudden jolt of their necks, Milo and Mr. Guilfoyle looked at me simultaneously and directly. Their eyes were pitch-black and hollow, which objectively might have been a frightening sight, but I wasn't afraid because I didn't feel any hostility or malice at all.
The moment I saw their eyes, I had a kind of weird vicarious experience.
I experienced Mr. Guilfoyle's feelings in the past. As I expected, Mr. Guilfoyle was a bit bigoted, but he once had someone who understood him. It was his wife. She was a sweet person who sheltered and cared for Milo when he was a puppy, and was the root of Milo's kind-hearted temperament.
After she passed away in an accident at work, everything changed. With no one around to truly understand him, Mr. Guilfoyle unintentionally began to direct his stress toward the unresisting Milo. Of course, Mr. Guilfoyle knew that what he was doing was terrible and shameful, but he couldn't stop himself.
Not wanting to face his abusive and miserable self, not wanting to face his own weakness and sin, he continued to abuse. But it never lasts. Eventually his own abuse itself became a stress for him; when he saw Milo, who remained gentle and unresisting, he was reminded of his wife, and so he became sick of seeing Milo and started to neglect him.
After seeing them up to that point I came back to reality.
It was actually less than a second, but I certainly experienced it. I could feel Mr. Guilfoyle's agony so keenly. Facing one's sins is really painful, and that is why I did not want to run away from it.
I was about to apologize again to Milo. But as if he saw through my intention, Milo turned back to his white fluffy self and gave me a single loud bark.
I swallowed my words, smiled and said, "Rest well, Milo!" Upon hearing this, Milo smiled relievedly and lightly turned away from me.
Mr. Guilfoyle was by Milo's side, and somehow his wife was also there, embracing Milo in her arms, and then they were gone before I knew it.
Well, that's all that happened! Excuse me for such a long re-telling. By the way, I had a favor to ask you if you don't mind; in fact, this is the main topic of the e-mail.
Is the Wilson's still looking for animal shelter volunteers?
Sent by: Eve Whitfield
Recipient(s): Anders Wilson
Date: 2023/8/27
Dear Anders
It has been a while. Here is a status update.
I was really surprised when Milo came back. Some time has passed since then, but I can remember it as vividly like it was yesterday. His habit of suddenly bursting out of the darkness was a usual thing, but at that time I was completely freaked out. I mean, with such a situation, it's only natural to assume that he had moved on, right?
Life with Milo is as pleasant as ever. He's still a good boy, but lately he acts a bit more demanding at times, like pleading "I want to play a little longer!" He also seems to be playing with Mr. Nearly Head-Only and the Lady-Who-Drags as much as before.
Also, Milo and I went to visit his old foster parents that you introduced us to some time ago. Keon was so elated that he now has an incentive to work harder in rehabilitation. Nina was with him and looked really happy to see Milo, saying "He's grown up a step, he sure looks good."
Though I initially thought it might be difficult to visit Susan's house, it turned out that Nina and her disapproving mom were old friends, and Nina successfully convinced her to allow Milo to visit. Levi was spiderwalking around overjoyed, but I personally was touched by Susan's tears of joy. I hope to visit them often in the future.
As for Mr. Guilfoyle, I continue to think about him. I know it was a very painful situation for him, and in some aspects he probably had no choice. But I will not forgive him. Milo may have forgiven him, but I will not forgive him even after I die.
Milo is dead. I'm not going to make it a beautiful story.
And I will not forgive myself for once turning a blind eye to Milo, either. I'm not talking about keeping blaming myself or pushing myself to the edge. I just want to ensure that I never forget what I did. I need to spend the rest of my life facing that.
As you of course know, I started working at the Wilson's as a volunteer. I hope that through assisting in various animal care activities, I will be able to gain some insight.
Oh right, look at this picture.
It looks like a regular ghost photo, like my hand disappearing a bit, but Milo is translucent in this picture, despite the fact that he would normally be clearly visible. Can you guess where he is?
It may not be long before Milo moves on after all. I would be happy if Milo stays with us, but I would also be delighted if he chooses to be content and go to rest. He has the right to enjoy his life, selfishly and greedily. There is no such thing as having to choose one or the other.
Milo is free now.
He is no longer bound by that short leash.