When Travis was a boy, he was obsessed with trains, so he's the one who named me Caboose. Appropriate also, because I would follow him wherever he went, like he was the boxcar I was attached to. This is why the days during the school year were so hard. Travis would always be in a hurry in the morning so he wouldn't miss the school bus, then be gone for what seemed like forever, then the bus brought him home, finally. I grew to both hate and love the sight of a school bus, and after many years, it didn't stop in front of the trailer anymore. Travis grew tall, his voice grew deep, and he was gone more and more. He left one day and never came back, leaving me with Dad and Midnight, the black cat. I've always gotten along fine with Midnight. She minds her own business, doesn't eat my food, and seems content to sleep most of the day and stay out most of the night. But Dad is a different story. He's the big man with the big beard. I don't like him, and he doesn't like me. He yells at me, and once Travis disappeared, he would hit me too. I ran away as quick as I could. One day the gate was left open and I flew through it like a hawk through the tree branches. I ran and walked for days. I got very tired, very hungry too. I was following the hilly roads that connect houses and corn farms, and I didn't see many people, though I smelled many animals nearby in the woods. I don't know how they manage to eat without humans, and I was just getting hungrier thinking about it. And then I smelled a wonderful smell coming from behind a house near the road, a mix of smoke and meat. I went toward it and found a blonde woman grilling hamburgers. To my surprise, when she saw me, she smiled and talked sweetly to me. Then she gave me a piece of hot meat and I fell in love with her. She gave me more food, a warm cushion to sleep on, and fresh water. She pet me and let me in her house. Her name is Emily. She's my new favorite person. I don't want to ever leave.