I’ve been delivering packages in the same neighborhood for over a year—same houses, same routine. But then came Blue. Unlike other dogs, he didn’t bark or growl. He just sat at the edge of a driveway and watched me quietly. Every day, without fail, he’d appear, walk up to me, and sit by my feet with soulful eyes. At first, I thought he was new to the neighborhood. But something about him felt familiar. One rainy day, I jokingly asked, “What’s your name?” Blue tilted his head and made a soft sound. That’s when I saw it—his tag. It didn’t say a name. Just one word:
“Melissa.” My name. The house he lingered in front of had been abandoned for over a year. I asked around, checked shelters—no one knew anything about Blue. Then one morning, he brought me an envelope. On it: “For Melissa Only.” Inside was a note and a key. The letter, signed “A Friend,” told me to go to the red-doored house on Willow Lane. It said Blue had found me for a reason—and there was something waiting for me. After my route,
I followed the directions. The house was run-down but familiar in a way I couldn’t explain. Inside, I found a box with photos—pictures of me as a child. Playing in a yard. Hugging a puppy that looked exactly like Blue. A second letter revealed the truth:
this was my childhood home. After my parents passed when I was eight, I was sent to live far away. The trauma had erased those early memories. But Blue—he never forgot. He had waited here, for years, hoping I’d return. The journal from my mother filled in the gaps. And Blue, the dog I didn’t even know I’d lost, had brought me home. That day, I didn’t just find a dog. I rediscovered a forgotten piece of myself.