Nearly all of us have wasted our money from time to time on frivolous endeavors. Take claw machines, for example. A quarter deposit gets someone a small chance to win a stuffed animal that may or may not be worth the quarter. Peter's luck has never been that great. When he could barely talk he was once bitten by a rat and simultaneously filled with fears of rabies by his parents. Then a few years later, an accidental dip in the fishing pond at Sea World replaced his love of Shamu with extreme embarassment. And then there was Creation 98, where he learned that a Christian event does not always end with a hug by the greeters. Despite Peter's past mishaps he maintained an unusually high level of confidence in himself. So on that fateful day which he now remembers as YD day, Peter reached into his pocket and pulled out his final coin. It was just the size he needed. It was a quarter.
Knowing that his chances were slim, and also knowing that he had never had success with a claw machine, he inserted the quarter into the game. He took a glance at his seemingly infinite choices until his eye became fixed upon a small yellow dog. He maneuvered the claw over the dog, carefully calculating the precise angle of entry. When he was satisfied with his attempt, he closed his eyes and released the button. The next sound he heard filled Peter with the most unusual feeling. It was the feeling of success as he heard the slightest echo that told him that he had won the yellow dog. He was so excited that he had to go tell his friend Robert who had attended the movie with him. So he went up to his other friend who was there, Matt. Matt was one of his very best, and most trusted friends. He was his confidant, his compadre, his go to guy. So Peter kindly asked Matthew to hold the yellow dog. When Matthew agreed, Peter hooked the yellow dog on a loop thad protruded from his clothing. Peter told Matthew in words that were plain and grammatically correct, "Matthew, don't lose my dog. I'll be back!" Matthew answered with words of reassurance, so Peter left.
Shortly after Peter had left, Matthew showed up in the dark theatre. The movie was about to begin, so Peter decided to ask for the dog later. After finishing the movie, SMALL SOLDIERS, Peter looked at Matthew and asked for his dog back. Matthew reach for his pocket, but there was no yellow dog. The look on his face still haunts Peter to this day. His look was not a look of remorse, but rather a look of joy. It was as if he had lost the dog on purpose and thought it was funny. Peter was devistated. He had finally broken his chain of bad luck, and had obtained a token of his new beginning. But alas, the luck turned into bad luck,like always, and Peter went home that day, empty handed.
As emotions ran high, Peter began composing a memoir of his brief time spent with his yellow dog. The first movement, simply called YELLOW DOG, tells of his loss. It reveals both his shock and his horror of realizing that he no longer had his friend the yellow dog. Movement two, THE SORROW CONTINUES, dives deeper into the realms of sadness. It seems as if Peter is waging an internal battle between depression, anger, and denial. The final movement shows that Peter is coming to terms with what has happened, but still cannot accept it. He is angry and it shows is in THE WRATH POURS FORTH. A fitting end, and final farewell to Yellow Dog.