Mila and the Little Yellow Gate

Chapter 1: Kindness

The first thing Mila carried into her new home was a stick.

It was crooked, muddy, and much too important to leave behind.

The second thing was a small brown dog named Button, who followed her through the yellow garden gate as though he had an appointment.

“Welcome,” said Anna, the woman waiting beside the door.

Mila held her stick tighter.

Button sneezed.

“Well,” Anna said softly, “welcome to you, too.”

For a long time, Mila had lived in a house where the grown-ups did not give her the care she needed. Some days, there was nobody to help when she felt hungry or frightened.

The dogs had stayed close.

Mila knew their sounds. She knew the soft huff that meant sleep, the sharp bark that meant someone was coming, and the warm silence of a dog resting beside her.