The boy quietly opened the door and entered the apartment.
The familiar «Mom, I’m home!» remained unspoken this time.
Elena immediately noticed something unusual: her son hadn’t taken off his shoes, there was no sound of the zipper on his jacket, nor the rustle of winter clothes.
He didn’t move or make any noise like he usually did.
—Luka, is that you? I bought some herring, the potatoes are almost ready—I’ll be there soon for dinner.
Silence.
—Lukasz?
Worried, Elena quickly dried her hands on a kitchen towel and walked into the hallway.
One look at her son was enough for her to know: something had happened.
He stood there, confused, as if in another world.
The look he gave his mother pierced her heart with anxiety.
She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and looked closely at his troubled face:
—Did someone hurt you? Did you hurt someone?
—N-no… Mom… there’s a dog…
The boy was trembling, holding back tears that threatened to spill at any moment.
—Tell me everything, don’t hide anything from me!
—Mom, there’s a dog in the trash. He’s hurt.
It’s not just a garbage pile—it’s a basement under the house.
I wanted to help him, but he growled.
He’s lying there and can’t get up, Mom, and it’s cold outside.
People threw garbage at him.
Elena sighed in relief: thank goodness nothing had happened to her son.
—Where exactly is this dog? Here, right next to the building?
—No, on the street over, I always go there when I come back from school.
Come on, Mom, we have to help him!
—Did you try asking an adult for help?
—Yes, but no one wanted to help.
Everyone just shrugged, Luka said, looking down.
—Listen, Luka. It’s late and dark. Take off your jacket.
Maybe the dog was just resting?
—No, he can’t get up.
—You could be wrong. We’ll check tomorrow morning.
If he’s still there, we’ll think about what to do.
We’ll call the animal shelter or a rescue.
Agreed? Now take off your jacket before you catch a cold.
Luka reluctantly began unzipping his jacket.
—Mom, what if he freezes to death overnight?
—He’s a dog, Luka.
Besides, he’s a stray—he’s used to the cold.
He has fur to keep him warm.
He’ll be fine.
Luka went to wash his hands, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what he had seen.
The dog’s eyes appeared before him: frightened, full of pain.
He remembered looking into the dark opening of the basement that served as a dump.
There, he didn’t see a purebred dog, but a mutt with reddish patches on its cheeks.
How long had it been there?
Why couldn’t it get up?
These thoughts hurt and made him feel sick.
That evening, Luka was out playing with a friend.
Even though it was winter, the weather was mild, but the cold was still present and the snow covered the ground like a white carpet.
They rode long sleds, sometimes real sleds, sometimes pretending to snowboard.
When they decided to head home, they took a shortcut along a narrow path next to the house.
What made Luka suddenly look into the dark corner of the trash area?
Two eyes were shining in the darkness.
At first, he thought it was a cat.
When they got closer, they saw… a dog.
Luka turned on the flashlight on his phone and pointed it at the basement.
In the dim light, he could see tufts of fur torn out by bites and a deep, bleeding wound on the dog’s hind leg.
How could he leave this poor animal there?
For thirty minutes, Luka stood near the hole asking passersby for help.
But no one stopped.
Young people, adults—even the elderly—ignored him.
The next morning, Luka woke up early.
He got dressed quickly and headed for the door.
Elena was getting ready for work.
—Mom, I want to see if the dog is still there.
—Luka, I’m sure he’s gone already.
You worried all night and didn’t sleep for nothing, she sighed.
Luka said nothing.
When he got there, he looked back into the hole.
The dog was still there, barely breathing.
—Mom, he’s still here! Luka shouted, trembling, and called Elena.
—We can’t leave him like this!
Elena tried to get help, but neither the fire department nor the building manager paid her any attention.
Finally, she called her friend Marina, who advised her to contact an animal shelter.
Marina found the contact information for the “House of Hope,” and the volunteers agreed to help.
Luka waited anxiously.
When they arrived, one of the rescuers climbed down to get the dog.
Because of the cold, the animal was frozen to the metal surface of the basement, lying in his own filth.
“You’re safe now, poor thing,” he said, gently petting the dog.
—My God, he’s just skin and bones!
The dog was treated and taken to the animal shelter.
In time, Luka and Elena decided to adopt him.
The story spread and Luka appeared in the news, but he didn’t see himself as a hero:
—I just did what any person with a conscience would do.
The world has become so indifferent that a simple act of kindness causes surprise.
It’s sad.
I want people to be more compassionate.
Now the dog, whom Luka named Max, lives with him, and the boy dreams of becoming a veterinarian so he can help even more animals.
