Emily is a gentle soul: quiet, shy and somewhat socially unsure of herself, and at only five feet four inches tall, she is but a bit of a thing.

 

Emily grew up on one of the neighboring farms that surround Merino, helping her folks and multiple siblings, raise sheep and an assortment of other livestock. Chickens, a couple of goats, a dairy cow and always an assortment of stray cats and dogs could be found wandering around, all of which Emily loved.

Most of the animals besides the sheep were for the families personal use; eggs from the chickens, cheese and milk from the goats and cow, the cats kept the rat problem down and the dogs kept the coyotes at bay. Emily tried not to think about what happened to the sheep when they up and disappeared every year or so. She made a point of not getting too attached to them, but all the other animals were her best friends.

Her older brothers would tease her about her weakness ( as they saw it ) for the animals, saying she needed to toughen up and get real. But Emily didn’t see it that way and her brothers’ remarks only increased her dislike for people, especially her brothers.

She had decided at a very early age that she preferred the company of animals over those of people. As far as Emily was concerned, people were demanding, loud and generally bothersome.

At eighteen, Emily left the farm and her brothers behind and moved into town with Jasper, her trusted companion, where they quickly found the perfect place to live. Initially, the landlord tried to warn her about the occasional noise but, to Emily, living above a pet store was a dream come true. She would visit the animals daily, sometimes taking them upstairs with her for the evening for the company. They made her feel like she was back on the farm, except better because she was without her pain-in-the-butt brothers.

It didn’t take long before Emily’s enthusiasm paid off and she got a job working at the pet store full-time.

After many years of hard work, dedication, and living frugally, she managed to save enough money to buy the pet store and her apartment too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now she is the proud owner of Emily’s Pet Store and life is good for her and Jasper. What else or who else could possibly make this any better?