A Dog So Small

Ben is just an ordinary boy with an ordinary dream he wants a dog. He wants a dog so badly that he is pretty certain his grandfather will get him one for his birthday. His grandfather lives in the country, so Ben gets to play with his dog when he visits, but he knows that is not the same as having a dog of your own. As the middle child in a family of seven children, Ben needs someone special all for himself; His hopes are dashed when he receives a picture of a dog instead. Was that what all the hints and winks amounted to? Even if living in the middle of London is unsuitable for a dog, Ben wants one all the more and so retreats into a fantasy in which his need for a dog conjures up the smallest, least noticeable of dogs, the feisty Chihuahua, Chiquitita, "a dog so small that you could only see it with your eyes shut." Ben's obsession with having a dog of his own reaches a climax when he is hit by a car while crossing a road in search of his imaginary companion.