When this ones Dad served in Vietnam during the war, she and her family lived with her Grandmother, out in the country. Her Uncle's property was beside her Grandmother's.

Across the field from her Grandmother's house lived an old man whom this girl was terrified of. Her first summer there, the man bought a German Shepherd and named him Duke. Duke was chained to a large tree on the back portion of his property.

belle would watch Duke from her bedroom window as he circled the tree over and over, the chain wrapping around the trunk until the gangly dog would get stuck, yelping pathetically.

That is how this one became friends with Duke. During the day, when the man was at work, she would race over and coax Duke to go the opposite direction, so he would have the full length of chain. We became best friends. The dogs affections seemed to soften the ache this girl experienced with her Dad being gone. The old man yelled at her when he found her on his property. He didn't have much use for children. But that did not keep her from her friend. It did make her more careful.

Once school started, she couldn't visit Duke anymore. By the time she got home and did her homework, the old man had returned home from work. Many times we would watch how he treated the dog. To say he was inhumane to the animal is a gross understatement.

Finally, her Uncle became so disgusted with the treatment of the animal or perhaps had tired of listening to her beg him to help her friend, that he went over and had a talk with the old man. The end product was her Uncle returned with Duke in tow.

This one recalls running towards Duke, just so excited... only to stop dead in her tracks as the dog snarled and curled his lips back. she was crushed thinking that Duke didn't like her anymore. her Uncle explained to her that Duke needed love and a home and that would make him better, and that she had to be patient because it would take some time.

Her Uncle had a chain link fence put up for Duke. Initially, Duke would just run in a circular pattern, having spent most of his life chained to that tree. After a time, he began to roam freely within his confine. A doghouse was built and her Grandmother donated an old quilt for his bed. This girl and her older sister would bring him special table scraps (this is before gourmet dog food had been invented).

He became a family project. Looking back, she can see that her Uncle worked hard with the dog, rewarding him when he responded well and punishing him when he would become aggressive. And he did it with love. After months of work, Duke had filled out and seemed to get better. Under her Uncle's supervision she was allowed to love on the dog. Sometimes, Duke would respond by licking her hand or wagging his tail.

Everything was going great until one fateful afternoon, Duke got loose and came after her sister. Her sister became frightened (she wasn't quite the animal lover that this one was and is). she was screaming like a banshee as she ran towards the house when Duke attacked her. Giving her one good bite before her Grandmother got him with the broom. Her sister had to go to the hospital for stitches.

This one remembers so vividly her Uncle telling her that Duke had to be killed (the phrase 'put down' wasn't common country terminology) because he could not be trusted and was a danger to us. This one cried and begged him to give Duke a second chance. But he said he wouldn't risk it. He instructed this girl to go into the house as he took Duke off in his truck. That was the last she saw her friend.

It was a very somber time for all of us and we mourned for the dog... well, she isn't so sure her sister did, but this one shed many tears. she heard many times that day, that there was no choice, that it had to be done. And several times the old man was mentioned in anger. It was many years before she truly understood the why the decision that was made that day was the only logical choice.

So what does this all have to do with us?

She has found that the people she has met online come from all walks of life. Some peoples journey has been smooth with very few bumps on the road. Whereas other have had hard paths to follow and fate has not been generous. They have had to claw and scrape in order to survive. The strongest were able to overcome the adversity of their beginnings and gained strength and determination from their experiences.

Others were not so lucky. Their experiences having left them bitter and selfish. Constantly craving what others possess and they have been denied. They come here in hopes of finding what is missing in their lives. Looking for a place to belong... to be accepted and perhaps even loved.

Within this group there are a few who, because they do not love themselves nor do they believe themselves worthy, mistrust and have little faith that others will see their worth. They try to steal a place within the community... keeping well hidden behind their screens.

Typically, the facade can't be maintained for any length of time and the truth comes out. More often than most would imagine, they are reprimanded and given a second chance. Gor is harsh but it's not without heart.

On the rare occasion, the breach is so great that the person can no longer be accepted as part of the community. And the hard reality is this is as it should be. It has to be this way.

belle imagines that those who have had the heavy task of exposing the person who has not been honest, do so with anguish in their heart. Perhaps anger too, but a sadness for the person who was not strong enough and did not possess the faith in us that we would embrace them for what they actually are.

belle does not believe there should joy in seeing the failure of another person or vindictive satisfaction that the person turned out to be less than what they portrayed. she does not believe there can be any happiness in being right about a person who has lied and cheated.

Do they belong here? Masters make this decision and most often the answer is no. Once trust is lost it is difficult to recapture.

Justice is a double edged sword; the guilty and the innocent feel the pain and will carry the scars of the experience. There are no winners.

This one believes we should mourn the loss of what they could have been and hope that they will find the strength to overcome the challenges in their lives, not only for themselves but for society as a whole.

It has been said that in the end, it is irrelevant how our journey began, or what hardships we have endured. Each of us are responsible for our actions and we will be held accountable.

Hopefully, those who have paid dearly for their ill fated choices will learn from the harsh realities of Gor… and choose to utilize this knowledge to their benefit. Perhaps in time they will find a place where they can belong… maybe not here... but somewhere.

Wishing everyone well,
Property of Ares^
belle{A^}