A girl, being towed away by the wicked stream heading towards the rocky rapids, was screaming for help. She began to lose her strength, her hopes waned.

Just when all seemed to be lost, the hero arrived and, without hesitation, plunged into the river. He swam, grabbed the girl and took her away from harm and back to the bank. Her parents arrived shortly in panic, wondering what had just happened. All was well.

“He started the same way,” Pip’s mother broke his attention off the show, “doing these small talent shows. If you’re lucky, someone will take notice and you’ll get in ads. From there, you can land better jobs like TV series and feature films.”Pip remembered again that it was supposed to be the day of his first ever talent show appearance, his debut, his first shot at fame. The prospect of performing before a hundred pairs of eyes was just unnerving; he didn’t want to be reminded of it.

“Your father,” Pip’s mother glanced upon a portrait on the mantelpiece, “literally jumped through hoops to get you in this position. A great performer, he was. The star of his very own show.”

Good breed, everybody said. This had made Pip even more uneasy. There was so much expectation, especially due to the fact that, like him, his father started young. He stole the eyes of a producer and landed his first advertisement gig. The nation fell in love with him and the rest was history.

The affectionate letters, the gifts, the posh trailer with sumptuous food; Pip would have all of that someday to his own name. But it won’t be easy. The inhumane work demands, the competition, not to mention the assassination attempts! Of course nobody told Pip about that last bit.

“It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there,” his mother continued. “That’s why you have to be careful. I can’t take care of you forever. There will be times where you have to stand up for yourself. You’re still young. It doesn’t feel right to put you through this.”

Pip wasn’t listening as he was now trying to remember his routines. He couldn’t fail, not after all those training sessions. The walks, the moves, the tricks; everything deserved to be performed flawlessly. Never mind the future, Pip just wanted to dazzle. It had been his dream since he was very young to perform and be famous. He wanted to be the hero rescuing the damsel in distress!

His mother looked attentively at Pip who was now immersed in his own world. A hint of concern on her face as there were things she wanted to tell him, but couldn’t. They would just shatter his dreams. He would stop doing this and that would be the end of everything. Should she tell him that he would lose his childhood? That he would be forced to grow up? That once he’s no longer a star and his physique fades, he would be brushed aside, never to be remembered again?

There was no time. Their owner came in and took Pip away. All his mother could do was to bid Pip farewell and good luck as he gave her a last glance. She hadn’t told him that they most possibly would not see each other again. After all, it’s a big world for a very young pup, and she had no place in it.