Hunter and Benson

Benson pushes his snout under Hunter’s face and lets out a big breath. Hunter opens his groggy 14-year-old eyes and stretches, yawning “Good morning, Benson.” Benson, a sturdy but sweet 130-pound bloodhound dog, stretches and yawns, too. Benson hops out of bed and lets out a massive howl. Ah, Benson’s howls. Benson’s howls are deep and calming, especially for Hunter. His morning howl is a suburban rooster, signaling the start of the day.

Hunter follows his same routine every morning. Benson wakes him up at 7:00am, Hunter brushes his teeth for exactly 2 minutes, puts on blue pants and a yellow shirt, slips on his sandals, and puts on Benson’s special vest. Benson is a great dog, but he also has a special job for Hunter. Benson is Hunter’s autism service dog, which is basically a super helpful superhero friend! He helps Hunter with everyday things that can sometimes be difficult. Benson also helps Hunter calm down if he gets overwhelmed. Benson will push his big, heavy head against Hunter and this reminds Hunter that he is not alone! All of these things are some of the many reasons that Hunter loves Benson, but Hunter’s favorite thing about Benson has nothing to do with his duties as an autism service dog. Benson sings with Hunter every single day.

Benson’s special vest has pockets and loops so that he can carry important items, such as ID cards, with him. One thing that is always in the pocket of Benson’s special vest is Hunter’s black notebook. Hunter is super picky about things he likes, so this notebook is extra important. When Hunter does not understand something or has trouble figuring out how to express the way he is feeling, he writes down whatever words that come to mind. Sometimes they are happy, sometimes they are angry, sometimes they are sad, or anything in between. And then every day at 3:00Opm, Hunter and Benson walk the trail. Walking the trail is also a part of Hunter and Benson’s everyday adventure. Before they begin their walk, Hunter opens his black book, and reads the words he wrote down for that day. This is where Hunter sings. He sings songs he knows, or he even makes up songs sometimes! These songs help him understand his emotions better, calm himself, or just be happy! Benson joins in with howls and hollers as they pace the trail together. This is Hunter’s and Benson’s favorite part of the day. There is a bridge about halfway through the trail. Benson and Hunter always stop here, and Hunter sits down on a wooden bench that overlooks the water. He writes down every color he sees.

“Green trees. Dark green trees,” Hunter whispers as he writes in his black notebook. Benson barks in agreement.

“Umm… Bird! Red bird! Red and white bird!” Benson barks again, and Hunter scribbles it down.

“Blue water. Very blue water. Blue,” Hunter says gazing into the enchanting lake that the bridge covers. “AAAAAA-OOOOOOOOO!!” Benson interrupts Hunter’s peaceful gaze with a massive howl. Water is Benson’s favorite.

Hunter chuckles and scribbles his last thoughts on his notebook. He loves the smooth edges, sleek black cover, and crisp pages. He always uses the little band that wraps around the entire notebook which keeps it very neat and tidy, just the way Hunter likes it. Benson leans against Hunter, with the vest pocket right near his hand, signaling for Hunter to put the black notebook back. Hunter secures it into the pocket and begins walking on the trail again. The second half of the trail Hunter sings about the colors and things he sees. Benson joins in with his bellowing howls.

A woman runs up to Hunter. Benson steps in front of Hunter to ensure his safety.

“I hope I didn’t startle you! My name is Alma and I walk this trail every day, like you do! And I hear you and your dog sing every day!”

Hunter looks at her confused, he doesn’t understand why she is saying this.

She looks at him with big eyes, “I think you should enter in the town’s talent show! You and your dog! You guys make me so happy every day, I think you could make the whole town happy! It’s this weekend!” Hunter is starting to understand that Alma tends to talk a lot when she is excited, and she is definitely excited about Hunter’s singing.

“I would have to ask my mom. This weekend?” Hunter asked.

“Yes!!!” Alma jumped with joy and told him, “Please do it! You two are just wonderful, have a great day!” and she continued her walk on the trail.

Hunter stood there for a few seconds, then grabbed Benson’s special vest. “I want my notebook” he said out loud as he reached in the vest pocket. Right there, in the middle of the trail, Hunter writes down the two words talent show and then continues the walk. Hunter and Benson remain quiet the last bit of the walk. Not sad, just contemplative.

Hunter and Benson get home and Hunter’s mom greets him at the door and gives Benson a great scratch. Hunter shows his mom the two words in his notebook and she is thrilled. She tells Hunter she will find all of the details about the talent show and, if he wants to, he absolutely has her permission to participate! Hunter isn’t used to being excited about things, but he can’t seem to shake this warm feeling taking over his body. An earth shaking scream escapes Hunter’s body, and his mom immediately turns around thinking he’s been hurt. Quite the opposite. There he stands, gripping his special black book so tightly his knuckles are white, smiling bigger than his mom had ever seen. Benson immediately joins in and howls, his tail wagging viciously.

The weekend finally comes. Hunter is so nervous. He’s next. So many talented people have gone! Benson leans up against Hunter, he can tell Hunter is getting anxious. “Let’s do this,” Hunter says, giving Benson a pat on the neck. Hunter and Benson had never been in front of this many people before! They had never sung anywhere other than the trail!

It’s Hunter’s turn. He walks up to the microphone and Benson lays down in between Hunter and the microphone, plopping right on top of Hunter’s feet. This immediately makes Hunter smile. He leans over Benson and grabs his special black book out of Benson’s vest. He opens up to the page from the trail today and he sings about the bright blue water. He sings about how calm it is, the sounds it makes, the way it makes him feel. Benson has the best time joining Hunter with his deep vocals. After the performance, the crowd gave a standing ovation! Every single person was standing and cheering. “Hunter and Benson! Hunter and Benson!” they roared.

Hunter and Benson wait patiently for the results of the talent show. These minutes feel like hours, and Hunter is scribbling away in his black book. He is feeling so many things! All of the votes are finally in. They call the winners in order of third, second, then first. The wait is grueling.

“Third,” the head judge announces. “Tommy and the Dance Crew!” Four boys twirl, leap, and run onto the stage to accept the medals.

“Second, Philomena!” A stunning piano player, who is only 7 years old.

“And now, for first place…. The winner of the talent show is…..” the judge takes a pause for dramatic effect, “Hunter and Benson!”

The crowd erupts with cheers and excitement! Hunter cannot believe it! He doesn’t move, he just stands backstage frozen with shock. His mom is crying because she is so happy, urging him to go on stage. Benson hears the roars of the crowd and starts howling. Hunter grabs his notebook and finds the page from the trail a few days ago. Next to the words talent show Hunter writes one more word: happy. He tucks his notebook into Benson’s vest and they go on stage to accept the award.

Benson sits in between Hunter and the judge on stage. Hunter gently grabs the trophy and thanks the judge. Just as they were about to walk off the stage the judge bellows out “I have been holding back a secret! A secret about this talent show that nobody knows! The grand prize for the first place winner!” Hunter turns around. “Not only do you win first place, Hunter and Benson, but you also win the grand prize of………” this judge was a fan of dramatic pauses. “TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!”

Again, the crowd erupts. Hunter’s mom comes darting out from behind the stage, still in tears. Hunter is still. Everything is so loud. This is a huge surprise. $20,000! Hunter is overwhelmed and sits down right in the middle of the stage. Benson lays his head and front paws on top of Hunter’s legs. Hunter grabs his black book out of Benson’s special vest and flips through the pages hastily. He comes across the next blank page and just starts to scribble. Not words, just lines everywhere. The crowd begins to quiet down as they are concerned for Hunter. The judge walks over and asks if he is alright. Hunter writes a few words down, clenches his little black book, smiles wide ,and belts out the loudest shriek ever heard. The crowd explodes. People run on the stage, everybody is dancing and cheering!

That smile did not leave Hunters face for the entire evening. His mom wasn’t sure what they were going to do with $20,000, she was just so happy Hunter had fun! She was making dinner and was talking with Hunter about the money and what they were going to do with it. Hunter grabs his book out of Benson’s vest and opens it to a page. He leaves it on the kitchen table. Hunter’s mom walks over to read what looked to be a list:

- New vest for Benson

- New black notebook for me

- Pretty dress for Mom

- Thank you card for Alma

- Microphone for me

Hunter’s mom could not be happier, and the very next day they go out to buy all of those things! Hunter still sings on that trail and stops to write at the water, as long as Benson and his special black notebook are right by his side.