He found a freezing girl in the forest on a cold night and took her home. When morning came…

 Complaining like an old man about the amount of snow. Gustav Robertson opened the door and breathed in the frosty evening air. Then the old man stepped aside, giving way to his dog Buddy, who, despite the huge snow drifts, rushed forward, making way with his chest. That's right. You go, buddy.

Never scared of anything, be it snow or rain, mr. Robinson thought with the smile, took a shovel and started clearing the snow. It was already getting dark, but the snow kept falling, threatening to completely cover the roof of Mr. Robinson's house. The old man had only buddies help to count on, as he was a lonely hermit.

Gustav's beloved wife passed away seven years ago, six months after her son Connor went missing in the mountains of Colorado. The pain from the loss of her only son was so great that the unfortunate woman was never able to fully recover. Connor was a late child and was born when his parents were already in their forty s. The couple couldn't get pregnant for a long time, and when they were finally about to give up hope, a miracle happened. Connor grew up as an intelligent and well mannered boy, as if to live up to all the hopes and dreams of his parents.

But his true character was revealed when the boy graduated high school. It was then that Connor showed his parents that he could be obstinate and stubborn. His mother wanted her son to always stay close by, but the young man thought otherwise. Connor flatly refused to study and work at the local factory. The young man's soul yearned for adventure and travel, which a small town in northern Wyoming couldn't give him.

Connor left home in search of a better life. As soon as he reached the age of majority, the young man traveled around the country like a real pilgrim. Connor sent news to his relatives extremely rarely, which is why Mr. And Mrs. Robertson had to wait months to hear from him.

And seven years ago they got a notification that their son had died in the mountains of Colorado, having fallen off a cliff. His body was never found, which was devastating for the inconsolable parents, who were deprived of the opportunity to honor the memory of their son at the grave. Rebecca survived her son by six months, only having ended up in the hospital with a heart attack. Unfortunately, the woman never left the hospital after that, leaving Gustav Robertson in a mournful, dreary loneliness. It's hard to say how the old man's future life would have turned out if it weren't for the dog Buddy, whom he found as a blind puppy near the trash can.

The puppy was squeaking loudly and moving his black nose from side to side. The old man bent down and picked up the little thing.

What kind of monster threw you out? That's just cruel, whispered the old man, putting the puppy inside his jacket. Mr. Robertson stopped by the store on the way home, where he bought pet food, not forgetting to grab a couple of new bowls for water and food. The appearance of a puppy in the old man's house completely changed his life.

Now Mr. Robertson simply didn't have time to be miserable. Buddy was a fidget and a naughty little fellow, causing his master to laugh joyfully at his mischief. When the dog grew up, it turned into a lean, handsome animal with a powerful chest and long legs. Of course, when Buddy matured, he didn't misbehave as much and didn't really cause the old man any trouble.

And now, looking at the dog frolicking among the dazzling white snowdrifts, mr. Robertson couldn't help but smile. The old man's house stood almost at the very edge of the forest, which greatly pleased the lonely hermit, who loved the silence and the beauty of nature. Suddenly, Buddy froze and, taking a characteristic stance, pricked up his ears and then breaking through the snow drifts, the dog rushed towards the forest, barking loudly. Mr.

Robertson knew that the smart pet would never act like that for no reason, and therefore he immediately followed Buddy. At first, the old man thought that the dog had smelled a squirrel or a cunning fox, which brought a lot of trouble to local poultry houses. But when Mr. Robertson came close, he almost fainted with surprise. There was a girl, about seven years old, standing under a tree,

petting Buddy on the head without any fear or caution.

Dear God, how did you get here? Mr. Robertson asked in a concerned voice. Don't be afraid. I just went for a walk and got lost.

You have a good dog, the little angel answered quietly. Who would let such a little girl go out into the forest alone? That's really strange, the man thought, coming closer. Since the girl got exhausted from walking through the snowdress, mr. Robertson picked her up and carried her to his house, while Buddy ran along beside him.

Having seated the girl at the table, the old man started a fire in the fireplace and then poured hot tea for the guest and treated her to a biscuit.

The girl seemed very comfortable around the owner of the house and began to eat the treat with great appetite, which is why the old man concluded that she was very hungry. When the little guest had enough to eat, the old man asked cautiously, what's your name, sweetheart? Where do you live and who are your parents? Mr. Robertson understood that little girls don't just go wandering alone in the snowy forest, so he was very worried about these questions.

My name is Daisy. I live with my mother in a house with the red roof and ivy on the walls. It's next to a beautiful store. Mom sleeps all the time, and I'm always so bored, so I went for a walk, said the little girl with childish innocence. Mr.

Robertson tried to figure out what he should do. Frankly, he was very sorry for the little girl who could have died in the forest. Therefore, having decided to have a talk with her mother, he put Daisy to bed, and the next morning he went out to search for the house Daisy had described. The old man assumed that by the beautiful store, the girl meant the recently opened supermarket. Mr.

Robertson found the house he was looking for rather quickly, since there were no other buildings nearby that matched the girl's description. The old man stepped closer and, mustering up his courage, gently knocked on the door. To a surprise, there was no response. Mr. Robertson was about to leave when he realized the door was unlocked.

The old man thought for a second or two, and then timidly went inside. What he saw inside the house made Mr. Robertson feel uneasy. The floor and virtually everything in the house was covered with a thick layer of dust and dirt, and there were empty alcohol bottles everywhere. The old man carefully went inside and saw a woman lying on the sofa.

Her age was extremely difficult to determine. There was a strong smell of alcohol coming from her, and Mr. Robertson immediately realized what Daisy was trying to tell him. The girl's mother was always sleeping because she was always drunk. The old man gently touched the woman's shoulder, but there was no reaction.

Then he became more persistent, and after a couple of minutes he managed to wake her up. The woman's face was all swollen up from sleeping and drinking. What do you want from the old man? And how did you get inside? The woman asked, irritated.

Excuse me, ma'am. The thing is, I found your daughter in the forest. She was all alone. She could have died. Do you realize that?

Exclaimed the old man. Did that obnoxious girl run away again? I'll teach her to run away. Yes, I'll do that. Let me just get my bearings, the old woman muttered, falling back asleep.

Mr. Robertson grimaced and disgusted, and realized that there was nothing more for him to do. There. He was going to let the girl come back to her alcoholic mother, who couldn't even take care of herself, let alone a small child. Glancing at the bank statements notifying of missed payments on her debt, the old man learned that the woman's name was Deborah Wilson.

Leaving the house, which turned out to be so inhospitable, mr. Robertson already knew deep in his soul that he simply couldn't give the girl back to such an irresponsible mother. Having returned home, the old man found Daisy riding buddy. The dog was incredibly happy about all the extra attention he was getting from the little girl and kept licking her face. It looks like you two have already become friends, the elderly man thought, smiling.

Grandpa, can I live with you? It's nice here, so warm and clean. And your dog is so sweet. I promise I won't run away, said the little girl, seeing the owner of the house. Come in.

Yes, dear. You can stay here. You can live here. I don't mind, the old man said, feeling anxious about Daisy's future. The fact was that, despite his sympathy for the girl, mr.

Robertson understood that this couldn't be a long term arrangement. At the very least, it was illegal, since Daisy had a mother who could claim her rights at any moment. Okay, I'll let her stay for now, and I'll figure out what to do in the meantime, the old man thought, rejoicing at such a simple solution to the issue. The next day, after consulting with a neighbor, mr. Robertson realized that he needed to go to the social services.

It was only them that could deprive an alcoholic mother of their parental rights. Looking at Daisy playing with Buddy for hours on end, the old man felt a pleasant, unfamiliar feeling, a rise in his soul. Mr. Robertson thought of Daisy as his granddaughter and treated her with due warmth and care. Therefore, when the elderly man went to the social services, he had already grown attached to the girl with all his heart.

Fortunately, the staff treated Mr. Robertson's request with understanding. In order to grant or deny the old man's petitions for custody of the girl, a special commission was created which went to Deborah Wilson's house. The doubts of the employees were immediately dispelled when they saw the condition of the house and its owner.

Deborah meeting the guests with drunken abuse, and didn't even understand that she was losing her parental rights. Moreover, the woman didn't even notice that her daughter had been missing for several days. Mr. Robertson, thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. There can be no doubt in this situation.

I'm sure your request will be approved, said the social worker, smiling reassuringly and touching the old man's hand. Sure, you all conspired against me. Here a bunch of scammers. Do you want to take my daughter away? You're taking advantage of the fact that I came from another state and have no friends here at all.

If only my husband Connor were alive, he would have never allowed this. Deborah exclaimed. What did you say, Connor? Excuse me, do you happen to have this picture? Mr.

Robertson asked excitedly, whose heart skipped a beat. The old man understood that there were hundreds of thousands of men with that name all over the country. But a strange, disturbing feeling told the man that he was on the verge of a shocking discovery which could radically change his whole life. Now hold on, I'll show you my Connor. Deborah exclaimed angrily, and opening the closet, took out a picture in a black frame.

Looking at it, Mr. Robertson felt dizzy, and if it weren't for the support of the social worker, he could have certainly collapsed. Oh God, this can't be happening. Whispered the old man, starting to cry uncontrollably. The fact was that his smiling son Connor, looked at the elderly man from the photo.

Upon learning what was happening, none of those present could hold back their tears. As it turned out, Deborah dated Connor for a long time when he lived in Colorado. Unfortunately, the young people didn't have time to get married because Connor died in the mountains, falling off the cliff during one of his expeditions and Deborah was already pregnant at the time. The girl shared the views of her

boyfriend in everything and, like him, traveled around the country in search of a better life. Nevertheless, even after having given birth to Daisy, she continued to abuse alcohol and lead a vagrant lifestyle.

By the will of faith, Deborah eventually settled into Wyoming, where she inherited a house from her deceased great aunt. It was then that a chance encounter took place between Daisy and her grandfather, who didn't even suspect that he had a granddaughter. But now the life of Gustav Robertson changed forever. Taking Daisy under his care, the man didn't leave Deborah, but started helping the woman so that she could beat her addiction alcohol. Ultimately, after spending several months in a rehabilitation center, deborah became a completely different person.

Now she has got a job and takes care of her daughter, who spends all of her weekends with Buddy and her grandfather, You.