That is so heartbreaking. My thoughts and prayers go out to Tommy's family. The Yorkie, Sophie, he was trying to save also perished in the fire. Here is a story that Tommy wrote about Sophie.
The spelling and grammar are not perfect, but that means the words are straight from a young boy's loving heart and therefore right in a way no grownup could make them.
The title inscribed on the cardboard cover of his handmade book is:
"MY DOG SOPHY"
Below the title are numerous bones such as a dog would love and then the author's name:
"Thomas Monahan."
The first page bears a dedication:
"To my mom and dad the #1 parents."
The story begins on a page ringed by bones. An illustration shows a smiling boy throwing a bone for a delighted, perky-eared terrier as unique to him as the spelling of her name.
"One day, me and my puppy were playing fetch. Her name is Sophy. I held her at night. The next day me and Sophie woke up. I went to school and my mom stayed with Sophy. When I got back she was gone.
"My mom said Sophy was at the vet. I said Sophy is at the vet. I got sad. I thought she would get hurt. When I was going there I wondered what happened to her."
The next page is ringed by what would be smiley faces, but the mouths are a straight line of concern. The illustration shows a similarly concerned boy holding up both hands as if wondering what was going on as he stands beside a group of dogs.
"When I got there I saw four dogs. I saw one walking out on a leash. He was fine. I felt a little better.
"A werker brought me in a room with dogs and puppies. I saw Sophy. She was sleeping. The vet took her out of the cage. The vet said we can't feed her until tomorrow. The vet said she'll probly throw up."
An illustration shows a stack of cages with four dogs. The top cage on the right is marked "Sophy" and inside is the small, perky-eared dog, the legs bowed, the mouth a slightly squiggly line.
"The next day Sophy didn't look better. After a week she started runing a little more. The next day she was back to normal. I felt a lot better. So did Sophy."
The happy ending is followed by a note about the author on a page ringed by smiling faces.
"Hi my name is Thomas. I'm the auther of this book. I have a question for you. Do you like soccer? Well I love it. I had many pets. I had 2 crabs 5 fish and you guess it Sophy. ..I was born in 1998 and my birthday is Aug 29th. I'm 8. What about you?"
That is followed by several illustrations of a happy and healthy Sophie. The drawing on the back cover made a mourner smile even as he stood by Thomas' open casket on Wednesday evening.
Here is the link to the book:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007...s_bond_th.html