Maple Ranch Farms was a beautiful attraction site.

          During the Autumn season, parents brought their kids of all ages to see the wonderful atmosphere, blended in with the incredible colours of the red, orange, and brown fall leaves contrasting against one another. The farm had been around since the 60s, and was considered a hidden gem within the small, pompous community. Maple Ranch was a tiny town south of New York State, so small that almost everyone in the neighbourhood knew of one another. There were hardly any technological advances we'd see in the twentieth century. Kids made their way to the only school in town by a yellow bus, while mothers cooked warm meals hovering beside the kettle. Fathers worked typical laboured jobs, as many made a life's pay by working with the local logging companies.

          Long story short, there wasn't much to do in Maple Ranch, which made the farm so much more special every fall season. Laurie, the female owner of the farm, made sure that every year the locals of Maple Ranch would get the long-awaited experience they yearned for. Her husband Dave would carve a small maze in the rows of corn they grew, they'd set up Halloween rides and obstacles for the children, and every year would serve their world-famous hot chocolate with a fluffy marshmallow on top. It was truly an enchanted scene.

          But, out of all the people and sights beheld at Maple Ranch Farms, none of them stood out like one particular individual—or should we say animal: Odin, the beagle.

          Yes, the farm was most certainly not complete without him. Odin had some of the most beautiful, chocolate-brown textures, and a snout so defined and precise that he could pick up a hunting track from a mile away. Odin was the definition of a true beagle, getting into all kinds of mischief and causing constant chaos. But he was still deeply loved by his owners, and would always be adored by the people of Maple Ranch.

          Laurie loved Odin because he reminded her of her younger self. She always had a habit of being the girl who talked too much in class and always got on the teacher's nerves. Now in her adult life, she'd often come home to bags of garbage ripped apart and scattered across the floor. Odin absolutely loved to eat, and would do anything in his power to obtain more food, even when he'd already been fed properly. As the good owner she was, in order to train his behaviour, Laurie would have to put him in time-outs when causing such messes. But she'd always end up forgiving that little peachy face of his, and the bonding would begin shortly after.

          Odin also did many positive things for the farm and community. Laurie had trained him to herd the sheep in the grassy field when they'd get out of place, and found a way for him to keep the chicken and horses in order if they ever got restless in the barn. Sometimes, Odin's lip would get stuck over his mouth, making him look scary and intimidating in a funny way, as his defined teeth would show and cause a grumpy expression. But once again, he was the prize of anyone who visited Maple Ranch Farms.

          And so one day, getting up to his usual mischief behaviour, Odin caught a scent and darted after it. He lowered his powerful nose to the ground, sniffing and sniffing after the exciting smell. He darted through the woods behind the farm, looking desperately for a squirrel or mouse to catch in his little jaws. He found himself searching deeper into the forest, not being able to contain his curiosity over the intriguing scent he was determined to find.

          Before he knew it, Odin had ventured all over to the same place Laurie always told him not to go. But being the hunter he was, this rarely worked out in Laurie's favour, as Odin was now sniffing his way around Miss Pamela's residence. Miss Pamela was the owner of the old shed and house at the end of Maple Ranch that divided the community from New York State and Pennsylvania. This was the first time Odin had ventured off the farm, and now found himself in an environment he was unfamiliar with.

          Nervous that he may not find his way back, despite his deeply-rooted hunting skills and powerful nose, Odin felt that it was time to prance back to the farm and get his lovely dinner that Laurie would spoil him with every night.

          But, just as he was about to dash off, Odin caught a sight in the top round window of Miss Pamela's attic in her old house. His tail began to wag in excitement, as this was the first time he'd gotten the chance to see such a sight off of Maple Ranch Farms.

          There, looking down at him from the window with her innocent, brown eyes, was a beagle named Bauer. Bauer was a young female that Miss Pamela had adopted and taken in, after the original owner didn't feel he could provide for her with his new full-time job. Bauer had lighter textures than Odin, and had the most adorable puppy face. She was the polar opposite of Odin, a true house dog.

          Bauer loved to sleep and snuggle in her bed all day long, which Miss Pamela had specifically placed in front of that same top window in the attic. Bauer would always whine and pout for more food, just like Odin. She would often complain and resist when Miss Pamela would force her to get up and go for a walk, and sometimes would only be able to if she bribed Bauer with a big, juicy bone. Indeed, Odin and Bauer were very different, but they shared a special moment as she looked down at him from the round window above.

          Just like that, Odin was snapped out of his trance, as he heard his owner Laurie calling for him in the distance, back at Maple Ranch Farms. Taking one more look up at Bauer, Odin darted off for his lovely dinner that night. As he made his way home, Laurie greeted him with a big smile and lots of hugs. She brought him into the kitchen, where she had his favourite fried eggs ready in his little doggy bowl, and Odin gulped it down in seconds with nothing but pure joy.

          But later that night as he went to sleep, curled up in a donut-like ball in his bed, Odin couldn't help but think about Bauer, and knew that he wanted to see her again up in the window.

          From that day on, every evening before dinner, Odin would find himself snooping through the woods back to Miss Pamela's. And every time, just like that first night, he'd find Bauer up in the window looking down at him. Bauer and Odin never had any physical connection; they'd just stare at each other. But there was a strange connection there. Without even being in the same physical proximity, they kept one another company by looking at each other through the window.

          Sometimes they could get lonely, with Odin on the farm herding the sheep by himself, and Bauer being a typical house dog and hardly getting up to anything but desiring more and more food. And every night, in typical Laurie fashion, she'd call Odin back home to cook his favourite eggs.

          Years and years went on, this same cycle playing over, the two looking at one another mysteriously through the window. Odin continued with his duties on the farm, making the people of Maple Ranch happy to see him running through the fields, with his long, floppy ears blowing by in the wind. He was truly a gem to the community of Maple Ranch, and his legacy would live on forever.

          Nonetheless, as time went on, just like everyone, Odin was growing older. His running strides in the field were gradually getting slower, and his overall instincts were declining. Laurie still used him to help around the farm for the next few years, still bringing joy to the people of Maple Ranch. But she knew eventually that Odin would be too old to keep up with the priorities of the farm. Odin knew this too deep within his subconscious, as he often found himself lying down and sleeping, opposed to chasing after squirrels and barking at horses in the stables of the barn.

          So one day, with nothing but love and joy in her heart, always having a special place for him, Laurie took Odin over to Miss Pamela's house, requesting if she could take care of Odin in the meantime. Miss Pamela gratefully accepted, as Laurie went on to explain that she needed a beagle in its prime to take care of the farm and replace Odin, thinking of Bauer.

          Miss Pamela explained that Bauer was not trained like Odin had been growing up on the joyful lands of Maple Ranch Farms. Laurie told her that this was not a problem, and that she would train Bauer to become a more instinctual beagle, as opposed to a typical house pet. Willingly, Miss Pamela accepted, and the two owners exchanged the animals they cared for so deeply.

          So Laurie was training yet another beagle on how to run around and secure Maple Ranch Farms. At first, Bauer was very stingy and resistant to adapting from a house dog to a farm owner. Sometimes Laurie would feel frustrated, and even question if she could train Bauer to the level Odin had once held on the farm. On top of that, many of the visitors at the farm were sad to see Odin go, but eventually warmed up to Bauer and loved her. They would laugh and smile, commenting on how much she reminded them of Odin back in the day.

          After several months of training and getting her up to the level Odin had been, it was official: Bauer was the new attraction and leader of Maple Ranch Farms. However, Odin would never be forgotten. The beagle family tree would forever live on.

          And so one evening, Bauer found herself snooping through the woods back to Miss Pamela's house, the same route Odin had taken to see her up in the window. When she got there, she looked up and saw him staring down at her, nearly identical to the way she did in her younger, house dog days. Odin now had grey whiskers, droopy eyes, and old, ageing features. As sad as it was, it was true that Odin didn't have much time left. But he made the best of it, with Miss Pamela now loving and spoiling him the same way she did with Bauer.

          Bauer stared up at him in the window, the two of them locking eyes for what may sadly be the last time, yet it was a beautiful moment. She thanked Odin with a tail wag for all the times he had kept her company when he was the leader of the farm, while she wasn't getting the attention he was from the tourists and visitors of Maple Ranch.

          "Bauer!" Laurie called from the farm across the woods, the exact way she would call Odin when he visited her in the window. Bauer knew that she needed to get her rest for the big day on the farm tomorrow. Looking back at him once more, she sped off, as Odin had done so many times, retracing her way back home. Odin watched as she took off, vanishing into the woods, back to Laurie on the farm.

          And he had a smile on his face internally.