ears.
“I’m so glad
you’re being friendly,” she said quietly. “And I’m so glad you’re real! I thought I was going crazy there for a while.”
The dog huffed and
moved in to rub his sides against her legs. He almost knocked her over with his
enormous size and weight. His back reached up nearly to her hips and he had to
be at least 150 pounds. He stopped rubbing against her and sat down on his
haunches in front of her.
Melanie bent over
to take a closer look at the dog’s face. He had dark, almost black, eyes. His
snout was long and narrow and his ears stood up at attention. She reached down
and felt around his neck for a collar, but there was none.
“Huh,” she said,
“No collar, no tags, nothing. I wonder if you’re microchipped. I should take
you to the vet to have you scanned.”
He let out a
whine. “What?” she asked. “No vet?” He huffed in response. “You’re a smart
boy,” she said and hugged him around the neck. “Thank you for saving me.” Tears
pricked at her eyes.
Just then she
heard the back door to her house open and her mom’s voice call out, “Melanie,
are you out here?”
She stood up and
turned to call out “Yes, mom. I found the…” She looked back as she spoke and
the dog was gone. “…dog,” she trailed off with a whisper.
“Come on in,
honey. It’s getting late.”
Her mom must not
have heard her declaration. Melanie headed toward the house with one last
glance at the woods. She decided not to tell her mom about the dog. For now, he
was her little secret.
Cedarwood
Street was pitch black. Broken streetlights. Glass everywhere. Her heart
started pounding and her mind was screaming for her to run, but her feet
started walking forward of their own volition. The cracks on the sidewalk
passed in a blur. Knowing there was danger ahead, she tried to turn around, but
her body would not obey.
Her lips were
not moving, but she heard her own voice; “Eight, nine, ten.” Counting the
steps. A cat jumped out of the bushes, but it didn’t scare her this time. She
knew it was coming, and she knew what came next. The end of the hedge grew
closer and her heartbeat grew more erratic.
Suddenly she
was off the sidewalk and on the ground. Soft grass was being crushed beneath
her while she was being crushed by a heavy body. She fought. Scratching,
pushing, punching. All to no avail. She couldn’t budge the man atop her.
Hands ripped
her shirt. Eyes glinted through slits in a black knit mask. She ripped it off
his head and stared at it. Blood pounded against her eardrums so loudly, she
couldn’t hear anything. A knife shone in the faint moonlight. Raised above her
heart.
I need to look
at his face, she thought.
Her eyes left
the knife and moved to his wrist, his elbow, his shoulder, all encased in
black. She took a deep breath and prepared to jerk her eyes to his face…
Melanie jolted awake
and sat up straight in her bed, her chest heaving. Tears were streaming down
her face and her hands were shaking. She looked at her clock through blurry
eyes. It read 3:09 am. She took deep breaths through her nose and tried
to relax.
“It was just a
dream. Only a dream.”
Once Melanie was
able to breathe normally, she got up and went downstairs to the kitchen for a
glass of water. She stood at the sink and stared out the window at her back
yard while recounting the dream in her head. Deep in thought, she almost didn’t
see it. Something caught her eye near the tree line. In the shadow of a big
pine, she saw movement. She stared until a shape formed in the shadows. It was
her dog.
My dog?
She realized that’s
how she’d come to think of him. He had rescued her, saved her life and her
sanity, and now he was hers.
As she watched, he
stood up and looked toward the window. He let out a slight yelp, wagged his
tail and disappeared back into the shadowy woods.
“He’s watching
over me,” Melanie whispered, and suddenly felt much better. She went back to
bed and fell into
“I’m so glad
you’re being friendly,” she said quietly. “And I’m so glad you’re real! I thought I was going crazy there for a while.”
The dog huffed and
moved in to rub his sides against her legs. He almost knocked her over with his
enormous size and weight. His back reached up nearly to her hips and he had to
be at least 150 pounds. He stopped rubbing against her and sat down on his
haunches in front of her.
Melanie bent over
to take a closer look at the dog’s face. He had dark, almost black, eyes. His
snout was long and narrow and his ears stood up at attention. She reached down
and felt around his neck for a collar, but there was none.
“Huh,” she said,
“No collar, no tags, nothing. I wonder if you’re microchipped. I should take
you to the vet to have you scanned.”
He let out a
whine. “What?” she asked. “No vet?” He huffed in response. “You’re a smart
boy,” she said and hugged him around the neck. “Thank you for saving me.” Tears
pricked at her eyes.
Just then she
heard the back door to her house open and her mom’s voice call out, “Melanie,
are you out here?”
She stood up and
turned to call out “Yes, mom. I found the…” She looked back as she spoke and
the dog was gone. “…dog,” she trailed off with a whisper.
“Come on in,
honey. It’s getting late.”
Her mom must not
have heard her declaration. Melanie headed toward the house with one last
glance at the woods. She decided not to tell her mom about the dog. For now, he
was her little secret.
Cedarwood
Street was pitch black. Broken streetlights. Glass everywhere. Her heart
started pounding and her mind was screaming for her to run, but her feet
started walking forward of their own volition. The cracks on the sidewalk
passed in a blur. Knowing there was danger ahead, she tried to turn around, but
her body would not obey.
Her lips were
not moving, but she heard her own voice; “Eight, nine, ten.” Counting the
steps. A cat jumped out of the bushes, but it didn’t scare her this time. She
knew it was coming, and she knew what came next. The end of the hedge grew
closer and her heartbeat grew more erratic.
Suddenly she
was off the sidewalk and on the ground. Soft grass was being crushed beneath
her while she was being crushed by a heavy body. She fought. Scratching,
pushing, punching. All to no avail. She couldn’t budge the man atop her.
Hands ripped
her shirt. Eyes glinted through slits in a black knit mask. She ripped it off
his head and stared at it. Blood pounded against her eardrums so loudly, she
couldn’t hear anything. A knife shone in the faint moonlight. Raised above her
heart.
I need to look
at his face, she thought.
Her eyes left
the knife and moved to his wrist, his elbow, his shoulder, all encased in
black. She took a deep breath and prepared to jerk her eyes to his face…
Melanie jolted awake
and sat up straight in her bed, her chest heaving. Tears were streaming down
her face and her hands were shaking. She looked at her clock through blurry
eyes. It read 3:09 am. She took deep breaths through her nose and tried
to relax.
“It was just a
dream. Only a dream.”
Once Melanie was
able to breathe normally, she got up and went downstairs to the kitchen for a
glass of water. She stood at the sink and stared out the window at her back
yard while recounting the dream in her head. Deep in thought, she almost didn’t
see it. Something caught her eye near the tree line. In the shadow of a big
pine, she saw movement. She stared until a shape formed in the shadows. It was
her dog.
My dog?
She realized that’s
how she’d come to think of him. He had rescued her, saved her life and her
sanity, and now he was hers.
As she watched, he
stood up and looked toward the window. He let out a slight yelp, wagged his
tail and disappeared back into the shadowy woods.
“He’s watching
over me,” Melanie whispered, and suddenly felt much better. She went back to
bed and fell into
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