The Wild Dog

One afternoon, Mia's mother told her that they were going to visit Mia's grandmother just outside of town. Mia had never been. Her grandmother had always come to their house, and Mia had always wondered why. She asked her mother, and her mother replied, "There are wild dogs out where Grandma lives, and we never felt safe, but just yesterday Grandma told us that a hunter had trapped all the wolves. Now it is safe.  Besides, your grandmother would like for you to see her house."

Mia's family drove up around a bend in the unpaved road, and up on a hill she saw the house. It was old and tall. The windows were dark, and some of the wood looked like it was rotting. Mia felt a shiver run down her spine. Her mind thought of bats and bones, dungeons and ghosts. What a fright!

Mia told her mother how she felt, but Mia's mom just said, "Little Mia, there is nothing to be afraid of! Come on. Let's go inside." The steps creaked as they walked up the porch.

The afternoon light filled the enormous house. "This isn't so bad," thought Mia.

They all sat in the parlor, drinking tea. "I'm so glad you finally get to see my house, Mia," said Grandma. "Feel free to explore. I know that's what you love to do! And don't worry. There are no more wild dogs, and even if there were, they couldn't get in this house!"

Mia took her grandmother's advice. She walked around on the second story, and soon she found the library. Mia plucked a book from the shelf and looked at the title. "Animals Can Learn to Speak English. I wonder what this is about." She opened the book and read aloud. "Not everybody knows this, but all animals have the ability to speak English if they are around English-speaking humans for a long enough time." Mia shut the book. "What a lie! This book is a bunch of… well, it's just not true!" She put the book back on the shelf.

Soon night came, and the house transformed into a shadowy castle. Mia's room was all the way up on the fourth floor, far from the bedrooms on the first floor where her parents and grandmother slept. Mia had never slept so far away from her parents before.

Mia heard noises; the howl of the angry wind outside, the quiet creak of the roof above her, and the distant cry of a cat's meow. She could not sleep. She pulled the covers over her head, but it did not help. Soon, Mia heard a noise that she did not recognize. "What is that sound?" she wondered. She felt her hear beat harder and harder.

The growling began to bother her. It was an awful snarling sound. "What in the world is that sound? I cannot sleep. I have to find it." Mia was naturally curious. She had her own detective kit back at home, but this sound worried her, and she was hesitant to go exploring and poking around in the dark.

"I know. I'll just go find my parents. They'll know what to do." Finding their bedroom would have been hard even in the daytime because of the size of Grandma's house, but now, at night, it seemed impossible. Mia stepped out of her room.

The hallway was long and dark. A huge mirror hung on the wall.  Mia began her long journey. Suddenly, she saw something in the mirror. A swift-moving figure! Mia froze.  Absolute fear gripped her body. And then she heard a voice.

"Go back to your room! Go back to your room! If you want to see morning, you'll go back to your room!" A glowing pair of eyes appeared in the mirror. They seemed to hover and float in the darkness, and they did not look friendly.

Mia's first instinct was to run back and hide, but then she felt an unexpected wave of courage sweep through her. She turned around and yelled out, "Who are you?!"

Again the voice called out, "Go back to your room! Go back to your room! I'll kill you right now! Go back to your room!" The eyes grew bigger in the mirror.

Mia trembled. She did not want to die. But still, she stood strong. She wanted an answer. She yelled, "Who are you, and why are you in my grandmother's house?"

"Go back to your room! Go back to your room! I'll have your blood and guts and brains in my stew!" The eyes were now orbs the size of basketballs.

Sweat drops were forming on Mia's forehead. She couldn't take it anymore. She ran back to her room. Her little feet pattered across the squeaky wood floors. She slammed the door behind her, and then she turned around.

An enormous wolf dog was in her room! Mia's eyes grew wide, and her hands covered her mouth.

"That's right. I'm very fast," growled the wolf. "Are you surprised to hear me speak English? What a lie. Animals could never speak English. You were wrong, little Mia. Very wrong." The wild dog stepped close to her, close enough that she could feel his hot breath on her skin.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," peeped Mia. She could barely speak.

"You're probably also wondering what I'm doing here. Didn't your grandma tell you that there were no more wild dogs?"

"Yes. She did."

"Yes. Well, she was wrong. Very wrong." The wolf licked his lips and showed his sharp fangs. He took one step closer and bit off Mia's head in one speedy bite. Blood spurted out everywhere, and the wolf lapped it up. He laughed while he ate. "Ha ha ha ha ha! I love to eat children! I love to speak English!"