The dog next door

The Dog Next Door

  There was something funny about the neighbors.  Or I should say there was something funny about their dog.  The neighbors were alright I guess.  I hadn't thought too much about it.  The dog however...  He was staring at me, again. I watched the big black dog through the chain linked fence that separated our two yards. What was his name again?  It wasn't until the trash cans had all been knocked over one night that I started to pay attention.  I was sure I had seen him do it.  It had been dark out and there were no other dogs as large as him around.  At first glance there was not a thing odd about the large black dog. I had never heard it bark.  I suppose that was a plus.  It also seemed to like high up places to lie. I had heard once or twice that the cops had been called because he was on the roof, though every time they showed up he was again in the back yard. Not that the picnic table he was currently stretched out on top of  was all that high.  The table was in the direct sunlight.  It was a hot summer day and I had long since retreated to the shade.  Dogs don't normally lie in direct sunlight do they?  Not without panting, which this dog was clearly not.  I sat there and watched him from my swing set in the shade, as I lazily glided back and forth. I raised the camera and took his picture.  I looked at the image on the screen, it was blurry.  I tried again and let it take time to focus only to end up with the same results. 

  “Stupid camera,” I muttered.  My little sister must have dropped it.  I turned off the camera and stared at the dog again with a frown. This was boring, I could be doing something else now.  Why was I watching the dog?  Right, cause he was weird, and probably an alien. 

  Someone walked by on the other side of the neighbor’s fence with a small dog.  I normally wouldn't have paid any attention but the little dog seemed to cower behind its owner.  The large black dog lifted its head, and looked at the little dog then went back to watching me. Usually when you walk by a house with a dog, the dog behind the fence would run up and bark.  How very strange.

  My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the back door as it opened and closed.  My little sister ran out with two popsicles. One of mother's oversized sun hats was on her head she walked straight to the fence and plopped down in front of it. Her long curly brown hair bounced when she sat down. 

  “Here Menos,” she called.  The large black dog seemed to perk up as it looked at her. He stood up on the table and walked to the edge and sprang off.  He seemed to glide down to land softly several feet away.  He practically defied gravity.  Huh, that was defiantly weird.  The dog trotted over to the fence.

  My sister stuck one of the popsicles through the chain linked fence and the other in her mouth. 

  “Lizzy, dogs don't like popsicles.  Especially fruit ones,” I said. 

  “Menos does,” Lizzy said. 

  The dog proved me wrong as he took the popsicle gently from her and started to chew on it. Instead of spitting the popsicle out, he ate it down.  She turned around and stuck her tongue, now colored orange, out at me.

  “There's something wrong with that dog.  He’s not normal.” 

  “That's cause...,” Lizzy started to say, but then her brown eyes kind of glazed over.  She looked back at the dog and stuck her popsicle back in her mouth.  It was as if she had forgotten what she was going to say.  I would find this strange if not for the fact that she was only four.

  “Hey, was that supposed to be my popsicle?”

  “Yup.” 

  “Stupid sister,” I muttered.  I headed back into the house. The phone rang as I came through the door.  By the second ring my mother had picked it up.

  “Hello?  Oh hello Dorothy.  How are you?” she asked.  I walked over to the fridge, opened the freezer and looked for the popsicles.  “Hold on a moment.  Jacob, no more sweets. You'll ruin your dinner. You already had a popsicle.”

  “No I didn't.  Lizzy fed it to the neighbor dog, again,” I said.  I looked over at her as she leaned against the counter.  My mother was dressed in a tank top and shorts. Her brown hair had recently been cut short and I was still getting used to it.

  My mother studied me for a moment then nodded.  “Alright, but only one.”

  “Thanks,” I replied.  I took one of the popsicles from the freezer.  I headed up to my room as my mother continued her phone conversation.  I didn't feel like watching the dog anymore.  I set the camera down on my desk and ate the popsicle while I thought of the things I could do instead of watch the alien dog.  Once I was done with the popsicle I turned on the TV and my play station.  I put in Final Fantasy. It would help pass the time. 

  “Jake?” my mother called. It was several hours later.  “Mrs. Gibson invited us out to dinner.  Did you want to come?” 

  I hit pause on my game and thought about it.  I didn't much care for mom’s friends, in particular Mrs. Gibs who liked to pinch my cheeks and tell me how cute I was.  “Nah I'll stay home,” I called. 

  “Alright, there are leftovers in the fridge,” she said.  I saw her peek through the door.  “I will let Mrs. Smith know to keep an eye on you.”

  “Alright mom.” I nodded.  Then I went back to my game when she went back down stairs.  I listened to them leave almost a half hour later and found I was glad to have the house to myself.  I was glad to be old enough that my mother trusted me alone in the house for a few hours at least.  I saved my game and turned off the TV. 

  I glanced out my window into Mrs. Smith’s back yard in hopes of seeing that dog in the middle of doing something weird. Instead I saw Mrs. Smith as she sat by her garden.  I've never actually seen her work on it.  Yet mom had said how jealous she was of Mrs. Smith's garden.  Mom had spent way more time working in hers and it didn’t look nearly as nice.  Mrs. Smith wasn’t working on it now either.  She looked like she was just sitting there looking at it.  One hand was held out, palm up, with something on it that fluttered around.  It looked like a brightly colored leaf, a bird maybe?  After a moment, whatever it was flitted off back into the garden.  I looked closer at Mrs. Smith’s garden and noticed there were several things that flitted in and out of it that were too small and fast to see clearly.  Menos suddenly appeared in the yard.  It was as if he had been hidden moments before and now chased something that flitted just out of his reach.  I watched as he zigged and zagged across the yard.  He came to a stop just short of charging into the garden.  The nearby plants swayed as if suddenly caught in a strong wind as Menos stopped.  He then trotted over to Mrs. Smith. She reached out to gently scratch him under his chin.  There was nothing odd about that.  I thought with a bit of disappointment. 

  I went downstairs and rummaged in the fridge for some food.  I found the leftovers mom had talked about and put some on a plate to heat up.  Mmm lasagna.  I took my heated food outside and sat on the back step.  It was cooler now that the sun was going down.  I looked over to Mrs. Smith.  What I had seen flitting before wasn’t there anymore.  Again, weird, I thought as I ate my dinner.

  I could hear Mrs. Smith humming softly or maybe she was singing and I just couldn’t hear the words.  I listened harder.  I realized that I didn’t recognize the tune.  It didn’t seem to have a tune.  She was still petting Menos, the large black dog was laying on his side as she rubbed his belly.  Could the odd song be coming from him?  Dogs don’t hum.  I finished my dinner and took the plate back inside. It felt stuffy inside, after eating outside.  I didn’t want to be inside.  I grabbed my basket ball and went back outside.  I dribbled the ball around the pavement in our back yard then jumped to shoot the ball in the hoop.  The ball hit the rim and bounced off toward the fence.  I jogged over to get it as Mrs. Smith was headed inside.  She was a pretty lady, in my opinion.  Her long black hair shimmered in the setting sun as she looked over at me with green eyes. If she were an alien she looked normal enough.

  “Mrs. Smith?” 

  “Yes Jacob?” she asked.  She paused on her steps and glanced over at me.  “Is something wrong?”

  “No, not really.  I was just wondering what kind of dog Menos was.” 

  “Dog?” she asked.  It seemed she was a little confused. Then realization crossed her face.  “I’m not sure.  What kind of dog does he look like?”

  “I dunno, that's why I asked.  He doesn’t act like a normal dog,” I said. 

  “You think so?  I hadn’t noticed.  Well I suppose that can’t be helped,” she said.

  I looked at her a bit confused. I had hoped she would say,  ‘That’s because he isn’t a dog he's an alien and so am I’ or ‘you're right he’s not normal.  I need to reprogram him.’ 

  She smiled at me.  “If you need anything don’t hesitate to come over.”  With that she went into her house. 

  I looked around the back yard and saw the big black dog looking my way. He was again on top of the picnic table.  “You’re not normal,”  I said to the dog. I went back to playing ball. 

  Even as the night darkened and the sounds of night took over it was still brightly lit by the moon.  There was hardly a cloud and the large full moon hung low in the sky.  The minutes sped by as I played basket ball.  The night took on a chill that seemed to have nothing to do with the temperature.  I shivered as a chill ran down my spine.  I looked out into the darkness and tried to find what had caused this feel of unease.  The sound of trash cans being knocked over startled me and I looked for Menos next door. He wasn’t where I had seen him last on the table.  I didn’t see him at all. “If that’s you Menos I am so going to tell on you,” I said. I tried to keep the fear out of my voice.  It was about then the smell of rotting meat and garbage hit my nose.  “Ugh ew.”

  A movement in the shadows of the street caught my attention and I focused on it.  It was large and dark.  It first walked on all fours then it stood on two hind legs and moved forward in a strange movement that was neither animal nor human. 

  “What the...” I backed toward the house.  The creature looked in my direction.  It took a few steps toward me on its hind legs before dropping to all fours.  Its eyes gleamed green in the light from the other neighbors back porch.  There was a low growl, it sounded unlike any noise I had ever heard before.  “Uh, nice creature.  I am just gonagoway now,” I said.  My words slurred as my mind raced and the fear of the creature had me frozen in place.  I willed myself to take another step back only to trip and fall backward.  I landed hard and hit my elbow on the concrete.  I had fallen over one of Lizzy's toys.  I winced in pain and scrambled back toward the house.  When I opened my eyes I saw the creature had cleared the fence and was crouched low to the ground.  It had a shaggy gray coat that seemed to hang strangely across its body with long spindly legs. The horrible smell of the creature increased as it approached me. It closed the distance between us rather quickly. 

  “Go Away!” I yelled.

  It was Menos who saved me.  The large black dog leapt the fence and landed between the creature and me. Menos let out a low menacing hiss that stopped the creature in its tracks but only for a moment.  After the creature's hesitation it charged at Menos, baring its own fangs snapping its jaws repeatedly.  I was too bewildered by the sight to move, stuck by fear where I had fallen.  I watched as Menos snapped back at the creature, he swiped his paws at him.  When Menos moved he kept himself between the creature and me.  The creature attacked and I watched in horror as the two tumbled together much like two cats when they fought.  The wind seemed to kick up as it came off the two.  Menos changed before my eyes.  He was still black and covered in fur but two large wings seemed to have appeared on his back and flapped.  It seemed he was using the wings to beat at the creature and also keep his balance.  There were claws on Menos's paws now and he used them on the creature.  I was watching two monsters fight just feet from me.  I didn’t know what to think of it. 

  It was then that Mrs. Smith appeared at my side.  “Are you alright Jake?”  She knelt down next to me and helped me up.  The two of us hurried into the house and closed the door behind us.  “Are you hurt?”  She asked. She checked me over.  Her voice sounded worried.

  I glanced up at her.  “No, not really.  What are they?”  I asked.  Still, I looked out the window.  I watched the two monsters clashed, trying to make sense of what I saw.

  I glanced up to see Mrs. Smith as she looked me over critically.  She seemed to debate a moment on whether she should tell me or not.  “You are right.  Menos is a strange dog, because he’s not a dog.  The other is a demon.”

  There was a sudden scream from the one Mrs. Smith had called a demon. It drew my attention back to the window.  The creature ran off, leaping over the fence with ease. Menos chased after him to the end of the fence.  He snorted and stomped his paws on the ground after the fleeing monster as it ran off. Menos strutted back and forth in my yard. He reminded me of a peacock. His wings outstretched, he crouched low to the ground then leapt into the air as he flapped his wings. Menos glided back into his own yard and landed out of my sight. 

  “Good boy.”  Mrs. Smith said with a nod then turned me to the kitchen table.  “Show’s over. Let me fix you something to calm your nerves,” she said. She pushed me into a seat then walked to the stove.  She started up the kettle and looked through the cabinets until she found a mug and some hot chocolate.

  “So what is Menos?”  I asked.

  “He’s my companion, or familiar,” she replied.

  “But what is he?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” she asked.  “He’s a dragon.”

  “Funny looking dragon,” I muttered. Dragons were supposed to be large fire breathing lizards covered in scales. They weren’t supposed to be real!  So much for my alien theory.  Then a thought hit me.  “Lizzy already knew didn’t she?”

  “I suppose she does.  Young children can see through illusion better than older children or adults.  Simply because they believe it exists.”  Mrs. Smith explained.  She set the cup of hot cocoa in front of me.  “Drink up.” 

  I took a sip of the hot cocoa.  “So what does that make you?”  I asked.

  “That makes me a witch.”  She said.  A small smirk of amusement twitched on her lips.

  “Like with spells and stuff.”  I took another sip of my drink.  It was awfully good, and not too hot.

  She nodded.  “Yes. But I don’t have a magic wand I wave around like in Harry Potter.”

  “So the demon, what was it doing here?”  I asked. I drank the hot cocoa down.

  “It was on the hunt, or it could have been scavenging. Either way it was merely looking for food. It saw you as easy prey till Menos stopped him.”

  “Shouldn’t it be stopped or killed?” I asked.  I didn’t like the idea that it would be out prowling the neighborhood. It could snatch up either Lizzy or myself.  I felt myself starting to get sleepy.  My eyelids were getting heavier and harder to keep up.

  “Don’t you worry. Menos and I will take care of it.”  That was the last thing I heard her say.

  I woke up to the bright sunlight that poured through my window.  Slowly I opened my eyes.  As my arm came up to cover my eyes, I winced as my elbow hurt. I couldn’t remember why it hurt.  My head felt fuzzy.  Like a thick fog had blown in and made a home there.  I laid there in bed a while longer.  I could hear Lizzy in the back yard, I couldn't tell what she was up to exactly.

  I got up and went down stairs.  My mom was in the kitchen, she sat at the table watching the TV as she worked on some paper work.

  “Ah you’re up Jake?  How are you feeling?  Mrs. Smith told me about the homeless guy that tried to get in.  You are so lucky that her dog scared him away.  She said you hit your arm.  Can I take a look?”

  I showed her my elbow that hurt.  “Yeah I’m alright,” I muttered.  When she said what happened the fog seemed to clear a bit with the homeless guy and Menos jumping the fence.  That must have been what happened.

  “Just a scrape.  She took good care of you.”

  I nodded and got myself a bowl of cereal.  I took it outside to the swing set to eat.  In the neighbor’s yard was Menos.  He was stretched out on top of the picnic table and when I came out he looked over at me.  I took a bite of my cereal and stared back.  There was something funny about that dog.

  End