Little Sinclair (Moonlight Tales Presents)

Stranger Danger

Long after the party was over, sleep hardly came to Sinclair. He stayed on alert throughout the first half of the evening, perched near Leah's bed like an ancient sentry. There was little to no change in the girl's health. Her complexion was dull, her eyes were tired, and she had a cough that wouldn't go away.

He kept a watchful eye on whomever walked into her room and barked as fiercely as he could at Ms Wickleworth when she did.

"Oh!" She placed a startled hand to her chest the first time with a nervous laugh. "Good dog! There, there!"

As she reached out to pet him, he snapped at her hand, giving her a horrible fright that sent her scurrying out of the room. But he didn't mind. He wanted her nowhere near Leah. However, he regretted his actions when old Ms Wickleworth returned again – with Prim.

"I think something might be wrong with the pup, madam." She said, still visibly nervous though trying to laugh it off. "It snapped and barked when I came close, like a mad dog."

Prim's usually nice face crumpled. "We won't tolerate any noises or yelping near Leah, Sinclair. If you won't behave then maybe you need some time alone."

She picked him up, ignoring his regretful whimper, and traipsed out of the bedroom, leaving Ms Wickleworth there. Sinclair wanted to bark again in protest, but thought the better of it and kept shut.

Prim placed him in the same room where he had first met Leah and walked out without a word. Fortunately, she did not lock the door.

There were times when Sinclair had practiced how to open unlocked doors, especially ones that weren't too far from high tables. Also, Matilde taught him a smart way to wedge a closing door – by using the rugs. Some rooms had floor rugs with softer textures than others, and usually, the softer ones were short. He could move the whole of it by biting and dragging on one end.

In a similar fashion, he dragged the rug and placed it near the door then began to bark aloud. No sooner had he started the noise than Prim returned.

"I don't know what you want, Sinclair, but shut it!" She ordered angrily. "I can't let my daughter wake up. You'll see Leah in the morning, alright?"

By then, her voice had softened again.

He understood that she was frustrated and hadn't meant to snap at him. Leah wasn't getting better, and it worried her more than it did anyone else. She let go of the door, which she had been leaning on, to leave again and it swung inward. But before it could shut, the rug formed a wedge in between it and the doorframe.

Sinclair waited until Prim's footsteps died out completely before squeezing out through the gap and made a beeline for Leah's bedroom.

Ms Wickleworth was just about to leave when he got there. He watched her as she swerved – about to shut the door and furtively raced through before she could realize it.

Once safely inside, he exhaled in relief.

Leah was fast asleep again. He quietly crawled next to her to watch her breathe. Albeit sick, she looked to be growing up fast because she was not as short as she had been when he first arrived.

For a few more hours, he played watchmen until his eyes drooped to a close.

In the morning, he woke with a frightening start when he found that Leah was gone. The sun filled the bedroom and made it shockingly bright, assaulting his eyes for a few seconds. He searched around the empty space in a sort of frenzy.

But it was only morning. The robber kidnappers couldn't have come and gone already, could they?

He wondered many things, his heart pounding inside his chest.