Shadow

CHAPTER FOUR - THE FORGOTTEN ROOM

I sat with my dog Scruffy on my bed. He’s not just my dog, he’s my best friend and well if I’m being honest, my only friend.

I decided to take him for a walk. Scruffy always took me on adventures when I walked him. He was in command and he chose where we went. I think that was when he was his happiest and I was feeling the same.

I’ve had Scruffy for only a year now, so he was still a puppy in my eyes.

I remember when we got him, he was the centre of attention for weeks, but my family began to get bored of him. So I took him in and I made sure he was loved, so no matter what anyone says, he’s my dog.

We went outside. I didn’t realise it had already gotten dark, but I couldn’t take him home now, our adventure was just beginning.

I could feel wind on the back of my neck. It sent shivers all through my body. I had goose bumps already. Where were we?

I had never been down these streets; Scruffy usually always stays to the same areas. This was completely different. I wanted to go home, but something in me said keep going.

I strolled along these streets with Scruffy right in front of me. It was dead quiet and the only light was from the moon shinning down on me. Scruffy finally stopped. He looked up at me and with his eyes told me it’ll be ok. I trusted him and kept going. I mean what’s the worst place we could end up?

Scruffy probably read my mind because the next thing he did was run down the street and stoped at what looked like an abandoned house. I crept in the gate hearing the screeching in my ears. Every instinct in my body was telling me to get out of there and to go home, but I continued. I had to find out why I was brought here.

Scruffy pulled me along the path and up to the front door. He obviously wanted me to go in there. I turned the knob and the door swung open.

To my surprise the house looked warm and cosy. It felt like a home. The walls had cracks up them and the furniture had dust and cobwebs all over it, but it still felt warm and cosy. It was different and not what I expected.

Scruffy jumped on one of the couches and made himself comfortable. I joined him. The yellow patterned wallpaper was fading and falling off the walls. I decided to peel it off, to save the house the misery of losing itself slowly.

I turned the corner while gently ripped the wall paper off and I came to a staircase and something intrigued me. I needed to go up there.

“Scruffy, wait right there”, my voice echoed through the house.

I slowly walked up the stairs, hearing them chirp and squeal as I stepped on each one. It felt right, it felt like I was supposed to be here. When I got to the top there were doors everywhere. The one that caught my attention was the door right next to the stairs. It was the only door on that wall and it looked lonely, so I open it up and crept inside.

The furniture in this room wasn’t dusty and the walls weren’t cracked. It was weird and different, but I wasn’t going to judge.

I was giving the room company, which it desperately needed. I would be their friend.

I felt as if I was in a movie set of a haunted house, and this was the room they never went in, the forgotten room.

It was strangely beautiful, but it felt empty and cold.

“Hey buddy, come here” I called Scruffy up the stairs to have a look.

I heard the stairs sing their song as he bolted up. He scratched on the door so I would let him in.

“How wonderfully tragic is it?” I turned to him, as if I was waiting for him to respond, “it’ll be our room, in this house that is not yet a home”

I felt like a poet whenever I spoke to Scruffy, not that he could understand me. It was just nice being able to express my thoughts in such a way.

I took one last look into the room and I shut the door.

“This will be our place”

…

On the walk home, I felt finally peaceful, finally happy. All my worries had disapeared into that house and they were lost forever.

Scruffy even looked happier, and he was never sad. He was my heart and soul, I was so lucky to have him.

We strolled calmly home. I walked through our back gate and let Scruffy off his leesh.

“Be free buddy, be free” I whispered.

I was in ways, jealous of the life Scruffy lived. He got to go on adventures all the time and he was loved, and everyone wanted him to be around. I just wish human life was that easy.