“I’m heading out,” I said as I left through the front door. Tonight, I wanted to buy some light snacks to enjoy on Saturday night.
I live in a small, still-pristine village. It was eight at night, but the village was already quiet and dark. The lack of streetlights was still something that needed improvement here. I could’ve ridden my motorcycle to the store, but since it wasn’t far and the roads were covered in large rocks, I decided to walk instead.
Sometimes I turned on my phone’s flashlight when the road got too dark. I could’ve stepped into a puddle—or worse, into chicken droppings. That would’ve been incredibly annoying. My pace gradually became slower and more relaxed as I took in the cool night air and peaceful silence. On the way, I had to pass a traditional market that was only open twice a week, and only in the morning.
The sight of the empty market made me shiver a little. There wasn’t a single light anywhere, just wooden frames with roofs in the middle of the darkness.
Awoooo!
A dog howled from the direction of the market. It was a fairly common sound in the village. Then I felt a small shadow approach from behind and pass me. A dog, walking quickly with its tongue hanging out. Its sudden appearance startled me a little.
“Calm down...” I reassured myself as I continued along the rocky road. Why hadn’t I gotten there yet? Wasn’t it close?
When I looked ahead, I could see the paved road. Yes, I was close. The store I was headed to was at the end of the road, just before the incline. The area around the incline looked dark, with no streetlights. A few neighbors were sitting around, enjoying themselves and chatting. I felt relieved because I wasn’t alone.
I walked as if I didn’t see them, but why did I feel like they were staring at me and had stopped talking? Come on, don’t look at me. Just keep talking. I’m only passing by.
It became quiet once I managed to pass the group of women. But a new problem appeared, exactly two houses ahead. It was a tall wooden house made of black wood. It was famous for having the most pets in the village—specifically dogs. They had around ten to fifteen dogs living beneath their house. And for the record, I hated dogs.
Naturally, I hated passing that wooden house every time. I was lucky if the owner kept them locked up. This time, I had to stay strong as I passed it. The important thing was not to run! —my father’s advice whenever I encountered dogs—face them calmly, don’t draw their attention, don’t make too much noise, and don’t walk too fast.
My first step brought me right in front of the house’s yard, beside the road. So far, so good.
Second step. Safe...
On my third step, I heard a sound. I raised my head, and my eyes immediately went wide.
There was one, two, three—I couldn’t count them—dogs in front of me. They were about six paces away. They stood in formation as if they were ready to attack. Their eyes... were red.
I didn’t know whether I was hallucinating or not. I quickly thought about how to escape. I turned around and ran as fast as I could. To hell with those rules—if there were that many dogs, I’d definitely lose.
Run, run, run...
I no longer paid close attention to the road. I didn’t even remember whether the women were still sitting in their usual spot. All that mattered was getting home as quickly as possible! I wasn’t going to eat any snacks tonight.
“Sweetheart, wake up.”
I woke up with my face covered in sweat. My head was groggy as I looked at my mother, who had woken me.
“Did you forget you wanted to buy snacks? Why did you go to sleep first?”