It had taken him most of the afternoon and early evening to convince himself that what happened in that fox den was just his imagination. It was just a dream…but a very real one.

Benjamin heard stomping and yelling above.

“Boy? Are you here?”

Benjamin heard an unfamiliar voice. He went to the bottom of the stairs and, looking up, was startled to see a white-and-black rat-terrier run past the staircase.

“Boy?!”

Benjamin walked up the stairs cautiously. Paco dodged Benjamin’s mother to the left and right as her skinny arms lunged for him. The next time he ran past the top of the stairs, he saw Benjamin’s face below. Immediately he stopped.

“Little boy, I know you can hear me. Meet me by the tall tree in your front yard.” Benjamin tried to believe what he was seeing and hearing. Paco spoke as fast as he could. “I can explain what happened to your dog.”

“Gotcha!” Ten strong fingers tightened around Paco’s ribs and lifted him up.

“Boy! We need your help!” Paco yelled at Benjamin’s deer-in-the-headlights face. The boy stood frozen as his mother carried the dog out, threw him onto the front porch, and shooed him down the driveway.

“Don’t let me catch you around here again, you nasty mutt!” Carol shouted as Paco fled, giving his best impression of a frightened dog. Once he heard the front door slam, Paco headed for the oak tree. “Well, I think that’s enough drama for one day,” Carol sighed. Tom still sat in his chair, looking amazed.

“You have no idea!” Benjamin murmured.

Benjamin said goodnight from the bottom of the stairs. His hands shook as he closed his door. When he climbed into bed, uneasiness weighed him down like a heavy blanket.

He was pretty sure he wasn’t crazy, but he was afraid of what lay ahead.

He tossed and turned for an hour, staring into the darkness. How can animals talk? Why is this happening? Is that dog dangerous? It’s just a little dog. What if I get caught? It took a while to get up the courage to sneak outside and see the talking dog.

Paco began to feel tired. He wanted to lie down but Benjamin’s crazy mom might come out and catch him sleeping. All the lights were off in the house and his eyes were playing tricks on him. He thought he saw a long, dark shadow on the side of the house moving back and forth, but then realized it was a small tree. Then something moved by the large window of the front room.

A figure approached the door. Paco was alert.

Benjamin heard loud snoring from his parents’ room down the hall. He took a deep breath. “You knew something, Pugsly,” he whispered. He twisted the doorknob gently so he wouldn’t make a sound. Paco heard a slight creak as the door cracked open.