10 - Bad News for Mavis

Mavis waited a long time. She got very hungry, and then very thirsty, and then she wet on the rug even though she didn’t want to, but Sybil did not come back. A man in a uniform came to the door and knocked and she barked once before she when went and hid under the bed.

“There’s a dog in there,” muttered the policeman. “Better get animal control over.”

He hated it when there were dogs. A bird, or even a cat being left behind, he could stand, but it broke his heart seeing that worried, confused look on a dog’s face. He knocked again, but this time no bark. He went back to his squad car and smoked a cigarette.

He could handle it, even, when he had to tell people the bad news. It was awful, but at least you knew what it was like for them. At least a little bit. They knew you felt bad, they knew you’d help if you could. But dogs just looked at you with those big brown eyes and it made you want to go back to school and become a plumber, or not go back to school and become a gas station attendant. Anything.