A few onlookers had crowded round, but only one person lay in the car, unconscious. I must have imagined the other person. I looked around for the dog, but it was no where to be seen.
She grabbed the steering wheel and swerved.
The world ended. Richard exclaimed angrily, putting his foot on the brake. Outside, everything blurred as the car spun, a tree smiled at her as it wheeled past at an unfamiliar angle. She braced herself against the seat, as the car unceremoniously slammed into a lamppost. After a few minutes, she came to her senses and carefully checked herself for injury.
Richard lay slumped across the steering wheel. She stared at his unconscious body for a few moments, came to a resolution, and climbed out of the car.
The dog still lay in the middle of the road, a mischievous grin stretched across his face.
�He is beautiful.� She thought, �Absolutely perfect. He must have a home.�
There was no tag, no sign of ownership. She paused for a few moments, running her hands through his rugged fur.
�He is mine.� She thought decisively.
�Come on then little dog.�
The dog got up, and started following her down the street.
�The test results have returned Mrs Hobbes, I am very sorry, but it is quite impossible for you and your husband to have children.�
The blood drained out of her face. The doctor continued to explain, but the floor that had existed up to that moment had just disappeared, and she was plunging into the void. She felt the air whistle past and her stomach drop. His voice faded away and disappeared, as she fainted into darkness.
�Welcome home little dog.�
He tottered uncertainly into the room.
�What will we call you?� She stared at the dog for a few moments.
�William,� She smiled, �I will name you after my father.�
She began wandering through the house, �This is the living room, I spend most of my time here.�
The dog wandered round, and looked up quizzically.
�Oh, I know, the colours are all wrong, I told Richard from the start but he wouldn�t listen.�
She walked into the kitchen, and opened the freezer. The dog came bounding in. She surveyed the contents for a few moments, and got out a few things, putting them on the side.
The dog stared longingly at a piece of steak.
She smiled, �Not till dinner time.�
A mirror caught her eye. She still had matted blood in her hair, and a slight trickle had made its way down her face.
She took a brief shower, and then sat in the living room in front of the little dog.
Staring at his glossy coat, she sat down on a chair, and began to stroke him softly. She felt, for the first time in her life, complete.
She pointed at the newspaper again angrily. Richard stared through her, drinking his coffee in one go, �Right, pub.�
�Please darling,� She stared longingly at the advertisement, �He is perfect, just what I have been after.�
�I don�t want a dog.� He replied briefly, �I want dinner by six.�
Pure hate filled her, she imagined grabbing the paper and ramming it down its throat, till he suffocated, spittle dribbling out his lifeless mouth, �Of course darling.�
As she retired quietly to the kitchen, she felt tears course down her face, the paper scrunched in her clenched fist.
�Your husband has been in an accident,� the policeman said slowly. �He is currently in intensive care��
She nodded, only opening the door a little bit, as the dog barked angrily at the intruder.
�We will be more than happy to take you to see your husband.�
�I am quite happy here,� she said, smiling. �Do give him my best though.�
She shut the door. The policemen kept knocking for a while, but eventually gave up.
The dog stopped barking after a while, cuddled up against a cushion and slept.
After watching the dog sleep for a few hours, she heard another knock at the door.
She opened it a little, ignoring the deluge of barking, �Can I help you.�
�Excuse me, Mrs. Hobbes,� The woman said, then stopped, staring at the suddenly docile dog. �Oh...I think that might be my sister�s dog.�
She slammed the door quickly. She felt a plunging sensation, the dog started to bark again, but it grew fainter suddenly. She stared at the dog for a few moments, and then folded neatly on the floor, fading away into darkness.
I waited for a few moments in stunned disbelief. Right there in front of me, the dog I had been searching for all day, behind a slammed door. It had been a long shot, relying on the second person existing outside my imagination and seeing something of the dog. Another few minutes passed, and my frustration rose. I knocked again loudly and finally the door opened.
A slightly flushed Mrs. Hobbes gestured for me to enter, �I am very sorry about that, I have had a rather stressful day.�
�Thank you very much, but I should really just take the dog and leave.�
�Please stay for a cup of tea.� She said with a weary smile, �I must have caused you the world of trouble.�
Shrugging, I followed her into the house. I really did feel like a cup of tea and my sister would not be home for a few hours. I sat down in the living room, �You do have a lovely home, I love what you have done with the colours.�
She smiled briefly, nodding and entered the kitchen.
The dog looked up at her, expectantly.
�Dinner is coming soon darling.� She whispered, and raised her voice, �Do you have sugar in your tea.�
�No thank you, just milk.� The voice replied.
She smiled, adding a generous spoon full of crushed sleeping pills to the cup and put a long cleaver in her apron, �Very soon.�