Skip to main content

DOG CALLED BO

Image
SANGEETHA KAMATH

“Yoo-hoo! Here boy! Bo! Where did you disappear to now, you lil furry brat!”

“Do you think he's fine, Ethan? I'm not having a good feeling about this. Usually he comes bounding up to us as soon as we call him.”

“Can you not panic, Jezel? I'm sure he's alright. Must have chased a wild hare deep into the forest and may be out of hearing. C'mon, let's keep calling him.”

The woods which usually looked welcoming and enchanting didn't look too inviting at this time of the day, with the trees casting long, sinister shadows and strange sounds echoing through the slow rising mist.

Jezel and Ethan couldn't possibly abandon their pet dog in the wilderness and mustering every inch of courage, they wade through the thickets and meander through the clumps of swelling bushes. 

Whistling and calling out yielded no sign or response from Bo. 

It was past sundown and the light was fast fading, 

“We should hurry back. We can return in the morning for Bo, Ethan…I don't think it's a good idea to wander further lest we lose our way back.”

“Are you out of your mind? Leave without Bo? Never! Bo! Bo! Come here right now else we're leaving without you!" 

Ethan finally agrees that Jezel is right and they should head back. They're just about to turn around when they both jump out of their skins, their hearts pounding.

"Did you call for me? Here I am! Tell me…"

Jezel and Ethan stop in their tracks, petrified, as they hear an unfamiliar voice ring out at close quarters but there was no one in sight.

Gathering his bearings first, Ethan shields his sister while putting on a brave front. Standing his ground, his voice comes out slightly more than a whimper, " Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself!"

"Here I am", hisses a tree next to them. My name is Bo. And whoever comes into these woods and calls my name is forever mine and can never leave."

“We weren't calling out for you, whoever you are. We're in no mood for pranks.We want our pet dog.”

“He's not your dog. We, the Dryads, send him to children, to stay with them, gain their trust and lure them here. Now you can't leave.’'

Outstretching his wraith like branches, the tree captured the children in a stranglehold. The hollow in his trunk widened as he crammed the screaming and writhing children inside. 

The hollow in the tree seals shut and the woods are shrouded in silence engulfed in the now rolling thick fog.

Jezel and Ethan were  never seen again!

****

“Oh look there! A beagle outside our gate. Poor critter looks lost and homeless. Pa, can we keep him?”

The children squeal in delight when they're allowed to keep him. 

“What shall we name him?”

The beagle's eyes gleams ominously at the same time as the children excitedly and spontaneously shout “Bo!”

©️ Sangeetha Kamath 

Pic Courtesy :Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Labels:

Comments

  1. Srivalli RekhaApril 4, 2024 at 1:31 PM

    Ohh, a creepy story today! Fab twist and love how the tree comes alive. Superb!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

SANGEETHA KAMATH
  #ButterflyEffectSpanning25Years #AllsWellThatEndsWell #DiamondsAreForever #WhereTheresAWill The pivotal phrase from “Kafka and the Doll” by Franz Kafka which says that ‘Loss isn't final but love is transformed and restored to you in ways that you never envisioned; it's all about growth and adaptation—plays a huge part in my new year.  The Franz Kafka of my life is a girl called ‘ Charrzzx’. In retrospect, this story was in all probability conceived in 2001 as a miniscule bubble, but nevertheless a significant ripple which would impact my life 25 years later in 2026.  **** Year 2001: The landmark year when I migrated to and made my base in Singapore was also a memorable one for another reason that it was my parents’ first visit to my place. The days ran into each other with visits to tourist spots and rounds of shopping sprees.  On a very fine day, Daddy and I had passed by a Giordano showroom in a mall which I would generally walk past without a second glance other...
3 comments
Read more

AI 'n' I (Part 2 to DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER)

SANGEETHA KAMATH
  Ok! So Babylou was so flustered after the hoodie fiasco when we arrived home, that for a couple of days she trailed behind her a chain reaction of an awfully mentally drained me–upon seeing her tireless emotional highs and lows, day in and day out. Clutching at the last straws of my already depleting sanity with the incessant grousing, I told her that I would ask AI to do a tarot card reading for the hoodie and its unfortunate pilfer ( to humor her, to close and seal this annoying chapter for good!) My ability to reason with her had explored all avenues and had horribly crashed to a naught. However, AI did a fab job ! It told me that the petty thief would soon get her karma !  How ? Pat came the 'bot'ic response. She will trip and fall face down in a puddle of muddy water... Harmless. Not a tit for tat but was enough to make me go into fits of uncontrollable laughter.  My next obvious question--- How will I know when that happens? I won't  be around to watch that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

GOLDILOCKS: THE LOCKE MANSION

SANGEETHA KAMATH
  This is a reimagined version of the popular fairy tale ' Goldilocks and the Three Bears.' This retelling is a part of the Write A Page A Day event on Blogchatter starting Feb 1 thru 28th to reach a total word count of 10K by the month end.                              CHAPTER 1                    LOCKE HAVEN ESTATE  The sky bled bruises of plum and cherry over the rolling hills. A full moon hung low against the mauve, casting silver shards through the skeletal trees. The mansion made of cold greystone loomed large beyond the rusted iron gates. It grated on the gravel, rasped on the hinges and yawned open like a predator's jaw as Goldwynn booted it open with her foot. Her sneakers squished heavily on the mulch of dead leaves. Clutching her backpack, she looked up at the towering, grim structure forebodingly.  "Are you sure you want to do this, Go...
Post a Comment
Read more

GOLDILOCKS: THE BEWITCHED WOODS

SANGEETHA KAMATH
This story is a reimagined version of the popular fairy tale 'Goldilocks And The Three Bears' and is a part of the event Write A Page A Day on Blogchatter for the month of February.                              CHAPTER 2  The trees pierced the sky like steeples, their gossamer branches blurred out high against the dusk. The luminescent creepers that entwined them pulsed like embers of bonfire in the dwindling light.  Mists thick with musk and sun-bleached pine, swirled around their trunks and veiled the forest floor in pillowy waves. The earthy smell of decaying leaves and damp moss made Goldwynn’s senses reel.  Disheveled, she scrambled to her feet, her heart racing like the devil.  The Locke mansion was nowhere to be seen – The cavern had spat her out like a bitter aftertaste. Her ears strained to hear some sign of life.  “ Where am I .. and where in the blimey is Locke Mansion...!" her...
Post a Comment
Read more

FADED COLOURS, FRESH MEMORIES

SANGEETHA KAMATH
                          RED SHOES  I still remember the happiest days of my life when Rivka all of five years was delighted beyond measure to take me home as her birthday gift. A pair of red leather shoes which she always wanted. She held me tenderly, close to her lil heart which spoke volumes. Rivka wore me to the park, playgrounds and picnics. **** Out of nowhere came that ill fated day, when I could hear horrendous screams and crowds of panic-stricken people were crammed into a truck. Rivka was howling and clinging to her mother. We arrived at a hellish place where I was brutally ripped off Rivka’s feet and thrown onto a pile of other shoes.  Rivka and the others were shoved into a windowless room and locked in. The chimneys of surrounding buildings belched out putrid smoke. I never saw her again. **** Years later, staring at the pristine room and men working in a calm manner made me relax in the cool confin...
Post a Comment
Read more