I feel like my body is shaken, damnit just let me sleep ok? I opened my eyes slowly and there’s Reita.

‘’Reita…how did you get in here?’’ I rubbed my face.

‘’your front door isn’t locked. Why are you sleeping on the floor?’’

‘’Huh?’’ I sit up and rest my back on the wall. I don’t want to tell Reita about the incident.

‘’You haven’t come to school the last 2 days ago so I decided to check on you’’.

‘’2 days?! I thought I was out for about a day’’ that’s crazy, I’ve been asleep for like 2 days?

Reita then sit next to me. He look at me and my dirty clothes.

‘’Ruki, I know what happen. They push you into the forest right?’’

I look away and made a frown. ’’I don’t want to talk about it’’.

‘’I’ve talked to one of the bullies, they say they heard Haru screamed and you…they saw you running out…’’ his words hang in mid air

‘’well? What is it?’’ did they…they saw me run?

‘’one of them said the way you ran was odd, as if you’re on all four or like that.’’

They did saw me. I tried to change the subject.

‘’Haru, how is he? I saw him…’’ the vivid images came back. I shudder a bit.

‘’He’s in the hospital. He suffered from a few bites and need stitches but he should be ok’’.

I hug my knees. I wanted to shrink away. The images of the attack came back slowly.

‘’Reita, I saw it. It was exactly the same way.’’

Reita focused his attention to me.

‘’The way they jumped at Haru, the way the mauled him, bite him, tore him. And the screams. It’s the same as it was 16 years ago.’’

Reita patted me at the back and I began to whimper. He was the only one who knew about it.

When I was 8, I remembered being in the forest. It was exactly the same thing that happen yesterday. The bullies, they pushed me around and then out of nowhere about 5 big dogs came and mauled them to death. 2 survived.  My parents hired me a therapist  and till now I still see him once a week. Since then I’ve always been afraid of dogs.    

 

‘’It’s ok Ruki, you know what? I think we’ll walk together to school tomorrow. Maybe even I’ll walk you back. Is that ok?’’ Reita tried to coaxed me.

But it wasn’t working, I started to shiver again as if I’ve been out in the snow for a day without anything on me. The images work their way back  in. I couldn’t hear anything. I started to cry. Oh God I’m going to die. That’s all the words I hear.

‘’Ruki please, calm yourself down. Breath like the doctor told you’’. Reita held me gently.

I listened to him, I try to breath in and out slowly.

‘’Open your eyes and look at me Ruki’’. I could feel Reita’s warm hand on my face. He wiped away my tears as I turned to him.

‘’You’re gonna be ok alright? The dogs are not coming to get you, they never will. I’m here ok?’’ Reita reassure me. I nodded slowly.

‘’Now  go and take a shower, and then we could eat lunch alright? I bought some Omurice for you’’

I nodded slowly again. Ok the dogs aren’t coming and Reita’s here. I should get clean for him.

The dogs are not coming to get me.

 

 

 

 

After a day Reita stayed with me he decided to went back home. Yea I told him I’ll be going to school tomorrow and he doesn’t have to wait on me.It was starting to get dark outside. I locked the gate and the front door before going back inside.

Man I’m so tired even though I’ve slept for about 2 days? It still pretty crazy when you think about the whole thing abou-

No I’m not going to think about it anymore. The bullies deserved it anyway.

I don’t know why but I feel like sleeping on the floor again today. Weird yes I know but I just feel like it. Kinda soft I must say. I let the table lamp on and lay down flat on the carpet. Well isn’t this cosy.

 

Skip a week and I feel better. I attended school as usual and no I’m not skipping classes anymore. Sometimes  I would come over to Reita’s house to study instead. Life is ok. Reita said I sit weirdly lately. How I would somehow crouch instead but I couldn’t bother about it. Once I arrived back home I decided to watch television. Suddenly I heard some rattling in the kitchen.

What the…

I went toward the kitchen to see what’s wrong.

Well nothing’s there just a few bowls out of their place. I picked them up and re arrange them back.

‘’seems like you’re fine’’  

Hey who said that? I’m sure my conscience doesn’t even come close to that voice. I turned around and there it is.

The black dog with the red eyes.

I took a pan just in case it wanted to jump at me.

‘’don’t have to be so alert with me Ruki’’

‘’are you…talking to me?’’ what the hell. This dog is talking to me. Ok I might be going crazy here or something.

‘’Well I don’t see anybody else do I?’’

it is talking to me. This is crazy.

‘’What the hell do you want?’’ I held the pan higher.

‘’just a little fair warning that’s all. A few weeks ago you humans took something in the forest. I demand you gave it back’’.

‘’What thing? There’s a lot of people going in and out of the forest. You can’t blame me’’.

‘’Alright I’ll be blunt with you Ruki. Last 5 weeks a pack of humans decided to camp inside the forest and one of it took a red ruby. I want it back’’.

last 5 weeks? That’s when there’s a camping held by the Science Club. I wasn’t in it though.

‘’Why me? There’s a lot more people here you can ask for help. And what if I don’t want to help you?’’

‘’oh Ruki I don’t think you forget about the incident years ago? When we saved you from the bullies? Not to mention last week I saved your live too.’’

It knows me.

Oh

My

God

It’s the same dog.

‘’oh and just when you think everything’s gonna be ok, I actually placed a curse on you.If you didn’t return to me the Red Ruby within 3 weeks or the next full moon. You’re going to turn into a dog.’’

The pan that I held just now fell on the floor.

What?

Turn into a dog?

‘’Y…you’re kidding me right?’’ I laughed nervously.

‘’Am I? Ruki can’t you see? The curse already started from the moment I lay my eyes upon you’’.

Lay his eyes…

The forest, the first time I saw him (technically second though)

 I look away and grabbed my head. I don’t know what to do.

I turned back again and he was gone.

‘’Remember Ruki, 3 more weeks  to go’’.

His voice lay in my head. An aftermath.

I sat down on the tile and curled myself into a ball again.

No no no no

Why do bad things keep on happening to me?

Turn into a dog? Are you kidding me?

I don’t know what to do and I can’t think straight anymore.

Hell everything isn’t right anymore. Some kind of a weird scary dog just talk to me and curse me and everything about the red ruby and…

I just can’t!

Maybe if I’m dead then he’ll won’t bother me anymore.

Yeah, even the nightmares would be gone.

I don’t have to worry about anything anymore.

I stood up and wander around the kitchen, I found a small knife I used to cut fruits. I took it in my right hand and held up my other hand up, facing my wrist.

‘’So long Nightmares’’