The Wolf

"Mom! I'm going to take Kody out!" I shout to her as I leave the house with our husky. Now that I'm having my vacation, I help to take Kody out during the evenings for walks in the woods. During my school term, however, Mom usually walks Kody in the mornings. But since I go to a boarding school, Mom's a lot less busy during the school term.

"Okay Jack!" Mom calls back from the kitchen. "Stay safe!"

I yell a quick goodbye to her before leaving through our back door. Our house is right next to the woods, which makes it really good for taking Kody out to play. I like to think that the woods are more natural and better for Kody than the neighbourhood streets.

As usual, I walk Kody out towards the center of the forest. Just like always, I walk for ten minutes, play with Kody for a while, then walk back in the same direction. There is a lot more space to mess around with Kody in the forest than if I took him to the dog park right outside our neighbourhood. And the last time I was there with him, he was nipped at by one of the larger dogs. So now, we just go to the forest together.

I have always liked the forest. Being so close to nature makes me calmer and recharges me during school breaks. Now that I'm in high school, it's always super hectic since I'm revising almost every hour of the day. If I let my grades fall, my scholarship may be retracted, and no way am I going to let Mom work extra hours just for my studies.

After walking for a few more minutes, I reach the clearing in the middle of the forest. I unclip the leash from Kody's collar and he immediately starts chasing his tail. I laugh at the sight. I always look forward to seeing Kody during my school breaks - he never fails to cheer me up.

"C'mon Kody." I hang my backpack onto a branch and take out a frisbee. As I'm getting ready to throw it, Kody suddenly barks at me and sprints off in the direction we came from. "Hey!" I yell after him.

"Strange." I think to myself. He never ever does that.

I stuff the frisbee back into my backpack and swing it back over my shoulders. I start walking back home.

"BOOM!" A sudden noise behind me sends a jolt of shock down my spine. I whip around, only to see that the clearing has gone up in a cloud of dust. I squint my eyes to see what has caused it, but it's way too dense.

"What in the world-" I mutter as the dust finally clears. The ground of the clearing has been replaced by a crater the size of my house. A rock the size of my head lies at the bottom of the clearing. It takes me a few seconds before I figure out what it is.

A meteorite! The first thought I have is: If I can find someone to sell this to, Mom and I will never have to worry about money again! Excited by the idea, I make my way down the crater to closer inspect the rock from space.

When I reach the bottom, I reach out and pick up the rock. I brace myself for the heavy weight, but instead it is lighter than I expected and I almost fall backwards. "Thought meteorites would be heavier." I mutter under my breath. The meteorite is so light it feels as if it's almost hollow. My heart sinks a bit. Surely it will still sell for a high price even if it's not solid? I mean, it is a rock from space after all.

A sudden gust of wind blows through the clearing. The wind is so strong that as it blows through the trees, it sounds like it's howling. Cradling the meteorite in my right arm, I quickly get my backpack and start running back home. There may be a storm coming soon.

"Shit!" I shout as I trip on a root. Time seemed to slow down as I fell. The meteorite pressed against my gut before it suddenly shattered. I immediately get up to examine the damage.

"No no no no..." I mutter.

The meteorite is completely destroyed. All that's left is gray powder all over my shirt and my hands. I guess that's the end of my dreams then. I sigh in dismay. Nothing I can do about it.