(18+) Someone in the dark

Ch. 4: Sleepless

I had a hard time trying to sleep the first night. I always had when I slept anywhere else than in my own bed. And there was also this gnawing, uneasy feeling that I couldn't quite comprehend. This house. The atmosphere. Leo and Mrs. Lee. And most of all, my boss, Mr. Jackson. I still hadn't met him, and I didn't understand why. And that thing in the conservatory? What in the world was that? I'd already partially wrapped it up and stored it in the back of my mind, while I tried to convince myself that it was just my imagination. But to be honest, I didn't know what to think.

I tossed and turned until I got so frustrated that I had to get up. I wrapped my bathrobe around me, opened the door and tiptoed downstairs, heading for the kitchen to get myself some warm milk. That often helped me go to sleep.

After a few minutes, I had the cup of warm milk in my hand and stirred some cinnamon into it with a teaspoon. The very second I stopped, and I put the cup back down on the counter, something small came running up to me and pushed what felt like a wet cloth to my leg. I screamed and turned on my heels and found the most unexpected thing. It was a little dog who now was sniffing and licking on my leg while he wagged his tail. And the wet "cloth" was his nose.

"Hello, you. Where did you come from? Mrs. Lee never told me they had a dog."

I frowned but couldn't help but to pat him on the head. He eagerly licked it and pushed his nose everywhere, probably to smell if I was a friend or not. But the way he kept wagging his tail nonstop showed that he obviously was happy to see me.

"What's your name, little one? Awe, aren't you a cutie?"

I couldn't find any name tag on his collar, but he was clearly a boy, and he seemed to be some sort of Jack Russell mix. Maybe even purebred.

"Are you thirsty? I'll get you some water."

He spun a couple of circles on the floor while I poured a bowl of water and placed in front of him, but he wasn't interested in that. He just sat down in front of it and held one of his front paws up in the air.

"What? You weren't thirsty? Are you hungry, then?"

The dog took another few spins as an answer.

"Alright, alright. I'll find you something."

I gave him some leftovers from the dinner I made last night, a sausage and some mashed potatoes, and he gulped down the sausage in a few mouthfuls. However, he didn't touch the potatoes, and that made me giggle.

"Now I know more about your eating habits than your owner's," I said, assuming he belonged to Mr. Jackson. Why they didn't tell me about him or why I didn't see him yesterday was a different question. I would definitely ask Mrs. Lee tomorrow. But what happened in the conservatory? Never. She'd think I'd gone crazy. Even I thought I'd gone crazy. Still, I couldn't get those eyes out of my head. They looked so real.

I shrugged it off. I had to focus on my job. The dog wasn't the only thing I needed to ask about. I wanted to know about Mr. Jackson's likes and dislikes. Maybe there were other things I could do for him other than bring him food? I didn't know what he did during the day, but if he got bored, then maybe he'd want a newspaper or some magazines? Then I remembered he had a whole library down the hall with all kinds of literature and figured I had to find something else. I'd probably get all the answers when I got to meet him in person. Hopefully tomorrow.

I finished my milk and put the mug away before I turned to my new furry friend again, but he was gone.

"What is it with this house? Why does everyone keep on appearing and disappearing around me all the time?" I mumbled to myself. Then I remembered how enormous the house was, and that I wasn't used to either the people or the unfamiliar sounds. I'd probably get used to it after a while. I just hoped it happened soon so didn't get so startled all the time.