Finding Reality

1 - There Are No Dogs in Olland

 "Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference between what's real and what's not."

She first started seeing the dog about 3 weeks ago.

And ugly, scrawny looking thing

She thought

But what in this town isn't?

At first she thought she was hallucinating

No, still thinks

It's eyes were too big---sad and brown

It's snout was long enough to hold a whole tea pot with at least two cups and a cup of sugar

(how must the poor thing eat she pondered)

The arch of it's underside was high, and it's tail was bone thin, except for the wisps of fur attached to the end that seemed as if they could be blown away by the harsh autumn wind at any second.

It's dreary pelt looked as if it was once full; white and shining and admired by all.

Now it was dirty and dull, with patches to be found here, and there.

There are no dogs in Olland.

Not a single one.

They were banned from the county, 13 years ago.

Even as pets.

The children tended to collect rocks and draw little faces with sticks of charcoal.

The town was dying, she was sure of it.

Not necessarily the people,(actually there were a few) but it's spirit.

Businesses seemed to close one by one as the years went by.

Not that she cared.

She would leave this sad old town, as soon as she could

She spit on the ground.

....

She wondered what else she had hallucinated on, other than the dog.

Maybe her whole family wasn't real

The fighting

The shouting

The accusations and blame.

Day in and day out but all caught in her head to the point where she wish there was water nearby so she could drown her ears in its tranquility.

Why, she must be a fool.

One who can't tell the difference between up and down

What's true or false

A lack of sense of time

One day, she went to test her mind and out of sheer

Dared herself to try to touch it.

She was slowly creeping up behind the mangy mutt when it abruptly turned around and in a clear strong voice said----

"hello."

She was startled, not as much so by the fact that it had just spoken, but more by the fact that she had been caught in the act.

"Gazuntite!" She exclaimed.

"I'm afraid I didn't sneeze"

It said

Squinting at her

It took a few steps in her direction

She took a step back

And tripped on seemingly nothing, landing on her bottom.

The dog's already bulging eyes seemed to grow larger as it put the end of it's snout to the beginning of her nose.

"Come with me."

It said.

"I have something to show you."

She scrambled away.

"Of course not! You're not even real, and why would I?"

The dog's snout pointed to the ground as it peered at her, making it seem longer than it already was.

"Do you really want to go back there?"

She didn't.

And if that meant following some sad deformed part of her imagination into the creepy part of the wood, then that it was.

She stood up and brushed off her skirt, trying not to think of the trouble this would most likely cause for herself later.

She sighed.

"...lead the way"

"You're going to have to get into my mouth"

She snorted.

"Excuse me?"

"I know! It's weird! Trust me, please?"

When she thought of death, stepping into the mouth of a scrawny ugly mutt of her own free will was certainly not what came to mind.

Nonetheless, she tightened her eyes, reluctantly raising her foot towards the beast who swiftly swallowed her up before she even knew it.

But when she opened her eyes, rather than finding herself in the dark belly of the canine, she found that instead she was at the entrance to the underground under a large tree root.

Wait.

"Oh no."

She unintentionally said out loud.

"Oh yes," the dog replied.

"Follow me now, dear" He said, and with a dismayed sigh, she followed him into the heart of the leaf covered ground.

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that's all for now! stay safe and lovely :)