Darkest Before Dawn
The autumn leaves rustled beneath Brandon’s feet as he ambled through the woods. The crisp night air swept through the mop of hair on his head that was in need of a good wash. Brandon’s feet were screaming at him after working 4 12 hour shifts in the Emergency Department. Bobby, Brandon’s boisterous golden Labrador Retriever, had gotten loose for the third time this week. As luck would have it, the moon was full and seemed to be fueling the chaos. Brandon had a hectic day at work and was looking forward to face planting into his bed after taking a hot shower. Instead of beginning to vegetate in his room for the next 24 hours, Brandon was following Bobby on a wild goose chase. Sticks crunched under Bobby’s paws as he ran between the trees. Brandon noticed that Bobby was running toward the huge gnarled oak tree that stood in a clearing. It was quite an eerie sight at night.