The Scenario: Somewhere in the neighborhood lurks a dog with one of those yippy, yappy barks. The first time I heard it, I jumped out of my skin, thinking something was being strangled. Turns out - thankfully! - the only things being hurt were my ears. (And my sanity, such as it is.)
I don't know where this dog lives. I suspect its owner lets it hang out on the screened patio so it can get some fresh air and bark at every single thing that walks, crawls or flies by.
So, in an effort to not run screaming into the streets, I thought I'd let my imagination - and yours, if you'll join me - go screaming onto the paper/screen instead.
What if . . . the dog is trying to tell us all something, like aliens or zombies are on the way?
What if . . . we figure out where the dog lives and go over to talk - nicely! - to its owner, only to find the front door unlocked and no evidence any human lives/lived there at all? We follow the barking through the house, to the patio, only to find it empty, too. Do we just have the wrong house? Or could the place be haunted?
What if . . . we find out it's not a dog barking at all but some mutant creature never seen before? Is it from another planet? Is it the result of some lab accident or a science experiment gone wrong?
What if . . . we are the only ones who hear the barking? When we mention it to other people, they look at us like we're crazy. Are we losing our minds? Do we have super-amazing hearing? Are we hearing sounds from a parallel universe?
*****
Your turn! Chime in on any of the above or come up with your own! Do you have any annoying critters in your neighborhood? How did you handle it? Did they ever make an appearance in one of your stories or blog posts?
The last one is good! We have a yip dog in our neighborhood. Owner's fault, not the dog's.
ReplyDeleteI've actually made sure my husband has heard it, too, so I know I'm not losing my mind.
DeleteI don't blame the dog for its bark. It's kind of like our own voices - they are what they are.
The creepiest thing I ever saw a dog do was stare at something behind me. She was terrified but wouldn't take her eyes off whatever was behind me. --There was a blank wall behind me.
ReplyDeleteTo satisfy us both, I turned around and pointed at the wall. I told whoever was there they had to leave. Within a few seconds, the dog calmed down and went back to normal.
Oh, that is wild, Maria. Just wild.
DeleteMy mind instantly goes to 'what if we investigate and there's no dog." Maybe it's a ghost doggie!
ReplyDeleteA ghost dog could be cute and fun OR it could be like Cujo. :o
DeleteSo that explains the barking I hear when I talk walks. lol
ReplyDeleteThere's pretty much an explanation for everything, and the weirder the better. At least in terms of story. :)
DeleteWe have one of those yappers in our naeighborhood, as well. I agree with Alex - it's the owner's fault.
ReplyDeleteWhat if . . . the dog is barking at me, because it can see me through the hedge and I am burying a body in the garden.
Good one, Lee! What if the body you're burying is the dog's owner? What if the dog is happy the owner is dead and now wants to come live with you?
DeleteThose are some really creepy scenarios. The second one gave me the shivers.
ReplyDeleteSadly, everyone in my neighbourhood loves barking dogs. If it gets to bad, I report them. Unfortunately, having barking interspersed with a person constantly scolding the dog doesn't improve the ambience.
J.H.
It's strange because I know there are other dogs in the neighborhood - people are out walking them all the time - but the yippy dog is the only one I ever hear barking.
DeleteHmm, maybe all the other dogs are...robots? Or some kind of Stepford canines?
I love the last what-if. And what-if the barking dog followed you home... Would it ever stop? Or like you suggested, is it a warning of things to come?
ReplyDeleteWrite the story. I know I want to read it.
Anna from elements of emaginette
And what if you were the only one to hear the non-stop barking - would it drive you mad? And what would that madness look like?
DeleteI think the barking dog might need to get in line with all the other weird ideas parading around my imagination.... :)
The second one would be super creepy!
ReplyDeleteI have a neighbor that's had a few annoying critters. The first was a goat. It kept screaming like it was getting tortured. That lasted almost half a year. Then at the beginning of the year, they got a rooster. He only survived a few months. We'll see what next noisy thing they decide to try.
Okay, now I'm thinking the yappy dog isn't quite so bad after all.... :)
DeleteThis is such a fun idea! I like the first one. I've always thought dogs and cats would be the first to alert us to an alien invasion or visitation.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I wonder what your time traveling cat, Simon, would say? :)
DeleteI'll bet Simon would have plenty to say! Unless the aliens brought him food, he'd probably be pretty grumpy about it :)
DeleteFirst off, I love your Garden of Lost Souls cover. Not sure why I haven't seen it before (or maybe I have, and the memory is going...).
ReplyDeleteNow for the dog, which may be related to one we heard yapping outside a deli last weekend. That one had the most annoying yip I ever heard. So obviously, there is an invasion of aliens (disguised as yip-dogs) whose insidious plan to take over the world by driving us all to screaming madness.
Thank you!
DeleteBoy, that would be one way to take over the world. If I remember right, there's an episode of "Pinky and the Brain" where they were trying to take over the world by luring people with free t-shirts. :)
ugh, yippy, yappy ankle-biters! and I’m a dog person!
ReplyDeletehere’s an idea...
it’s a reincarnated soul who was allowed to go back to earth and he needs to be freed so he can go save his family... let him out already!
thanks for the game.
happy friday!
Tara Tyler Talks
Oh, that's a good one, Tara! Who or what is he saving his family from? A bad guy? A natural disaster heading their way?
DeleteI love all of your "what ifs." With that kind of imagination, I think you should be a writer... :)
ReplyDeleteWhat if that yippy sound is a pit bull who likes to suck helium...?
I just noticed your book cover for "The People We Used to Be." Needless to say, the book is now residing in my Kindle. (I have NO willpower...)
Have a super weekend!
Is it wrong of me to snicker at the pit bull image?
DeleteYeh for no willpower! :) Seriously, I hope you enjoy the collection. That was my first one and most of the stories in it are not as creepy as the ones in Garden.