Meet My Talking Dog

Chapter 1

I suddenly discovered that I could understand what my dog said.

No, I wasn’t hearing its thoughts. I could literally understand the things that came out of its mouth.

Upon learning this, I headed to a dog café. However, it turned out my dog was the only one I could understand.

I didn’t want to get into trouble for this, so I didn’t tell anyone—not even my dog.

One day, I heard it say that it wanted to be buried with me.

…

After breaking up with my boyfriend of three years, my best friend, Janet Court, took me to get a dog because she was worried I would be too depressed at home.

A Golden Retriever puppy curled up in a corner immediately caught my eye. He seemed to be hurt, with the wounds seeming to have come from fights with other dogs. I didn’t have any special reason for liking him. He just reminded me of myself after my parents abandoned me.

I’d never had a dog before, but the puppy was exceptionally obedient. As soon as I brought him home, he curled up on the couch without budging.

I figured I had to name him, but none of the names I came up with seemed to go well with his price tag—50 dollars. Ultimately, I decided to just name him Five-O. Fortunately, he didn’t object to it. He even licked my palm.

That night, I had a dream—a wet dream. In it, I saw a man whose hair was so long that it reached his waist. He wore a white robe with silver threads lining the sleeves.

I couldn’t see his face even as he approached me. He stroked my face with his slightly cool hands. Then, he pressed his lips against my forehead. It felt like he thought of me as a treasured possession.

The next morning, I felt rather reluctant to wake up from the dream. I saw Five-O curled up by my feet, looking rather glum. He only nuzzled against my calves when he saw that I was awake.

On my way to work, I told Janet about my dream. She laughed and said God had taken pity on me after dumping my scumbag of an ex-boyfriend. That was why he had given me a handsome guy in my dreams.

I rolled my eyes while driving. “How are you so sure he’s handsome? I didn’t even see his face. He could have freckles or boils all over or something.”

And so, Janet nicknamed the guy from my dreams Mr. Freckles.

She and I had met in high school, and we’d been lucky enough to get into the same college after that. Our relationship had grown better after four years together, and she was the only witness to my cursed relationship with Cameron Lane.

After graduating, Janet and I had started a business together. We’d gained some success after three years of doing so. I’d originally thought I’d won in both love and my career, but Cameron had destroyed that.

“Hey, here’s a serious idea. Do you want to go out for drinks with me tonight? I’ll bring some handsome young men along—they’ll be much better than Mr. Freckles,” Janet said. She leaned against my office door, looking like a devil luring me to join her in Hell. Her curls looked exceptionally soft under the warm lighting.

I nodded after a few seconds of consideration.

“Wait, really? You’re up for it? I thought you were determined to be a proper wife by now!” she exclaimed.

“A proper wife?” I sneered.

Janet held up her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. I’ll stop poking fun at you. Let’s go to a new bar tonight after work.”

I gave her an OK signal and turned on my computer. A photo of me and Cameron was still on my desk. It had been taken the year we’d graduated from college when he’d confessed his feelings to me and I’d accepted. He had a bright grin on his face and one arm around my shoulder, looking youthful and vivacious.

Who would’ve known he would abandon me in a car crash and save someone else just three years later?

What a buzzkill.

I threw the photo into the trash.

Chapter 2

Janet and I got off work at 6:00 pm sharp. I even had time to eat dinner with her before parking my car at home and strolling to the bar.

It was noisy inside, and everyone had smiles on their faces. The smell of liquor mingled with nicotine stimulated my senses. I couldn’t help frowning.

However, when I saw the handsome young man seated on the couch, I knew I was in for a fun night.

I didn’t know when I got home. All I knew was that when I flopped onto the bed, I heard a husky male voice ring out beside my ear. “She won’t drop dead after having so much to drink, will she?”

That was odd. When had a man come into my home?

Chapter 3

Could I… understand him?

As a well-educated, modern woman, I firmly believed in the core values of socialism. Besides, there was also the fact that supernatural creatures didn’t exist.

Still… What if? What if Five-O really was a dog demon?

The best thing I could do now was to stay calm and observe. Though the demons in the novels I’d read had generally repaid the humans who’d saved them from torment, what if Five-O turned out to be one of the rare few who didn’t act like everyone else did?

To be safe, I had to install a surveillance camera at home. If he really were a demon, he’d eventually reveal his true colors!

I couldn’t help applauding myself for my meticulous logic, but I tried hard not to let it show on my face. After having something to eat, I decided to get a surveillance camera—not that I couldn’t purchase it online. I was just worried I’d be in trouble if Five-O could read.

As I prepared to leave, Five-O sat by the door and fixed his gaze on me. For some reason, it made me feel a little guilty. How could I think such an adorable puppy was a demon? I was a monster.

“She’s going out again. Why is she never home?” Five-O’s voice shattered the remnants of my moral compass.

He was so nosy. If he really were a demon, I’d hand him over to the authorities in a heartbeat. Perhaps they’d even give me a handsome sum to make me shut up.

Chapter 4

I woke up the following morning with a splitting headache—a clear sign of a hangover. I didn’t think I’d had one since dating Cameron.

I opened my eyes to see that Five-O wasn’t by my feet. Instead, he was curled up on the couch again. His fur didn’t look sleek and smooth, perhaps because of the things he’d gone through in the past.

I sat beside him and picked him up from the couch, placing him on my lap. I savored the feeling of his soft fur and warm belly. I also looked into his bright eyes. It was no wonder people said having a dog was the cure to many things.

Five-O seemed mad at me, though. He turned his butt to me.

I was amused and played with his ear. “Why are you mad at me? Is it because you’re out of food?”

He wouldn’t answer me, of course. I put him on the floor and went to check his dog bowl. I’d only taken a couple of steps when I heard a man’s voice ring out behind me. “Go ahead and drink more, why don’t you? I’d like to see that headache kill you.”

I froze. The voice sounded exactly like the one I’d heard while half asleep last night. Could it be that I hadn’t been imagining things? Was there a burglar in my house?

I whipped around, but Five-O was the only living creature in the living room. He’d moved to sit on the couch as he looked at me. There wasn’t another soul in sight.

I didn’t give up so easily. I got onto all fours to peer underneath the couch, but there was nothing. The same went for behind the curtains and inside the closet.

In the end, I flopped onto the floor, panting and sweating from the exertion. I hadn’t found anything or anyone. What was with that voice, then? Had my drinks from last night come with something special and addled with my brains?

I was hearing things. What came after that? I had to get myself checked at the hospital!

I hurriedly grabbed my phone to make an appointment with a doctor, but the voice appeared again. This time, I heard it loud and clear—it came from before me.

“What’s she doing? She’s not crazy, is she?”

I looked up and met Five-O’s gaze. I could even discern the faintest hint of disdain in his eyes. I also heard a soft, soft bark that was almost drowned out by the voice.

Janet snarled, “Look. Cameron’s always been a bit of a freak. I told you that even before you two got together—he’s too extreme. Someone with a personality like that will only hurt you after you guys break up!”

She sounded so angry and indignant that I would’ve believed her if I hadn’t been the one in the situation. “Oh, really? Who was the one who kept persuading me to get together with him after he helped her with her graduation dissertation?”

She chuckled awkwardly.

My thoughts trailed back to my college days. Cameron and I had met by pure accident. At the time, we’d been competing for a scholarship, and Cameron had lost to me because he wasn’t as excellent as me in extracurricular activities.

After finding out about each other’s existence, Cameron had insisted on meeting me once. That was what had started his four-year pursuit of me.

Yes, he’d pursued me for four whole years. Throughout that time, his feelings for me and determination to win me over spread all over campus. He hadn’t changed despite my iciness toward him.

What had truly made me change my mind about him was something he’d said to me in our junior year. He told me he knew I didn’t have many expectations for love because I hadn’t grown up in a loving family, but that was okay. He would lead me out of the abyss step by step.

However, he later turned out to be the one to shove me deeper into it.

“What’s your plan, Savannah?” Janet asked. Her words pulled me out of my reverie.

I looked out the window to see that night had already fallen. I sighed. “I don’t know, but I don’t think he’ll do anything too crazy.”

“You still think too highly of him. Cameron isn’t the type of guy who will let go so easily.” Janet shook her head, looking wise. Meanwhile, Five-O’s ears twitched as he lay in his corner.

At the time, I thought Janet was just scaring me. It was only until later that I realized I was the most naive—borderline ignorant—person in the situation.

Chapter 5

On my way home after buying a surveillance camera, I detoured to pass by a dog café. The dog barks coming from inside didn’t sound any different to me, though. This only solidified my guess that Five-O was the one with the problem.

After installing the surveillance camera, I could already see the dollar bills waving at me. However, to my dismay, a whole week passed without Five-O doing anything special when alone at home. He didn’t morph into anything. All he did was curl up on the couch or my bed while waiting for me to come home.

When I was almost at the door, he would shoot toward it and wait there, his tail wagging like helicopter blades. He didn’t morph into a human and help me tidy my messy home, nor did he become a handsome guy who could warm my bed.

He was just… a dog. And as all dogs would, he chased his tail while I watched.

“My, my. Look at you, watching your precious little Five-O like that. I didn’t expect you to be so loving, Savannah!” Janet appeared behind me with a cup of coffee without me even realizing it.

I chuckled awkwardly before turning off the surveillance footage. “Why are you here?”

“No reason. I just came to tell you that someone told me Cameron is back. He’s searching the world for you.”

I rolled my eyes at the mention of Cameron’s name. We’d gotten into a serious car crash when we were out celebrating our third anniversary. Our car and the one ahead of ours had suffered the brunt of the crash.

At the time, I couldn’t budge because my legs were trapped in the wreckage. Cameron had managed to get out, but he hadn’t bothered helping me. Why? Because his first—and true—love had been in the car ahead of us.

He’d saved her and taken her away for medical assistance, leaving me behind as I felt the blood slowly trickle out of my body. Later, the doctor told me that my legs would’ve had to have been amputated if I’d been rescued any later than I had.

As I recuperated in the hospital, I didn’t get an apology or a proper breakup from Cameron. I even had to hear from someone else that he’d taken his true love out of the country.

My three-year relationship came to a dramatic and ridiculous end just like that.

“Searching for me? Does he want to see whether I’m actually dead?” I growled.

Janet shrugged, not knowing the answer to that.

I didn’t expect my reunion with Cameron to come so abruptly. I was walking Five-O in the neighborhood and listening to him scorn the other dogs for looking hideous as they peed. I had to pinch my thigh to stop myself from laughing.

When I looked up, I saw Cameron standing underneath a streetlight. His gaze was filled with love and longing as he stared at me.

“Savannah, I’m back…” He approached me as he spoke, but I instinctively backed away.

Five-O moved faster than I did, though. He’d already shot forward to stand before me. He was usually so gentle, yet he now bared his teeth and started barking and snarling at Cameron.

Cameron stopped. Still, he didn’t stop talking. He sounded quite creepy. “Are you still mad at me for not saving you back then, Savannah? I had my reasons for that. I can—”

I held up a hand to stop him. “I don’t want to hear any explanations, Cameron. There’s no changing the fact that you left me at the scene of the crash, leading to me almost getting amputations. I won’t forgive you no matter what you say today, so just go.”

His lips trembled like he’d heard something he couldn’t believe. He made it seem like I was the one who’d done him wrong.

“That’s the spirit! A scumbag like him needs to get as far away as possible from us!” Five-O said. That almost made me laugh. He continued, “He’s all talk and no action. I would never have left Sav alone!”

Sav? Was he referring to me? That warmed me, even if I didn’t know why.

Cameron evidently wasn’t willing to let me go just like that. He ignored Five-O’s warning and stepped forward, grabbing me by the shoulders. He put so much force into it that I suspect his fingers were digging into my flesh. It hurt, and I cried out.

He merely continued looking at me with that dogged and creepy gaze. “You have to believe me, Savannah. I genuinely love you. You’re the only woman in my heart! You can’t leave me! You promised you would always be with me. I only saved her because I owed her my life! We swore we would never be apart, Savannah!”

His tone scared me. I tried hard to break free of his hold but ultimately was no match for his strength. I could only roar at him to make him release me.

Just then, Five-O barked, “Let go of Sav, you scumbag!”

He bit Cameron’s calf, making the latter cry out in pain.

“You fucking animal!” Cameron snapped. He kicked Five-O in the belly.

I watched as Five-O was sent flying and crashed against a tree. He let out a pained howl. At that moment, all my guesses and doubts about Five-O’s identity flew out of my mind. I cried, “Five-O! Have you lost your mind, Cameron? I’m not interested in your story with that woman, so let me go!”

I kicked Cameron’s calves, but he didn’t budge. It was almost as if his body had been filled with lead. He only released me when a man approached from a nearby corner and shouted at him.

Before fleeing, he held my face and looked into my eyes. “Wait for me, Savannah. I’ll make you get back together with me!”

Every part of my body that he had touched made my stomach churn in disgust. I ran to the tree and carefully touched Five-O, who was so weak that he couldn’t make a sound. Still, he stuck out his tongue and carefully licked my palm, seemingly comforting me.

He was… a dumb dog.

Fortunately, he wasn’t badly injured. The vet said he’d done a good job protecting himself, so his bones and organs were unharmed. The only thing was that he was quite glum after we returned from the vet.

He curled up in the dog bed I’d just gotten him, muttering, “So many people touched my body and felt me all over! It’s abominable! It’s such a…disgrace!”

I couldn’t help laughing. I wouldn’t have expected him to be such a prideful dog.

I’d texted Janet on the way back from the vet to tell her what Cameron had done. She was scared out of her wits and insisted on coming over to ensure my safety. Once she arrived, she felt Five-O all over. All I could hear was her wicked snickers and his complaints.

“Focus, Janet. We’re talking serious business here,” I said.

She came back to me. Five-O refused to have anything to do with her and ran to a corner to be alone.

Chapter 6

I slowly got used to living with Five-O’s occasional words. Aside from being able to understand him, he was the same as all other dogs, so it no longer bothered me.

Perhaps I’d awakened a special ability—that was what I told myself to feel better. It was a dream for many people to want to be able to understand their dogs, right?

I said, “I’m going to work, Five-O. Be good at home, alright?”

He was already the size of a regular Golden Retriever and reached my knees when he sat. I rubbed his head.

He said, “Great. I have to open that cabinet today.”

I faltered. “I’ll kill you if you dare sneak any treats.”

His ears drooped.

Meanwhile, I went to work in a good mood. When I got to my office, I saw Janet standing outside and peeking inside. “Why are you standing there instead of working?”

She turned to me with a frown. Then, she grabbed my hand a little anxiously and leaned close to me. She said in a low voice, “Maisie Granger is dead.”

Maisie was Cameron’s true love.

For some reason, I was reminded of what Cameron had said before he’d left the other day—he would make me get back together with him.

I pulled Janet into my office. “When did it happen, and how? How’d you find out?”

I opened a bag of coffee beans with familiarity, but my hands wouldn’t stop trembling.

Janet sat across from me, her expression grim. “It happened three days ago. I’ve been paying attention to Cameron since he came to you. I had someone contact his high school classmate some time ago, and we exchanged numbers. Yesterday, he told me Maisie died after she wasn’t given timely treatment for a food allergy.”

“A food allergy?” I exclaimed.

She nodded. “She was severely injured after the accident, and Cameron was by her side while she was being treated abroad. It’s only recently that she showed improvement. She trusted him with all her heart and left many of her matters in his care. That’s why I suspect—”

“That Cameron killed her.” I finished her sentence.