For My Broken Heart - short stories

And Abel

I open the door, but it's different.

Instead of seeing the usually busy street, I'm now surrounded by trees.

What the hell?

There's a storm droning on. Until just now I swore I could hear cars plummeting past, tires splashing through puddles.

This isn't my neighborhood. This might not even be my world.

The sky is a swirling abyss of purple. Lightning flashes across the sky and across the clearing that has replaced my lawn, I spot something.

Abel?

A little fluffy white patch in the distance. I see him waggle his tail. His mouth opens, and he makes a sound, not a bark but bark adjacent.

"Kara!"

I think I may have lost my mind. I'm in the middle of the woods and I see my dead dog barking my name.

"Kara!"

I give into the delusion, I want my dog. I run across the clearing toward him. I'm soaked in no time at all, and the lightning firing down feels a little close for comfort.

I make it to Abel. I drop to my knees and he hops into my lap with wet, muddy paws. He licks my face.

"Kara! Kara! We're in danger!"

"Where are we, Abel?"

"Danger!" he repeats.

I pat him soothingly.

"Shh, okay, okay. What kind of danger?"

Abel whimpers. I pat him gently again.

"It's okay boy, tell me what kind of danger. I'll protect you."

His ears perk up.

"It's here."

"What's here-?"

From within the trees a larger creature emerges. The kind of creature of unimaginable horror, with a largely round, unevenly proportioned body, razor sharp teeth, a slimy, fat snake tongue, and tentacles... Tentacles everywhere.

It has one large red eye, glaring down at Abel and I.

"W-what... What is that?"

Before I can react, one fast tree trunk-sized tentacle snatches up Abel. He yelps out in fear, but is still alive as the beast carts him away.

"ABEL!"

Lightning strikes violently bright. I'm blinded for a moment, and when I can see again, they've disappeared.

If there's even a chance that Abel is out there, I'm going to find him.

My dog is my world, and now my life has a purpose again.

I run into the woods.