Reaching the path to the garden, my lips parted at the condition of it. It's worst than I thought it would be. Grasping the metal gate, I gasp when my foot steps on a stick. The sound alerts some pigeons, making them fly away. Taking a step back, I watch them disappear from my sight.

A part of me wanted to go back inside, but a different part—a larger part of me—wanted to go further. The fear of seeing that monster is larger than the fear of walking into this garden. I swallowed before continuing on.

I open the garden's metal gate, it didn't at first due to its rustiness, but after pushing it harder, it did. I silently sigh and slowly walk inside. I was shock that the grass almost reaches my waistline, and so do the weeds.

Didn't that lady ask some gardener to take care of this?

Thick vines climb up some parts of the gate and the house.

The garden looks like it was here for over a hundred years, or so. My eyes caught something lying on the ground, making me walk towards it to investigate. I stared at it in confusion until I saw what it really was.

It was a broken statue of an angel. Both of its wings were lying on the ground, probably fell of due to acid rain and it being exposed to the sun all day. But what really caught my attention was the date carved on its arm:

The year this statue was made, it is also probably the same year the house was made. After examining the statue, my eyes fall on a certain spot where wild flowers grow everywhere.

I gasp lightly when I hear a twig snap, making me scan my surroundings. I feel my heart pounding in my chest, wondering what caused the noise. I relax slightly when I hear the familiar barking of Ben, my grey pug dog that I got from my birthday last year.

I look in his direction and see him running towards me, tongue out and all. I smile at him, pretending that what I heard was nothing and bend down to pat his head.

"Hello Ben," I gush.

Maybe it was just Ben himself.

He cocks his head to the side, tongue sticking out as his saliva drools down his jaw. I stood up straight again, wanting to see more of the garden. As I walk to the east part of the mini-jungle, Ben follows right behind me like the loyal dog he is.

Mom must have set him loose, he was just asleep in his cage while we were traveling. Poor thing must have been bored out of his mind.

I soon see a pool, well, what used to be one. It's empty, dried leaves are in it, moss is evident as well. As I was about to inspect further, I suddenly heard Ben barking furiously at something behind me.

I turn to see him barking at a tree, where a black raven was sitting on one of its branches. It looks defenseless and I don't know why Ben is barking at it. We used to have a lot of ravens back home, but Ben didn't bark at them or even notice the harmless things.

"Quiet Ben!" I hiss, facing the pool once again. "Don't touch that bird, it's harmless!" But Ben, being a dog, still continued to bark at the raven.

"Ben!" I scolded out once again. "Leave it alone." This time, the raven can't tolerate Ben's barking, so it flew off. This also made Ben to stop. I sigh in relief, glad that was over. I bend down and shook my head at him. "You shouldn't have done that boy." Seeing a frog, he took off to chase it.

Awk!

Stepping back, I look up to see a raven down looking at me. It cocks its head to the side before spreading its wings, flying off. That's when my watch started beeping, I stared at the time.

6:00 p.m

"Ben! Time to come inside the house!" Obeying, Ben forgot about the frog and followed me inside the house. Upon entering the house through the back door, I see my mom preparing the dining table. She was humming softly, an apron wrapped around her waist as she placed plates and utensils. She looked up from her work and smile at us.

"Dinner is almost ready."

Ben came in barking excitedly, which Mom giggled. "Yes Ben, you will be eating with us, except you'll be eating dog food." As if agreeing, he barked and took off once again to the living room. I followed behind him, scared that the man would appear and strike on the innocent dog.

That is, if he really is real. Can this just be fatigue that I have experience for a few days, that I am starting to hallucinate things? Yes, maybe it is. Maybe this monstrous man is just a figment of my imagination.

Ben sat down on the carpet and we just stared at each other for a few minutes. I walked over to him and patted his head, rubbing my fingers on his soft fur.

"Good boy." I mumbled softly, when Mom called out that dinner was ready. Picking up Ben, I went to the dining room. The smell of paint is still in the air, but it isn't that strong unlike awhile ago. We have to keep the newly bought furniture away since the paint still have to dry.

I place Ben back on his feet, and he headed to his bowl filled with dog food. I went to the kitchen first to wash my hands before eating, making sure not to leave a spot unwashed. After rinsing and wiping, I directly went back to the dining room. The aroma of noodles filled the room, my mouth watering.

Ben sat on the floor, patiently waiting for mom to place food in his bowl. "So, did your mind changed after seeing the renovation?" Mom questioned, pouring lemonade into my glass.

"I must admit..." I began, waiting for the glass to fill. "It's a cool house after the renovation but I still have mixed feelings. Especially with the rooms upstairs, it seems impossible to clean."

She brushed off my comment with a wave of her hand and took the pitcher of lemonade away. "Come on, at least see the beauty of this house than be bitter about it."

I don't think I have something beautiful to say if it concerns this house.

The sound of dog food rattling on Ben's bowl was all I heard as mom continued to pour it. Ben patiently waiting for his master to finish and when she did, he began to eat his meal.

Giggling softly, I proceed to finish my dinner. After the meal, I went to wash a few dishes before brushing my teeth and washing my face. Mom was already in the living room, ready to go to sleep.

I worriedly watch as Mom place Ben outside, mumbling about how Ben might ruin the wet walls and how he might chew on our new furniture. Flopping down on the comfy couch, I shifted my eyes at the door and at the television screen.

"I don't think it's a good idea to place Ben outside."

She shushed me. "He'll be fine, don't disturb. I'm still watching this show." I mentally rolled my eyes as she gasp at the movie playing on the screen. I took a pillow and placed it under my head, sleep already dancing in my eyes.

I was almost asleep, when Ben began to bark furiously, somewhere at the back of the house, at something. Mom groaned in frustration, "What now?"

The barks became even more frequent, if he keeps that up our neighbors are going to get angry at us. I stood up and yelled out the window where Ben is could hear me.

"Shhh! Ben!"

But still, he didn't pay attention.

After a few minutes later, the barking stopped. I sigh in relief, mom giving me a smile as if to thank me and went back to the couch to sleep. The last thing I heard was mom complaining how annoying advertisements are.

The sunlight streaming through the windows woke me up, I squinted at the bright light.

Morning already?

Yawning, I stretched my body before sitting up. Once I heard the whistling of the kettle, I knew my mother was awake.

Slipping on my slippers, I went to the kitchen to wash my face and brush my teeth. Ready to start my first morning here in Blackwell Mound. Just hoping it would be promising.

Eager to walk Ben around so that he'll be used to his new surroundings, I walked out of the house with his leash. "Ben! Come here boy!" I whistled for him, but he didn't.

I frowned, walking to the gates of the garden, his footprints on the muddy soil. Where is he? I opened the gates and went inside, he might be inside.

"Ben! Where are you?" I grimaced when my slippers became muddy, but I continued my search for my dog. He couldn't have escape, the gates were closed and knowing Ben, he wouldn't leave the premises without me or Mom. He was trained not to.

"Ben! Please come out, you're starting to worry m—"

My eyes widen and I jump back at the sight in front of me, trying to fight the oncoming tears. I swallowed my saliva and took a step forward to confirm my thoughts. I covered my mouth in horror at the scene. No it couldn't be!

It's a skull. A skull of a dog. My eyes trailed from the head and down to the tail.

Flies were swarming around it, the foul smell makes me want to gag. The bones look fresh, and the scent of blood is evident in the air. Only one name came into my mind.

Ben.