when dogs grow old.....a short story

Once upon a time lived an old Mastiff dog. He had lived a long and eventful life, but began to grow old and senile. One long summer day, he slowly forgot everyone who had anything to do with his life. He saw pictures on the wall of "STRANGERS" and the pictures made him very angry. How dare those "STRANGERS" stare down at him in his home. He knocked the frames off of the wall and pulled the pictures from among the shards of glass. He ripped them to shreds, venting his anger at thier intrusion into his life. All the activity tired King out, he went to lay down on the big bed in his room.

As King slept, a man pulled into the garage in a large SUV. He parked the large vehicle and closed the garage door, noticing how large the Suburban looked in the garage. He never parked it in there, but did today because his wife was gone for the day. His visit home for lunch was unplanned, but his mind was troubled about his wife and the affair he suspected. He put the key in the door, turned the knob and stepped inside. His eyes got accustomed to the light, and he was puzzled by the piles of broken glass in the hallway as well as the shredded pictures. Who had come into his home and destroyed them?

The dog woke up to the sound of the door opening, and jumped from the bed. Who dared enter his domain? The hair stood up on his massive neck as he crept down the hall towards the stairs. He saw a STRANGER climbing the stairs, and this intrusion made him angrier than he ever remembered being. He leapt at the man, barking furiously, and they fell to the bottom of the stairs in a writhing pile. King went for the throat of the STRANGER, ripping it out as he felt the struggle end underneath him. He stepped away panting, the coppery taste of blood still fresh in his mouth. His instincts told him that he should eat now that he had killed his prey. He settled in to feast on his bounty.

The man's wife and her lover were driving down the street in her car, the danger of making love in her own bed worth the high. As she drove into the cove, she realized that her garage remote was not working. She parked in the driveway, and leaned over for a passionate kiss. They got out of the car and made their way to the door, looking around nervously as they walked. She put her key in the door, and opened it, gasping as she saw the bloody scene at the bottom of the stairs. King turned towards her, baring his bloody teeth as he leapt towards her.................................