The Dogs Kept Barking in the Dark
photo source: publicdomainpictures.net Daughter A young woman living with her parents was quite fond of dogs. She had seven. One night, they began barking in a thunderous clamour. The young woman looked out of the window to see what was happening. She heard her aged father opening the window to the courtyard and scolding the dogs for the noise. She could still hear the song her mother was listening to on her smartphone. It was a birthday gift that Mother got on her 70th birthday. "How long will I have the company of my ageing parents?", she wondered. God forbid, if they die soon, she would leave the house, she thought; then altogether regretting that thought, she tried to forget the sensation of loneliness that the thought evoked. The dogs were barking, all seven of them. The three puppies were mildly bored and lowered the pandemonium a little. She knew them distinctly from their barks. The older bitch, the leader of the pack, had a fierce bark that resonated across the court...