even have to leave the house behind and move in with her grandparents until the river returned to normal Shire started baying Big loud barks kept coming from deep in his chest That wasn’t like him He was usually so quiet and well behaved He stood at the edge of the property right by the fence and continued to call out His barking attracted Rylee who stopped herding and went over to see for himself There had to be something out there Morgan peered through the glass trying to see what was bothering Shire Living out in the country she had often seen wild animals wander across their property Deer were common but she’d also seen foxes rabbits and even a black bear come through the yard She scanned the whole area but couldn’t see anything Morgan knew that didn’t mean there wasn’t something out there The dogs could smell what she couldn’t see Shire continued to bark Whatever it was Morgan needed to investigate 4
Chapter two Morgan got dressed and hurried down the stairs Her mother was by the sink washing dishes and her father was at the stove making breakfast That was their routine One did the cooking and the other did the cleanup Both were good cooks but Morgan’s father was much better at making a mess They always joked that he needed three pots and a kettle just to boil water Good morning Sunshine Morgan’s father said Morning Dad good morning Mom Her mother gave her a kiss on the forehead I didn’t expect to see you up this early on a Saturday Did Shire wake you up 5
I was up anyway she said The rain not falling against the window was so loud Morgan’s father laughed That silence was like music to my ears They didn’t talk much about what could have happened the previous spring Morgan’s best friend Emily who lived just down the river from them had been flooded out that spring Her family was back in their home now but for months they had had to live elsewhere while their house was being repaired Most of the year Morgan loved having her window open at night and listening to the sound of the river meandering by so close Close was wonderful Too close was not I wonder what was bothering Shire this morning her mother said Probably smelled something in the distance her father said He’s old but his nose still works well Shire had been part of their family since before Morgan was born so she didn’t know life without him 6
