Faithful Scarlet

“Danny, why is it so cold in your room? And what is that smell?” asked his mother with her face looking disgusted. “I don't know” replied Danny with a soft voice “But can you make it warmer mom?”. Danny's mother said “It smells like something died in here.” Danny's mother looked around Danny's room. She found mac and cheese, old pizza, and some smelly socks that had holes in it underneath his bed. It was a light bad smell, a type of smell that was sour sharp like rotting meat.

“Ahhhh!!” Screamed his mother. Danny's mother had found Eddy the dead rabbit behind his dresser with its head decapitated.

“Where's his head?” Pointing at the dead rabbit.

“Eddy!” replied Danny. “Dad told me it ran away, I wondered where he went to” Danny looking quite sad of loosing Eddy had always wanted another animal. He asked his mother if he could get another pet, a bigger pet than a rabbit. He asked for a dog. Danny's love for animals was something special. He'd always loved animals and often loved talking to them because they were the only friends he had since he was homeschooled. Feeling bad for Danny, his mother decided to get Danny a dog.

Hoping it was the source of the bad smell, Danny's mother took a trash bag and dumped the mac and cheese, old pizza and the socks in it and walked upstairs to the rest of the house. Danny buried his rabbit in the backyard next to his dead hamster that passed away two years ago after getting sick. Danny's room was right above the garage looking over into the woods. His room was the only spot in the house you could see a clear view of the backyard. Right outside in the backyard was where Danny could see his father's little shed where he works. Danny's father was a butcher and he prepared meat in his shed which he always kept clean, cold, and often had no or little meat in the shed because Danny's mother hated the fact there was dead flesh near the house. She despised his job but he never quit. She never liked going anywhere within a 20 foot radius of the shed and demanded Danny's father to put it on the far side of the backyard away from everything especially her garden bed. That meant it was right next to Danny's room. Danny's mother was a mom, she stayed at home talking care of Danny and always planting flowers in her garden bed. His mother loved gardening but most of all she loved her son Danny who was 8 in the 3rd grade.

When Danny was younger he often got bullied because of his disability in socializing with other people so his mother pulled him out of school and right into homeschooling which meant she had to quit her job. Danny's mother was a wealthy lady, she could have put Danny in a private school but decided against it.

The next day they went to the animal shelter “So what type of dog do you want?” asked his mother. “A black lab” replied Danny. “They're suppose to be loyal and very smart” with a great smile upon his face. “What are you going to name it?” asked his mother. “Hum. How about Scarlet” replied Danny. “What a wonderful name for a dog” said the mother.

That day they adopted Scarlet, a middle age black lab with much ambition to do stuff. Danny thought older dogs should always get another chance and he knew puppies would always get adopted easier and faster. When they arrived at home, Scarlet was acting different than at the pound. She seemed to be more alert and kept whining. “What's wrong with Scarlet? She was happy in the car and at the pound” said Danny's mother. “I don't know mom, maybe she doesn't like our house or is just shy” replied Danny with a puzzled face. “Well it's the first day, I'm going to introduce her to Dad.” Danny put Scarlet on a leash and walked over to where is father was; sitting in the backyard. As Danny saw his father, Scarlet growled at Danny's father. “What's wrong girl, it's just my dad” She stopped growling and whistled through her nose a little bit and accepted the pet from Danny's father but seemed distrustful to his dad. “Well I'm going on a walk with Scarlet” said Danny. “That's a great idea” replied Danny's father.

As years passed Danny was so bonded with Scarlet they were inseparable. His mother was happy that Danny had found a friend. Each day he talked to Scarlet but she didn't understand. He loved pretending she did though. Scarlet was now an old dog. She had became more accepting of Danny's father but still didn't trust him fully.

One evening Scarlet wasn't at home. Danny asked his mother who was busy outside gardening listing to music “Where's Scar mom?” “What? I don't know, why don't you ask your father”. He ran to his father who was in his shed cutting meat, “Dad! Where's Scar?” with a sad worried tone in his voice. His father seemed out of place was dicing the meat super fast as if he was pumped up for something. Before his father could say anything Danny ran into the woods worried. He later tripped on a large log or what he thought was a log. Scared for life Danny saw his best friend's decapitated head underneath a pile a leaves. Danny began to cry. Had heard a voice, a soft gentle voice that said “Run to her”.

He looked around and saw nothing but heard the voice say “Run to her, hurry and run to her fast. Save her Danny!” Danny asked “Who said that” the voice replied “It's me Scarlet, Danny run and save your mom!” Danny panicked and ran as fast as he could around his house and snuck into the backyard leaving the door open where he saw his butcher father holding his butcher knife and his mother listening to music gardening not noticing his father was about to chop off her head. Danny saw a garden hose in his father's path so he seized the chance; pulled the hose and tripped both of them, and his dad hit his head on a rock, making him unconscious.

“Danny what's going on?” Danny, not replying pulled his mother up and out of the backyard and kept running with his mother in his hand into their nice neighbors house. Danny told her what he'd seen but but didn't mention Scarlet speaking to him. Danny's mother called the police on Danny's crazy father. While in police custody, Danny's father admitted he had killed all of Danny's pets as “practice” for when he'd kill his family. He wanted his wife's money and to start over as a single childless man. Scarlet had protected the people she loved even in death.