A Couple of Stories For You

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The following two stories came from a book first published in 1959. The book, Strangely Enough!, was written by CB Colby, who collected odd stories and published them in a weekly newspaper column. The book is a collection of those published stories. I got the book from Scholastic when I was in elementary school, in the late 60's. There are several of the stories that have stuck with me through the years. I recently acquired a copy of the original book. I am posting these stories as they are two that have remained in my consciousness all these years. And while I did not put two and two together at the time, I think they might have application to this forum. Anyway, here they are; feel free to comment if you so desire:

 

 

The Frightened Dog

 

A faded photograph that I’ve had for many years shows a tall, thin boy and a white dog sitting on a porch. Tom, the boy in the picture, grew up in North Carolina, where he and his friends often went on hunting trips into the woods and swamps.

 

One day they set forth with their guns and Tom’s dog, planning to be gone only a few hours. However, late that afternoon it began to rain very hard. Since they were far from home, they decided to spend the night in an abandoned shack they had stumbled upon, rather than try to find their way home in the dark. The shack was empty except for some rubbish, a few old clothes and a lantern which still had some kerosene in it. Eventually the boys fell asleep on the floor, with the dog curled up beside them, while the rain splattered upon the roof overhead.

 

Some time during the night the boys were awakened by the dog whining and scratching at the door to get out. They noticed that he was trembling violently, and that the hair on his back was raised as though he was either frightened or angry.

 

Rather sleepily, one of the boys started for the door to let the pup out. Then he froze in his tracks. From the black woods outside the shack came a weird, startling sound. A combination of whine, low moan, and rising and falling wail, it was like nothing the boys had heard before anywhere. They all stared at each other, and reached for their light rifles for protection, as the dog ran about the shack, barking and whining and showing his teeth. One boy quickly lighted the lantern.

 

The window openings of the shack contained no glass but were covered with mosquito netting, and suddenly the dog hurled himself through one of these openings and ran off into the woods, snarling and barking.

 

The three boys waited with hearts pounding and .22’s clutched in their hands. The strange sound from outside faded away in the distance and then there was nothing but the patter of the rain on the tin roof to break the silence.

 

A few minutes later the boys heard running footsteps outside. Before they could raise their guns, the dog leaped back through the broken netting and came towards them, whining and shaking, with his tail tucked between his legs. He was a very frightened white dog. That was the most amazing part of the adventure, for when he had left the shack to run into the woods after the “thing”, he had been black!

 

 

 

The Whistle

 

On a small isolated farm in South Carolina an old woman lived alone with her dog. One night, as she was going about her chores, she became conscious of an odd whistling sound somewhere outside. It seemed to surround the house but did not sound like high wind in the pines, noises of nature, or a human whistle. It was very strange. Curious, she went to the farmhouse door. As she did, she noticed her small terrier was barking and howling on the back porch. This porch, which was enclosed, made a dark and snug haven for the pup.

 

She opened the door. The wavering and high-pitched whistle seemed to be coming toward the house from across the hills, yet it was as hard to locate as the chirp of a cricket. It must be some of the local youngsters trying to frighten her, she thought, but shut and bolted the door and hastily got her late husband’s revolver – just in case. She returned to the door to await whatever might be going to happen next. The dog stayed on the porch, for if it were just pranksters his barking would frighten them away.

 

The whistle came closer, although the old woman could see nothing. Then it seemed to turn, pass slowly around the house and approach the porch, where the now hysterical terrier was almost beside himself with excitement.

 

Soon there was a terrific outcry and sounds of struggle on the back porch. Then silence – as complete as it was terrifying. The lady, alone in the stillness, shook with fright. She did not dare go out onto the porch. Eventually she went to bed.

 

The next morning she investigated. The dog was gone, and blood was splattered all about. What had taken place? The whistle had stopped when the struggle began. But what was it that had caused the bloodshed? What happened to the little terrier? Nobody ever found out.