CHAPTER 1

THE BEGINNING
could see her through the window; magnificence
curled up in the chair, motionless but alive. Her
chin kissed the soft cushions of the seat as she
stared blankly at the door the will to live seemed
to have vanished from her eyes. As if to further
darken this morbid scene, shadows from the
window panes formed an intangible prison around
her their true purpose to solidify her melancholy
spirit. The only contrast to this nightmare was the
merciful sun that washed the golden brown fur
coat that capsuled her; revealing a majestic
beauty. I sprung the door open and in that
instant, I could hear the barrage of her footsteps
against the tiled floor. Before I could even gather
my thoughts, she was already in my arms and we
collapsed to the ground. My face was swarmed
with joy as I ran my hand through her luxurious
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hair and marveled at her sudden transformation;

her big brown eyes were now sparkling, her
breathing quickened and excitement electrified her
every bone. If she had a tail, it would be dancing
out of control I smiled at the thought.
Despite the obvious age difference, Sheila
had been my best friend for over 6 years. Even
though I was gone for only a few hours, we seemed
to have waited an eternity for our daily reunion at
3 oclock. As our custom was, I prepared one of
our favourite meals and we had our picnic on the
back porch. She cleared her plate long before I
could take a few bites and then stared at me with
those big puppy dog eyes eyes I could not refuse.
I found much pleasure in sharing, which I did as
my eyes drifted to the yard.
Our backyard was rather large and formed a
diverse herbal community; luxurious grass ran its
length and breadth, with trees of mangoes, apples
and pears planted to each corner, and vines of
pumpkin gracefully running either side. The
breadfruit tree was the giant that stood
prominently in the yard, but even that fact could
not conceal the vast array of trees that stood
behind it like soldiers lined in an army separated
only by a line of hibiscus and wild bush begging to
be trimmed.
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This beautiful display of nature was

suddenly interrupted by Sheilas little ones
running frantically towards us, their eyes were
filled with fear and their little bodies trembling
half to death as they snuggled under my feet and
Sheilas. They were always so fearless, yet now
they were desperately trying to escape something.
On doing a quick count and inspection, my eyes
widened and a cold wind rushed up my spine as
my heart fell and terror took its place one of
them was missing.
Trying to gather information from them
would prove futile, they could barely move their
mouths much less to speak. In the short time I
took to examine them, my eye caught Sheila
storming towards the monster that kidnapped an
extension of her being. She moved purely by
adrenaline and instinct, she was already faster
than I was and I had to roar on my third shout
before she halted. We stared at the vast trees that
stood before us as we tried not to think the worst;
Sheila was obviously shaken but nonetheless
determined. We trudged forward to rescue our
little princess Hannah, she was the only girl.
As we stepped over the border and into the
unknown, the sun was rendered to a few rays of
light that managed to penetrate the thick canopy
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above our heads. It went from day to night in an

instant, and the beautiful view that had prevailed
outside quickly morphed into an eerie ghost
heaven. Branches were now like claws, every tree
seemed like a person watching us in the distance
and the crickets began their heart wrenching song
as if it was some warning or plea for us to leave. I
could hear a soft whimper escape from Sheila as
she drew closer to me. I tried to hush her, but
then I looked forward and saw the source of her
fear. A figure about twice my size stood a few
yards from us and a light ray revealed a fresh scar
below his left eye, and a waist long stick seeming
to support his weight. We surmised he was glaring
at us but the darkness obscured our perception.
One thing was sure, his ominous presence was
certainly felt.