Ashleigh Berlin 
PART 1: The Day Max Arrived “The dog they handed her still had dried blood on his shoulder.” That was the first thing Claire noticed. Not the scars. Not the missing patch of fur above his left eye. Not even the heavy limp in his back leg.Just the blood—rust-colored, clinging stubborn to the graying fur …
The fire was already swallowing the house—her screams couldn’t reach inside, but the dog was already running. Part 1: The Fire Max didn’t bark. He never did—not unless it was important. And tonight, it was. The fire began in the kitchen just after 7:00 p.m. Ruth Whitaker had stepped out for a moment to toss …
Part 1: The Fall Margaret Lane had just put the kettle on when it happened. She didn’t feel a warning. No dizzy spell, no shooting pain. Just a sudden, horrible weightlessness in her right arm. Then the world tilted. Her left leg gave out. She hit the linoleum hard. The kettle screamed behind her. She …
She named him before she believed he was real. Every night at sunset, he stood perfectly still—like he was waiting for something that never came. She spoke to him through the window, whispered secrets only grief could keep. They said it was silly. Said she was imagining things. Until the night the dog turned his …
Some pawprints never fade, no matter how many years pass. They lead us back to the people we miss, the homes we lost, the hearts we once trusted. Jamie never meant to follow them—not into the woods, not into the past, not into the arms of a dog who already knew him. But sometimes, the …
I should’ve died that morning in Vietnam. But he pulled me from the wreck — teeth on my collar, eyes full of fire. He didn’t speak my language. Didn’t need to. His name was Bo — and he saved my soul. 📖 Part 1 – “I Should’ve Died With the Others” They said the chopper …
They called me a dinosaur—while scrolling TikTok in my own classroom. Not a card. Not a handshake. Just silence when I retired. But then a blind, broken dog looked up at me—and didn’t look away. That’s when I realized: maybe I wasn’t done teaching. This is how I left the lecture hall… and found my …
He sat alone while everyone else got matched. No friend. No ping. No notification. Just a broken boy holding hands with silence. Until the dog came limping down the alley— unwanted, unscanned, and just like him. Part 1 — Something the Code Forgot The children all had someone by lunchtime. Little screens blinked and chimed …
The flood took everything. Except her. She waited on the rooftop for two nights, soaked and shaking. Everyone begged him not to go back. But Bill had already lost too much in this life. Part 1 – The Rooftop Franklin County, Virginia – September 18, 2023 The rain didn’t stop for three days. It came …
He barked at the toaster. Growled at the thermostat. Wouldn’t sleep if the lights turned on by voice. Walter didn’t know why—until he found the tag tucked beneath the matted fur. And remembered what it meant to be chosen by something real. Part 1: The Voice in the Wall The toaster buzzed to life before …
She never told a soul she was hungry. Not the mailman, not her daughter, not even God on the loneliest nights. But the dog knew. He waited behind the food pantry, silent under the splintered table like an old memory come back to breathe. And one day, what she thought was forgotten, came walking back …
A three-legged dog showed up the day after Eli stopped speaking. He didn’t bark, didn’t beg—just slept on the old doghouse like he was guarding ghosts. No one knew why the boy kept sneaking out with his notebook and shovel. No one but the dog. And maybe… the sister Eli never talks about anymore. Part …
Liam heard panting where there should’ve been silence. The wall thumped like a heartbeat no one else believed in. His mother said it was pipes, or maybe dreams—but he knew better. Somehow, sorrow had teeth, and hope had paws. And behind the drywall, something forgotten was still waiting to be loved. Part 1: The Wall …
They say the earth forgets. But sometimes, it remembers in rust and ink and broken promises. A dog named Tater Tot dug up more than just a time capsule—he unearthed a warning Arthur Linwood had tried to forget. Buried by children who once believed their teacher could save the world. And one of them had …
Every afternoon, he climbed six flights of rusted stairs just to finish his homework. But one day, a dog was waiting for him—mangy, trembling, and loyal beyond reason. They say Wi-Fi is everywhere, but not where it matters most. Sometimes a stray finds you when you’re the one who’s been left behind. And sometimes, the …