Kelly blinked away the stinging rain, completely bewildered. “Who? Who is down there?” “Buddy! Buddy’s down there!” he wept, his voice cracking with emotion. “He’s hurt! Please, don’t let him die!” Kelly looked at Marcus in confusion. They had no idea who “Buddy” was—this man had no known family, let alone anyone who would be out in these woods. But Marcus stepped to the edge and shone his heavy flashlight down the slope.
There, at the very bottom of the ravine, a massive drainage ditch was rapidly filling with rushing, muddy rainwater. And trapped inside the rising torrent, desperately trying to keep its head above water, was a scruffy, golden stray dog.
It was the mystery creature from the courtyard. The dog hadn’t been running away out of aggression; it had been coming to him for food, the only soul it trusted. And now, it was drowning.