“Dad”
“Dad” I screamed in tears. It was here again. Its force pushed me out of my king sized bed.
Am sure dad wouldn’t hear me easily. He has been moody ever since mum divorced him two months ago, same period he lost his job. He would wake up by 2am, sit on our little dining table, stare absent mindedly at nothing in particular and shed a drop of tear with every sip of coffee he took, till I left for school. My dad was depressed. I felt suicide would have the upper hand if not for my presence.
Mum tried claiming custody of me during the divorce process, but I was scared of my mum. She terrified me. I knew why. I know the creature took my mum.
“Dad” I screamed again. It was coming closer. It wasn’t a stranger. I knew it since twelve years ago when I was four. The creature was very huge. The most hairy fool. Its ugly set of dentition disgusted me. Its dripping saliva was shaped like the size of a tennis ball, messing up my smoothly polished concrete floor. I wanted to kill it but it was too fierce.
Only dad could stop it but am sure he was busy with his daily routine. Dad would commit suicide if this creature shreds me apart. The creature took my mum. The creature would kill me. Dad would die.
“Daaa…d” The tears were uncontrollable. I could see the doors of heaven already open.
It got the trouser of my pyjamas close to my feet. It used it to drag me. I looked for something to hold onto but saw nothing. Its ugly dentition was shredding my pyjamas. It then turned me upside down with force. My jaw bled. I had hit my jaw too hard.
I screamed and screamed. I wish dad would just hear me and stop taking his coffee. The creature seemed to be delighted with my pain. It stared at me. I could feel its eyes on me but I was more concerned about my bleeding jaw.
“Daaa..ad! mum is here” I wanted to trick him. If mum could put him in depression, I felt lying about mum’s presence will awaken him.
The mixture of my tears, blood and catarrh gave me a running stomach instantly. I felt like using the toilet. The entity had already started sniffing my feet. I know I was doomed for. I felt its ugly nostrils around my feet. I knew it would pounce on me if I attempt to stand up. I was confused.
It started rolling on the ground and growling. I had hit it hard with my leg. I grabbed my mop stick and was ready for action. The fast footsteps I heard had given me courage to attack. I knew dad was coming to save me. I knew dad was coming to save his baby. Where the hell was dad?. The creature was recovering already.
It looked into my eyes from a distance. Its eyes had turn brownish and flame-like, almost popping out. It was growling so silently, only audible to both of us. It took slow steps towards me. One at a time, as if giving me enough time to repent for my sins and future sins. I was weak. My legs started shaking. I dropped the mopstick and leaned tightly against the door. The blood flow on my jaw increased. I could feel my shirt heavily soaked.
“Dad” I whispered like he could hear me kilometers away
“Da..d.. Dadd…y”
A force pushed me down at the back of my head. I landed forcefully on the floor with my forehead. I felt a swelling.
“Bingo” A deep baritone voice shouted
Bingo kept calm and looked like a good dog. The brownish flame eyes had disappeared. He looked attractive anytime my dad was around. The stupid dog sniffed me and went to my dad’s right hand corner.
“O my God Stacy. What happened to you”
“Daa…d” I cried and gave him a hug. I didn’t know how to explain things to him. How to tell him Bingo wasn’t a normal dog.
Bingo had driven mum crazy. Bingo drove mum away. Mum wasn’t herself till she left the house and now am the next prey.
Dad somehow knew all these but he wouldn’t believe it. He claimed his father gifted Bingo to him. The dog looked like an adorable wolf. Its life span seemed like eternity. I hated it.
I followed dad downstairs and I explained things to him. Dad just stared at me. The dog had won my dad’s heart. He chooses it over everyone in the house. My dad told me to leave if I wasn’t comfortable.
It was unbelievable. I didn’t go to school that day. I looked for ways to control my bleeding. Dad wasn’t around until night when he slept for a few hours and woke up to continue his normal routine. I was getting irritated by dad’s behavior already.
The next day, I went to mum’s house. Mum was happy to see me. She had changed. She didn’t look scary anymore. I talked things out with mum and how depressed dad had been.
“Mum.. Depression”
“Depression?”
“Mum.. Dad??”
“Stacy you’re scaring me”
“Hes gonna die mum. Lets go”
Dragging my mum along was difficult especially at that time of the night. What was I thinking? I felt like a murderer. I shouldn’t have left dad alone. I would have just sought for help and come back.
We opened the metal door and stepped inside. We saw a rope near the ceiling fan. I gasped. We both felt some kind of relieve, thinking we were early enough.
We climbed the staircase as quietly as possible, so as to not attract Bingo. We were there. We opened the door of his room slowly. It creaked and we shifted back. Mum almost fell down the stair case.
With enough courage, we barged into the room. The sight shook us. We saw Bingo feasting on my dad’s cadaver. We were late. My dad had taken his own life. Bingo had pulled his body down and dragged his master’s body upstairs to feast on him. Wicked dog.
My mum shut the door immediately and grabbed my hand. We both took to our heels. Running with all womanly strength in us. Bingo used his hairy body to break the door, barked loudly and chased us roughly like there was no tomorrow.
We were almost there. The door knob of the exit door was staring at us excitedly, like it has been expecting us.
I grabbed the door knob. As I was about turning it, my heart skipped when I heard my name. I thought it was Bingo as the voice seemed so different.
“Stacy”
“Mum.. Mum hold on a little”
It was my mum. Bingo had dragged her feet and injured her. I was so confused. I was looking for a weapon. I wanted to get into the kitchen to get a knife but I couldn’t leave mum alone. I was scared.
Bingo and I maintained eye contact while mum was pleading for her life as if Bingo could hear her. Then Bingo started misbehaving. He fell flat on the floor and started rolling. I dragged mum and we succeeded in heading to the car. Bingo had been poisoned by my dad.
I wept when we reached home. I wrapped mum’s injury, same way she did to my jaw and my swollen forehead.
“Mum I killed dad. Dad will come for us mum’’
“No you didn’t baby”
“Mum I did. I shouldn’t have left”
“Stacy listen to me. You didn’t kill your father”
“Then who did mum.. Who did??” I screamed! Bursting out into tears
“Bingo did. Stubbornness did. Depression did.” Mum replied calmly, stroking my lengthy blonde hair softly.

Interesting