Drip… drip… drip… drip…

Her parents had gone for the evening, and she was alone at home, it was late and she had school tomorrow so she finished her homework, had a shower and got ready for bed. As she was feeling chilly, she brushed her teeth quickly and as fast she could she climbed into bed.

She was not alone, her dog, her faithful friend was there. He would normally sleep under her bed as he had loyally done so for many years now. Just before turning of the light, she passed her hand down beside the bed whereby the dog would lick as he had always done. Assured, she switched the light off.

Normally the house falls into silence but this time there was a noise.

A dripping noise in fact.

Drip… drip… drip… drip…

Maybe she had not turned off the shower correctly she thought, so she got of bed and went to the bathroom and checked the shower and the taps. They did not appear to be dripping, but she turned them tighter just in case.

She went back to bed, placed her hand down by the side, again the dog licked her and again she switched the light off assured.

Drip… drip… drip… drip…

Was she imagining it? She opened her eyes, switched on the light, placed her hand beside the bed whereby the dog licked her again.

Maybe it was raining she thought. She pulled back the curtains, opened the window and stared outdoors. It was a cool night with stars in the sky, but there were no clouds and certainly no rain. She closed the window, pulled back the curtains, climbed into bed.

Again, she passed her hand and again the dog licked her, again she switched off the light.

Drip… drip… drip… drip…

She tried to sleep, but the noise did not stop. There must be a leak somewhere she thought. So she switched on the light and went to check again the bathroom, then the toilet and then she went down stairs to the kitchen. No sign of any dripping tap not any leak.

She went back upstairs and back into bed. Again, the dog licked her hand and she switched off the light.

Drip… drip… drip… drip…

This time she was determined to sleep, she did not want to get out of bed again.

Drip… drip… drip… drip…

She rolled over, tried to cover her ears, again she assured herself when her dog licked her hand. But still there was that sound.

Drip… drip… drip… drip…

It was no use, this time she would check every room in the house. She switched the light on, placed her hand below the bed and again felt the dog lick it. She then got out of bed and visited every room, first upstairs, checking carefully that there were no leaks not even from the radiators. She also tried to figure out where the sound was coming from.

She stood on the stairs in silence for a moment and figured out they were coming from downstairs. Again, she passed from room to room and there finally in the dining room she found it.

The noise was suddenly drowned out by her screams, screams so load that they could be heard outside.

At this moment her parents arrived, they saw their standing by dining room door screaming, they rushed to her.

“What's up honey?” her mother asked.

But she carried on screaming.

“It is just a bad dream,” her mother assumed and spoke.

Except it was not, for on the dining room table, was the cut off head of her dog with a message next to it saying, “People can lick too”.