As I settled into our new house with my husband Kyle and our son Ethan, I couldn’t help but feel hopeful for a fresh start. Ethan had been through a tough time with bullying at his previous school, and as a mother, my heart ached to see him happy again. This house, previously owned by an elderly man named Christopher, seemed like the perfect place for us to begin a new chapter. Little did I know, a mysterious husky would soon enter our lives and change it forever.
Like clockwork, the husky appeared every morning as soon as we moved in. His piercing blue eyes and graying fur gave him an almost mystical aura. He never barked or made a fuss, just sat quietly on our porch, patiently waiting. Naturally, Ethan and I started feeding him, assuming he was a stray from the neighborhood.
One day, while picking up some dog treats at the store, Ethan asked me if the husky was hungry because his owners didn’t feed him enough. I replied, “Maybe, or maybe he used to belong to the previous owner of our house.”
The husky’s visits became a regular part of our routine. Ethan, who had a hard time adjusting to the move, bonded instantly with the husky. He would spend hours playing with him, tossing sticks and sharing his thoughts on the porch as if they were old friends. The husky seemed to be exactly what Ethan needed to feel at home.
One morning, Ethan discovered a name engraved on the dog’s worn leather collar: Christopher Jr. My heart skipped a beat. Christopher was the name of the house’s former owner. Was it just a coincidence, or had this husky once belonged to him? Ethan’s wide-eyed wonder only deepened my curiosity.
“Do you think he keeps coming back because this was his home?” Ethan asked.
“Maybe,” I said, although the idea unsettled me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the husky had a purpose for being there.
That purpose became clear one day when Christopher Jr., or CJ as Ethan now called him, started acting strangely. He paced at the edge of the yard, whining softly, his gaze fixed on the woods behind our house. It was as if he was trying to tell us something.
“Mom, I think he wants to show us something!” Ethan exclaimed, already reaching for his jacket.
