Aubree Beagle: A Short Story

Aubree Beagle It was mid-winter in Salisbury, Vermont, 1956. The snow was starting to fall fast and the wind was picking up speed. “Father said that this was going to be the winter that comes back to bite us in the butt.” Said Ivy. Aubree had agreed with Ivy’s father, the winters here are always dreadful but the massive cold front from Canada would cause a record breaking winter in Salisbury. The two arrived to the small one story house. Three people lived with Ivy. John, Ivy’s older brother, Edward, Ivy’s father, and Betty, Ivy’s mother. “Ivy, you need to shovel the driveway.” Yelled Ivy’s father. “Ok!” Ivy yelled back. It had been an hour since Aubree and Ivy started and the
wind had picked up and the snow was falling even harder than before. “I think we should go in, I can’t even see you anymore.” Ivy said to Aubree. The snow was now swirling and the air felt as if it had dropped 20 degrees in a second. “Aubree where are you!” Yelled Ivy. Aubree tried to make a noise but her breath was taken away by the cold crisp air. Aubree was beginning to panic. Her breath was heavier and her body was motionless. “Aubree! Aubree! Aub…” Before she knew it Ivy was out of hearing distance and it was just her. Aubree began to run. She ran like a cheetah trying to catch prey. As the night dragged on, Aubree kept running. Through what she thought where woods, over a somewhat frozen creek, and under the Salisbury bridge. After what seemed like a thousand years Aubree stopped, not knowing where to go or what to do. She looked around trying to identify her surroundings. The wind had slowed down and the snow started to fall at a reasonable rate. In front of her was what looked to be a church with a couple of house around it, and behind her was a sign that said welcome to Goshen, Vermont! “Did I actually run to Goshen from Salisbury?” Thought Aubree. Goshen was about 9 miles away from Salisbury. The night was starting to creep up on Aubree. She had to come up with a plan before the dark falls. “Come on Aubree think!” Think!” She looked around frantically. “What can I do?” She thought. Aubree started too walked toward the houses next to the church. As she looked inside the houses she noticed all of them were empty. Frank Douglas
Dear Mary,
Two weeks passed and it happened again. The thought of writing to you and your brothers. I’ve meant to call or even visit but my arthritis is acting up again. This is the first time I’ve sat down and written since your mother died. And with the holidays approaching, the house is starting to feel emptier by the day. I was wondering if Joshua, Lia, Eleanor, and you would like to come spend the holidays in Goshen. I planned on writing to your brothers but knowing them they wouldn't respond. It would really please me to see you since the last time was at the funeral. And isn’t Lia’s birthday in a couple of days, give her my best wishes!
With love, your father Frank.
“Finally, the letter is finished.” Frank thought to himself with a sigh of relief. It was around 8 pm. And there sat Frank Douglas in his small two bedroom cabin in the town of Goshen. Frank prompt his feet up in his dark leather recliner. His arthritis was starting to act up again.
Frank sat in the recliner for hours, watching the individual flakes of snow race to the ground. Once he started to drift off he heard a noise. “BANG!” BANG!” “BANG!” The noise was coming from outside. Frank grabbed his walker and slowly, inch by inch he wobbled to the door. As Frank arrived at the door his grip on his walker tightened and his body shook as if he was being struck by a thousand bolts of lightning. He stumbled closer trying to get a peek out through the window. There was nothing. He slowly walked back to his recliner. Aubree Beagle
Aubree walked to the house farthest away from the church and even further away from the welcoming sign. The house was small and brick. It had one window and wasn’t more than 900 square feet. Aubree tiptoed up to the large pine tree in the front yard, trying her best to be silent. As she approached the tree she lurked in the shadow scoping out the area. After a couple of minutes she got up and went to the door. Aubree knocked not knowing what to expect. “BANG!” “BANG!” “BANG!” she knocked harder this time with more confidence. Time past and nobody answered. Aubree waited then opened the door slightly, waiting for a noise. She walked in cautiously, the house seemed vacant. She closed the door and moved swiftly. Then all of a sudden “WHO’S HERE!” “WHO IS IT?” Aubree panicked. “What do I do?” She thought. “Hide.” “ANSWER ME!” The voice yelled again. Then it was clear “HIDE!” Aubree bolted to the closed thing to her, the rug. She lifted it up and slid under. The rug was beneath a heavy coat rack and an umbrella holder. Frank Douglas
As Frank sat down he heard the door open.
He darted up pushing his cane out of the way. “WHO’S HERE?” “WHO IS IT?” He yelled as he stumbled over to the kitchen picking up one of the wooden chairs. “ANSWER ME!” Again he yelled. He fumbled into the front room and looked around with the chair waving over his head like a flag. He studied the room in great detail. Looking, scoping. He hadn’t seen anything so he turned to the idea of “I’m crazy.” But he listened closer, hearing a quick breath escaping something. He stumbled to the coat rack lifting it up and throwing it to the side. “I knew it.” He said. Aubree Beagle
Her heart was beating a million times a minute. She tried to lay still but she started to hear footsteps. The steps began to get louder and louder. And before she knew it the end of the rug closest to her was starting to shake. She quickly got up, with the rug still over her, and ran with all her might. “BOM!” “BOM!” She heard something smashing the floor with big thumps.
Once the rug ran out she hopped out from underneath and she was able to identify the thing hitting the floor and who had been yelling. It was an elderly, around sixty year old man. Frank
Douglas
Frank chased whatever it was until the rug ran out and there stood a female beagle. It was barely a foot tall and had a bright pink collar on that read “Aubree the Beagle. If lost and then found please return to Salisbury, Vermont, 31075.”