Every day, the golden retriever stared intently at the same storm drain grate, as if guarding a secret. He would sit for hours, nervously whining or suddenly barking, his eyes fixed downward. Something about it unsettled me.
I had just moved to the neighborhood, curious about everything, yet the dog’s behavior left me uneasy. He seemed focused on something no one else noticed, a silent mission hidden beneath the street.
One afternoon, returning from the butcher with a bag of steaks, I saw him again, motionless and alert. I offered him a bone, expecting him to eat it. Instead, he took it gently and carried it away, silently, with purpose.
I followed him, my curiosity burning. He ran to the grate and carefully pushed the bone through the bars. My heart froze. Who was he feeding? What could possibly be down there?
Leaning closer, I saw something I couldn’t comprehend. My first thought: maybe a trapped puppy. But the truth that revealed itself beneath the grate was impossible, shocking beyond belief.