Every night I wake up to find the dog staring at me, but tonight a terrifying noise disturbs us all …

I

n the middle of the night I feel the warm breath of a creature stirring my hair. It’s too dark to see anything, but I know from experience that the dog is standing by the bed, chin resting on the mattress next to my head, gently exhaling into my face.

The point is this: to wake me up without waking my wife.

“What?” I whisper, even though I know what.