Basil
Maddie
Maddie huffed as she slammed the front door shut behind her, before quickly locking it. She leaned back against it, eyes shut, and slid down to sit on the greyish-blue carpet. Her house, a cozy little place she bought back in college, was oddly quiet. Well, was, until she heard the soft pitter-patter of little paws from across the house. She smiled knowingly and opened one eye just in time to see her dog, Basil, running into the living room. He was a mix: part Beagle, part English Cocker Spaniel. She had adopted him from the pound about two years and a few months back. Basil had soft brownish fur with white spots, curly-haired ears, and odd little eyes–human-like eyes–that bothered most people, but Maddie never minded.
She yelped as Basil quickly tackled her.
“Basil, no!” She playfully yelled out as he attacked her with kisses while wiggling with excitement. She giggled as she finally got Basil off of her, scooping him up in her arms and walking to her bedroom. Basil wagged his tail, hitting her arm repeatedly as he kept trying to lick her face. She carefully opened her bedroom door with Basil in her arms, before gently setting him down on the bed. She set her backpack down by her desk, pulling out the necessary things: keys, laptop, and purse. She grumbled, kicked off her shoes, and quickly changed out of her work uniform into a purple sweater and black leggings. It had been a long day, but now she could finally relax, maybe even finally fall asleep after many nights of unrest.
She waddled out of the room while Basil followed, his tail still wagging. Going to her small kitchen, she took out some leftover meatloaf and heated it in the microwave. She didn’t feel like making anything today; that reminded her that she needed to go to the store this weekend…
She flopped onto the couch in her living room and leaned her head back onto the cushions. She sat there for about a minute before lifting her head back up; she was about to turn on the TV when she caught something out of the corner of her eye, and she looked towards her patio. Her face scrunched up in disgust; was that a dead squirrel? Ew! Where does Basil even get these things? That was the second time this week, and the fifth time this month.
“Ew- Basil!” She grumbled as she got up to move the dead squirrel.
Basil
Basil watched as Maddie carefully picked up the dead squirrel between two sticks and rested it near the edge of the forest in her backyard. She shivered in disgust while he watched from the patio. He didn’t understand why she wouldn’t accept his gifts; he would sneak out when she was peacefully asleep, walk into the woods, and come back with what he was able to catch: a squirrel, a possum, the ear of a cat, maybe even an antler or a leg from a buck if he was lucky enough. But she would never accept any of them, and that got him confused –frustrated even. He watched as she went back inside, closing the patio behind her, and pointed a finger at him.
“Bad Basil- stop leaving dead animals on my patio! How do you even get out...?” She mumbled to herself.
He watched intensely as Maddie scolded him with that pointed finger. He wanted to bite that finger- oh, he hated that she scolded him! He wanted her to thank him for the gifts, not throw them back in the forest where he’d looked far to find them. He watched as she ran a hand through her pink braided hair, and then sat back down on the couch to finish her leftovers. He didn’t follow her on the couch like he usually does, just watched like he was slowly planning something.
10:30pm is when she settles down for bed, a routine he knows by heart. Every night, she locks the doors and windows first, making sure that nothing can get in, even going the extra mile to close the blinds. Next, she turns off the lights in a few rooms except in her bedroom and the bathroom across the hall. He watched as she completed her tasks before finally changing into her sleep clothes, just an oversized red shirt and black pajama pants with little stars that matched the color of her shirt. He watched as she brushed her teeth and tied her hair into a bun before putting a bonnet over it. He watched as she turned off the lights in the bathroom, then headed to her room, but not before kissing his little head goodnight and closing the bedroom door. He watched as the lights turned off in her room…
And then he waited.
At 1:34 am, once he knew she was finally asleep, he shifted. Bones cracked and morphed, spots of pale skin replaced brownish fur, paw pads elongated into clawed fingers, and Basil grew to stand as tall as the doorframe. He raised a twisted hand and carefully turned the knob to her door, slipping quietly into her room. It was silent except for the sound of her small fan, and the smell of strawberry shampoo hung in the air. He always liked to watch her sleep so soundly, in a safe place where no stress could get her. He brushed his finger near her cheek.
“Even if you’re sickened by my gifts,” he whispered in a voice that mimicked hers. “I will always be watching, whether you know it or not…”