I didn't know how to react. He didn't say anything, maybe because he couldn't speak my language. He leaned over my body, looked around, firmly but with care pushed me aside and started sniffing around on the floor and kitchen table. He seemed to be hungry, too. Maybe he was the owner of this strange wolf-like dog? But why was he sniffing about like an animal and didn't use gestures or another way of communication to tell me what he was looking for? I figured I could as well take the first step. I cleared my throat to get his attention, but he didn't react.

"Excuse me? Do you want to eat something?"

He ignored me. I tried again, to no avail. I went into the back of the house where my storage room was, picked up a loaf of bread and returned to the kitchen area. The strange boy was still looking for food, he had just found a few breadcrumbs underneath the kitchen table and quickly scraped them up with his tongue. As I entered the room with the loaf of bread, his head shot up and he shuffled over to me on all fours. His tongue hung out his mouth and he stared at me with impatience in his eyes, like a dog awaiting a treat.

"Alright...here you go."

I knelt down in front of the boy and laid the loaf of bread on the ground before him. As soon as I had pulled my hand back, he lunged forward and tore the bread apart, forcing huge bits down his throat with an almost pained wheezing sound. After he was done, he yawned and looked at me with a content smile. He then opened his mouth once more and muttered something sounding like:

"Thanks."

I smiled awkwardly and stood up straight. However, as soon as I tried to take another step, the boy grabbed one of my trouser legs with his teeth and tugged at it, making a soft wincing sound.

"You're still hungry? Fine, I'll get you another one."

The boy let go of me and laid down on the floor, his eyes following me with anticipation. As I stepped into the storage room once more, I realized what time it was. I had to leave for work soon. But I couldn't leave this boy here by himself, could I? Maybe he would be able to communicate better after having eaten and rested for a while. I came back into the kitchen and laid another loaf of bread on the ground next to the table as it seemed to be the safest option. This way the boy, now laying sprawled out on the kitchen floor fast asleep, would at least be less likely to knock anything down. Maybe he just didn't have the strength to walk upright? I was lost in thought again, pondering where the strange boy might have come from and where his pet or companion had gone.

"I guess all I can do is hope he isn't bad news...although..."

Just then, I noticed that the boy had a rope loosely hanging around his neck as well as around his left wrist. I hesitated at first, but then my sense of security kicked in. I checked carefully if the boy had any weapons or sharp objects on him, which he didn't, and then took the rope from around his neck, untied the knot and instead tied it to the heaviest object I could find: the kitchen table. Now he could eat but not escape afterwards. Although he did look very comfortable laying there and was breathing calmly and slowly. It was almost as if he was a stray dog looking for a place to stay and someone to be his friend. The thought made me smile just for a moment. He was indeed somewhat cute looking with his face squished by the hard wood planks on which he laid. His hair looked soft and I was really tempted to touch it, but then quickly restrained myself.

"What are you doing, Arka? This isn't a dog; it might be some kind of criminal for all we know..."

With a last short sigh, I lifted myself up, picked up my coat from the coat rack near the door and left the house. Of course I locked the doors this time.

I was somehow exited to come back after work and get to know this strange boy better, as weird as it sounds. Something inside me was intrigued the second he started tumbling towards me. My life was, to be completely honest, pretty boring at that time and I ached for unusual events and inconveniences more than I probably should have. I guess that's due to my grandmother always telling me stories about all the adventures she'd been going on when she was younger and not yet a mother of a baby daughter. I shook my head and let out another sigh before finally closing up the front gate and walking down the road towards the bus stop at the other end of the forest that surrounded the village. It was quite a walk, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I love the forest, I used to play in it and build houses out of tree bark and sticks when I was a child. Apart from that, a bit of fresh air can't hurt, can it? The ventilation system wasn't exactly the best at my workplace. Everything seemed to be polluted and dirty in the big cities, I still don't understand why people could possibly want to stay there for any longer than necessary.