Why, oh why, did I have to ignore his warning?
Brooks said don’t feed the animals, and he was right. He may be an allegedly “crazy” old man, but with age comes wisdom, right?
I’d just moved to Windwick and was taking a stroll down the street when my new neighbor, Brooks Philman, called me over to say hello.
“Welcome to the neighborhood,” he greeted in a raspy voice. “I hope you like it here in Windwick, and I have one indispensable piece of advice for you…”
He beckoned me closer and put his mouth to my ear.
“Don’t feed the animals.”
His wife came outside and saw the strange look on my face and scolded him for scaring the children.
“Don’t mind him,” she suggests. “He’s a few marbles short since ‘the incident.’”
I smiled and went back home, and hadn’t seen any animals all day.
Later that night, I heard rustling outside my window. When I went to look, there was a frail dog, so thin you could see his ribs.
Don’t feed the animals.
I could not resist its wines and gave it some scraps from dinner.
Bad idea…