Phantom Owner and Dogs: “I felt that I was in a dream state (Half asleep and half awake). I was lying in my bed when I heard the dead bolt unlock on my door. Then I heard the chain fall down from my chain lock. I heard someone come into my apartment and I heard a panting sound from some dogs. I heard this person walk into my kitchen and he ran the water in the sink. I heard the dogs give little yelps as if playing with one another. I heard the man speak softly to them. I heard the tapping of their toenails on the lineolium floor in my kitchen. I was trying to get out of my bed so I could hide in my closet, or something, but guess what! I couldn’t move my arms or my legs. I couldn’t cry out or scream. I told myself this usually just happens when you are dreaming, so don’t be afraid. This will pass, you WILL wake up………but I couldn’t get myself awake. I then heard the dogs coming down the hallway and head towards my bedroom. I shut my eyes as tight as I could. I pretended to be asleep. (Asleep in a dream, how ironic!) I felt a very heavy paw or two come onto the bedspread. I felt the hot breath of one of the dogs on my face as he sniffed me. Then, the way my English Pointer used to do, the dog breathed out hard with its nostrils and I felt the bangs on my forehead blow up into the air. I was scared to death and I could only hear my heart pounding so very fast and feel the blood pumping inside my ears. I was about to realize that this man was about to come into my room and maybe rape me or kill me, when I heard him from my front door call out to these animals. I never looked at them. I assumed they were dogs because I had owned many a puppy in my time, and they made the same noises. The dogs left my bedroom. The door opened and then closed. They were gone. I went to the bathroom and got a glass of water. I was too scarred to go investigate the living room or the kitchen until it got light out. Finally I got up around 5:30 as the sun was coming up. I made sure the door was locked. I looked to see if there was a bowl of water on the floor in the kitchen but there was nothing. “See, you idiot! It was a stupid dream.” I went and slept for a few more hours. Later that day, I was setting up my ironing board in the living room when I saw something on the rug. I didn’t know what it was. I looked closer and discovered it was a piece of …. poop! (Go ahead, you can laugh! But I can tell you, I was frightened to death.) I went and got a paper towel to clean it up. When I leaned over to pick this up, I put the towel around it…..It turned to dust. Almost as if it was old and petrified….as if it had come out of the body of a dead dog.” (from Shadowlands)