"What in the world is that?"

At first it looked like water on the floor, near the water well, but on closer inspection it had a darker color than water.

"Homer, get in here!"

Now Homer was a dog smart enough to know this tone of voice from his master meant something bad was about to happen. Instantly he made a run for the back bedroom and his favorite hiding place—under the bed. His master had not scolded him very often, and hiding seemed to be the prudent thing to do until he decided whether or not he was in big trouble.

"Homer, come here!"

The voice had softened a little, and the dog cautiously crept back into the kitchen and sat at his master's feet. "Homer, did you wet on the floor?" Jon Paul asked.

Sitting perfectly still, Homer cocked his head to the side and looked devotedly into the eyes of his master as if to say, "I don't have a clue as to what you're talking about."

Jon Paul could not bring himself to be angry at the dog, who had been his best friend for three years.

"You know, old buddy, this is really my fault. If I had not been so drunk last night, I would have let you go outside and take care of your business." Jon Paul said to himself, This is the first time since I've had this dog that he has wet on the floor. I think I remember hearing him growl last night, but that half-pint of whiskey I drank left my brain a little cloudy and I can't be sure. He certainly deserves the benefit of the doubt, and I'll assume he tried to tell me he needed to go outside.

Since the auto accident three years ago, which had taken the life of his wife, Dahlia, drinking had become part of Jon Paul's daily routine. They had been married for twenty-three years, and in the blink of an eye she was gone. He often rationalized that he drank to help himself adjust to this solitude of an existence without her, but in reality, he knew he drank to help himself forget or at least to get drunk enough that he would not constantly think about the fact that she was no longer by his side.

Jon Paul mopped up the wet spot on the floor, as Homer sniffed around the base of the indoor well. When he had first looked at the house, the well was one of the features he liked most about it. It was an older house, probably seventy to eighty years old, and had charm and ambiance that blended in perfectly with the town.

Homer seemed to be very engrossed in the wet spots on the floor, which made Jon Paul wonder. If Homer had not wet on the floor, then how did they get there? He looked at the ceiling and it was obvious there were no leaks, and it certainly had not rained last night. He knew he had not spilled anything on the floor, especially not in the area of the well since it was on the back porch. Maybe he had been a little unsteady on his feet last night, but if he had spilled any of his drink, it would have been near the sink where he mixed his favorite beverage.

Jon Paul made his morning coffee and toast and spent a few minutes looking at the pictures of Dahlia and their daughter, Tina Marie. Tina looked so much like her mother with her beautiful, long, midnight-black hair and glistening emerald-green eyes. Each time he looked at the pictures, his impulse was to rush to the telephone and call Tina. Tina was twenty-four years old now and, as had her mother, taught the fifth grade. He always felt better after talking with Tina, but he knew it sometimes upset her when he would start crying. It was not fair to her to have to start her day in a somber mood.

I've got to be stronger and do a better job of dealing with this pain, Jon Paul thought to himself. He put his breakfast dishes in the sink and knelt down to scratch Homer between his ears. "Now, pooch, don't you dare do your business on the floor again. I'll be home at noon to let you out, so, old buddy, give me a high five."

Homer raised his right front paw for Jon Paul to shake and excitedly wagged his nub of a tail as if to say, "Yes, sir, I fully understand and I'll be right here guarding our castle until you return."

As Jon Paul walked from the kitchen, he paused to look again in the direction of the well and the area where the wet spots had been. For just a moment he hesitated and thought, I wonder if some kind of animal could have come up through the well? I'll have to ask some of the natives here and see if that is possible.

With that thought, he was out the front door and in his car. Homer watched the car from the front window of the house until it was out of sight.

Jon Paul had a three-mile drive to town and his office. He was in his second year as superintendent of schools of the Appleby School District.

Several years ago when they had moved to Granite City, Jon Paul and Dahlia felt they had moved to their dream home. It was a lovely home on a hill overlooking Canyon Lake in central Texas. He had just been hired to be the superintendent of schools in Granite City. Not only was this one of the most beautiful places on earth, it was only a short drive from where their beautiful daughter would be attending college. Their new home was in the center of the famed "Hill Country of Texas."

Millions of years ago, the part of Texas known as the Hill Country was under a vast sea. Limestone and other sedimentary rock formed layer upon layer at the bottom of this sea. A geologic fault pushed some of these layers up nearly two thousand feet high to form a plateau. Over a period of a million years or so, erosion wore away some of the soil and bedrock, and some areas sunk due to a geologic phenomenon. This created an area known as the Edwards Plateau. In some areas, steep hills were created with gorgeous rivers flowing at their base, and because water was relatively plentiful here, many towns sprung up along the rivers. Granite City was one of these towns.

State highway 12 followed the course of the Colorado River, and where there was a break in the cedar, live oak, pecan, cottonwood, and majestic cypress trees, magnificent views were there for the taking. Back from the river basin, the broad meadows and rolling hills showed remnants of a tall grass system, which gave life and protection to a vast array of wildlife species. An abundance of whitetail deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, javelinas, and quail gave the entire region an aura of wonderment unsurpassed anywhere. It was as if Mother Nature was the personal caretaker of the Hill Country, and she was working twenty-four hours a day to ensure its continued beauty. Add to this the overabundance of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, and other wildflowers along the highway, and one could easily understand why Jon Paul and Dahlia had planned to stay there a long time.

The Gordons spent as much time as possible on their back patio. They enjoyed looking at the beautiful sights and countryside. Each day seemed to get off to a better start if they shared small talk and watched for their wildlife neighbors. The wild animals often made appearances at the edge of the woods, which was about fifty yards from the house. Part of Dahlia's daily routine was a thirty-minute time period each morning sitting on the back deck, drinking her coffee, relaxing, and mentally preparing for the day ahead. Jon Paul usually had too many projects working at school to spend a lot of time admiring Mother Nature. He did, however, pause each morning for a quick cup of coffee with Dahlia, just to be in her company.

One November evening, Dahlia told Jon Paul she had been invited to the University of...