When the pen takes control.

“Look at that dad!”

”What are you pointing at Joey?” I asked straining my eyes to see what he meant.

”Over there, in the hedge, it’s a big black teddy bear, can I go and talk to him?”

I laughed at the curious bush which even I thought was rather bear-like, “Go on then, see if he wants to come on our walk, but be careful, he might want to gobble you up,” I joked.

Then I said, “Take Sandy with you, you can let him off his lead, if there’s anything there he won’t let them hurt you.”

Joey and Sandy ran up to the hedge, Sandy started to bark loudly, I saw Joey shaking his head and it looked like he was speaking to someone.

Regretting my decision to let him go I decided I had better see who he was talking to. It somehow seemed a bit odd.

Before I had got half way to him I saw the bear like black shape rear up and hearing a high-pitched yelp watched as the dog was enveloped in a black mist before disappearing without another sound. In disbelief I called his name but there was nothing there, no sign of him. Joey was screaming and crying as he ran back to me.

”Dad, dad, what’s happened to Sandy?”

“It’s okay son, he’s probably fallen down a rabbit hole,” I tried to comfort him, we’ll get you back home and then I will come back to look for Sandy.

I could see he was unconvinced but could think of no other explanation to give him, better I thought to get him home to his mother.

So that’s why I’m out in the middle of this field waiting for a couple of friends to start the search for Sandy. But who’s going to believe this?