The Mystery of the Talking Fence

“G-r-r-r-r,” Jake loudly made known he didn’t like what was happening.

“What’s that for?” Jimmy was inquisitive about the noise Jake had just made.

“G-r-r-r-r,” Jake growled a second time. This time Jimmy stopped reading his comic book and stood up, his hair stood straight up as though being raised by some mysterious force. Whatever was bothering Jake was now frightening Jimmy too! What could it be?

Jimmy leaned over and touched the fence beside the patios where he had been sitting and felt it quiver.

“I wonder what is causing that. It’s scary.”

Jake, already standing, turned his head and studied Jimmy, with his head tilted to one side as he tried to understand what Jimmy was saying.

“You are some watchdog.” Jimmy was moving closer to the house, and away from the fence, as he spoke to his dog.

“Whine, whine,” Jake whimpered as his tail fell between his legs and his ears flopped down beside his head as though he had been beaten.

“Billy,” Jimmy called to his older brother. “There is something weird out here, come and look.”

In just a few seconds, Billy came to the back door. “Now what’s botherin’ you?”

There was no doubt that Jimmy had been frightened before; Billy was tiring of being called away from his computer game for nothing!

“You’ve got to believe me Billy, the fence just talked to me.”

“What do you mean, the fence was talking to you? Are you nuts or something?”

“No. Just come out here and see for yourself.”

Jimmy grabbed his brother’s sleeve and tugged on it. Even Jake was pulling at his trouser leg.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming.”

Billy moved toward the fence and he saw nothing suspicious. Puzzled at what Jimmy had told him, he stepped closer and stared at the foliage on the other side. There was nothing there.

“See, Jake and I weren’t kidding; there is something there isn’t there?”

Billy, disgusted that he had been interrupted for nothing, turned toward his little brother and Jake. With a discouraged look on his face he told them, “There is nothing here, just as I suspected. Now I am going back in to play my game. Don’t bother me again!”

Billy stormed back into the house as Jimmy and Jake looked at each other questioningly.

“What do you think it could be Jake?” Jimmy did not expect an answer, but Jake gave him that know-it-all look dogs give occasionally when they would answer, if they only could.

A week passed. Nothing more was thought of the situation that had occurred with the fence. School had gone on with the teaching of inattentive classes, the athletic program for the older boys in full swing, and all in all things were normal. Then on Friday afternoon, Jimmy came home to find Jake cowering under the patio table.

“What’s wrong boy?”

Jake looked up at him, his ears lowered and his tail between his legs and he turned to look at the fence as though pointing at it with his nose.

“I don’t see anything, what’s wrong Jake?”

Jake lowered his head and crawled slowly to a position behind Jimmy. He felt much safer now that Jimmy was home.

Jimmy walked over to the fence and gave it a little shake.  No response.

 He gave it a more violent shake, still no response.

“See Jake, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

No sooner had he turned away and spoke to Jake, that the fence began to jiggle. It even made a whispering noise that seemed to say something like “Help me.”

Jimmy jumped away from the direction of the fence almost tripping  over poor Jake who was unfortunately was right behind him, and shaking terribly, as he kept his distance from the fence.

“Yipe, yipe,” Jake complained as Jimmy stumbled over him. “Yipe,yipe.”

“If you were any kind of a dog, you would be protecting me!”

Jake looked at him with a remorseful glance, as though trying to tell Jimmy he was sorry; but he just could not understand what was happening, and it was not something dogs were born to investigate.

This time, instead of calling brother Billy, Jimmy ran to the other side of the yard where the gate to the sidewalk was located. He thrust it open so hard that it almost broke, as he bolted through it and around into the neighbor’s yard.

“Okay now, that’s enough…we know that you are there.”

No answer.

Jimmy,  with a quivery voice shouted again, “I said we know you are there. Come on out, before I get mad!”

No answer!

Gaining courage, Jimmy stepped into the neighbor’s yard and walked quietly as he crouched with his head below the hedge-line. He inched his way stealthily along the hedgerow until he found the part of the fence that had quivered. There he discovered a wire and a small speaker. He continued quietly to the end of the wire where he found Bobby in his tree house, speaker in hand.

Bobby was watching so intently to see if Jimmy was coming out of his house that he didn’t hear Jimmy.

Jimmy jumped up, from his crouched position and spoke so quickly that poor Bobby dropped his microphone.

 “Jigs up Bobby! We know fences can’t talk. You didn’t scare us!”

Jimmy scratched behind Jake’s ears as the loyal Jake stood proudly by his master.