Kevin awoke the next morning. He opened his eyes gradually. His room looked normal. He started to push back the covers when he saw a metal chain dangling from beneath his pillow.
Lifting the pillow, Kevin saw the chain was attached to the amulet. He took a sock and carefully picked up the amulet. He pulled open a drawer and left the mysterious object inside it for safe keeping.
In an instant, his dream about the god Wepwawet surged back into his thoughts. He dressed and headed downstairs.
He found his parents in the kitchen. His father, bent over a newspaper, sipped coffee as he skimmed the headlines. Mom worked at the stove preparing breakfast.
"Is your brother awake?" Mom asked.
Distracted, Kevin shrugged. He looked for the dog leash on the hook at the back door. It wasn't there.
He looked for the dog dishes in their usual spot, but he found they had vanished.
"Has Shaggy been fed?"
"Shaggy who, dear?" Mom asked.
"Our dog," Kevin said.
His father lowered the newspaper. "Is this your latest trick, son?" Dad said. "It won't work. We're not getting a dog."
"But..." Kevin closed his mouth and ran to the window that looked over the lanai and provided a view of the backyard. No doghouse. No dog.
"I...I forgot something in my room," Kevin said as he raced from the kitchen.