Nicole put on a sweater and headed out.

[alpacinou]

Nicole put on a sweater and headed out. Her parents arrived when she was leaving the house. Her mom, Amy, slid out of the minivan and asked, "Where are you going Nicole?"
"Remember I told you I saw a Jack Rustle Terrier last week in that empty house near the Castco store?"
Her mom's face twisted in a puzzled frown. "I vaguely remember you mentioned a dog."
Nicole shoved her hands in her pockets and looked at her shoes. "It might sound weird but I had a dream last night. Arnold, I mean that dog was very thirsty. He was speaking to me, asking me to bring him some water. I wanna go check him out."
Amy shook her head. She knew there was no stopping Nicole. "Okay. Be back before it gets dark."

Nicole sprinted towards the empty house, Arnold's image flashing through her mind. Last week, Nicole was walking home when she heard him whimpering from inside the house. She opened the door and Arnold bounded towards her, jumping up and down. The small dog couldn't have been older than four-five months. Brown streaks tinged his white fur. Nicole saw the glimmer of excitement in his big brown eyes. She guessed he'd been lonely for a while. She reached the house and started calling him out. "Arnold. Arnold, where are you?"

The rusty door of the house creaked open. Once inside, Nicole walked through a hallway and then was enveloped by darkness. She reached into her pocket, came out with her cellphone, turning on its flashlight. "Arnold! Arnold!" After searching the house for a few minutes, she heard a faint whimper from a room in the right corner of the building. She kept walking slowly and stopped dead as the flashlight caught Arnold curled up in the corner of the dusty room. Compared with the last she'd seen him, he had become skinnier, his ribs visible to the point where she could count them. She stared at him, her mouth hanging open. "What happened Arnold?" Her face twisted and tears rolled down her cheeks. Her mind slid back to their previous meeting again, to Arnold, loping and jumping and wagging his tail which was now caked in old mud, completely still. He titled his head with difficulty, looking at her with bloodshot eyes. He was begging, pleading with sorrowful eyes. Save me.

Nicole ran out of the house for the Costco store. A tall man was smoking near the store's entrance. Nicole stepped close to him, gasping. "Sir, could you please help me? There is a very sick dog inside that house," she said pointing her finger in the direction of the empty house. He looked Nicole up and down, took a drag on his cigarette. "Sick dog? Why should I care? Take a hike," he said exhaling a cloud of smoke into her face. Nicole ran inside the store, crying.

 

[emsr2d2]

Alpacinoutd, I've managed to insert some paragraph breaks (although they didn't all appear quite where they were supposed to!) I think there's a glitch at the moment with adding line breaks using the "Edit Post" facility.

 

[Tarheel]

Nicole put on a sweater and headed out. Her parents arrived when she was leaving the house. Her mom, Amy, slid out of the minivan and asked, "Where are you going, Nicole?"
"Remember I told you I saw a Jack Russell Terrier last week in that empty house near the Costco store?"
Her mom's face twisted in a puzzled frown. "I vaguely remember you mentioned a dog."
Nicole shoved her hands in her pockets and looked at her shoes. "It might sound weird but I had a dream last night. Arnold, I mean that dog was very thirsty. He was speaking to me, asking me to bring him some water. I wanna go check up on him."
Amy shook her head. She knew there was no stopping Nicole. "Okay. Be back before it gets dark."

Nicole sprinted towards the empty house, Arnold's image flashing through her mind. Last week, Nicole was walking home when she heard him whimpering from inside the house. She opened the door and Arnold bounded towards her, jumping up and down. The small dog couldn't have been older than four-five months. Brown streaks tinged his white fur. Nicole saw the glimmer of excitement in his big brown eyes. She guessed he'd been lonely for a while. She reached the house and started calling [STRIKE]him[/STRIKE]. "Arnold. Arnold, where are you?"

The rusty door of the house creaked open. Once inside, Nicole walked through a hallway and then was enveloped by darkness. She reached into her pocket, came out with her cellphone, turning on its flashlight. "Arnold! Arnold!" After searching the house for a few minutes, she heard a faint whimper from a room in the right corner of the building. She kept walking slowly and stopped dead as the flashlight caught Arnold curled up in the corner of the dusty room. Compared with the last she'd seen him, he had become skinnier, his ribs visible to the point where she could count them. She stared at him, her mouth hanging open. "What happened Arnold?" Her face twisted and tears rolled down her cheeks. Her mind slid back to their previous meeting again, to Arnold, loping and jumping and wagging his tail which was now caked in old mud, completely still. He titled his head with difficulty, looking at her with bloodshot eyes. He was begging, pleading with sorrowful eyes. Save me.

Nicole ran out of the house for the Costco store. A tall man was smoking near the store's entrance. Nicole stepped close to him, gasping. "Sir, could you please help me? There is a very sick dog inside that house," she said pointing her finger in the direction of the empty house. He looked Nicole up and down, took a drag on his cigarette. "Sick dog? Why should I care? Take a hike," he said exhaling a cloud of smoke into her face. Nicole ran inside the store, crying.

Nicole is sad.