Story Therapy

  Image by AI Danger doesn’t always break in — sometimes it knocks. Story: S A Spencer Author of Popular Fictions : The Pink Mutiny , The Black Waters , Dream In Shackles Margaret heard the knock just as she was lowering herself into the armchair with her cup of tea. She paused, listening. The doorbell had stopped working again — she really needed to get that fixed once she felt better. She’d been waiting for the plumber to call before arriving, but perhaps he’d decided to drop by early. Tradies did that sometimes. She glanced at her phone on the coffee table. No missed calls. Maybe he forgot. Maybe she didn’t hear it ring. Her hearing wasn’t what it used to be. Poppy trotted to the door, tail wagging, ears perked. Margaret followed slowly, steadying herself on the hallway wall. She still felt a little light‑headed, but the thought of finally having hot water again lifted her spirits. She wouldn’t have to heat water in the kettle for bathing anymore. The thought alone made her sm...

  A walk in the dusk. A frightened whimper. A bond that couldn’t be ignored. Story: S A Spencer Author of Popular Fictions :  The Pink Mutiny ,  The Black Waters ,  Dream In Shackles The scent of fear reaches me before the sight of him. Not the sharp, metallic fear of danger—this is softer, sadder. A puppy’s fear. Thin as smoke, drifting across the quiet walking trail where my humans, Emma and Liam , take me every evening. My name is Willow . I’m a four‑year‑old kelpie mix, proud, gentle, and usually very well‑behaved. But tonight, something in the wind makes my paws freeze mid‑step. A whimper. Then another. High‑pitched. Lost. Alone. I stop walking. My leash goes tight. “Willow?” Emma glances back. “What’s wrong, girl?” I don’t blink. I don’t breathe. I just listen. There—behind the fallen log near the bend of the trail—something shifts. A tiny shape, trembling. My heart thuds painfully. I pull once. Hard. “Easy, Will,” Liam says, but I tug agai...