At first, I barely noticed the barking—just background noise while I played games. But by day two, it hadn’t stopped. Frantic and constant, it came from the house next door. Carla’s house.
Carla was quiet, elderly, and lived alone with her little dog, Buddy. I hadn’t seen her in days, but Buddy hadn’t stopped barking. Something felt wrong.
“Dad, Buddy’s been barking nonstop,” I said at dinner.
He brushed it off. “That dog always barks.”
But I couldn’t let it go. After dinner, I walked to her house. No answer at the door. I peeked through the window—and froze.
Carla was lying on the floor, barely moving.
I sprinted home. “Dad! She’s on the ground!” That got him moving. We ran back, and I smashed a window to get in. Inside, Carla whispered, “Two days… couldn’t move…”
We called an ambulance, and she was rushed to the hospital. Before they took her, she looked at me and whispered, “Thank you.”
Buddy nudged my leg, still shaking. “We can’t leave him,” I said. Dad nodded. That night, Buddy stayed with us—quiet at last.
Carla came home two days later. She cried when she saw Buddy. “You saved my life, Ethan,” she said.
“I just did what anyone would.”
She smiled. “No. Not everyone would’ve cared.”
I offered to walk Buddy and check in on her—and she said yes.
From that day on, Carla wasn’t just the lady next door. She was family. And Buddy? He was the little hero who refused to give up.
Sometimes, all it takes to change someone’s life… is paying attention.