Out in the middle of Nowhere, there sat a small, lonely farmhouse, surrounded by miles and miles of desert. This was home to Courage, a timid pink dog with large ears and an equally large heart. He lived with his kindly owner, Muriel Bagge, and her grumpy husband, Eustace. Strange things happened often in this remote area, but none of them ever seemed to bother Muriel. Courage, however, was constantly on high alert, ready for the next bizarre event to unfold.
One afternoon, the wind was blowing harshly, whipping the sand against the windows. Eustace sat in his favorite chair, grumbling over the static-filled television. “Useless junk,” he muttered, banging his fist on the side of the TV. Muriel, sitting nearby, was knitting contently, humming a soft tune as if nothing in the world could go wrong.
Courage peeked out from the kitchen, his eyes darting nervously around the room. A strange sense of foreboding had crept into his mind. It was quiet—too quiet. But that didn’t last long.
A loud knock echoed through the house, startling everyone. Courage jumped, letting out a high-pitched yelp as his eyes widened in terror. No one ever visited their isolated farm, especially in the middle of a storm.
“Who could that be?” Muriel asked, looking up from her knitting.
Eustace grumbled, not taking his eyes off the TV. “Bah! Probably some salesman. Don’t open it.”
But Muriel wasn’t one to turn away visitors. “Courage, dear, why don’t you see who’s at the door?” she said kindly.
Courage gulped, his body trembling as he padded toward the door. His paws felt like lead as he slowly reached for the knob. As soon as he opened it, a gust of wind blew in, almost knocking him off his feet. Standing on the doorstep was a tall, gaunt man dressed in an old-fashioned, tattered coat. His skin was pale, his eyes sunken and shadowed, and he carried a suitcase that looked like it had been through centuries of wear and tear.
“Evening,” the man said in a raspy voice. “I’m just passing through and needed a place to rest. May I come in?”
Muriel stood and walked to the door. “Of course! You poor dear, come in from the cold.”
Courage’s eyes bugged out of his head as he tried to communicate his terror to Muriel, but as usual, she didn’t notice his panic.
“Oh, how kind of you,” the man said with a thin smile. “My name is Mr. Grey.”
Muriel led Mr. Grey into the house and offered him a seat by the fire. Courage slunk back, keeping his distance but never taking his eyes off the stranger. Something about Mr. Grey didn’t feel right. He had an aura that made Courage’s fur stand on end.
As the hours passed, the storm outside intensified. Mr. Grey spoke very little, but when he did, his voice seemed to echo unnaturally in the room. He told Muriel that he had been traveling for many years, though he never explained where he was going. Eustace paid him no attention, grumbling about “weirdos” while adjusting the rabbit ears on the TV.
Courage, ever watchful, started to notice strange things. Every time Mr. Grey moved, his shadow seemed to flicker, as if it didn’t quite belong to him. And when he smiled, it never reached his eyes. Courage’s imagination began to run wild with possibilities. Was Mr. Grey a ghost? A vampire? Or worse?
Late into the night, after everyone had gone to bed, Courage couldn’t sleep. He lay in his small bed in the kitchen, his ears perked up, straining to hear any unusual noises. And then, just past midnight, he heard it.
A low, almost inaudible hum seemed to vibrate through the house. Courage’s heart raced. He tiptoed through the darkened hallway toward the source of the sound—Mr. Grey’s room.
Courage peered through the keyhole, and what he saw sent shivers down his spine.
Mr. Grey was standing in the middle of the room, but he wasn’t alone. His shadow had come to life. It had peeled itself off the floor and was hovering beside him, shifting and writhing like a living thing. The shadow stretched toward the walls, and as it touched them, dark cracks appeared, spreading like a web of decay.
Courage gasped in horror, but before he could back away, the door creaked open, and Mr. Grey turned to face him.
“Well, well,” Mr. Grey said, his voice dripping with malice. “What’s a little dog like you doing up at this hour?”
Courage’s legs wobbled, but he stood his ground, trembling as he barked weakly at the terrifying figure before him.
“Oh, you’re a brave one, aren’t you?” Mr. Grey sneered. “But it’s too late, I’m afraid. You see, I don’t just need a place to rest. I need something more—this house, this land, and everyone in it.”
Courage’s eyes widened in panic as he realized what Mr. Grey was planning. He bolted down the hallway, racing to wake up Muriel.
Bursting into her room, Courage frantically tugged at her blanket, trying to get her attention.
“What is it, Courage?” Muriel asked, still half-asleep. But before Courage could explain, the air around them grew cold. The door to Muriel’s room slammed shut, and dark shadows began creeping under the doorframe, swirling around the floor like smoke.
Mr. Grey’s voice echoed through the house. “This land is mine now. You’ll be trapped in this place forever, just like the others.”
Courage’s mind raced. He had to protect Muriel. But how could he stop a being of pure darkness? His heart pounded in his chest, but he knew he couldn’t let fear paralyze him. Courage had faced monsters before, but this was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
Thinking quickly, Courage remembered something—Muriel’s mirror! It was an old family heirloom she kept in her dresser, and it had been said to repel evil spirits.
Courage dashed across the room, grabbing the mirror with his teeth. As he turned to face the approaching shadows, he held it up, reflecting the dim light from the bedside lamp.
To his astonishment, the shadows recoiled, hissing as if in pain. The mirror’s reflection seemed to burn them away.
“Impossible!” Mr. Grey’s voice roared from the hallway. “You cannot stop me!”
But Courage didn’t stop. He rushed through the door, holding the mirror out in front of him. The shadows writhed and shrank as Courage advanced, step by step. He could see Mr. Grey now, his form distorted and flickering as if he were barely holding himself together.
“You think a mirror will save you?” Mr. Grey snarled, his face twisted in rage. “This house will be my tomb, and you will never leave!”
Summoning all his courage, the small dog leaped toward Mr. Grey, the mirror held tightly in his paws. As the reflection touched Mr. Grey’s form, he let out an otherworldly scream. The shadowy figure began to dissolve, his body unraveling like smoke caught in the wind.
“No!” Mr. Grey shrieked, his voice growing fainter as he disappeared into the void. “This isn’t over!”
With a final wail, Mr. Grey and his shadow were gone, sucked back into the darkness from which they had come. The house fell silent once again, and the oppressive cold vanished.
Courage stood there, panting heavily, the mirror still clutched in his paws. He had done it. He had saved the house—and more importantly, Muriel—from the dark presence.
Muriel, now fully awake, smiled at her brave little dog. “Oh, Courage, you’re such a good boy! You saved us!”
Eustace, of course, missed the entire ordeal, still snoring loudly in his chair.
As the sun began to rise, the storm outside passed, and the house returned to its usual peaceful state. But Courage knew that in Nowhere, danger was always just around the corner. And even though he was scared, he would always find the courage to protect his family.
After all, he was Courage, the Cowardly Dog.