The moment the last grain from the bowl vanished down Shadow's throat.
His body grew sluggish.
Within moments, he lay still on the floor like a lifeless hunk of meat.
The dense silence claiming the room grew even more suffocating.
The lamp on the desk seemed to radiate not light.
But a stifling shroud of darkness.
Asha nudged the black form with a trembling foot.
No reaction.
The silence deepened.
She grabbed an old cloth and wrapped the lifeless pup with meticulous care.
Her fingers recoiling from any direct contact.
On tip-toe, gliding like a ghost, she slipped out of the room.
Every creak of the floorboards sent her heart racing.
Without catching a single eye, she reached the heavy door of the storeroom.
Amidst the dust and debris lay that old, toxic bowl.
With a sudden jerk, Asha dumped the lifeless body onto the floor.
Casting one final glance, she left the door ajar and sprinted back toward her room.
Inside, the door clicked shut.
Her breath still ragged.
She grabbed the dog-food bowl from the window sill—the very vessel mixed with death.
A calculated leap from the window into the garden below.
The faint thud of shoes in the midnight stillness.
The hunt for the overflowing trash bin followed.
Finding it in a corner, she packed the remaining dog food into a bag.
Knotted it tight, and buried it deep within the filth.
Tomorrow's garbage truck would ensure this evidence vanished forever.
Returning through the window, she scrubbed the lethal bowl clean with her water bottle.
Using the same cloth that had held the pup, she wiped it dry.
She returned the bowl to its spot, filling it halfway with fresh, clean food—just enough to look natural.
After washing and drying the cloth, she collapsed onto the bed.
Though she left the door unlatched and lay down, sleep remained elusive.
All night, that crimson glow and the darkness of the storeroom danced behind her eyelids.
By dawn, a throbbing ache settled in her head.
Eyes swollen and heavy with exhaustion.
Yet her mind filled with a strange, icy sense of triumph.
Lids heavy with exhaustion and a throbbing ache in her skull.
With the first light of dawn, Asha dragged herself from the bed.
She stared at her swollen eyes in the mirror.
Cloaking her face in a faint freshness before donning her school uniform.
Steps moved across the threshold toward the dining table.
The atmosphere inside the house felt shifted today.
A strange heaviness and silence hung in the air.
Breakfast was laid out, but darkness clung to the faces of those seated there.
Mummy and Papa sat frozen in their chairs.
They hadn't even glanced at their plates.
Papa's gaze remained anchored to a corner of the floor.
While the rims of Mother's eyes were red and damp.
Their silence screamed of an unspoken tragedy.
Asha pulled a chair out slowly and sat down.
Taking a deep breath as she reached for her plate.
She donned a mask of innocent curiosity and concern, softening her voice.
"Mummy... Papa?"
Her gaze shifted between their faces.
"Why are you both so lost today?"
"Such sadness on your faces... did something bad happen?"
Papa took a jagged breath, interlacing his fingers tightly.
Mother buried her face in her palms, her sob echoing clearly in the quiet room.
Asha halted her morsel mid-air, acting as if she had no inkling of the truth.
Inside, her heart carried the smirk of an icy victory.
But outside, there was only the worried face of a guiltless daughter.
Mother pointed toward the plate with a heavy heart.
"Eat first, then we'll talk."
A practiced stubbornness sparked in Asha's eyes.
"No Papa, tell me first. Only then will I take a bite."
Following her parents' silent reluctant consent, Asha finished her breakfast in a hurry.
Pushing the empty plate aside, her gaze anchored onto her father's face.
"Now tell me, what is it?"
Papa took a long, cold breath.
"Asha... the storeroom door was left open last night."
"Unknowingly, Shadow wandered in and consumed the poison kept on the floor."
Asha slammed her hand against the table with a sudden jerk.
The cutlery rattled.
"But Papa! How did he eat the poison? Who let him go in there?"
Her voice held a calculated mix of shock and anger.
"Perhaps it was when your uncle and his children visited yesterday," Papa said, recollecting.
"Maybe one of the kids left the door ajar while playing."
"This morning, when Mummy went to wake you, even your room was slightly open."
"Shadow was nowhere to be found."
Mother's sob surfaced again.
"We searched everywhere. Every corner of the house."
"Papa thought he might have slipped outside, but the main gate was locked."
"Finally, when I went toward the storeroom in despair... I found him there."
"Completely lifeless."
"We thought there might be a breath left, but he had long since passed."
Asha lowered her head.
Behind the veil of her hair, her eyes held no tears, only a profound stillness.
She dug her nails into her palms to keep the expression of pain etched on her face.
"It's my fault... I shouldn't have left him alone," she whispered in a low, trembling voice.
In that heavy household atmosphere, Asha's crime had now been pinned on the negligence of others.
She was entirely safe.
Her terrifying secret buried deep within the dust of the storeroom.
To be continue...