I'm Not Mad—Fiction

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Kalu always knew he was different.

Even as a boy in Umuahia, before his parents died, he had strange dreams—running through the forest on four legs, smelling fear before even seeing it, waking up with the cravings for raw yams, burnt meat, and things no normal child wanted at 3 a.m. Sometimes he would wake sweating, his heart pounding, longing—not for anything bad—but for warmth. Laughter, and arms around shoulders; families that hugged without counting time.

Kalu felt really lonely and seriously needed someone to fill that void.

His father once held his face and said softly, "Some gifts don't look like blessings at first."

After they passed, the gift fully woke up.

Kalu could become a dog.

Not an ordinary one. A mystical one—large, black, bold eyes. The change always came whenever he was feeling lonely.

One day, Kalu noticed a boy sitting alone on a school bench long after everyone had left, waiting for his parents to pick him up. They never came.

Kalu, already in dog form, stood at a distance, staring at Caleb with great sympathy.

"Why are you still here?" Kalu asked gently.

"What?!" Caleb said in fear, looking around in search of where the voice came from, then, suddenly, he noticed a huge black dog sitting at a distance, staring at him.

"Ahhh! A talking dog?!" Caleb screamed in fear, wondering if that strange dog had just spoken to him.

"Okay, okay, I won't talk again; it's obvious I'm scaring him off" Kalu muttered under his breath.

"Dogs don't talk! It looked like this dog just spoke to me," Caleb muttered with a shivering voice. He had already run halfway but stopped and turned around to look at where the dog (Kalu) was sitting.

"I know, that's why I usually don't talk," Kalu replied almost faintly, low enough for only him to hear; otherwise, Caleb might run away.

Suddenly, the nanny came in after sitting outside for a long time, staring at a weird, huge dog. "Oh, thank you! Please take
me away from here" Caleb pleaded.

"Vrooom!" The car zoomed off in a flash.

From that day, Kalu kept appearing—sometimes by the gate, sometimes under a tree, sometimes in the corner of Caleb's dreams. Caleb was afraid, but not enough to run away forever.

Loneliness recognizes loneliness, so to speak.

One evening, Caleb sat at a dining table, pushing rice around his plate.

"Mum, a very magical dog keeps appearing to me," he said quietly.

"Caleb, eat your food," his mother said nonchalantly, as she didn't even look up from her laptop.

"Mum, it looks like it can talk. It opens its mouth like it wants to say something." Caleb explained further, persistently.

"That can't be true; dogs can't talk," She said, finally looked up, frowning.

"It spoke to me the day you came to pick me up late, I saw it this morning, and it spoke to me last night, Mum," Caleb explained as much as he possibly could.

The Mother was dumpfounded, just standing there staring at her son. She exchanged a look with the nanny. "Maybe he didn't sleep well," she told the nanny.

"Mum, I'm not crazy. I know what I saw," Caleb snapped, tears rushing down his face.

She sighed "Is the dog here now?" She asked casually.

"No. He comes when I'm feeling lonely," Caleb explained with wet eyes.

That answer scared her more than the mysterious dog.

"Honey, you need a nap. Dogs don't talk, and there's no way it can ever get in here. I have security stationed everywhere in the house, so you're safe here, okay?" She said softly and kissed his head.

"I'm not mad." Caleb whispered as the nanny led him away.

That night, Kalu finally spoke.

"I won't hurt you," he said calmly and reassuringly.

"You... you actually talk." Caleb froze in amazement.

"I do, and I protect too," Kalu said simply.

"I actually thought I imagined you," Caleb replied with a buckled knee.

"I know your parents are hardly around and mine are dead, so in a way, we are both lonely sometimes. I want to be your friend. and we can make each other happy. My name is Kalu." He explained gently.

"Yeah, that's true, I feel lonely every day; sometimes I wish I had a sibling. I would love to be your friend too. My name is Caleb," he explained enthusiastically, without fear.

They talked until morning—about school, about fears, about the future, and about why adults were always busy chasing things they already had. Caleb laughed for the first time in a long time. Kalu felt peaceful and at home.

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And when they slept, they slept deeply, curled against each others arms.

Kalu became everything to Caleb; they were inseparable. They became brothers.

At school, when bullies surrounded Caleb, a growl echoed that only they could hear. They ran.

When homework felt impossible, Kalu would teach Caleb and ask him to try some on his own, and he always did it well at last.

When the house was quiet and cold, Kalu would transform into a human and teach him how to cook, clean, and pray.

One night, Kalu dreamed of his father saying, "You will remain what you are only if a human truly loves you." His father's voice echoed.

Kalu woke up knowing this truth. He tried to change back into a human, but nothing happened. He remained the very protective mystical dog only for his friend and brother, Caleb.

"This is home," he said as he barked happily.

"You're not leaving me, right?" Caleb asked with a wide smile, hugging him tightly.

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"Never." Kalu reassured.

Caleb never told his parents again. They were too busy to even notice anything. He was no longer alone; what's more, he was happy.

Kalu was no longer human, no longer searching—hehad finally found a place where love didn't need explanations.

Caleb and Kalu grew into men together, their bond deepening with time, still brothers at heart and best friends in life.

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SEE YOU SOON