There was a girl, about fourteen or fifteen, whose parents left her home alone one night when they went to visit friends in the next town. They would be back late the next morning, and the girl wasn't afraid to spend the night alone. She had a dog- it was only a little collie, nothing fierce, but she was sure it would protect her if anything bad happened. So her parents left late in the afternoon, and she settled down to watch tv with her dog. She fell asleep in front of the tv, and when she woke up the local news was on. The anchor said that there was an escaped killer in town. He was to be considered armed and extremely dangerous, and citizens were advised to keep their doors and windows locked and stay in the house.
The girl was a bit afraid, but she was still confident that her dog would protect her. She decided to go to bed. Her dog always slept underneath the bed, and it made her feel better to know he was there. She stuck her hand under the bed and he licked it, and then she fell asleep.
Around midnight, she awoke to a steady dripping noise. She couldn't figure out what it was, but she stuck her hand under the bed and the dog licked it again, so she was reassured and fell back asleep. A while later, she woke up again. The dripping noise was still going, but once more she stuck her hand under the bed and once more the dog licked it, so she was sure everything was alright.