The storm rolled in faster than anyone expected. Dark clouds swallowed the sky, the trees bent under the force of the wind, and rain pounded against the windows like a thousand tiny drums. Inside the house, Lala the little dog had already started pacing nervously, her ears twitching at every rumble of thunder. She never liked storms, but this time was different.
With a sudden crack! the lights flickered once, twice—then everything went black. The power had gone out. The hum of the refrigerator stopped, the glow of the lamps vanished, and the house fell into an eerie silence broken only by the howl of the wind. For Lala, it was too much.
Her heart raced, her paws skittered across the floor, and before anyone could stop her, she bolted out the doggy door into the raging storm. The family shouted her name, grabbing flashlights and coats, but Lala was already sprinting down the darkened street, her panic carrying her farther from home.
She ran through puddles that splashed up to her belly, her fur soaked, ears flattened by the rain. Each clap of thunder made her run faster, her little body trembling with fear. But as the storm raged on, she realized she didn’t know where she was anymore. The familiar scents of home were lost under the smell of wet earth and rain.
Just as the fear reached its peak, a beam of light cut through the darkness. Her family had found her, calling her name with voices that rose above the storm. Lala froze, then whimpered, tail tucked between her legs. When her mom knelt down in the rain and opened her arms, Lala didn’t hesitate—she leapt straight into her embrace.
Soaked and shivering, she was carried home, wrapped in a warm towel, and held close until the storm passed. From that night on, the family made sure to keep candles and blankets ready. And Lala, though still wary of storms, learned that as long as she was with her family, she never had to face the darkness alone.
