Lost Change

Chapter 12

I perched on a fence post and tried to think my way through the next problem.

It had taken four trips to carry everything back from the store, but in the end I got everything moved back to my house. I left most of the stuff there, then carried the food, treats, and one of the balls to the house with the dog.

A sturdy fence surrounded the backyard so I decided to let the dog into that area first. If the dog turned out to be a threat - if I opened the door and a rottweiler or a pitbull came rushing out to eat me - then I could simply glide over the fence and be done with it.

I really hoped the dog inside was a friendlier breed, though. Other than random birds and squirrels I still hadn't seen a single living creature since I had woken up in the lab. And this city was depressing. Having a friendly creature around would be a big comfort.

But I had to figure out some way to get the door open first.

The back door was locked - and even my attempt to open it had sent the dog running to investigate the noise, and now I could hear it scratching at the floor on the other side. Whatever breed of dog this was, it was definitely a breed that loved to dig.

I had thought about throwing a rock through one of the windows and trying to open the door from the inside, but I was certain the noise would just cause the dog to come running. I did not want to become trapped in a house with no means of escape beyond a jagged hole lined by sharp edges, and then discover the dog was an angry German Shepherd trained to run down criminals.

I thought about breaking multiple windows, so the poor dog would run around the house and hopefully be on the far side of whatever entrance I picked, but I wasn't too happy about that idea either - I wasn't sure what the inside of the house would be like, since curtains covered all of the windows, and with how eager the dog was to get outside, I wasn't certain it wouldn't try and escape through any hole I broke in the windows.

I thought about trying to break down the door... and remembered I was now a creature that only weighed a couple pounds, stood less than a foot high, and was built light in order to fly through the air. Unless I could breathe fire...

I blinked in surprise as the encyclopedia in my head informed me that I actually could breathe fire, or at least, would be able to. There was a strong sense of a foul, oily taste in my mouth that went along with it. Apparently there was some sort of saliva I could produce and ignite, allowing a lot of heat to build up very rapidly inside my throat which could then be expelled in a stream of fire... or at least, I might be able to one day. The encyclopedia suggested newly hatched dragonets couldn't produce the specific saliva until a few months of additional growth, so I might not be able to just yet.

I eyed the door for a moment... then shook my head. Even if I could produce fire, it probably wouldn't be smart to try burning through the door. I didn't see that ending in any way other than the door resisting the flames, or the entire house catching fire and burning down. Neither was an outcome I was hoping for.

I sat for a few more minutes listening to the random whines and scratches coming from the other side of the door, but nothing came to mind. I frowned and launched off the fence to take another look around the house.

A flower pot by the door caught my eye, and I remembered back to when I was trying to get into my house. Could it really be that easy? I fluttered towards the pot and pushed up on it, heaving a little to move the dirt and heavy ceramics. Metal glinted in the shadows, and I used my tail to swipe the key out from under the pot.

The pot clattered back down to the ground as I grabbed the key and flew back into the backyard. I hovered at the level of the doorknob and tried the key, and felt my tail curl in satisfaction as the key turned and the lock clicked open. Yes!