The man left the house too, and it stood empty.
After some time, new people moved in.
I watched the unfamiliar young couple. One part of my consciousness still didn't understand what had happened, while another part knew all too well.
I couldn't control my body. During the day, I screamed and shouted in the empty house.
I missed my old life.
Still, I gradually adjusted to my new identity.
I lay inside the house, amusing myself.
That was, until a new tenant arrived in the familiar house.
The little dog was the first thing that could see me. It approached cautiously, perhaps unsure what I was. It was gentle and obedient, a well-behaved pet that wouldn't cause its owners any trouble.
I found it annoying.
I started deliberately provoking it.
It would bark a few times, but as soon as its owner scolded it, it quieted down.
I hated it even more.
It wasn't aggressive at all. Its little acts of defiance were nothing to me.
Its owner misunderstood it, thinking that its daytime barking had caused trouble.
The small part of me deep down was pleased.
I understood what that part of me was thinking. Its malicious thoughts came from not wanting to see one of its kind be loved, not wanting to see another of its kind act differently from me.
I locked the dog in a cage.
This was my new ability. I knew it had appeared along with that burgeoning malice. That part of me didn't give it much thought. It was simply delighted to see the dog locked up.
The ability stirred it.
It wanted to do more.
It had been beaten to death, and it didn't want to see another dog living happily in this house.
So my body pounced.
Everything turned red