It was a lovely Sunday afternoon, and the park was bustling with visitors. Among them, a tall man wearing a long dark coat strolled slowly down the path, flanked by three large German Shepherds that stayed closely by his side. At first, people admired the impressive sight. But after a moment, an eight-year-old girl named Mara gripped her mother’s hand nervously and whispered,
“Mom, the dogs aren’t blinking…”

Her mother looked carefully and noticed something odd. The dogs walked in perfect formation, without looking around, sniffing, barking, or even blinking. The crowd began to whisper among themselves.“Is that normal?” an elderly man on a bench asked. The man with the dogs lifted his hood slightly and smiled faintly as he glanced around. His eyes were soft but pale, and he looked weary. He bent down toward one of the dogs, causing the tense onlookers to step back quickly—but from the dog’s chest came a soft whimper. A teenager holding a phone moved closer to record and asked,
“Sir, is everything okay? The dogs seem unwell…”<<…CONTINUE READING…>>