My name is…

"Missing dog", these were the words that appeared in all the newspapers in the city. It wasn't just any dog, to deserve so much prominence it couldn't be, of course. The dog of the daughter of the great President of the city had disappeared a few days ago and no effort was spared to rescue it.

- Any news on the dog? - Mr. President asked on his phone. His voice was quite impatient, it was clear that he was getting tired of all the fuss about a dog. "I'd already got her a new dog by now, damn child", he thought, while waiting for an answer.

- Still... still nothing solid, Mr President. As soon as we have more information you will be informed immediately, I assure you! - the guarantee was from the young chief of the municipal police. He had recently been promoted and the authority of the President still caused him shivers in his spine.

The President's daughter's dog had been missing for 5 days and the city had gone into collective hysteria because of the small animal. Yes, it was only a small poodle, but for the whole city it was as if the president himself had disappeared.

Everyone was involved in this story. The police made the search for the dog a priority, the media devoted large minutes and pages of newspapers to it, everyone wanted to help and there was no shortage of reports of sightings arriving at the police station.

- Can you please describe the dog you have seen? - a police officer asked on the phone.

- It was a small dog, all black, looked exactly like the one in the pictures!

- Madam, the dog is white, it is impossible to be the same. We appreciate your contact...

The agent sighed. It was the tenth call they had received that day, all of them had such an obvious problem that it was not even necessary to investigate the reports received. They were either different colours, or different sizes, or different breeds. When they received Mr. President's call for help they didn't expect it to be as difficult to find a damn dog, especially one as characteristic and famous as that.

Since the President's family adopted him, he has become a celebrity, almost at the level of the city's chief. He had pages on social networks, was invited to events and was worshipped by all citizens. It was hard to find anyone who did not like him, which made this case even more particular.

His disappearance was surrounded by a lot of mystery. Given his fame, the dog ended up being watched almost all the time, even when he was running around the big garden of his mansion there was always someone keeping an eye on him. He had already escaped a few times through some holes he had made, but he would return in an instant. He, too, was fond of fame, and it seems he knew that far from there he did not have it. However, this time it didn't happen, it had already been 5 days since his disappearance and until now nobody knew about him.

Nobody knew about him. Until the police department finally received a lead that deserved to be followed, at least this time the description of the little dog corresponded. Add to that, the location of the sighting…

House 111, just outside the city, next to the big scrapyard.

"The house... 111?", one of the agents trembled at the thought of having to go there.

The whole area of the scrapyard was shrouded in mystery and everyone knew that it was frequented by the city's worst scum. The police had no power in that area and no longer tried to go there. Not after the last few times when things didn't go well for the officers involved.

Marking the beginning of this area was house 111. All surrounded by a wooden railing, it presented a garden with no apparent care, with a lifeless tree and the remains of what was once a lawn. Its black colour matched perfectly with the colour of the walls, dirty and worn, without any care marks. Its destruction matched the broken window, covered with cardboard, and the roof looking unsafe with a few tiles out of place or broken.

Its inhabitant was also shrouded in a huge mystery. There were rumours in the city that she was a witch, that she only left home at night and that any animal that dared to enter her grounds was never seen alive again. They said she used them in her potions.

No one knew very well what was true or false about the witch. What was certain was that they rarely saw her outside the house and whenever she was sighted, she didn't seem friendly at all. Even though she was only in her thirties, her careless air and characteristic black clothes gave even greater strength to the rumours of her supernatural powers.

The police had to do their duty and follow the hint they had received. None of the officers really wanted to go there, but they did not have the power to refuse to go.

The agents approached the house with some fear. They knocked on the door, once... twice... three times. Nobody showed up.

- Who is it? - were already close to leaving when they heard a shy and aggressive voice on the other side of the door.

- We are from the police and we are looking for Mr. President’s dog… you must have seen it on the news. We have received information that the dog has been spotted near this house and we want to know if you have any information that could help us.

- I don't know anything. Leave me alone!

- Don't you want to get out and we can talk better? Are you sure you didn't see anything? - insisted the policeman.

- I told you, I don't know anything. Go away! - the voice from inside shouted the last sentence bluntly, the cops knew they wouldn't get anything else there and couldn't force their way.

On their return to the police station, they were sure they would hear a lecture from their chief. What a surprise it was when they were told that the dog had appeared. He had returned home by his own paws, with his white fur stained. It was not known where it had come from, but it would certainly be a rather dirty place... like the scrapyard.

One thing was certain. Even though it looked as if it had come from that damned area, in the end the witch was not involved in all this mess!

If the hysteria had already been great with his disappearance, with his return the dog was elevated to the status of maximum celebrity in the city. Like a prodigal son who returns home, as if he had made bad decisions in his life and now regretted them and returned to his home, where he was loved and cared for. As if he were much more than just a dog.

All these things didn't last long, the next day, without anyone realizing how, the dog disappeared again. Panic installed, general hysteria, the end of the world getting closer and closer.

The feline went into his life, but this time he was soon spotted. A small group of three children playing in the street saw him and decided that it would be funny to follow him. He was so relaxed that he didn't even notice the little detectives chasing him. His tail wagging, his tongue sticking out. He was happy with life, everything sparkled around him, he couldn't see anything but the way ahead.

They, too, were happy to follow him for several minutes. Until they realized the direction they were taking. They began to walk with more apprehension, but decided to follow the dog to the end, it was an adventure, and they could not retreat in the face of danger. What superhero does it? None, just like they wouldn't.

The journey ended when the dog arrived at the witch's house. Of course they wouldn't back down, but even superheroes must have limits, and these three adventurers, despite their young age, they knew the city limits and how far they should go, the entrance to the scrapyard and the witch's house. There was no way that they would go any further and enter that dangerous area.

The little dog managed to get in through a hole in the fence while the boys stayed outside. They knew very well that they couldn't go any further or the risk of the witch showing up was great and then they would be forever trapped in that terrible place.

- Let's leave, we've seen where the dog came from, we completed our adventure. - said one of the boys.

- It's really better, I don't want to stay here too long. My mother says it's dangerous! - said the other boy.

- What a bunch of cowards! I want to see where the little dog is, I don't want anything bad to happen to him. We have to take him back home. - This time it was the girl in the group who ordered the boys in and showed them that there was nothing to fear - Let's peek in to try to find out more, we're just in the street, nothing will happen to us!

The boys agreed, but even without speaking they agreed that this was as far as they would go. They shoved their heads through the fence and peeped inside. The frightening look of that scene gave them a chill all over their bodies, but there was really nothing to see. There was no sign of life and the little dog had disappeared too.

They waited... and waited... and no sign of the dog.

- Let's go home, we will never see him again and it's already getting late. - The girl was resigned to her fate. This time she was the first to give up, not because she was afraid, but because she knew that waiting would be fruitless.

- Ok, let’s go home and let our parents know that the dog is here. I bet we'll be famous! - The fear had disappeared and the little boy was already imagining himself on the covers of the newspapers as the one responsible for the rescue of the dog.

- Don't be a dork, we won't tell anyone, we don't even know where he really is. We'll come back tomorrow to keep looking. Promise you won't say anything!

- We promise! - the boys had no authority to go against the girl and agreed to return to that place the next day.

They all kept their word and met again the following day. Religiously they peeped through the fence again as the day before and again they saw no sign of life inside. However, they were determined to succeed and their confidence would not be easily shaken.

They had been there for some time when they heard a penetrating squeak. The three pairs of eyes automatically headed for the door of the house and crossed each other with the gaze of the witch who was quickly advancing towards them.

Their legs froze, they couldn’t escape, they were doomed, the witch was going to catch them and they were going to be trapped there forever. They knew well what was said about her around town. When she arrived near them they crouched and protected themselves with their arms, prepared for the worst.

- How can I help you children? It's already the second day I've seen you sneaking around here.

Slowly they lifted their heads towards her and saw a tender smile in place of the frightening, wicked face they had imagined in that instant before she said anything to them. Disarmed by that smile, they felt less terrified and the girl was able to give an answer:

- Hm... we're after the president's puppy and yesterday we followed him all the way up here. We are looking for him. You haven't seen him, have you?

- Yes, I did. Come in and I'll show you why he's here. - she turned her back on them and started walking to the entrance of the house. Seeing that she was not followed, she turned and said - Are you coming? - The children looked at each other and without saying anything, shrugged and followed her.

On the way, one of the boys whispered - I bet she'll lock us in the house, it's our... oh... end... - before finishing the sentence he took an elbow from the girl and a furtive look that made him quickly shut up. The witch, as if she could guess the reason for that little confusion told them:

- You don't need to be afraid, children, I won't hurt you. I know what they say about me in this damn town and I'm sorry that even the children think I'm an evil witch. I have a name too. My name is Sarah! - this last sentence came as if it had been stuck inside her for far too long. She turned her back on them and continued walking.

They entered Sarah's house without any fears and were not prepared for the shock that that experience would be. The inside was the complete opposite of the outside, the house had its own brightness and the most diverse colours full of life that made the house move. The smell of freshly baked cake and the fluffy carpets on the floor made that home so welcoming that the children began to consider that after all the rumours were always true, whoever went in did not leave, but it was because they did not want to do so.

Seeing their perplexity and guessing again what was in their minds, Sarah said to them - I know that those who see the house from the outside cannot even imagine the beauty that is inside, but it was the only way I had to avoid problems with the nasty people who frequent the area around my house. Unfortunately I can't afford to move to a safer area, so I found out that people who saw the house in such a bad condition outside didn't even bother to think about going in and so I feel much safer.

She stopped for a bit and then continued:

- Unfortunately, that led to all the stories about me that I am sure you know, but as you can see, they are all sad lies. I never harmed anyone, least of all animals.

They went out through a door and found themselves in a small backyard hidden in the back of the house, accessible only from inside the house and where Sarah produced her food. There they found Mr. President's dog and what was their surprise when they realized the reason for his presence - the dog had a litter of puppies and was with them. The children ran to the dogs and spent an unforgettable rest of the day with Sarah and the puppies.

Back home, the children explained everything that happened to their parents. Why the dog was with Sarah, why Sarah’s house looked the way it did and that all the bad stories told about her were lies and that adults should be careful when talking about other people’s lives without knowing their story and even less their names.

When the President heard all this, he was relieved that everything had finally been cleared up. He was so touched by the story that the kids told about Sarah that he decided to help her move to a safer area and restore her image in the city.

Sarah in her turn was happy to have a name again.