The dog told him to kill people. It wasn't like it was the first time either. Mr. Muffins had been telling Jim to kill people since he was but a pup.

At first it was the normal crazy things. Kill the president. Kill Madonna. Kill that guy who sells ice cream cones for 2 bucks down the street.

Really. Where was a 10 year old going to get 2 bucks for ice cream? The lemonade stand only earned him seventy five cents. And a bluegreen ball of yarn from Mrs. Patacki.

He managed to ignore the dog. Puppy voices were not that compelling. It was when the dog got older that it became serious.

Instead of the president, Mr. Muffins told him to kill his father. Instead of Madonna, he was told to kill his mother. The voice grew more commanding. He couldn't ignore it.

One afternoon, he took his mother's butcher knife and visited the ice cream clown. He knocked. The clown smiled and squeaked his horn. Then Jim slit his throat and stole all the bomb pops he could find.

The dog was happy for a while. He got his share of the loot.

But then he started talking about killing the donut selling guy.