The boy’s heart pounded as he picked up the rain-soaked toy. Attached to it was a small plastic tag holding a faded photograph. Even through the water and dirt, he recognized the face immediately.

It was him.

The same eyes. The same smile. The same red jacket he was wearing now.

But the photograph looked old—far older than it should have been.

His mother rushed over and froze when she saw it. The dog stepped between them again, staring into the darkness beyond the road. It wasn’t acting afraid. It was acting as if it recognized something.

Then the boy noticed another detail.

On the back of the tag was a handwritten date.

It was taken years before he was born.

A cold wind moved through the trees. The dog let out a quiet whine and looked toward an abandoned house at the end of the street. Hidden behind the wet branches, a light suddenly appeared in an upstairs window.

The dog had stopped him from crossing the road for a reason.

And whatever was waiting inside that house seemed to know exactly who the boy was.

As they slowly turned toward the glowing window, the dog lowered its head and began walking forward… as if it had been there before.