Title: The Trail Guardians
By Benjamin GroffMedia© | benandsteve.com | 2025 Truth Endures©
Every day at exactly 3:35 p.m., the yellow school bus rumbled down the dusty country road. Its brakes squealed in protest. It stopped at the gate of the Miller farm. Waiting by the fence—tails wagging, ears alert—stood three loyal dogs: Oggy, Bruiser, and Jackie.
Oggy, a wiry shepherd-collie mix, zipped back and forth like a bolt of lightning, always the first to move. Bruiser was a proud and imposing German shepherd. His stare could make thunder retreat. He sat like a sentry. His eyes were fixed on the distant tree line. Jackie was a small but wise rat terrier. She lay in the shade, her head tilted. It was as if she was listening to the wind for stories.
Benji stepped off the bus. His backpack bounced and his heart was full of energy. He called out,
“Who’s ready for a hike?”
The dogs barked in harmony. Their daily ritual had begun—school ended, and the adventure began.
The woods, hills, and winding creeks beyond the Miller farm stretched wild and untamed. They were alive with beauty and mystery. There was a kind of danger only country kids and creatures could sense. Benji’s father trusted the dogs with more than just companionship. They each had a job:
Oggy, ever eager, raced ahead to flush out snakes, spook wild hogs, or alert the team to anything unusual. Bruiser stayed at Benji’s side, calm and formidable—his job was protection. Jackie had a sharp nose and clever instincts. She always brought up the rear. She tracked every step and memorized the path home.
Together, they were more than a team. They were guardians: a boy and his dogs, bound by loyalty, instinct, and love.
They had explored nearly every trail across the farm. But there was one place they had never dared to enter.
Benji called it No Man’s Land.
Even the cattle avoided it. Horses snorted and veered away from its edges. Dense with tangled brush, towering trees, and sheer, jagged cliffs, it lay beyond the farthest bend of the creek. You couldn’t see more than a few yards into it, even when standing on the embankment across the water. It was as if the woods had secrets they weren’t ready to share.
Sometimes, the team would gather at that high bank and stare into the thicket. Benji would speak softly as if trying not to disturb whatever is listening.
“What’s back there?”
he’d wonder aloud.
“Nobody’s ever gone in. But one day, we’ll be brave enough to cross that creek and find out.”
He told the dogs his plan: the safest way in would be through Cottonwood Hollow. If they cut through the grove, they would reach No Man’s Land without being seen from the road—or the house.
Before they set off, a familiar sound echoed across the pasture—the dinner bell.
Its clang was sharp and sure, and the dogs didn’t need to be told twice. The four companions turned for home. They momentarily forgot their trail. The promise of a warm meal and kind voices led them back.
They didn’t cross into No Man’s Land that day.
But they would.
And when they did, they’d uncover something none of them would ever have imagined.
Those dogs need to be fed. And it’s a good thing Benji got them home in time for ‘supper.’ Check back for Chapter Two. We’ll find out if the Team gets brave enough to hike into No Man’s Land!
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