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front of the barn and part of the paddock, but the area around that was pitch black as well.
    This is just great.  I have to go find my dog in the sinister black of the night.  Probably a serial killer lurking behind a bush, just waiting for the dumb female to walk his way.
    Ava slipped on her tennis shoes that she kept by the front door and stepped out on the porch.  The night had cooled the air considerably and Ava felt a slight chill on her arms.
    “BING!” 
    Even though Ava was a little spooked in the dark, she didn’t feel any real apprehension.  Moose Gap was a very safe community and crime was virtually non-existent.  She was sure that Bing was just sniffing around and got caught up in some delicious rabbity scent.
    THUMP.
    Ava jumped and her head snapped toward the barn.  Ava stilled and listened intently. 
    THUMP. 
    It was definitely coming from the barn and her first thought was that one of the horses was kicking the inside of the stall.  Or maybe it was Bing somehow stuck inside.  Which was ridiculous, because how could he have gotten inside?  She was pretty sure she had closed the door and secured the latch.  It wasn’t locked, because, hey, this was Moose Gap, Wyoming and no one ever stole anything out here.  But being the diligent ranch owner that she was, and wanting to hurry up and find Bing so she could go to bed, Ava headed toward the barn to investigate the weird noise.
    Stepping into the light at the barn door, she felt a weird prickling on the back of her head, as if her hair decided to stand at military attention.  Mentally shaking off her foreboding, Ava opened the door and walked inside.  Reaching to the right for the interior light switch, Ava gave it a flick.  The overhead lights came on and flooded the interior with bright warmth.  She didn’t see Bing.
    Walking forward, she approached the first stall which belonged to Beastie Girl, a small, delicate little mare she had bought about a year ago.  As she reached the stall door, Beastie Girl stuck her head out and gave a soft nicker.  The sound was comforting.   Moreover, Beastie Girl was calm, if not curious as to why she was getting a visitor at this time of the night.  If something sinister was in the barn, no way would Beastie Girl be so calm.  Two more heads popped out of their stalls. 
    “Hey King… Hey Macy.  Seen any serial killers lurking around?”
    Both horses just stared at her.
    “How about Bing?  Have you seen that doofus dog?”
    Again, more staring.
    “Well, thanks for all of your help.  Your support means the world to me. Truly, I wouldn’t be what I am today without the three of you.”
    Giving each horse a soft rub on their muzzles, Ava walked the remaining length of the barn to the back door.  Opening it to step outside, she was thankful for her foresight in installing lighting on the back of the barn too.  She was immediately bathed in a soft, sulfurous glow.  Ava peered into the dark but couldn’t see anything past the edge of the light.
    “Bing, come on buddy. It’s time to go inside.” 
    She listened but heard nothing. 
    Now she was really starting to worry about Bing.  What if he got bitten by a snake he had disturbed while it slept?  Or fell down a ravine?  Or carted off by dog thieves?  Okay, the last one was stretching it a bit, but in the Wild West, there were always dangers out in the dark.
    Ava decided to head back to the house and get a flashlight so she could check out more of the property.  In fact, she decided to grab her gun too.  It would be just her luck to run into a bear and not be prepared.  Damn dog.  Remind me again why I love you so much?   Rather than cut back through the barn, Ava decided to walk around it.  Between the lights on the front and back of the barn, she should have enough ambient light to see where she was going. 
    Ava closed and latched the back barn door, and headed to the right.  She had taken two steps when she immediately tripped