The Doorbell with No One There

The doorbell rings at Winnie's house almost every evening. She runs to open the door, but no one is there.

At first, Winnie thinks it is a game. She checks the street both ways, but it stays empty.

One evening, she decides to watch from the window instead. She waits by the glass and looks out at the porch.

A small brown puppy walks up the steps. It sniffs the doorbell button and jumps up against the door. Its paw hits the button, and the bell rings.

Winnie laughs and opens the door. The puppy wags its tail and looks up at her.

A man walks up the path a moment later. "I'm sorry," he says. "This is my new puppy, Scout. He loves buttons."

"That explains the doorbell," Winnie says. "It rang almost every night this week."

"Jamal," the man says, and he holds out his hand. "We just moved in down the street."

"I'm Winnie," she says. "Scout can visit anytime, but maybe not the doorbell part."

Jamal laughs and picks up the puppy. "I'll walk him on a leash from now on," he says.

Winnie waves as they walk away. The porch stays quiet that night, and she almost misses the sound.