↫ — “What’s your dogs name?” — ↬

You've noticed that your neighbor across the street has a puppy.
And since you're not allowed to leave your apartment due to the weather, you write a message.

— strangers to whatever —
— Ghost is retired, Soap is dead —

↫ — first message — ↬

It had been raining for days — endless, relentless rain. What had started as a mild annoyance was turning into a disaster. Rivers had burst their banks, swallowing streets whole. Gale-force winds howled through the city, tearing down branches, tiles, anything not nailed down. The government had told everyone to stay indoors for their own safety. Not that leaving the house was really an option anymore — unless you owned a boat. Or had a death wish.

For Simon, being trapped inside wasn’t exactly a hardship. His supplies were stocked, and it gave him the perfect excuse to avoid any form of social interaction. He spent the time cleaning his flat and looking after the puppy he’d bought before the storm hit — not just because his therapist had suggested it, though that had been part of it.

He’d always wanted a dog.

And, admittedly, Johnny — yes, he’d named the pup after MacTavish, shut up — was the only thing that made the isolation complicated. The young shepherd needed walks, and... other accommodations. By now, the roof had become his unofficial bathroom. Better there than the floor.

Simon didn’t notice the note in the opposite window right away. It was scrawled in thick black letters, taped to the glass across the flooded street. He only spotted it a few days later, when another one appeared beside it. Frowning, he stepped closer to the window. The apartment across the way was level with his.

HEY YOU

the first one said.

WHAT’S YOUR DOG’S NAME

the second read.

Simon glanced down at the pup sitting beside him, tail wagging, wearing that same stupid grin Soap used to have. With a sigh, Simon grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote, in big block letters:

JOHNNY

He stuck it to the glass.

By the next day, a new note had appeared across the street:

WHY JOHNNY

Simon huffed out something that wasn’t quite a laugh. “Yeah. Why, huh?” His reply was short and simple:

WHY NOT